Have you ever wondered when exactly God decided that He would send Jesus to be our Savior?
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31
On day 6, everything was going great. Do you think God thought about it then?
Knowing that we would mess up, did God really give much consideration to our future need for a Savior when He created us? Or, did God decide to send a Savior only after Adam and Eve ate from the tree?
The answer might surprise you!
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 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, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
1 Peter 1:17-21
Jesus had a purpose for coming. Notice that it says, “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things.” And it goes on to say, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
We also know that Jesus’ blood sacrifice was planned before the world existed because it says, “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world.”
Furthermore, Jesus’ blood offering was a gift. We see that in the last part of the verse where it reads, “but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”
God did not send Jesus to bail us out because we veered off His plan. This is not a case of the “tail wagging the dog” as the expression goes. We did not force God’s hand, nor are we automatically out of danger of the fire of hell.
God knew exactly what Adam and Eve would do. He also knew what the rest of us would do. Jesus was a part of the plan long before Adam and Eve and the world came into existence. Only through faith are we able to make use of the wonderful gift of a Savior that paid for our sins in full.
LIFE APPLICATION
Today’s challenge is to get over any notion that we forced God’s hand and caused Him to send a Savior because we sinned. God always planned to do that because He loves us. However, unlike some human parents, He will not force His mercy and grace upon us. People are not going to automatically go to heaven. Faith is the deciding factor, and it’s up to you if you decide to accept Jesus as God’s free gift of salvation or not. The choice is yours and yours alone.