1. The Plan of Redemption

Gathered Fragments

Adam and Eve were perfect. They lived in a perfect environment, and they had the privilege of walking and talking with God. Yet with two wrong choices, the bliss of Eden unravelled. After Eve, Adam also ate the forbidden fruit. As a result, the pair were stripped from their garments of light and found to be naked. Human nature was now degraded. And imperfect man could no longer live in a perfect environment.

Today, our very existence—though marred by pain and struggle—bears testament to the unfathomable mercy of God. The law in Eden had been stated plainly: “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” When the mother and father of our race chose to disobey that law, they were under the condemnation of death. If the story had ended there, none of us would be here to recount the case.

God’s law, by nature, is unchangeable, and immortal man indeed assumed mortality. Nevertheless, the Father and Son had reserved a plan for their acquittal; a legal avenue by which Adam and his posterity could obtain a second chance.

This plan is described by the apostle Paul as: “the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began”. Romans 16:26. Yes, the mechanics of the gospel, unknown to man or angel, were established from the very outset of Earth’s creation. Should sin ever exist, there would be a Saviour.

In Genesis 3:15, this ingenious plan for man’s redemption is revealed for the first time. In this one verse rests the promise of the Messiah, the controversy between Christ and Satan, and the role of the Holy Spirit in empowering man in his battle against evil.
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