“And when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘You would not want sacrifice and offering. Rather, you prepared a body for me, and you did not delight in burnt offerings and sin offerings.’ So I said, ‘As it is written about me, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” (Hebrews 10:5-7).
These verses are from the New Testament Epistle to the Hebrews. These are Jesus' first words At ChristmasJeremiah Johnston, Ph.D., told Fox News Digital.
This falls on Sunday Fourth Sunday of Adventthe last week in the preparatory period before Christmas.
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Johnston is an elected member of the Studiorum Novi Covenanti Societas, president of the Society of Christian Thinkers and pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Burstonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area.
“The Bible reveals a conversation between Jesus and God at his incarnation,” he said. “Quoting from Psalm 40:6-8, the writer of Hebrews depicts the pre-existent Christ speaking through the psalmist.”
The Fourth Sunday of Advent is a time to reflect on Jesus' example of consecration. (Istock)
Johnston said the birth of Jesus was during a period of “religious and political exhaustion.”
“Late Second Temple Judaism expanded God's commandments to 613 laws, of which 248 were positive commandments ('Do…') and 365 were negative ('Do not…'),” he said.
This, he said, turned the practice of religious faith into a “mechanical burden of endless rules” that lacked sincere devotion.
Jesus followed God's will on behalf of humanity.
Additionally, the situation was bleak for most people living in the Roman Empire during Jesus' time, Johnston noted.
He added that the average life expectancy is only 20 years, and that about a quarter of the population is in dire need of medical care.
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“Up to 40 percent of the population was living in slavery,” Johnston said. “The much-celebrated Pax Romana has failed to deliver true peace.”
True peace in the world was not achieved through religious rituals or political power, but because of them Jesus followed him He said God's will on behalf of humanity.
His first recorded words, as found in Hebrews 10:7, reveal this mission: “Then said I, ‘Behold, it is written of me in the book, I come to do thy will, O God.’”
One prominent religious leader said that true peace was achieved in the world not through religious ritual or political authority, but because Jesus followed God's will on behalf of humanity. (Istock)
He added that during Christmas, “these words remind us that God wants obedience from the heart, not empty rituals.”
Johnston told Fox News Digital that the use of the phrase “in the book” in the verse is a demonstration of Jesus' commitment to the Bible.
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“From his first words to his last moments before death, Jesus constantly upheld the fulfillment of God's word,” he said.
“Unlike the four Old Testament The sacrifices mentioned in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which often lacked accompanying faith, Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary and wholehearted.”
“From his first words to his last moments before death, Jesus continually upheld the fulfillment of God’s word.” (Istock)
Johnston said that God “repeatedly rejects hollow works of religion without sincere worship.”
Unlike animal sacrifices, he said, “Jesus voluntarily gave his life to fulfill God’s eternal will, as it was planned before the foundation of the world.”
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This is evidence that “what God wants is not outward performance, but inner faithfulness,” Johnston said.
As the world prepares to celebrate the birth of the Son of God, people should “reflect on the deeper meaning of Jesus' words and actions,” Johnston said.
He said that these verses “embody the essence of Jesus’ mission.”
“Only through the incarnation could Jesus get rid of sin and fulfill God’s will in his death, burial, and bodily resurrection.”
He said: “Only through the incarnation was Jesus able to get rid of sin and fulfill God's will in his death, burial and bodily resurrection.”
“His life reminds us that true worship involves heartfelt obedience, not hollow tradition—something we could never achieve on our own, without His atoning help.”
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During the last week of Advent until Christmas, “let us follow Jesus' example by offering our lives in sincere devotion to God, magnifying his love and peace through our actions and dependence on him,” he said.
