XIII. Of the Work of Redemption in General.

The great purpose for which God the Father out of His infinite love to man thus gave His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Romans 5), and to which end the Son of God willingly humbled Himself (Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 2:7), was to reconcile unto God the world lost in sin (2 Corinthians 5:19), to redeem it (Hebrews 2:15, 17) and to save it. 1 Timothy 1: 15.

To accomplish fully this great work committed to Him of the Father (John 17:4), for which, according to the divine purpose and preordination He was anointed and set apart even before the foundation of the world, and which out of pure love and obedience He took upon Himself (Hebrews 10:4; 9:10), He must be first put under the law (Galatians 4:4, 5) that by a perfect obedience He might fulfill all its demands (Matthew 5:17-18); and this He actually did. John 17:4.

Having lived a holy and spotless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22, 23) to the age of about thirty years (Luke 3: 23), fully satisfying in this respect the will and pleasure of the Father, He received a public approval from heaven (Matthew 3:16, 17) and was as to His human nature also anointed and endowed in an especial manner with the Holy Ghost from God the Father (Acts 10:38) to carry out the momentous work of salvation (Colossians 1:19, 20), in which He as our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15; 12:24) approved Himself in the exalted threefold capacity as a prophet (Luke 24:19), high priest (Hebrews 10:21) and king (John 12:15; 18:37), Whom God had promised to send into the world, and whom we must hear (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), believe (John 3:16; 6:40, 47), and obey (John 8:12; 10:27-30), as will be more fully shown in the following chapters.

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