FAQs Mondays: Was That the End of the Story?

"FAQs Mondays" is an ongoing series of posts based on an adaptation of The Baptist Catechism.  You can view the original documents from which it is drawn: here, here, and here.  Previous posts include: "the Introduction", "What Is the Chief End of Man?", "Who Is God?", "What is the Word?", "What is God?",  "How Does God Work within His Creation?" and "What Went Wrong?". Last week, we looked at the root of the problem.  The perfect world was brought into a fallen state by the sin of Adam and Eve, but was that the end of the story?

Did God leave all mankind to perish in the condition of sin and misery?

God, out of his good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the condition of sin and misery, and bring them into a condition of salvation by a Redeemer.  As Paul exclaims, "Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him" (Eph. 1:3-4).  Paul also informs us, "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to them image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those to whom he justified he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29-30).  Here are a few more verses to consider: 2 Thessalonians 2:13, Romans 5:21; 9:11-12, 11:5-7; Acts 13:48; and Jeremiah 31:33.

Who is the Redeemer of God's elect?


The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ; who being the eternal Son of God, became a man, and so was and continues to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever. Of Christ, Paul states, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal. 4:4-5).  He also says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'" (Gal. 3:13).  Again Paul explains, "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time" (1 Tim. 2:5).  Other verses to consider: 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 7: 24-25; and Luke 1:35.

How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?

Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and was born of her, yet without sin. Luke reports, "And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in you womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. . . . the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; there for the child to be born will be called holy --the Son of God' (Luke 1:30-35; see also Luke 2:52).   The author of Hebrews reminds us that, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he [Jesus] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power over death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14; see also Heb. 4:14). Again he states, "For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens" (Heb. 7:26).  Paul tells us, "For in him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col. 2:9).

Conclusion

So we see from these questions and answers that the story of humanity didn't end with the fall.  God had a plan to redeem mankind from the foundation of the world.  His plan always included sending a Redeemer into the world to take away the sin debt through death.  This introduction to the Redeemer leads us to ask, "What does the Redeemer do?"  And that is the question we will look at next Monday.


Unless otherwise noted all quotes are from the English Standard Version (ESV).