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Like a Lion

We began our journey in a garden, where we learned that Adam's disobedience allowed sin to enter the human race like a virus, and that virus opened up an insurmountable gap between God and us. Nowhere on earth illustrates that divide better than the Grand Canyon. The sheer immensity of it—the depth and width—it's impossible to capture it on film or in a photograph. You really have to see it. 

The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado River, and as I take in its winding path below, I'm reminded of how the scarlet thread of redemption winds its way through the Old and New Testaments, marking out the trail by which God provided the only way out of the mess we’ve made of His creation.  

And this is His creation. In Genesis chapter 3, God gave us a glimpse of His plan to redeem mankind and restore our relationship with Him. God stated that Eve would have an offspring who would eventually defeat Satan, ending the curse of sin and death. That is our introduction to the only hero who could close the wound to keep us from bleeding out from sin's consequences. 

God said that we are the crowning achievement of His creation. And He so loved us that He willingly sacrificed His Son—Jesus the Messiah—to restore our intended relationship with Him. 

Throughout this journey, we have seen that Jesus is at the center of all Scripture. He is the hero who arrived in humility, bent on accomplishing His Father’s rescue mission. But the red thread of redemption doesn't end with His sacrifice. It ends when He returns. 

You see, as the Lamb of God, Jesus dealt with sin the first time He came. But He will return as the Lion of Judah, and He will rule and reign with those who are cleansed from sin. And that's when the scarlet thread of redemption will be tied off, once and for all. Then, God’s redemptive plan will be completely and totally accomplished.

Redemption doesn’t end with a past-tense experience of forgiveness. It goes far past the cross of Christ into your heart. The story of redemption isn't just history or His story. It's your story. 

Our separation from God which began in the garden is bridged by the cross. The cure for the virus of sin is found in the blood of Jesus Christ, which He willingly shed for you. Now you can enjoy unrestricted access to the Father through the person of Jesus Christ. 

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