Yesterday I wrote about how God changes us to be more like him. Today I ask you, who would want to be more like us? It sounds ridiculous. We have problems. We’re weak, weary, and confused. We forget about God and try to do our own thing, which always fails. Who in their right mind would want to change to become like us?
Jesus, that’s who. He knew that unless he came as one of us, someone we could relate to and understand, we would never listen. Therefore Jesus took on our flesh and became human. That’s not to say he stopped being God; he simply became human also in order to save us.
This is reminiscent of Paul’s teaching in 1st Corinthians chapter 9. “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” (verse 19). Paul describes how he became as a Jew to save the Jews, as one under the law to save those under the law, as one outside the law to save those outside the law. He never actually became a Jew or lived life under or outside the law. He retained his strength throughout. But he made himself relatable to everyone he met. “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some,” he explains in verse 22.
Just as Jesus made himself relatable to us, and Paul made himself relatable to the people he met, so are we called to make ourselves relatable to others. This doesn’t mean that we should sin in order to save people. It does mean that we are to eliminate all obstacles that would prevent us from sharing the Gospel. If it means sacrificing our preferences, interests, or privileges, we should do it. Non-Christians need the Gospel, and we are here to share it.