God's Plan for Man's Salvation

 

GOD’S PROVISION FOR MAN'S SALVATION

BIBLE TEXT: John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

THE CREATION

God created the world and all within it, and He called it good (Genesis 1:1–31). Mankind was created in God's image and was designed to live a life of fellowship with Him. God formed Adam, the first man, from the dust of the earth: "then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature" (Genesis 2:7). He placed Adam "… in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15) and told Adam he could eat from any tree in the garden except for one—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at the center of the garden. The consequence for doing so would be to surely die (Genesis 2:16–17). After the creation of Adam, God said that it was not good for man to be alone, so He created the first woman, Eve, from Adam's rib (Genesis 2:18–25). God blessed them, told them to "be fruitful and multiply" and gave them dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28).

THE FALL OF MAN:

In Genesis 3, a new character, the serpent, is introduced. The serpent was described as: "more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made" (Genesis 3:1), and he was Satan in disguise. Satan had already been thrown down from heaven because of his rebellion towards God (Luke 10:18). The serpent spoke with Eve and hinted that God was withholding from Adam and Eve by not letting them eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; he told her that if they ate the fruit from the tree that they would become like God (Genesis 3:1–5). Eve ate the fruit from the tree and then gave some to Adam and he ate it, as well (Genesis 3:6). Sin now came and entered the world (Romans 5:12).

Sin is the act of disobedience and rebellion against God. The introduction of sin into the world by Adam and Eve caused the earth and all its inhabitants to be under sin's curse (Genesis 3:14–19). Sin brought God's judgment on mankind, which has the punishment of eternal death: "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

Adam and Eve's eating of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil caused them to realize their nakedness and experience shame for the first time. In the Garden of Eden, God killed an animal and used the skins to create a covering for Adam and Eve's nakedness (Genesis 3:21). This act served as a picture of the ultimate redemption to come when Jesus, the Perfect Lamb, was slain as the sacrifice for mankind's sins (John 1:29; Revelation 13:8).

 

CONSEQUENCE OF THE FALL OF MAN:

After the fall of man, God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden and placed the cherubim as guard of the garden to ensure that they were never able to return (Genesis 3:23-24). Ever since, humanity has encountered pain, suffering, and toil in every aspect of their lives – from the struggle of providing for the family and finding home to experiencing pain in childbirth. It is all as a result of the curse God brought on earth after the fall of man.

 

GOD’S PROVISION FOR MAN’S SALVATION:

Even in the depths of Adam's despair over having forever compromised his unhindered fellowship with God, man's original purpose, God promised that He would bring redemption through the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15).

 

Since sinners cannot deliver themselves from their spiritual plight, God has graciously provided His Son to be our Savior (John 3:16). We cannot take this lightly. We need to know how God did this. Jesus was born of a virgin called Mary.

 

Matt. 1:21 – “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

 

Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name (Jesus) under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

 

Our salvation was made possible by:

God’s love

God’s wisdom

God’s mercy

A great sacrifice

The cross

 

1 John 4:9-10 – “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

 

Titus 3:5 – “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”

 

2 Cor. 5:21 – He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

 

Rom. 5:19 – For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

 

On the basis of the finished work of Jesus the Messiah, God can freely and justly save everyone who exercises true saving faith in Jesus’ atoning work that He accomplished on the cross of Calvary. This is God’s great provision of salvation that He graciously offers to you.

 

A CALL TO SALVATION

The most important decision you can make in life is to accept 
God’s free gift of salvation. There are many important decisions to be made during the course of life, but this decision is the greatest because, not only does it affect you in this world, but it also determines your eternal destination.

 

The positive outcome, “And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent (John 17:3).

The negative outcome, “How shall we escape if we neglect this great salvation . . . ?” (Hebrews 2:3). 

 

When you are truly converted in our heart, you enter into a living, loving relationship with the very God Who created you.

So, “Today, if you will hear His voice, don’t harden your heart . . .”  (Hebrews 3:7-8 & Hebrews 4:7).

 

To receive Jesus into your heart and life you have to repent of your sin (our wrong doings), and ask Him to come and take up residence inside of you.
 

PRAY THIS PRAYER NOW, TODAY:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I am very sorry for all the things I have done wrong: for the way I have turned my back against You, for the people I have hurt, for the people I have cheated. Lord, I ask You to come into my heart TODAY. Take my life and make it clean on the inside. I ask You to be my Lord and Saviour. Help me now to live for You, to the glory of God. Amen.