The Creation, Fall, Redemption, And Restoration

Creation
The creation narrative is found in Genesis 1-2. God created the heavens and the earth. God created man and put him and the woman that He formed for man to be his helpmate and put them in a perfect environment known as the Garden of Eden. They were having uninterrupted fellowship with God the Creator. Everything was going well.

The Fall
There was perfect harmony between the couple and God in the Garden until one day when the Serpent came to question the woman why she could not eat from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden. Eve fell for the Serpent’s enticing words and ate the fruit and gave some to her husband. He also ate. Instead of listening to God, they listened to the deception of the Serpent.

They realized that they had rebelled against God so they went to hide from God. They were afraid because they knew that they had sinned against God. That is the first time in the Bible that the word fear is used. Sin brought about fear. The truth of the matter is that nobody can hide from God because God is Omniscient. Therefore, when God asked their whereabouts it was a question of grace for them to confess their sin. However, the couple began the blame game. God expelled them from the Garden after he had clothed them. The Serpent thought that he had ruined the plan of God but he did not know that before the foundation of the world, God had instituted a plan of redemption for the human race.

Redemption
What is redemption? The word redemption derives from the verb “redeem.” The word “redeem,” literally means, “to buy.” It denotes to buy out, especially of purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom. It is used metaphorically in Galatians 3:13 and 4:5 of the deliverance by Christ of Christian Jews from the law and its curse (Vines, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, 263). In the Greco-Roman World, the term was used in the barter system for the exchange of goods. In the spiritual and Christian sense, redemption is the exchanged life. In other words, Jesus Christ purchased the human race from the slave market of sin with His precious blood on the cross. Jesus delivered us from the bondage of sin and the dominion of Satan and his cohorts. He purchased our freedom with His own sinless life so we can live authentically for God. The redemptive work of Christ is an ongoing experience that anyone can enjoy only if they would come to Him, confess their sin, repent of their sin, and confess Him as their Savior and Lord. I have a part to play to make this a present reality to others who are outside the kingdom of Christ today.

Restoration
Not only does the story of God include creation, fall, redemption but also restoration. Because sin marred the perfect beauty of God’s creation in Eden, God in His infinite wisdom put a restoration plan into action. The Book of Revelation is the focus of this restoration. The restoration is a process and one of these days it will become a physical reality when Jesus Christ returns to establish His perfect and never to be interrupted kingdom on earth. The restoration will end every human suffering, natural disasters, illness, death, crying, weeping, and mourning. God will wipe every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:1-5). Therefore, I do not want any of my family members, friends, co-workers, and all who in my circle of influence to miss this restoration that Christ is making ready for us.