Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.  I John 3:4 – 8

So, why did Jesus come to earth?  John is clear, “you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.”  This is absolutely essential to our salvation. Sin is front and center in John’s view, as in the view of all the Scriptures.  Eden introduces us to sin, Jesus Christ exposed sin and offered himself as an offering by which human beings can deal with the sin issue – by taking it away.  Heaven is sinless.  The time will come when sin will have been dealt the death blow.

A second reason for Jesus atoning work is “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”  Of course, we know that the devil will be thrown down in the end but for those who believe, the works of the devil are destroyed, crushed, doomed, NOW.  The ultimate drama is the backdrop for everything. In short, Satan rebels against his Creator, lures people into disobedience, is given a death blow by Jesus’ atoning work, is cast out of heaven, now seeks to keep people from following God but at the end of the age will be cast out completely, to his doom.

We as believers live in this reality.  We know the beginning and we know the end.  We are somewhere between the two, victorious through Christ but still pestered by Satan here on earth.

We praise God every day for delivering us from the jaws of the evil one and for pronouncing us as his sons and daughters, beloved and blessed beyond measure.