BS6D - GOD'S PLAN TO REVERSE THE FALL OF MAN
When sin entered the world through our first parents, every one of us received an inheritance – but NOT a good one.
At birth every one of us receives a perverted, carnal nature bent on living life without God. As King David wrote:
Psalm 51:5
We sin because it’s just our nature to do so …and this depravity continues to be transferred to our own children who in turn pass it along to theirs in a never-ending chain.
But God in his mercy provided a way for this chain to be broken. In fact, before anything was ever made – before the foundation of the world ---God set up a plan of redemption.
Ephesians 1:4-5 / 1 Peter 1:18-20
You see, since God knows everything, He knew that we would choose to live independent from him even before it happened. The only way to restore our relationship with God was for God to build the bridge. This initiative had to come from God because man was helpless to reverse the effects of sin on his own. He was drowning and needed someone outside himself to pull him up and out.
Ephesians 2:4-5 / Colossians 2:13
Therefore God, while retaining his full nature as God, became a perfect man in His Son, Jesus Christ.
John 1:14
Jesus was to be the bridge between God and man.
Matthew 1:23 / John 10:30
Someone who was BOTH God AND man was needed to mediate between the two.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
In the time of the Old Testament, the Jewish High Priest made atonement for the people once every year. It was a bloody, messy affair full of animal sacrifices. Then the blood of these animals would symbolically “cover and cleanse” the people from their sins --- at least for one year.
Hebrews 10:1-4
But when God sent Jesus, He was to be the final High Priest and He could be that because he was BOTH God and man. He made the ultimate sacrifice of himself so that we could have our relationship with God restored.
Hebrews 7:22-28
Jesus did this once – over 2,000 years ago --- and ---- His death is as effective today for our sin and guilt as it was then.
Reread: Hebrews 7:24-25
Next Study: BS6E - What Happened That Led to Christ's Death?