Before the world was formed and filled with all the splendor of God’s creative hand, a plan was made that would find fruition through God’s only Son. The earth was without form, void and nothing but darkness yet the mind of God held a creation that would show His greatest glory in redeeming a yet formed creature. Creation brought about the makings of the world with light and firmament filling with the grass and herbs that would soon bear the presence of sea creatures and land beasts. Moses describes in Genesis 1:26-27 the first hint of the glory promised by God. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” A creature now walked on the new planet called Earth.

It was not long before Satan came deceiving the woman and setting the world on a course of destruction that would be the sting of death – sin. In the darkest hour of man’s early existence the Creator brings judgment upon the devil and offers the first glimpse of a hope yet realized. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15). Satan would do his best to destroy all that God created. Cain will murder his brother Abel and the generations that follow will find them walking in the paths of wickedness ending in the deluge of complete destruction of humanity save eight souls (1 Peter 3:20). The void and darkness of precreation seems foreboding upon the face of mankind but there is a message of hope that will turn the tide of despair to glory.

For the sake of the Seed promise a people are set aside to bring the plan of redemption to the fullness of time. Like in the flood Satan will destroy the nation of God save the remnant. Finally the day comes when that which was in the mind of God partakes of the flesh and blood of man. Jesus Christ is born. As He begins the work of His Father, the Lord is driven to the wilderness for 40 days and faces the onslaught of Satan’s devices to destroy Him. Failing to destroy Jesus the devil goes away for a convenient time. It comes some three years later when the creation nails their Creator to a tree. The sting felt at this time is only death yet the one who bears His life on the cross has come to bear the guilt of sin for all mankind.

And then it happens. Unexpected. Glory filled. Marvelous. “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20-21). Jesus overcomes the grave. By the power of God He is risen. He lives. He reigns. He rules. The plan to redeem man has been seen alive and the message of salvation for all men spreads throughout the world. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

The good news of salvation is the love God had for His creation before the world was formed. He provided a way of escape and hope and promise. Paul proclaimed this message of eternal hope in his letter to Ephesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:3-6). Before the foundation of the world (Genesis 1) God desired to have His people to be a special people. The eternal purpose of God is found in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:11) and we can be a part of that.

There can be no greater joy than to know that God not only loves us because we are His, His plan was to love us and bless us with eternal life before life began on this planet. This predestination was not an individual persuasion that disallows my choice but rather the knowledge that salvation was the desire of the Creator for His creation before creation began. Man was created for the glory of God. “Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7).

Our relationship with the Father is eternal before the Heavens. What makes our joy complete is to know that we have eternal life after death. “Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). This makes clearer Peter’s statement of the nature of God’s people when he writes, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10).

An old preacher once said, “God predestines every man to be saved. The devil predestines every man to be damned. Man has the casting vote.” Thank you God for your grace.