The Center of the Plan!
"The central part of God's master plan was and is an intimate relationship with people through the redemptive work of Christ..."
Remember, God's Master Plan is about relationships - first with Him and secondly with each other. Adam and Eve trashed this plan when they selfishly replaced Him as the center of their lives with themselves.
Genesis 3:6
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desireable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband, who was with her, and he ate."
Eve ignored God's warning. She evaluated the tree. Absorbed with thoughts of herself, she approved the tree as a source of food, she lusted after its fruit, she saw it as a shortcut to wisdom, she ate the fruit and gave some to her husband. Adam shared her arrogant evaluation. He hungered for self-gratifiction and he ate.
The couples's relationship with God was trashed with self-centeredness and self-gratification, So instead of enjoying the glorious fruit of God's Master Plan and the intimacy it produced with Him and each other, they find themselves full of shame and hiding from God (Genesis 3:7-8). But that is not all. When God gave them the opportunity to confess their sin, rather than confess, they blame shifted.
"Then the man said, 'The woman You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.'" Genesis 3:12
So much for marital bliss. But wait a minute, Adam didn't just shift his blame for the first sin to Eve, he shifted it to God! Adam figured he would have never had the opportunity to sin if God ("...You gave to me...") had not created Eve in the first place. God, this is all Your fault!
Well, the rest is history. God being a just God righteously passed judgment on the couple and Satan (Genesis 3:14-19 ). One of the curses on Satan was both a prophecy of his destruction and the center of God's Master Plan for humans.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her Seed; and He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heal." Genesis 3:15
This verse is known as the first Gospel (protoevangelium), that is the first reference/prophecy of Jesus redeeming man from his sins.
"I will put enmity (conflict) between you (Satan) and the woman (Eve) and between your seed (Satan's demon force) and her Seed (Jesus); and He (Jesus) shall bruise (fatal blow/crush) your head and you shall bruise (non-fatal)) His heal." Genesis 3:15
Adam and Eve broke their alliance with God and established one with Satan. God promised the opposite in this Gospel prophecy. The ultimate conflict between God and Satan would happen through a descendant of Eve. Satan's bruising of Jesus' heal appeared at His crucifixion, but as a heal bruise is not permanent, His resurrection proved Jesus' death was not permanent. However, through the death and resurrection of Christ, Satan's head wound was permanent, crushing.
The central part of God's Master Plan was and is an intimate relationship with people through Christ's redemptive work, and which enables the same intimacy beteen His people. Hallelujah!
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