by Peg Yarbrough

And I will be a Father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
II Corinthians 6:18

The greatest story ever told is the true story of God’s love for you.

Before the morning stars first sang their anthem, before the foundations of the Earth were laid, Elohim, the Creator, had a yearning, deep, mighty, eternal. The heart of the Father, God, longed for children. And so He planned and purposed a home for His creation. It was to be man’s birthplace, man’s garden of delight, where he could learn to know and love his Father, God. ¹Adapted from E.W. Kenyon

God created Adam and Eve and gave them a precious gift, free will. Although they had everything one’s heart could desire, they were lured from trusting in their Creator, and trusted in the deception of the Serpent instead. At that moment man’s relationship with God was thrown into an altered and degraded state. And the rest, as they say, is history.

And so by one man, Adam, sin entered into the world, and death came upon all men, even those who had not sinned like Adam. (Rom. 5:12) From that time forward man would be born into this world separated from his Father. They would need to be reconciled, which means to bring back together that which has been separated.

God is so loving, that the first thing God did after man’s fall, was to give mankind hope. He promised that He would send His seed, the Messiah, who would crush the effects of the Serpent’s lie and reconcile man back to God. (Genesis 3:15)

God’s promised seed, the Messiah, the Christ, was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. One day that promise became a reality. A virgin conceived God’s child. This man child was the only begotten son of God. He was God’s plan for salvation.

Just as God had created the first man, Adam, who disobeyed and lost his relationship with God, so God created a “second Adam”, in the womb of Mary, the promised “seed” of Genesis 3:15.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Hebrews 2:9

In Hebrews 2:9-11, are the “Cliff Notes” of the story of redemption. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, he was the only begotten of the Father, he was a man. But since God was his Father, he was born without Adam’s stain of sin.

Only a man could redeem what another man had lost. (Rom. 5:19) In fact, in I Corinthians 15:45, Jesus is called, “the last Adam.” Why? Because like two sides of the same coin, what the first Adam originally lost for man, the last Adam regained, and then some! Because of the disobedience of the first Adam, all men are born into this world with a sin nature. But by the obedience of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, all men who choose to be born again (John 3:3) take on a new nature in their spirit, (Eph. 4:24) and are reconciled back to God.

By God’s grace Jesus tasted death for every man, because the penalty for sin is death. As Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10

Here is the same verse in the New Living Translation:

And it was only right that God – who made everything and for whom everything was made – should bring his many children into glory. Through the suffering of Jesus, God made him a perfect leader, one fit to bring them into their salvation. Hebrews 2:10 NLT

Everything is and was made for God and by God, including the idea that He wanted children. He planned for that to happen before the world began, and His solution was His own firstborn son. After Jesus suffered and took upon himself the sins of the world, God raised him from the dead, to the ultimate position of glory and honor, and seated him at His own right hand.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Hebrews 2:11

Verse 11 reads, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one.” The New Living Translation reads even more clearly, “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” You and I and Jesus all have the same Father. And even though Jesus is our Lord and Savior, he also calls himself our brother. It seems to me blasphemous to call God my brother. But I can call Christ my brother because he was a man, tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin.

The vast majority of Christendom misses this vital point, there is only one God:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
I Timothy 2:5

To appreciate the story of God’s love it is vital to understand that God sent His son, born of a woman, to bear the sins of mankind. How this must have broken God’s heart, to watch His only begotten son, who had always obeyed Him to the letter, sacrifice himself for mankind. The act itself shows how much we mean to God, and that there is no greater way Jesus could have shown his love than by laying down his life for us. (John 15:13)

Understanding exactly who God is and who Jesus is causes the whole story of redemption to make sense. There is no more “mystery” of three in one and one in three. There is one God, the Father of us all, and our Messiah, Jesus who died for the sins of man and whom God raised from the dead. Jesus understood who he was, and so should we. After his resurrection he spoke these telling words to Mary Magdalene:

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. ²Thomas called Jesus, “my Lord and my God.” Who do you trust more to know his identity, Thomas or Jesus? John 20:17

After Christ ascended he did not become God, he became our high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. He made a way for man to have sonship, and sweet fellowship with their heavenly Father. Sons of God can now enter into the presence of God by the accomplished work of His son. We are reconciled, and have peace with God through Christ.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 5:1

The Great Architect of human need and joy knew man’s need while yet unborn, and in Creation’s wondrous plan those needs were met. God always planned to send His son, born of a woman, to pay for the sins of the world. Anyone who accepts the free gift of Jesus Christ will live forever in the glory of our heavenly Father.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 5:24

Each and every one of us is given the precious gift of free will. That freedom allows us to choose the redemptive work of Christ, or reject it. When we enter into God’s kingdom and He asks the question, “Why are you here?”, no man can point to himself, or his own good works as the reason. We will joyfully point to Christ and say, “Because he is so good! He is my savior, the captain of my salvation.”

This is the greatest story ever told. This is the true story of man’s redemption, God’s dream to have a family has come true.

And I will be a Father unto you,
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
II Corinthians 6:18

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Footnotes:
1 – Adapted from E.W. Kenyon
2 – Thomas called Jesus, “my Lord and my God.” Who do you trust more to know his identity, Thomas or Jesus?