Yesterday I said we would look this week at the necessity, nature, mercy, and means of God’s rescue plan. Last week our devotional was titled “Curse and Consequence.” The consequences of our first man’s sin were swift and severe. All humanity now suffers from the same fate: spiritual death and separation from God, and ultimate physical death. Sin is the virus with a 100% mortality rate. Paul summarized it simply: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Rom. 5:12).”
By Genesis 6 we see the profound effect of sin upon society. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually … Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence (Gen. 6:5; 11).” The rescue story of Noah and his family is one of many found in scripture; how many can you think of? As many theologians over the centuries have noted, it provides a typology, a way of seeing elements of Christian theology and belief in Old Testament characters, stories, and themes. One accusation against God is that he is two-sided. Gracious in the New Testament but capricious and morally exacting in the Old Testament. However, as one studies God’s Word faithfully, God’s attributes are found to be evident and stable from Genesis to Revelation. The necessity of rescue is seen immediately upon Adam’s sin, and repeatedly throughout the story of humanity. Even today, the fracture of the relationship between God and man, and the effects of sin on person and society remain. Every generation holds to the belief that it can rescue itself; if only we can educate and govern ourselves better. And in every generation, God reaches gracefully into many and provides a way of rescue.
Something to Understand:
Man’s sin necessitates God’s rescue because we cannot save ourselves. The bible is clear (see Romans 5 as noted above) that sin and death has spread to all. As we continue through the week we will see how and what God provides his children through his rescue.