5. THE PLAN OF SALVATION

Adam and Eve were perfect when came out of God’s hands. Satan though wanted to gain control over our race. God knew that man would fall into Satan’s trap and He had already in mind a plan to rescue us from the enemy.

God never intended us to experience shame and guilt but these came into the world through sin.

His plan of salvation is the solution to deliver us from our guilt.

1. What Consequence Had Adam and Eve’s Disobedience on Their Relationship with God?

📖 Genesis 3:1-10; Isaiah 59:2 (KJV)

Genesis 3:1-10:

¹ Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

³ But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

⁵ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

⁸ And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

⁹ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

¹⁰ And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Isaiah 59:2:

² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

God had told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would die (see Genesis 2:16-17). Satan said that they would not die, but become like God, able to discern good and evil independently of God’s word.

📖 Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV)

¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

After eating Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness; they were naked before but felt no shame (see Genesis 2:25). God’s voice had been source of joy but had become source of fear, so they hid from Him. Sin caused a separation between them and God. God sought them: sin has not changed His love for man. Sin causes a separation from us and God because we choose to walk away from Him.

📖 Genesis 2:25 (KJV)

²⁵ And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Adam and Eve had covered their nakedness with fig leaves but God clothed them with tunics of skin to teach them that the solution to the sin problem would involve the death of an innocent life.

2. What is the Ultimate Consequence of Sin?

📖 Romans 6:23 (KJV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This text does not refer to the death we are all heading to, the return to dust. Paul contrasted the only two possible eternal destinies: eternal life and eternal death. The wages is something earned: eternal death is the right retribution for our sins, eternal life cannot be earned, it is a gift to accept.

Sin causes eternal death because there can be no life separated from God, the only source of life.

After Adam and Eve sinned, God did not destroy them but granted our race a time of probation.

The most important thing in our life is to reconnect with God before our time expires.

3. What did God Promise Adam and Eve Immediately After Their Fall?

📖 Genesis 3:15 (KJV)

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

God gave them the promise of a Savior: speaking to Satan He said that He would again put enmity between him and mankind. The Son of God would come through Adam’s seed as a man and He would defeat Satan by means of a perfect life as a man and His death in man’s place.

The plan of salvation had been conceived from eternity (see 2 Timothy 1:9). Knowing the end from the beginning God knew that men would fall. So, in taking the decision to create Adam, Jesus also chose to die for him.

📖 2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)

⁹ Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

4. What did Jesus Have to Pass Through to Bring Salvation to Humanity? Why was He Willing to do So?

📖 Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There was a cross between Jesus and the joy before His eyes. In order to reach this joy He decided to suffer the cross. The joy before Him was to live with the redeemed for eternity (see Isaiah 53:11).

📖 Isaiah 53:11 (KJV)

¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

He thought it was worth to suffer the cross to have you in heaven.

Price: set by the person who sells. Worth: set by the person who chooses to buy at the set price.

Jesus was willing to buy us at the high price of shedding His precious blood (see 1 Peter 1:18-19).

📖 1 Peter 1:18-19 (KJV)

¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

His blood represents His life (see Leviticus 17:11). By becoming a man, Jesus exposed Himself to temptation and to the risk of losing His own eternal life: His eternal life is what Jesus invested in your salvation. What is the worth of Jesus’ eternal life? Infinite. Then your worth is infinite to Him.

📖 Leviticus 17:11 (KJV)

¹¹ For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

5. How does the Bible Describe the Experience of Jesus in the Last Hours of His Life?

📖 Isaiah 53:3-6,10-12 (KJV)

Isaiah 53:3-6:

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:10-12:

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah prophesied about the sufferings of the Messiah. His words describe what Jesus would suffer from Gethsemane to Calvary. There are no adequate words to describe Jesus’ agony: the Hebrew word dâkâ (v. 5) literally means to crush, break into pieces. The central theme of this prophecy is that Jesus suffered in our place: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (v. 4); “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities” (v. 5); “The chastisement… was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (v. 5); “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (v. 6); “For the transgressions of My people He was stricken” (v. 8); “When You make His soul an offering for sin” (v. 10); “My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities” (v. 11); “And He bore the sin of many” (v. 12).

