Creation
The story begins with God, who has always existed exactly as He is now. If it seems confusing, it’s because He’s beyond what anyone can fully comprehend. In the beginning, God created everything in perfect harmony and it was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Of all the beauty He created, the masterpiece was a man and woman, created in His image to reflect Him. They were created with the grand purpose of worshiping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him. There was no pain, no suffering, and no death. There was complete love and acceptance between God and man. But, something tragic happened.
Fall
Because God loved them so much, He gave them freedom to enjoy everything He created and He gave them one rule: not to eat fruit from a specific tree. One day, God’s enemy, Satan, wanted to overthrow God so he deceived them into thinking God was not good and did not have their best interest in mind. As a result, they knowingly disobeyed God. Their consequences were devastating. Like a virus, sin entered into all of creation and into the hearts of people. Sin, suffering, and pain were passed down from generation to generation and all of creation was distorted from its original design. An honest glance into our own hearts reveals this truth: We are all guilty. Everyone has sinned, and the ultimate consequence, even worse than physical death, is eternal separation from a loving God.
Rescue
God removed the man and woman from this perfect place as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of rescue and hope. He promised that one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from their sin. In fact, the whole Bible ultimately points to this one person that would save the people from their sin. The promised Savior, simply, was God. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ 2,000 plus years ago, fulfilling all the predictions in the Old Testament. He obeyed God perfectly which ultimately led to an agonizing death on a cross as He willingly, obediently, and sufficiently died to pay for the sins of mankind. Jesus’ life and death became a substitute for all who would trust in Him. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. The perfectly innocent died to rescue the hopelessly guilty from sin and Satan.
But, the grave couldn’t hold Jesus. Three days later, Jesus emerged from the tomb, fulfilling His earthly mission to defeat sin by dying on the cross and to defeat death by rising from the dead- just as God promised. Forty days later He returned to Heaven where He reigns as the rightful King. He won back for us the eternal life stolen from us so long ago. But the story doesn’t end there…
Restoration
For all those that trust in Jesus alone, God has also promised that He will make all things new when Christ returns. The new heaven and new earth will be completely free of sin and sadness- a place of perfect friendship with God, others, and all creation. No more pain, broken hearts, sickness or death. Everything will be restored to the way it was meant to be. The new earth will once again be the perfect home God intended for His creation. The most wonderful part of this new world is that we will be with God forever, experiencing complete joy. We will be restored with the One who created, loved and died for us.
Become a Part of the Story
God is inviting you to be part of this story. By joining God in His story, you will find forgiveness, purpose, and satisfaction as you come to know the Author of Life. Faith is simple trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you. You can accept the rescue of God by: admitting your need to God, asking Him to forgive you and help you turn from sin, trusting in Jesus Christ alone to rescue you, and by following Jesus, the Lord of your life, in faith from this day forward.
If you have any other questions about how you fit into this story, we would love to talk to you more.
Jim & Kelly Collins
coachcollins19@gmail.com or kac316@hotmail.com