God's Story

If as they say, “all the world's a stage”, then looking back over time, one should ask, what is my role in history? In fact, the better question to ask is, “what is my role in His story?"

Well, God wrote a book. This book is His story to you. In fact, it is the true story of the entire world and how you and I fit into it. We all play a part in this story line which is laid out for us in a collection of manuscripts called the Bible. This book was written by God and discovered by man. He is the author. The storyline contained within is THE single most important communication between God and man.

Do you want to discover your place in His story?

CREATION


The creation of the universe and everything in it came from one eternal, personal and loving God. He is one in essence (one what) and three in person (three who's). These three loving persons within the one God have always existed. Their identities, which are formed and completed on the basis of relationships with each other, are known as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not 1+1+1=3, but 1x1x1=1. This trinity within the Godhead is characterized by certain attributes such as holiness, justice, omniscience (all knowing), omnipotence (all powerful), and compassion to name a few.
earthFromSpace
God created the universe because He wanted to share His love with it. It was created perfect and good. The master piece of God's creation was the human race. He created humanity in His image, meaning we reflect certain attributes that God has, such as the ability to love, show mercy and compassion, joy, patience, faithfulness etc.. In fact, we were made to have a personal relationship with Him, trusting Him for all that is good and perfect. We were made to take care of our planet and everything in it in a way that reflected His glory in a personal relationship that would allow us to enjoy Him forever. This personal relationship is based upon God's love and man's free will choice to both love God in return and remain in that trusting relationship, or to choose another way.
What happened next would have dire consequences for all of eternity.



THE FALL


When God created the first two humans on the planet, He gave them a choice to either accept or reject Him. By giving them free will to either accept or reject Him, God allows true love to exist. Otherwise, they would be like robots; loving Him because He programmed them that way. However, their free choice also allows them to reject God, His goodness, and perfection, resulting in evil. Thus, God created the potential for evil to exist. In fact, the consequence of any choice is in direct proportion to the magnitude of the choice. (For example, the consequence of you choosing a Coke over a Diet-Coke is miniscule. You might taste a slight difference and consume a few more calories. It is a small decision to have to make. However, the consequence of accepting or rejecting God has massive eternal consequences. This is the mother of all choices to make; God's way or man's way.)

The first two humans decided to choose their way. They rejected God and His way. By following their own desire to go against God and His commands, they plunged the entire human race into separation from God. The relationship between man and God had been severed. Evil had now entered the world. God's perfect creation had been terribly broken allowing for death, murder, and destruction. Sin is the term for what separates us from God and literally translates to "missing the mark"; much like an arrow misses the perfect bulls eye. A perfect, just, and holy God must separate Himself from imperfection, injustice, and ungodliness. The two cannot exist side by side. It is against His nature.
Could a perfect God ever be reconciled with imperfect man?

THE CHOSEN


Fortunately for all of mankind, God loves us so much that He did not give up on us. In fact, God had a grand plan to restore, and eventually reconcile, the broken relationship between man and God. However, as humanity grew, so did their evil ways and desires as they chose their own path to be their own gods. It became so bad, that at one point a global flood was necessary just to quench so much of the evil in the world. From the remaining line of Noah, God eventually raised up a man by the name of Abram with whom God would make a promise. The promise was that God would one day restore all of humanity and repair the broken relationship through the family line of Abram. This family line grew over time and became known as the nation of Israel.

God set apart this chosen nation to be an example for all of mankind by giving them a law to live by which was just and honoring to God. The nation would be a beacon for the rest of the world to see. They would demonstrate what a right relationship with the one true God would look like. However, Israel became ensnared in the same choices which plagued the first two humans. Their ways were not God's ways and the right relationship fell further and further away. It was evident that man alone could not save himself from the depravity to which he had sunk. Could the relationship between God and man be saved?

God had to do something extreme to save mankind from eternal separation from Him.

RECONCILIATION


What was needed was incomprehensible. The second person of the trinity, God the son, would enter our space and time to condescend himself as a man. His love for us is so great that He voluntarily emptied Himself of deity to be with us. From the chosen line of Israel, He was born miraculously to a Jewish virgin in the tiny town of Bethlehem. His name was Jesus and He was God in human flesh. He would embody the fullness of God and model what a right relationship with God would look like.

Jesus was able to turn the people away from their god's and turn them toward the one true God. He taught about God's standard of living in love, service, and humility instead of following their own selfish desires. He spoke of the current broken world which humanity had made for itself and how there was a way for man to once again be reconciled to God. Another world was possible that would replace the current one, restoring the right relationship between God and man. He declared that he was "The Son of Man", the great "I am" who would take away the sins of the world.
However, this radical message by Jesus outraged many and was downright blasphemous to the Jewish leaders of Israel who did not believe He was God in the flesh. The Roman Empire was pressured by the religious leaders of the time to execute Him as a criminal for such blasphemy. Jesus preached that He, the Son of Man, would be betrayed and would take the punishment for the sins of mankind and overcome death. He declared He was THE only way to God the Father. He performed many miracles and fulfilled prophecy that only God could fulfill. The Roman authorities, who declared Jesus innocent of any wrong doing, finally caved to the Jewish leaders and the citizens of Rome.

Jesus was executed as a criminal and received the most severe punishment of the day; death by crucifixion (where the modern day word of excruciating comes from - literally from out of the cross). He, who had no sin, bore the punishment for the sin of mankind. Jesus suffocated and died while hanging from the wooden cross by nails in his hands and feet.

What could have ended as a failure with an agonizing death was actually the most glorious victory the world has ever known. At the Cross, Jesus suffered for the sins of the world. Then, after His resurrection from the dead on the third day, Jesus defeated the power of death which had no hold over Him. Jesus was indeed God. There have been many who have claimed deity throughout time, but only Jesus demonstrated his power over nature, disease, and death. Jesus offers reconciliation between God and man to all who will trust in His completed work on the Cross. This gift from God to an undeserving people is the good news that provides salvation to all who believe











to be continued....
 

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