John 17:6a I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world:
The word manifest means to make visible, known, or to show openly. When it is used in the bible in reference to Jesus, it means that Jesus Christ came to visibly make known the nature and will of God on earth (John 17:6a). In other words, Jesus did not only come from heaven to earth to fulfill the redemptive plan of God, He also came to reveal to all of mankind what His Father is like. Jesus is the manifestation or express image of God in human flesh.
The apostle John tells us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human to take away sin and to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:5,8b). Jesus was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20), and “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52), and was perfectly obedient and sinless in all his life and ministry, all the way to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 4:15), in order to take away our sins and destroy the works of the devil. That’s the gospel! That’s the Christmas message! Because of sin, life gets messy. and we all fail and fall short of the glory of God. The devil, also known as the destroyer, goes about seeking to destroy men’s lives both before and after they come to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
That is why it is so vital to understand the true meaning of Calvary. You see, if a person does not comprehend the truth of the gospel of grace, they will either think that they are good enough for God to save, which is self-righteousness, or they will look at their sinful deeds and thoughts and be so ridden with guilt and condemnation that they will doubt they can be saved. The gospel is not look to yourselves; the gospel is, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:22)
“For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given.” (Isaiah 9:6) Why? To reveal the nature of The Father. Redemption is God’s plan for sinners. Redemption from the debt of sin, the dominion of sin, and the guilt of sin. Redemption from the grip of Satan’s accusations and strongholds that keep us in bondage. Knowing the truth of why Jesus came empowers us to share the gospel of the grace of God with confidence and boldness. It also enables us to live our lives in victory over the wiles of the devil because Jesus defeated the powers of darkness on His cross. Rejoice!!
