Just like the computers, furniture, appliances and cars you use every day are engineered and built by master craftsmen, the entire universe was planned and designed by a Master Builder—and not just any builder, but the Creator-God, Who literally formed everything out of nothing.
In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
God had a plan for His prized Creation, humankind.
His plan was to make all humans in His own image to reflect His glory and to worship Him in love forever.
So God created man in his own image. (Genesis 1:27)
No sickness, no wars, no economic worries. Sounds perfect, doesn‘t it?
Sin happened. A great deceiver named Satan convinced God‘s first humans, Adam and Eve, to pursue their own passions rather than to obey God. Through Adam and Eve sin entered God‘s perfect world.
By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Romans 5:12)
So we‘re all sinful by nature and guilty before God. We‘ve all sinned by lying, stealing, hating, and a host of other hideous and harmful behaviors that we ignore or try to justify.
There is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)
The consequences of sin are severe: misery, death and separation from God forever. Because He is perfect, God can‘t tolerate sin. No one who has the slightest blot of unrighteousness can hope to stand in His presence.
The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
And in God‘s economy, human performance just doesn‘t cut it.
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. (Titus 3:5)
That‘s a big problem.
Yes! There‘s hope. After Adam and Eve sinned, the brilliance of God‘s plan became even clearer. You see, because He knows the future, He knew that every one of us would sin—so His plan included a sacrifice that would forever pay the debt for the sin of all humankind. That sacrifice was Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.
Jesus Christ … gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God. (Galatians 1:3-4)
Jesus Christ, God‘s Son, came as a human 2,000 years ago. Born of a virgin (another miracle from the Creator), He lived a perfectly sinless life but died an excruciating death on a Roman cross to save us from sin and from ourselves. His death paid the ultimate price for our sin: innocent and perfect Deity for guilty and helpless humanity.
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18)
In light of this amazing sacrifice, we might imagine that the cost of such a salvation would be higher than we could afford. The great news is that salvation is completely free.
But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
We‘re not saved by living a good life or giving loads of money to charity or any other kind deed. We‘re saved only by God‘s grace.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; … not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
All we have to do is repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ. That‘s it!
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)
That‘s the best part of the plan. You see, Death could not hold Jesus in the grave. He emerged from the tomb to defeat sin.
He was buried, and … rose again the third day according to the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:4)
Some day God will take those who believe in Him to live in heaven. In His presence there will be no pain or suffering. God will rule and reign, and His followers will worship Him and enjoy His presence forever.
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. (Revelation 21:4)
