For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
No good father would find pleasure in the fact that his child is lost. Even if, by some situation beyond his control, a responsible father should lose a child, he would seek means to recover his lost child. In the same way, we see how God, the creator of the universe, tries to get his lost children back to himself. He doe not relent, nor does he get weary; he tries continually to get the men he created back in his arms.
Many people wonder why God would let the men he loves languish in pain and suffering. Some even question how a responsible father can lose his children. They fail to see how it was not God’s fault that all of these confusions now exist on Earth. People blame God for the death, sickness, pain, and tragedy that now dominate the world when none of these is God’s fault anyway.
How Did Men Become Lost?
The story that has been told repeatedly from generation to generation has succeeded in making God appear bad, as though he were the cause of all the world’s problems. These stories paint God as a terrifying, all-powerful being that gets angry at the slightest offense. They make God seem like an unpleasable taskmaster that would allow everything to go wrong without interfering.
All these have succeeded in painting God in a bad light, magnifying our confusion and blinding our hearts to the solution. We can all agree that tackling a problem becomes easier when you first understand what the problem is all about. So how exactly did men get lost? Were we “thrown away” by God? Of course not. Men became lost by yielding to the Devil’s lies. Through Adam, we all believed the Devil, thereby rejecting God’s truth
From the garden of Eden, we see that God commanded the man and his wife to eat of all the trees in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:15-17. Eventually, after the deceit sowed by the Devil, man disobeyed, and the consequence of disobedience was death(separation from God). By this singular act, Adam and every other man that would come through him were eternally lost and separated from God
Since Men Became Lost, How Have They Fared?
Very terribly, we must say. A man was not created to function independently of God, so you see that evil and death have multiplied on the Earth. Those groups of men who even tried to re-establish communication with God by their own efforts only succeeded in producing idols that could not save them. It all comes back to the truth that except God reveals himself to men, we can only try but would achieve little in getting ourselves up to God’s standard
What Exactly Has God Done To Help The Situation?
It pains God to see that death has separated him from the men he created for his pleasure and glory. This is why like a dogged lover, he chases after us with much love and pity. As the fall of man began in Eden, the redeeming work of Jesus also began before the foundation of the world. Jesus became the lamb that was slain for the remission of our sins ever before we knew we could sin.
- God Wore Flesh To Calvary
In John 1:14, scripture says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Through the divine incarnation, the infinite, eternal God put on a human body so that he could die as a man on the Cross. It was the only way he could atone for us, a man(Adam) sinned, and a man(Christ) died. His sacrifice was perfect and sufficient enough to purchase our eternal salvation.
While Jesus was on Earth, he taught us how much God loved us and how much we meant to him. He was the perfect representation of the father, and through his life, we see grace, humility, love, humanity, and perfection all in a mix.
- Christ Died On The Cross To Redeem Us
Besides wearing flesh to calvary, his death on that Cross was just as relevant as every other thing that Jesus did. He had to die on a cross so that our curses would be hanged on that Cross. At calvary, an eternal exchange was performed, and we only need to gaze at that Cross to find a solution and salvation. It might seem not very intelligent, but this was the game-changer that qualified us, allowing us to partake once again in all Jesus has provided.
In the words of Paul the Ephesians, the book of Ephesians 2;13, ” But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” We now know that by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on calvary, sinful humans could be redeemed, forgiven, and saved from God’s wrath. Christ’s crucifixion provided all these favor and access for everyone that believed.
- Christ Rose From The Dead
Besides living and dying for the salvation of men, Jesus also rose from the dead. This is not just some prophecy waiting to happen but a fact that has happened already. Through his resurrection, Jesus can impart life into the spirits of as many as would come unto him.
Christ as the life-giving Spirit is available all the time, at all places, to anyone who decides to repent. By simply believing in Him and openness of heart, we receive Jesus and his life. When we receive Him and eternal life, we walk in God’s original intention for man. As this life grows in us, spreading from our Spirit into our soul, we express God to everyone around us.
Conclusion
The fall of man was never God’s plan, so God performed all these to get the man back on track to his original plans. God, I’m Christ redeemed us, forgiven us, and justified us. All we need to do is have faith in his love for us. We need to trust that his plans for us are always for good.
