God's Plan and Promises for His People预览

Who carried out God's plan?

Plans are no good unless executed by actions. God's plan to save us needed feet; it required action. The Father loved us with an everlasting love, but a day came when that love was set into motion. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16).

While the Father planned to save us, it was the Son's responsibility to carry out that plan. In Galatians 4:4-5, Paul said, "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons."

God's plan was for Jesus Christ to come to earth as a babe, live as a sinless man and die as the perfect atonement for our sins. Since God demand's a blood sacrifice for our sins (Ex. 12: 12, 13; Lev. 17:11), God's plan called for the sacrifice of His own sinless Son, Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:10-14). Jesus became our substitute, dying in our place for the penalty of our sins. Revelation 13:8 speaks of "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

To the Roman Christians, Paul said, "But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Never lose the wonder of those words—"Christ died for us."

To the Corinthian Christians, Paul said, "For He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21). Never lose the wonder of those words—"to be sin for us."

Christ Jesus suffered for our sins (I Pet. 3:18). He paid the debt for our sins (I Pet. 2:24), He satisfied the wrath of the Holy God toward our sins (I John 4:10). He accomplished the divine plan of redemption on our behalf (Rom. 3:24, 25), and He carried out God's plan for our salvation.

Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan! Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

—William R. Newell

God's love sent Jesus Christ to Calvary. His love for us turned a theoretical plan for salvation into the cruelty, abuse, and shame of the cross. It was all because of God's amazing love.