God Relates
In the beginning, God created everything that is out of nothing, including man (Genesis 1–2). God created man in order to have a relationship with him so that he might enjoy God’s perfect goodness and glory.
God revealed himself to Adam and Eve, the first humans, in perfect relationship in the perfect home of the garden of Eden. Our God desires relationship with human beings and has thus revealed himself to them in creation, in his Word, and in his Son (Psalm 19:7–11; Hebrews 1:1–4).
Man Rebels
Yet God had given man one loving command. They were not to eat from one tree in the garden. They could eat from every other tree, simply not this one, because God knew if they did, they would surely die. Satan disguised himself as a serpent and deceived Adam and Eve into disobedience. He twisted God’s very Word so that they put their faith in the serpent rather than in what their perfect and loving God had revealed to them. This was rebellion against an infinitely holy God, thus sin entered the world, and death entered through sin (Genesis 3:1–19; Romans 5:12–14). Man had broken its relationship with God and deserved eternal punishment.
But even then, God in his mercy promised that one day a perfect man would come and would crush the head of the serpent and be a blessing to all nations of the earth (Genesis 3:15). The rest of the Old Testament has the reader looking to see when that perfect man will arrive, yet even the best heroes in the Old Testament ultimately have flaws, since they are tainted by sin.
Jesus Redeems
Finally, the perfect man comes on the scene in history. Indeed, it is the God-Man who was with God in the beginning (John 1:1–2). Infinite sin against God required an infinitely valuable sacrifice for sin. Therefore, God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sacrifice for sin, so that he might bear the condemnation for the sin of the world in his body on the cross. Jesus died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (Romans 8:1–4).
Although Jesus was tempted in every way we are, so that he is a merciful high priest, he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). There, God made him, who knew no sin, to become sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took all our sin, and God gave us all of Christ’s perfect righteousness. Therefore, we are no longer condemned for the sinful state we were born into (Romans 5:12), but are redeemed into the family of God as his sons and daughters (Romans 8:1–17), if we put our faith in Christ alone for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:1–9).
Those who put their faith in Jesus are united with Christ and, when he returns, they will be revealed with him (Colossians 3:1–4). Therefore, they look forward to that day when Jesus will return and they will be with him forever in the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21:1).