6. When the Time was Near for Jesus’ Death, What Troubled Him the Most? What was Jesus’ Experience on the Cross?

📖 Matthew 26:36-39; Matthew 27:46 (KJV)

Matthew 26:36-39:

³⁶ Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.

³⁷ And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

³⁸ Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

³⁹ And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Matthew 27:46:

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Jesus said He was sorrowful even to the point of death. What made Him tremble? It was not the physical pain of crucifixion for He had taught His disciples not to fear him who could just take away this life (see Luke 12:4-5). In the Gethsemane Jesus started to feel the burden of the sins of the world. Satan tempted Jesus suggesting that the Father would not receive Him back in heaven after bearing the sins of the world.

📖 Luke 12:4-5 (KJV)

⁴ And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵ But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Sin separates from God and, in taking the sins of the world, Jesus died separated from the Father.

Jesus felt the burden of the sins of the world and He bore the Father’s condemnation against them.

The awful cup He drank was the Father’s wrath against sin.

7. What Image did Jesus Use to Represent His Sacrifice?

📖 John 3:14-16 (KJV)

¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jesus told about the story of the Israelites bitten by serpents in the wilderness. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole so that the people may look at it and live (see Numbers 21:4-9). This illustrates the plan of salvation: mankind was bitten by the old serpent, Satan and the poison of sin condemns us to death. Jesus was lifted up on the cross that we may look to Him and live.

📖 Numbers 21:4-9 (KJV)

⁴ And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

⁵ And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

⁶ And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

⁷ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

⁸ And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

⁹ And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Why was Jesus here symbolized by a serpent, usually a symbol of Satan and sin? The Israelites were bitten by serpents and had to look to another serpent to be saved. So we must look by faith to Jesus, who became sin Himself on the cross.

8. Which Exchange does God Offer You Through the Cross?

📖 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

²¹ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus knew no sin and took your sins upon Himself; He became sin Himself that you may become righteousness. Man cannot deliver himself from guilt; our righteousness is like a filthy garment but by accepting Jesus as your Savior, you are clothed with His righteousness (see Isaiah 61:10, 64:6).

📖 Isaiah 61:10, 64:6 (KJV)

Isaiah 61:10:

¹⁰ I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 64:6:

⁶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The robe of Christ’s righteousness represents His perfect life; it was woven during His earthly life, as He overcame temptation after temptation. When you are covered by Christ’s righteousness God no longer sees your imperfect life but His Son.

9. How Should We Live After Accepting Jesus’ Sacrifice?

📖 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV)

²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

You do not have to be lost because Jesus was treated as you deserve so that you may be treated by God as He deserves. Jesus was nailed to the tree of death that you may have access to the tree of life; He was naked on the cross that you may be clothed with His righteousness; He had a crown of thorns that you may receive the crown of life; He was separated from the Father that you may never be forsaken by Him; He suffered your death that you may have His eternal life.

Realizing what Jesus has done for your salvation will inspire and empower you to live a new life, for righteousness’ cause.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19): repentance and conversion come both from God. Repentance, in Greek metanoia, literally means to think after: when you repent what it seemed right to your eyes becomes wrong and you experience sorrow for sin. Conversion is like a U turn, turning your shoulders to sin and destruction and walking with Jesus toward God and eternal life.

📖 Acts 3:19 (KJV)

¹⁹ Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Appeal

📖 Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

A gift is received for free but it costs money to the giver. The more expensive the gift we receive, the more precious we consider it. Salvation is a free gift but it cost everything to God: in giving Jesus He poured out all heaven in one gift.

You are saved by grace through faith when you choose to exercise your faith in what Jesus has done for your salvation. Do you accept this gift now?