1. Creation

The Bible teaches that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them out of nothing (Genesis 1:1). God made everything good, free from pain, death, and disaster.

God also created human beings, Adam and Eve, to bear His image and glorify Him by taking dominion of the earth on His behalf (Genesis 1:27—28). They were to serve God and find complete satisfaction in perfect harmony with Him and with each other.

God rested after creating man and woman and pronounced the universe He had made “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

However, things did not stay this way for long.

2. Fall

Human beings did not stay in their original state very long. In fact, the moment they were put to the test in the Garden of Eden, they failed. They failed to honor God, find their satisfaction in Him, and keep His commands. They broke faith with their Creator. They committed sin.

The result of sin is that human beings could no longer enjoy life with God. We turned our backs on God willingly. Sin separated us from God and rendered us his enemies (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 5:10). Because humanity was meant to rule nature on God’s behalf, the whole creation began to break down.

Because of sin, death entered God's creation (Romans 6:23). All people now die because we are born in a state of sin and willingly live in sin our whole lives. All of us are accountable to God and deserve His judgment (Romans 3:10—19).

We praise God that this is not the end of the story, though.

3. Redemption

As soon as man first sinned, God announced His rescue plan to save His people. He promised that He would one day send His own Son as a Savior (Genesis 3:16). The Savior would reverse the curse of sin, defeat death, and restore man to right standing with God, renewing the whole universe in the process.

Two thousand years ago, God’s Son was born—Jesus Christ, truly divine and truly human. He was a new and better Adam coming to reverse the curse. He lived a righteous life, died for sinners, and rose from the dead to reign as Lord.

The Lord Jesus Christ undoes the curse of sin by taking that curse on Himself (Isaiah 53:5—6, Galatians 3:13). He died on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin (Romans 3:24—25; 1 John 1:9, 4:9—10). He took the sins of His people and credits His righteousness to them so that God can accept them (2 Corinthians 5:21).

However, He didn’t stay dead. He rose and ascended to God the Father’s right hand. He now has all authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Matthew 28:18, Ephesians 1:20—23, Hebrews 2:6—10), ruling creation, executing justice, and forgiving all who come to Him in faith.

4. Restoration

The good news of what Jesus has done demands our response.

We must repent, or turn, from our sins and place our faith, or trust, in the Lord Jesus Christ. If we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Eternal life is a free gift.

Believers in Christ aren’t just rescued from judgment—they’re also rescued from the power of sinful desire itself. The new creation Jesus will someday reveal is already present in the world—it’s us (2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives us new hearts capable of lovingly obeying Him, even as He is making all things new (Revelation 21:5). We can be satisfied in God as we were always meant to be.

As Christians, our hope is not only joining Christ in heaven when we die but also living in a new world forever, raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20—28). Christ will return, judge the world, and consummate His new creation. Then God’s original purpose will be fulfilled—joyful fellowship with a redeemed humanity. We will dwell with God, and He will dwell with us (Revelation 21—22).