Have you ever wondered how humanity, once declared “very good” by God, became so lost and confused? Understanding the journey from divine creation to our current state reveals powerful truths about mankind, sin, and redemption.
The Perfection of Creation
In the first chapter of the Holy Bible, God looks at His creation and declares, “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Mankind, nature, and everything in existence were in perfect harmony. There was no pride, no impatience, no disease, and no death. Yet, it’s hard for us to imagine that time because sin has tainted our minds.
This article explores how mankind shifted from being “very good” to confused and sinful and how God’s mercy offers redemption through Jesus Christ.
Mankind’s Fall from Grace
Unfortunately, humanity’s time of perfection was brief. Mankind soon broke God’s law (Genesis 3), stepping outside the protective boundaries that God established to protect them. This disobedience led to confusion about right and wrong. God tells us: As Romans 1:21-22 tells us, “They knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”
A Darkened and Confused Mind
Today, we witness the consequences of mankind’s drift from God. In a world where many dismiss God as irrelevant, human minds grow ever more “dark and confused.” Lawlessness and brutality increase as sin permeates society, just as the Bible foretold: “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).
One of the symptoms of having a “dark and confused” mind is that mankind doesn’t inherently know how to interact with God. As the Bible verse above says, “they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.” Mankind, in their foolishness, has come up with all manner of religions. But there is only one way to interact with God, and in the Holy Bible, God gave us instructions for how we are to interact with Him. These instructions were given to Prophets (people who were directed and inspired by God) primarily in the form of Contracts (aka Covenants). These contracts in the Holy Bible are in two groupings – an Old Contract and a New Contract (the Holy Bible Old Testament and the New Testament). The New Contract that is in place today has entirely superseded the Old Contract.
The Penalty
Everyone that has ever lived is guilty of breaking God’s law. And just like breaking the governments laws has consequences – so does breaking God’s laws. When a person dies, then comes God’s judgement. There will be no debate as to whether you are guilty or not and there will be no mercy. There will be no pleading for a lesser punishment by telling God you were a good person because no one is good – every one of us is a sinner. God’s righteousness demands justice for the way you lived your life on Earth. Breaking God’s laws means the person must ‘pay’ for their sins in hell—a place of torment where they are forever separated from God.
The Unyielding Justice of God
In the 1850’s a preacher named Charles Spurgeon described God’s justice this way (I’ve edited it to use modern English):
“Justice holds the scales.
Sinner: “Oh! Justice, remember, I was holy once. Remember on that occasion I did keep the law?”
Justice: “Yes. All I owe you, you shall have. I will not punish you for what you have not done. But do you remember this crime, sinner?” And Justice puts in the heavy weight.
Sinner: Trembling and crying “But can you not forget that one sin? Will you not cast it away?”
Justice: “No” and Justice puts in another weight. “Sinner, do you remember this crime?”
Sinner: “Oh, will you not overlook it for mercy’s sake?”
Justice: “I will not have mercy. Mercy has its own palace, but I have nothing to do with forgiveness here. Mercy belongs to Jesus the Christ. I will not have mercy brought in to help me, she is not my deputy. I stand here alone without her.” And again, as she holds the scales, she puts in another iniquity, another crime, another enormous transgression, and each time the man begs and prays that he may have that passed by.
Justice: “Nay, I must exact the penalty. I have sworn I will, and I will. Can you find a substitute for yourself? I will exact it of that substitute, but even at His hands I will have full payment. Nothing will be abated. I am God’s justice, stern and unflinching. I will not alter, I will not mitigate the penalty.” She still holds the scales. The plea is in vain. “Never will I change!”
God’s Mercy
HOWEVER, the Good News is that God established a plan for sinners to avoid paying for their own sins in hell. God, being the merciful and loving God that He is, provided a “Redeemer” (a redeemer is someone who delivers or rescues someone else by paying a price). This role of a Redeemer was fulfilled by God Himself – this Redeemer is Jesus the Christ1. The Holy Bible states the term of this contract between God and Man in several places—here are three excellent examples:
- For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Holy Bible, John 3:16
- For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Holy Bible, Romans 10:13
- If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Holy Bible, Romans 10:9
This is how we escape God’s wrath. Through confessing Jesus as Lord, we sign the contract of salvation offered by God.
What This Means for You
That’s it. That is how mankind avoids paying for their own sins in hell. God has resolved our sin problem Himself. When we confess the Lord Jesus with our mouth, we consent to this God-written contract. Our assent and agreement serve as our ‘signature’ on the contract written by God.
Understand that the term of the contract has an extensive, related body of knowledge (the entire Holy Bible) that explains the contractual term in detail, such as:
- Our sinful condition
- Our condition of being alienated from God
- Our need of a Redeemer
- Our need of a change in the way we think (aka Repentance)
- Our need to be Baptized (an ordinance that is a public profession of faith)
- God’s judgement and our sentencing for breaking His law
- Our eternal destination (Hell or Heaven)
There is no more important issue than our eternal destiny – not wealth, not knowledge, not fame, not power…. nothing. God has already done all of the work. All you must do is trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins and you will spend eternity with God in heaven.
1 – Jesus the Christ – you may have heard or read the term ‘Jesus Christ’ and thought that was His name, but the word ‘Christ’ is a title – so it’s more meaningful to say Jesus the Christ. The word Christ means “the Anointed One” – and anointed means “divinely authorized.” God anointed Jesus to be the Redeemer of mankind. Jesus was divinely authorized to be the Redeemer of mankind.
Related content: Sins Forgiven
AI did not write this article but assisted with proofreading.