But God is righteously committed
to His good plan for His world,
including to His people,
made for His glory.
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God made this world for himself.
Life in this world was made to reflect his nature:
his goodness, love, and righteousness.Humanity was made to enjoy Him in His world.
Under His rule, they could live happily His way:
in peace and in thankful obedience,
service and dependence on Him. -
But we human beings attempted
to live independently of God
in His world.We denied God’s rule by denying
His teaching about us and about life under Him.This was evil and the world was corrupted by it.
Conflict and confusion ensued.
The good life gave way to destruction,
disease and death.God calls this sin.
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Sin now has a dominating influence over
all human beings. Its effects are devastating.Our denial of God is a denial of who we are
made to be under God, and we are
therefore denied the perfect life under God.This is God’s righteous judgment of a rebellious race, and there will be a final accounting for all human beings when they come face to face with God.
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For human beings, death and conflict with God
and with each other is not the life
He has in mind as the final outcome.God continued His loving rule
by revealing that the future of
this world lies in the godly rule
of a great king and saviour.
In this ruler, life would be as God intended for man to be able to live.
However, sin had to be dealt with:
its corrupting effects, and
its very source, man himself. -
And so, God sent His Son in the likeness of man to be this ruler, to live life as man should have lived it under God. As God’s Son, Jesus established God’s kingdom, laying the foundation for the renewal of this world. God proclaimed the establishment of His Son’s kingdom by the power of His Spirit, defeating destruction, disease, death and even demons.
God’s rule was established by the teaching of Jesus in the way, the truth, and the life of the people of God.
God’s people were enabled to serve Him in new lives by God’s Spirit giving them an understanding of Jesus’ teaching.
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Their sin was dealt with
by Jesus taking their punishment,
by offering Himself in their place. Jesus died and resurrected for
His people to bring glory to God.He was raised from the dead because
His death was for this glorious purpose.He died and freed them from their love of the sin
that brought death, so they, with new lives,
could serve the living God. -
Jesus’ resurrection means that
God’s proclaiming of a new kingdom under
his Son’s eternal rule is true, and
all who follow the Son will have forgiveness and
new life in this kingdom of God’s rule.Jesus’ own life and resurrection is proof of
all that is possible in the new humanity
of a fully renewed world to come. -
Jesus challenges us to recognise God’s rule.
We must submit to God’s Son and receive forgiveness, a new mindset and relationship with God.
This peace with God and love for Him, is available
only in His Son’s rule. As Lord, Jesus has authority to forgive and give this new life through His Spirit. -
God promises that those who reject their own lives to live God’s life under Jesus will be forgiven, and will receive the gift of His Spirit to live obediently to the Lord Jesus.
But whoever continues to assert their independence from God is still under his wrath and will be excluded from God’s world together with all that is evil.
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