Class 1 Does God have a plan?

Let’s tackle a big question: Does God really have a plan for all this mess? It starts with reflecting on those days when every news update seemed to scream about the world going downhill. But then, flipping through the pages of Genesis, where it all began, we see that things were actually pretty good at the start. God’s plan for salvation is a central theme throughout the Bible, tracing a narrative of redemption from the fall of man to the promise of a new creation. We can see God’s plan of restoration through Chrsit begin to unfold immeditatly

“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”

This verse comes after Adam and Eve sinned and realized their nakedness, symbolizing their vulnerability and shame. By God providing garments of skin, there’s an implied sacrifice for the first time due to sin—innocence is lost, and blood is shed as a covering for guilt. This act of God is significant as it foreshadows the sacrificial system that would become a central theme in the relationship between God and humanity, ultimately pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the atonement of sins. In this context, Genesis 3:21 subtly introduces the concept of sacrifice as a means of atonement, setting the stage for the more explicit discussions of salvation found in the New Testament.

Key Scriptures:

• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! **18 **And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. **19 **For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. **20 **So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” **21 **For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
• Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. **2 **And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. **3 **I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[a] **4 **He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

This paints a picture of the final fulfillment of God’s plan: a new creation where God dwells with His people, free from sin, death, and suffering, highlighting the eternal hope we have in Christ.

Through this journey from Genesis to Revelation, we see God’s unfolding plan of salvation — a narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Genesis 3:21, with its subtle but profound implication of sacrifice for atonement, complements the explicit message of reconciliation through Christ in 2 Corinthians and the ultimate hope of renewal in Revelation, encapsulating the depth and breadth of God’s salvific work.