Redemptive Arc Snippet

Redemptive History

From cover to cover the Bible tells us about God's plan for all of history...

Creation & Fall

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth... and it was good. Very good, in fact. His creation was perfect and as the pinnacle of that creation he established humanity as his chief steward. His regents on earth.As the jewel of God's creation, humanity had unbelievable potential. We were created to rule over all creation in God's stead. To exercise dominion over all he made. But humanity also had great potential for evil. And in the garden, our first parents chose to rebel against the one who gave them life, gave them joy, gave them relationship. Through one man sin entered the world, and the curse spread throughout God's good creation. Thorns and thistles, conflict and famine, sickness and death were the fruits of that decision by our first parents to rebel against their Father. And a Holy God cannot be in communion with evil, so the special relationship between God and humanity was broken, destroyed by man's rebellion.

Redemption

But right there in the beginning, God made Adam and Eve a promise. He told them that one day, he would bring a way back into His holiness. One day, the seed of the woman would crush the head of that serpent. That's the very first promise of the gospel... three chapters into the book, and God has already promised his salvation.A few chapters later, God tells Abraham that one day all the nations of the world would be blessed through his family. Later still, King David is told that one of his sons will sit on his throne and rule for all eternity.The prophets speaks of his coming. And in the gospels we meet him.In Matthew he is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the Son of Man and the Son of God.In John he is the Word. The light of the world. The bread of life. The true vine. The Great Shepherd. The Lamb of God.Jesus is the one who crushes the head of the serpent, he is the one from the line of Abraham that will bless all nations, and he is the heir to the throne of David whose kingdom will have no end.

Crucifixion

He lived on this earth the perfect life, a sinless man, the spotless lamb required for atonement for sin.And yet, blameless as he was, he died a rebel's death, falsely accused of insurrection (the very sin committed by the first Adam). The High King of Heaven mocked and beaten by those who had rebelled against him, choosing to stay on that cross, for their sake and the glory of his heavenly Father.And onto the only perfect man was thrust by God the entire sin of the world, a wrath so severe, a punishment so impossible that it would take God himself to withstand it.A man had to pay for man's sins... and yet, only one so strong as God himself could endure the wrath due for sin. Jesus was and is our only hope. And so Jesus, fully man and fully God, paid the penalty for every sin and bore on himself the wrath for all evil.

Resurrection

By his death, by his sacrifice, we are healed. That evil that stained the world in the garden of Eden can be erased by the blood of the Lamb. And not just for the Jews. Not just for the sons and daughters of Abraham, but for all the nations of the world.Matthew records for us:Read Matthew 28: 1-6a

Redemption Accomplished: The gospel happened.

This is the triumph that we celebrate. Death is defeated. The crucified King conquered death and walked out of his grave.The single greatest event since the world began. It has shaped all of human history. We set the entire world calendar today around that moment in history.And it shapes all of eternity. God, in Christ, has reclaimed creation, inaugurated his kingdom.