We know from the Bible that God is a God of love. Right from the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden He has wanted to help. He wanted to do something for His very own creation. He wanted to save man from his disastrous situation.
 
In the Garden of Eden, God revealed that He was going to do something to help man out of his dilemma. After speaking strongly to Satan God gave man a promise, "I will put enmity between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal."  Genesis Ch. 3:15. Here was a wonderful promise given to man in the Garden of Eden - one day a Redeemer would come who would defeat Satan and help man back to fellowship with God.
 
Since man was unable to help himself God began to teach His people that man could only be saved by substitution. Someone else would have to bear the punishment for sin.
 
 Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures God’s Prophets delivered this teaching time after time. The Prophet Isaiah made this very clear when he said, "Surely He took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah Ch. 53:4-6
 
As we study the pages of Scripture we learn a number of things about the way God's plan for salvation would come about.
a) He would be a human being, born of a woman. Since it was Adam and Eve who sinned, then the one who would be a substitute for them and for the human race must be a human being. When we turn to the New Testament we find that Jesus Christ was human. His mother was Mary and He was born in Bethlehem. Jesus developed normally and healthily and was obedient to His parents. (Luke Ch. 2:40-41) When He began His public ministry we see His humanity clearly revealed.
 
b) He would be born of a virgin. Isaiah the prophet said, "A virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and will call Him Immanuel" Isaiah Ch. 7:14. Jesus was miraculously born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. The eternal Son of God takes to Himself human flesh and blood - a miracle we will never be able to understand.
 
Jesus Christ got His human nature from Mary, but as no man was involved he was not an ordinary human person with a sinful nature. Jesus Christ was born without sin because He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
The reason for the two-fold nature of Jesus Christ is very important. Since man sinned it was necessary that the penalty should be borne by man. An animal could not bear the penalty to take the punishment, or be a substitute. Man must pay the penalty for his sins; he must suffer the punishment of God for his disobedience and sin.
 
But God in is His love and mercy was willing to accept the sacrifice of a perfect man for the sins of all humanity. The Bible says, "He had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people." Hebrews Ch. 2:17.  Therefore, Jesus Christ as a man, suffered on man's behalf. He took our place. He had no sin of His own, so He died for the sins of mankind.
 
In the divine plan of salvation, it was necessary that the mediator would be sinless and perfect. Only God is holy and has no sin. Therefore, Jesus Christ needed to be holy and sinless to be our mediator. He needed to be God to have no sin. So it was essential for Jesus Christ to be both God and man in order to accomplish our salvation.
 
If Jesus Christ had not been human He could not have taken our place, and if He had not been God He could not have been sinless and make atonement for our sins. Therefore in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God worked His plan and purpose out. As man sinned he had to bear the punishment for his sin, but God being a God of love was willing to accept the sacrifice of a sinless man for the sins of others, and the only one who could be sinless was His own Son, Jesus Christ.
 
So God sent His Son, to bear the punishment and wrath of God for sinful humanity. This should surely cause us to be humble. We do not deserve such love and there is no way we can repay Jesus for what He has done for us.