The Promise

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” – 1 Peter 3:18

God removed Adam and Eve from the garden as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of rescue and hope. He promised them one of His descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. God prepared the way for this person who would become the Savior of the world.

The promised Savior was God Himself. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago, fulfilling all the predictions in the Old Testament. Jesus’ birth was miraculous since his mother was a virgin. His life was unique: He never sinned. And His death was a sacrifice that rescued us from sin and Satan. He willingly, obediently and sufficiently died an agonizing death on a cross for the sins of all mankind in the greatest display of mercy and grace the world has ever known. The perfectly innocent died to rescue the hopelessly guilty. He took the place on a cross rightfully meant for us, to pay for sins we have and will commit against God.

But the grave could not hold Jesus. Three days later, Jesus emerged from his tomb, fulfilling His earthly mission to defeat sin by dying on the cross and to defeat death by rising from the dead – just as God promised. Forty days later, he returned to Heaven where He reigns as the rightful King.

BUT the story doesn’t end here…