Same (NRSV) 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away. See.... everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ.... and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 19 That is -- in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses (sins) against them.... and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.

H. "SALVATION is of the Lord" (link).... Salvation.... acceptance and "inclusion" by God.... is not dependent upon "man", or upon groups of humans (churches).

I. To reveal that life-on-earth is not the end of existence, for God's people (link). See link Not for this life only.

J. To demonstrate that God can reveal Himself, and His power.... in "happenings" that we humans recognize as "miracles".

K. Jesus was also sent to give "sight" to those who are spiritually "blind".... to awaken those who have not been able to "see" (understand) the gospel of God (link).

Luke 4: 18 (NRSV) (Jesus speaking) "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring 'good news' to the poor. He has SENT me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.... to let the oppressed go free.

Same, KJV (Luke 4:18) (Jesus speaking) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel (link) [JNT note: the Gospel of God] to the poor; He hath SENT me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives.... and recovering of sight to the blind.... to set at liberty them that are bruised,

a. To preach the Kingdom of God, and the Gospel of God.

b. To be an example, to be physically "seen" and heard, thereby removing doubt about about God's existence, and realness.

c. To speak words that everyone could hear for himself, at the time; and words that could be written and reported, for future generations.

d. To show that resurrection after death does occur for those indwelled by God, like Jesus Himself.... and hence for the "brothers of Jesus" as in Rom 8.... those "chosen" by God).

e. To demonstrate that Jesus was the "firstborn" of a long line of "brothers"; others, that is, who are indwelled by God, and chosen by God. Romans 8.

f. To explain how God knows that we are only human, and that He understands about the circumstance of being a "human", or a human "animal"; and that our "sins" are forgiven because He does understand about us (since God allowed Himself to become a human, and to experience the human problems and circumstances).

g. To tell us that those who are God's own do not come up for judgement (John 3, and John 5); that we are God's "sheep"; that we are attached to the "vine"; that "apart from Me, you can do nothing"; and other profound truths.

h. To die for us, to show that God knows, in a "humanly' way, about the process of death and dying.

i. To die for us, to show how far God is willing to go, for us, in understanding, in forgiving, in loving, and in suffering for us.

To die for us to fulfill ancient scriptural foretelling (to satisfy Jewish tradition). To be a "blood" sacrifice, also in deference to traditional Jewish sacrificial animals, thought traditionally to appease God, and cause God to "forgive"; etc.

j. To reveal that He, Jesus, does return ("come again", or "come back", or "second coming"), repeatedly, as the Holy Spirit of God, to indwell those who are His. See refs. (One in Heb. ch. 9)

k. To reveal that it is not because someone is born a Jew, or born as a descendant of Abraham, that he is considered God's person; and that it is not because of some external rite, or DEED DONE, that one becomes acceptable to God ("THIS IS THE WORK THAT GOD REQUIRES", ETC.); and that "true circumcision" is inward, and "is of the heart" not "directed by written precepts, but by the heart." A man receives "commendation not from MEN; BUT FROM GOD." (ALL THIS POINT IN ROMANS 2: 28 +)

l. To explain how the Kingdom of God was not just for the Jew, but for the non-Jew as well, whoever is called or chosen by God. To reveal that the "chosen " are not just Jews, but "Israelites" of the "promise". (like B 14 a. above) TO EXPLAIN THAT PROMISES TO GOD'S PEOPLE, THE "CHOSEN", THE "ELECT", ARE THE SAME AS PROMISES TO "MY PEOPLE ISRAEL" IN THE O.T. DAYS, SO THAT GOD'S PEOPLE NOW CAN "CLAIM" THE PROMISES OF GOD FROM ANYWHERE IN HIS "HOLY WORD", THE BIBLE.

(SEE: Rom 19: 24 + Even us whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. 25 As He says also in Hosea, "I will call those who were not my people, MY PEOPLE; and her who was not beloved, beloved. 26 And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them "you are not my people, there they shall be called sons of the living God".)

m. To explain how the Kingdom of God is not just a group of rituals, sacrifices, laws, and regulations; but a matter of one's being satisfactory to God -- a decision made by God, and not to be judged by any man or church. Hence , when Jesus was baptized, He came up from the water, saying "Now is the Kingdom of Heaven", meaning that from now on, I will make it a point to teach and show and state, that the Kingdom of God is not just the Jew's kingdom, and not just for those who are born Jewish, or those who have been circumcised; but for those who are called by God, those whom God considers his "sons", those who "hear" His voice, those who understand His language. Like Jesus said in John 8, speaking to the Pharisees: (paraphrasing) "You are not God's children, and that is why you do not hear His voice, That is why you do not understand His language. You belong to the world, not to God."
NO WONDER THE JEWS TRIED TO SQUELCH WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING.

n. To be the "sin offering", once and for all time. (Add the following 11-11-91) NOTE THIS passage to follow, indicating that we do not have to go and beg forgiveness every day; we don't need to go to church to "confess" every day; we don't need to worry all the time about whether or not we have been forgiven, and for how long we have been forgiven, and whether we can fall from God's favor. Note what follows: Heb 10:11 "Every priest STANDS PERFORMING HIS SERVICES DAILY, and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which CAN NEVER REMOVE SINS. :12 But Christ offered FOR ALL TIME, ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS. :13 FOR BY ONE OFFERING, HE HAS PERFECTED FOR ALL TIME, those who are thus consecrated." (SEE NEXT VERSE, SHOWING THOSE "CONSECRATED" TO BE CONSECRATED BY THE "WILL OF GOD".) 10: 10 It is by the will of God that we have been consecrated, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all." (9-18-w-91)

Hebr. 2: 14 (NIV) "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death --that is, the devil -- 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

(THIS CAN GO BOTH IN "WHY JESUS CAME", AND "WHY JESUS DIED".)

o. TO FULFILL PROPHECY OF HIS COMING: Luke 4: 14 (KJV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel (JNT note: the "Gospel of God") to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him. 21 And He began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.