Creation
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
The world was formed by God in what the Bible calls the beginning. God's creation took six days in which He created everything we know today: Land, Water, Light and Darkness, Animals, Plants, and People. His creation was perfect and in perfect harmony with Him. God wanted a creation that could know and love Him as a perfect Creator. Only a perfect creation could have a relationship with Him.
Imperfections?
“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:15-17
We obviously recognize that the world today is far from perfect. Where did death, hurt, heartache, disability, hate, pain, and all the terrible things in our life come from? They came from a colossal problem called sin.
The Fall
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
Romans 5:18
Adam and Eve were the first two humans; created in perfection by God. He asked one thing of them, one rule: Do not eat the fruit of a specific tree. Disobedience to this rule would bring death to men. After some time, first Eve and then Adam both ate the very fruit which God had forbidden and by doing so they ushered sin into the world. This is what the Bible calls the Fall. Adam and Eve did not die right away, but all of creation began to see death.
Sin Condition
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together…And not only the creation, but we ourselves...groan inwardly.
Romans 8:22-23
Adam and Eve were the first two humans; created in perfection by God. He asked one thing of them, one rule: Do not eat the fruit of a specific tree. Disobedience to this rule would bring death to men. After some time, first Eve and then Adam both ate the very fruit which God had forbidden and by doing so they ushered sin into the world. This is what the Bible calls the Fall. Adam and Eve did not die right away, but all of creation began to see death.
Promised Redeemer
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
In order to rectify the problem of sin, God quickly made a promise that He would remind his creation of again and again throughout the Old Testament. God's promise was the promise of a redeemer. God gave this covenant first to Adam, then to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons; in fact, throughout Israel's history God continued to preview a Messiah who would change the condition of the world.
Jesus on Earth
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Thousands of years after Adam, and hundreds of years after the last written book of the Old Testament, God sent His son Jesus to the earth. Jesus was the only man since Adam who started His life on this earth as perfect. He was able to accomplish this because he in fact was God made flesh; an incarnation of the Creator. Like Adam, Jesus endured temptation, but he differed from Adam in that Jesus never sinned; He, as God, was perfect.
Jesus' Sacrifice
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5
Since Adam and Eve's sin, God had commanded that sacrifices be made to cover the sins and failures of man. But until the time of Jesus, never had there been a perfect sacrifice. In the Gospels we find that Jesus Christ died on a cross and his blood was shed to cover the sins of all mankind; He became the perfect sacrifice man had needed since the fall.
New Life
He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
Luke 24:6-7
Christ, however, did not stay dead! After three days of being dead in a sealed tomb, Christ rose from the dead. This resurrection allowed the Son of God to not only cover sin but to conquer death for all eternity. Jesus now offers life as a gift of grace to those who will receive him.
What Does It Take?
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
No skill, no heritage, no brilliance, no ability, and no self-rooted effort can save you from God's judgment. You will be sentenced to hell unless you turn to Christ. It takes a realization that you are sinful, and repentance of that sin. It takes faith that Christ is the only one who can save you, and it takes trust to give your life to Christ.