Why a Baby?

Q: Why did Jesus need to be born as a baby? Why did he not just enter the world as a man and begin his ministry?

A: The answer to your question may lie in tackling a widely held misconception about mankind. Many people, including Christians, say that we are created in God's image. While that is true of the first man Adam (and Eve), it is not true of the rest of us. Adam was created in God's image (Genesis 1:27), with the life of God breathed into him (Genesis 2:7). However, before Adam and Eve had any children they sinned and became spiritually dead. The life God breathed into them was removed. Thus, when we later read about the children of Adam and Eve we come across an often overlooked verse of scripture. In Genesis 5 it says, "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth (Genesis 5:3)." Seth, all Adam's children and all mankind are not created in God's image. We are born in the image and likeness of Adam, spiritually dead to God in sin. In other words, we are a representation of what it is like not to be in the image of God.

Thankfully, God in His love for us, desired to once again indwell mankind like He did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But before He could restore His life to us He had to deal with the sin that caused His life to leave in the first place. However, since all mankind is born dead to God, there was nobody who had a life to give that would satisfy Him as payment for our sins. Enter Jesus Christ. "And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy (Colossians 1:18)." Jesus is described as the "firstborn from among the dead." All mankind is born spiritually dead and Jesus was the only man, being God, born spiritually alive. In order to redeem mankind from our sins God had to become one of us. Therefore, He entered the world the same way we all do as a baby. In order to please God, He demands perfect obedience and behavior or death. Jesus took both options.

Jesus walked in perfect love thus fulfilling God's righteous requirements and then He took the penalty for our sins that we deserved. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our sins no longer separate us from God. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2)." Now that the sin issue is over between God and man, He can once again offer His life, as a free gift through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to anyone who receives Christ by faith. That is why the scripture says, "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22)." Adam was the only man created spiritually alive. Jesus was the only man born spiritually alive. It makes perfect sense for Jesus to be born as a baby and grow up just like the rest of us do.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15)." If Jesus entered the world as a man how could He have sympathized with our weaknesses to the degree in which He did? I believe by coming into the world as a baby it allowed Him to experience everything we go through as humans from childhood to adulthood. It is just another example of God's love and compassion for us. God became one of us in order to do for us what we couldn't do for ourselves in order to bring us to Him. God could have done anything He wanted to in order to redeem us or nothing at all. This is why we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas time. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us (Matthew 1:23)." When you open up your gifts this Christmas remember the gift of God that was opened up for mankind 2,000 years ago! Merry Christmas.