𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗜𝗡 — 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗗

[StaceyLovesJesus]

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗜𝗡 — 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗗

~ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗜𝗡 ~

Sin was never a disruption of God’s plan for mankind.
The fall of man was always God’s Plan A, never Plan B.
Christ was NEVER God’s backup plan to mop up our mess.
The Incarnation, the Cross and the Resurrection were never an afterthought to salvage a failed original plan. Rather, God in His sovereignty, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, ordained sin to be a part of His original plan.

𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗙: 𝟱 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗗𝗜𝗗 >> 𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 << 𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗗:

He promised Christ to us ( Titus 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20)
He chose us in Christ, predestined us for adoption as His sons. (Eph 1:4-7)
He gave us saving grace in Christ. (2 Tim 1:9)
He wrote our names in the Lamb’s book of life. (Rev 13:8)
He planned glory for believers. (1 Corinthians 2:7)

In other words, in the eternal past, before Genesis 1:1…BEFORE ANYTHING was created… the Father and the Son established an eternal covenant of redemption through Jesus Christ.

>> 𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗜𝗡, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲.

Forgiveness is the cancellation of a debt incurred through wrongdoing.
Mercy is the withholding of a rightly-deserved punishment for sin.
Grace is God’s favor, benevolence and love given to the undeserving, the unworthy (the state that sin put us in).

>> 𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗦𝗜𝗡, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻…?

• 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗙𝗨𝗚𝗘 in times of trouble… if we never experienced trouble or hardship?
• 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥, our Comforter in all our afflictions… if we never had even a thorn pierce our finger?
• 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥… if we never had an enemy, not even as much as a threatening weed invading Eden’s soil?
• 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗥 from slavery… if we had never known the tyranny of guilt and sin and shame? How could we know the extent He would go to — that He would lay aside His magnificent glory for us, bear our griefs and sorrows, endure extreme torture, and absorb the wrath and judgment of God for us, the ungodly and undeserving?
• 𝗚𝗢𝗗’𝗦 𝗨𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦… if it hadn’t been eternally proven by the Cross of Christ? (Cp Genesis 3:1)

~ 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗢𝗗 ~

God’s overruling purpose 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝘪𝘯 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, and 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 — from eternity past through eternity future — is to display (and thereby magnify) 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗦. Sin was utterly necessary 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, “𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘”. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻. (Ephesians 1-2; Colossians 1:24-29; Romans 5:8; 11:32-36)

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬: The Most High God has written both good and evil into His story, while 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘏𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. For only by 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭 — could any of us know God’s mercy, nor have the knowledge of His perfect justice. Sin provided a way for God to display the length and width, the breadth and height of His unconditional, redemptive, sacrificial love, and thereby bring forth all the glory that is due Him. (Romans 5:8; 11:32-36)

Christ is God’s plan – past, present, and future. Soli Deo Gloria!

~ Ruth Brentner

 

[Hol]

Thanks for posting this @StaceyLovesJesus

As I read Genesis 3 this morning I noted a question I have in my Bible, “What was the tree of knowledge?” I tried to imagine how Adam and Eve would have viewed their walk in the Garden of Eden with Jesus and their world in their naive and innocent state.

There’s a book on the Hebrew alphabet where Rabbis built a beautiful prose around each letter. One letter, Ayin, represents the human eye. They explore how Adam and Eve may have seen the forbidden fruit through pure eyes?

I had a Bible teacher as a baby Christian, Charles Clough, who offered a good exercise for Genesis 3: In four columns write 1) what Satan said, 2) what Eve said, 3) what Adam said, and 4) what God said. This helped me understand more about how Eve was deceived by Satan.

Once Adam and Eve disobeyed they died in their innocent walk with God. In shame and fear they hid.

I wish I understood better, and the Lord is good at helping me, but Genesis 3 has been difficult for me.

 

[mattfivefour]

I agree that God knew that sin was coming into the world from the very beginning. After all, He created the plan of salvation before He created anything else. But I do not believe that God ordained sin or even wanted it. It is just that He knew it was part and parcel of giving created beings free will and free choice. That may sound like splitting hairs, but my soul and spirit balk at the idea of God creating sin. He didn't need to create it: it was the natural and inevitable result of His giving us the ability to accept or reject God. What incredible and incomprehensible love God has for us that He would allow the possibility of sin to enter his Creation in order for us to be able to enjoy intimate fellowship with Him, and He with us!

 

[Margery]

I agree that God knew that sin was coming into the world from the very beginning. After all, He created the plan of salvation before He created anything else. But I do not believe that God ordained sin or even wanted it. It is just that He knew it was part and parcel of giving created beings free will and free choice. That may sound like splitting hairs, but my soul and spirit balk at the idea of God creating sin. He didn't need to create it: it was the natural and inevitable result of His giving us the ability to accept or reject God. What incredible and incomprehensible love God has for us that He would allow the possibility of sin to enter his Creation in order for us to be able to enjoy intimate fellowship with Him, and He with us!

100% agree.

Free will beings don't have free will if God ordained that they could only choose God's way. The would be pre programmed robots. The love that some of us have for God wouldn't be freely given either.

Whether we are talking the 2/3 of the angels who CHOOSE God, choose to remain in obedience to Him or the portion of humanity that in spite of being born with a sin nature, willingly choose to serve God, to follow HIM, to ask for His Salvation on HIS terms (not their own) means that God has a people who Adore HIM, and Worship HIM and Him alone.

God knew in His foreknowledge that we would choose to disobey Him. He knew that Satan would admire himself above God, love himself and want to steal God's position.

Yet He created Angels, and Adam and Eve. He gave both - Free will. And 1/3 of the angels fell with Satan. Because Eve had not yet conceived, when Adam fell, all of humanity fell with him to inherit a sin nature from that time forward. All born of Adam fell in Adam.

But God

God knew, and yet He loved us even before we were created. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, loved us. The Lamb Slain before the foundations of the World

the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish , before the foundation of the world was laid

To redeem the portion of humanity that would come into being, and choose HIM, choose Him on HIS terms, not their own.

God endured the giving of His own beloved Son, God endured the Cross (from the side of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a Terrible horrific moment of pain) knowing that many would reject the price paid.

But His portion, would love Him, freely because they have Free Will.

1 Peter 1:19-20 KJV
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Rev 13:7- 8 KJV
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

That Lamb slain FOREORDAINED before the foundation of the world was even laid.

He Knew it all and still chose to provide the Cross, to provide a way back to Him. At an unthinkable pain to Himself.

So we could freely love Him back.

 

[TCC]

Another amazingly beautiful post @StaceyLovesJesus