Plan of Redemption
This article provides excerpts from the book “Journey Through the Bible and Your Story”
which will be available on Amazon books later in the summer.
In the Garden of Eden disobedience (Genesis 3:6-7) caused humans to be separated from God. From there humanity plunged into a state of total depravity (Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12–21). Our entire being—mind, body, will, and spirit—has been corrupted by the power of sin.
Sadly, humans lost what God had given them-- dominion, divine part of the image of God (righteousness and holiness), the personal relationship with God, and eternal life on this earth--death is instituted.
God's plan for redemption (to buy back what was lost) is a central theme throughout the Bible, revealing His purpose to restore humanity to a right relationship with Himself. This divine plan unfolds throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, showcasing God's love, justice, and mercy. Redemption is the act of God by which He saves humanity from sin and its consequences through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The concept of redemption is introduced early in the Scriptures. In Genesis 3:15, after the fall of man, God promises a Redeemer: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." This protoevangelium, or "first gospel," foreshadows the ultimate victory of Christ over Satan.
The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ. God in His grace instituted the sacrificial substitutionary atonement by Jesus Christ where man may be redeemed based on the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross since redemption requires a blood sacrifice. In the Gospels, Jesus is identified as the promised Messiah and Redeemer. John the Baptist declares, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Jesus' death on the cross is the pivotal event in God's plan for redemption. Romans 3:23-24 states, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Through His sacrifice, Jesus pays the penalty for sin, offering salvation to all who believe.
As the pages of redemptive history unfold, the ultimate purpose for creation is revealed—total restoration of all things and restoring what was lost in the fall of man. This is not merely a return to a pre-fall state; it is a cosmic renewal whereby all things are reconciled to God through Christ. Redemption is received through faith in Jesus Christ. “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross”. (Colossians 1:19–20).
