For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38
Nearly every Christmas movie and special reaches its climax with a declaration, “That’s what Christmas is all about.” Multiple times in the gospel of John Jesus clearly says what Christmas was all about. Over the next several posts we’ll unpack Jesus’s words, explaining exactly why “I have come …” and why that’s an amazing gift for us.
In John 6, Jesus delivers His key doctrinal sermon on the bread of life. He declares, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” This is a great thing, to do the will of the Father. In fact, it’s a recurring theme in John’s gospel. But what exactly is Christ here to do? Thankfully He explains.
His Will: Preservation and Glorification
This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day (John 6:39)
There are two important things here. First, it is God’s will that everyone given to the Son (specifically, every believer) should be kept, not a single one lost. This is our preservation. We are secure in our salvation because GOD has willed it to be so. We do not have to worry. Our security as believers can only be broken if the sovereign will of God can be overruled. Good luck with that.
Second, everyone given to the Son will be raised up at the last day. There’s a lot of eschatology there but the short version is, that when Christ reigns, all believers will join Him in His kingdom. This is our glorification. Once again, this will happen because it is the Father’s divine will that it happens. But Jesus doesn’t stop there.
His Will: Salvation and Glorification
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).
Jesus says it is the Father’s will that everyone who sees and believes in the Son would have everlasting life. In the larger context of John 6, God fed Israel with manna from heaven, but they had to gather it and eat it. In Christ, God takes care of a need much greater than physical hunger, but we have to recognize the provision (see the Son) and we have to take hold of it (believe in the Son). This is our salvation.
Notice that Jesus says again that He will raise us up at the last day. For Jesus to reiterate that draws attention to the fact that the whole reason God made man was to display His glory, manifested in his mercy toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6-7).
So what’s Christmas all about? According to Jesus, He was sent by the Father to do His will, making a way for us to experience the mercy and grace of God to their fullest extent — in His presence. We may never be able to express the wonder of that gift, but it’s all made possible because Jesus came.