But why Him?

I've always had strong faith in the words and deeds explained in the Bible. Recent reading of a book called "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel has given me expert and scholar quotes to logically back up and defend my faith. But the question I have always returned to is, "Why Jesus?" What was so unique to him that made his death the passageway for my salvation? Obviously and unquestionably he was God on earth, but what about the act of death, resurrection, and belief was so magical other than that's just how God decided it would be done? Something in this book triggered this line of questioning again, but for some reason, I had an answer this time.

The act in the end was of significant importance. What is often forgotten is the choice in the beginning.

I acknowledge without a doubt that before there was existence there was the Trinity: God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. And in the beginning, God created man in "their" image, not just as an additional creation like the mountains, birds, or seas but for one specific purpose: to glorify God. To this special creation, he gave a gift that would make their praise that much more meaningful: choice; free will. But with this free will, humans let themselves indulge in their curiousities, their temptations, and as Strobel's book put it, they shook their "puny fists" at the face of God. Until the infamous decision regarding the forbidden tree, God dwelt with man and walked with them. How incredible to walk with God! Arguably, this was most likely God the Son, retaining all deity yet taking human form just to accept the company and praise of his prized creation.

Humans took that privilege and threw it right back in God's face.

Innate in the being of God is that He is above all things as their creator, master, and the One to which all is attributed. To break from Him is not a decision to be taken lightly. As proven with another of his creations, defiance can only be made once. Past this point, the consequence is eternal separation. A beautiful angel named Lucifer felt the same as the humans once. He asked the question of "why do I owe my allegiance to God and his commands?" Why the obvious answer of "he created you" escaped both the angels and the humans, I don't know. But after Lucifer and one-third of the angels approached the throne to state their challenge and analogously bite their apple, they became the first example of defiance leading to separation. God could not be God if others were allowed to even dabble in the idea of equal power existence with their creator. It's interesting to note here that although God is jealous, he doesn't snub out his declared competition by ending their existence. This is something that medieval kings and insecure humans would do to quickly "settle" an overthrow attempt. Instead he grants them the request of independence. However, good with the bad, this includes an independence from God; a separation.

But back to the puny fists.

The decision of our ancient ancestors was no different than Lucifer, a blatant defiance shouting, "I know better than you." As was his historical precedent, God discontinues all walks and direct companionship, leaving man to his wish of becoming master of his own domain, all rights reserved.

But God proves how much he desired the love of his prized creation by setting another plan in motion. He raises up a chosen people through a human named Abraham. And to his people, a tribe later known as Israel, he begins to set them on the path for redemption. Through Moses he gives the people laws that will return their focus to Him; through the practice of animal sacrifice, he develops a method that gives man the opportunity to physically acknowledge who that person is that can wipe them of their ancient and binding choice; and most importantly through prophets, he speaks to them of his plan to return to earth and walk with man once more, this time with the intent of saving man from himself.

You see, as often as I have heard the essential verses from the book of Romans, I never understood their application until they were placed in the context of God as Creator. "For all have fallen short of the glory of God" - a personal decision by man that he knew better than God. As an accepted possible outcome of free will, God let man make this decision even though it meant eternal separation. When man makes a choice that places himself before God, this is defined as sin. "For the wages of sin is death." Man had been promised an eternity with God, but chose instead to go it alone. The consequence was mortality.

But what of God's developing plan? The Israelites went on to organize the laws and prophecies from God into a religion known as Judaism. Tracing these prophecies over time, 48 clues were given to the chosen people indicating who the Anointed One would be and when he would arrive. In Hebrew, he was called the Messiah, translated in Greek as the Christ. His appearance and the records documenting his life were canonized into the New Testament, the object of Strobel's book and the item of his investigation.

The answer of why it had to be Jesus is just the final touch to God's new plan after man chose to deny his power. Instead of dooming man to the inevitable separation required by the defiance of a creation, God stepped in to take the punishment of his own sentence; for only the purity of God could avoid inherent sin and release humanity's bind to eternal separation. By becoming his own creation, 100% man, he gave a new standard to the necessary rules of maintaining the consequences of free will. Through his life, Jesus gave a new set of rules for living. Through his death and resurrection, he gave a new way for living eternally. God maintained free will and now presented his most loved creation with a new choice. All they now had to do was believe Jesus was the Christ, God the Son on earth as was prophesied. And then to receive Jesus as the one and only way to eternal life, practicing their God-given decision of free will.

What it all comes down to is God wants the power of choice to apply to each individual, not just a blanket sentence to condemn a race because of a decision their ancestors made. Each of us has the power to deny the apple. Every single person controls their fate by either responding to God's plea to accept him as Lord and Savior, giving glory to his name for the gift of his creation, or ignoring his call and making the conscious choice instead to go at it alone, shaking a fist to the sky and saying, "I'll do it myself."

Free will was the gift with its two outcomes of either condemnation or eternal life with God. The answer to "Why Jesus" is because the only way to offer this same choice directly to each man was for God to become personally involved. The reason people say in cliche that he "paid the price" is because he was rightfully owed. He offered the angelic rebellion no second chance, but to his loved creation, he designed a way out. Jesus was not a random occurrence. He was the necessary end for God's plan to give each of us a second chance; to be more than a descendant of Adam, to be a child of God.

I hope you turned down the apple. I hear they have a bad habit of leaving a condemning after-taste.