Photo by Daniel Gutko on Unsplash
Yes, he brought salvation, and accepting him into your heart restores humanity to the pre-sin potential to walk with God. However,
I want to focus on something else. But to be clear, accepting Jesus into your heart (called salvation) only places you inside the door of eternity with God.
The Back story
In the beginning, God created humanity. He created a male (man) first and spent time with him in the Garden of Eden. God then created the female (woman) to be a companion to the male.
They (the men and women) were charged with populating the earth (with humans), caring for the earth’s creatures, and tending to the land.
They were created to live on the earth forever.
The Separation
Disobedience led to the shadows (they hid when they heard God’s voice), which led to expulsion (they were banned from living in the garden).
It is called Sin, and it created a spiritual death, which was a separation from God. This separation from God means living forever separated from God (in short answer, it is called hell).
Humanity no longer lives forever on earth.
Initially, they lived for hundreds of years, but the impact of Sin and its effects on humanity caused them to die earlier and earlier. Its impact was so devastating that God said humans would live for 70 years to 80 years (because Sin is never satisfied).
“We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.”
Psalms 90:10 The Message
The Return
After leaving the Garden of Eden, the man and woman (now legally husband and wife) began having children.
Following the murder of their second son, Abel, another son, Seth, was born. When Seth married and had a child, the Bible says men and women again began calling out to God.
“And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh. That’s when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God.”
Genesis 4:26 The Message
From that point forward, humanity began including God in their daily lives.
Fast forward to the New Testament book of Acts
In a previous post, (When God Seems Silent) I wrote,
“As a Christ-follower, you have a rich lineage to carry you forward. Dr. Luke’s passage of scripture tells you that (because of Abraham) your heritage goes back to Abraham.
You can stand on the shoulders of great people with powerful testimonies of God prevailing in impossible situations.”
As a Christ-follower, you possess a rich heritage to draw on.
However, because of Christ, your heritage goes back not only to Abraham but also to the Garden of Eden before the fall.
Humanity is made in the image and likeness of God.
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
Genesis 1:26 The Message
Sin created a separation so profound that humanity did not talk to God for a generation. The Bible does not state how long it was when men and women began calling on God after they were removed from the Garden of Eden.
It does not say how long after the Sin before children were born. It only says that after grandchildren were born, men and women began calling on God.
The point is a devastating separation between God and man (the species—male and female) took place that was not supposed to happen.
Not only did humanity not talk to God for a generation, but God did not communicate with them.
In the eternal scope of things, it was hardly a blink of an eye for God, but it was a separation nonetheless.
Have you ever wondered how different life would be had Eve (the woman) not listened to the serpent (the devil) or Adam (the man) not eaten the fruit?
I have tried to wrap my brain around it, and in all likeliness, you nor I would have been born, but let’s say we were born; how different would our lives be?
Our lives would be perfect.
We would walk and talk with God.
We would have perfect knowledge of life.
We would live in complete harmony with each other and the world.
We would not know strife, suffering, or Sin.
We would fulfill God’s perfect plan for our lives.
There would be everlasting peace.
It sounds euphoric, and it is because it is the original plan of God.
This is what Jesus did…for you.
Though living in a fallen world, he allowed you to step into God’s eternal plan.
There are certainly challenges, but remember that Jesus walked in the fallen world and led the way to a close personal relationship with God.
He set the standard for you to follow.
He did it with a relationship (with God) and not religion.
He did it with a heart committed to honoring God above all else.
This is why the New Testament is vitally important for a Christ-follower.
(The Old Testament is vitally important as well, but that is a lesson for another day)
The gospels paint a picture of how Jesus did it.
The Acts (of the Apostles) paint how they endeavored to carry out what Jesus taught them.
The epistles (letters) paint the picture of God, the Holy Spirit-inspired Revelation about Jesus.
The Revelation (though confusing) paints the picture of eternity over the temporary.
It is meant to be personal rather than generic. Jesus did it for you because YOU matter to God.
It is meant to be personal because God has a promise, plan, and purpose for YOU.
It is meant to be personal because your puzzle piece is necessary to paint a complete picture.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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