OUR REDEMPTION…NO AFTERTHOUGHT WITH GOD
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1: 3-14.
INTRODUCTION
Man’s sin and its dreadful consequences did not catch God by surprise. Long before God created man, He knew that Adam would sin and that Adam’s sin would result in the total depravity of man. God also knew that the only way He could redeem man back to Himself was by the atoning death of His own dear Son.
But His love for man was so great “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The Apostle John further emphasized this truth when he referred to our Lord as “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8 ).
Peter made this quite clear, writing: “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot; who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.” I Peter 1:18-20
COULD GOD HAVE PREVENTED ADAM’S SIN?
Obviously He could since “all things are possible with God”. But to do so would have required that Adam not be made in the image and likeness of God with the freedom to act on his own volition.
This would mean that Adam could not have been created with free choice, would not have been a rational and intelligent creation capable of making his own decisions. Adam would have been an unthinking flesh and blood “robot” whose existence would be marked only by instinctive behavior.
KNOWING THIS, THEN WHY DID GOD CREATE MAN IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Not because He did not love His Son completely!
Jesus prayed: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24
For the joy that would be His Son’s!
The writer of Hebrews makes this point abundantly clear: “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God,” Hebrews 12: 2
Paul adds: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29.
For the everlasting fellowship with the Father that would be become possible from the moment man accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior!
The Apostle John clearly declares this when he wrote: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” I John 1:1-3
HAD ADAM NOT SINNED ….
We would never have been born. This seems abundantly clear when we consider God’s command to the first man and woman to “to be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” Since sin produces death, had man not sinned there would have been no death.
Hence, when the earth was “filled” (fully populated) there would have been no need for reproduction. Obviously, the need for “multiplying” having then been accomplished, the capacity and the desire to procreate would have ceased.
The earth would have been fully populated with perfect, sinless humans who would live forever on a perfect, sin-free planet. That having been completed over six thousand years ago according to Ussherian chronology, you nor I would have ever been born.
Let us take careful notice of the Biblical text. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:26-28
Had Adam not sinned…and thus we, having never been born…would never have had the privilege of believing on Him; being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and
being called “children of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ".
Finally, having never existed…there would be no eternal destiny for us! Thus no promise as that found in I Corinthians 2:9: “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."
BUT ADAM DID SIN...and the earth has been replenished over and over again, resulting in our ultimately being given the gift of human life; and more gloriously, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
IS THIS NOT CAUSE FOR US TO PRAISE GOD FOR HIS WONDERFUL LOVE TO US; THAT WE, THOUGH SINNERS, HAVE BEEN REDEEMED THROUGH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST?
