Foreknown Before the Foundation

He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.      1 Peter 1:20-21

 

Jesus was not Plan B. Have you ever thought about this? If God already knew Jesus would die for us before He created the world, then why do we sometimes think Jesus was Plan B? God already planned to save us. God was not shocked by our sin. He did not scramble to come up with a backup plan since we messed up the first one. The Father chose us before we could impress Him or rebel against Him (Eph 1:4-6). He already gave us His love. We cannot earn what we have already received. We are not lacking anything in Christ.

It is because of His immense love for us that He saved us. He knew sin would separate us so even before we sinned He created a way for us to return to Himself. “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began…” (2 Ti 1:9). We cannot work our way to salvation. He chose us because of His grace not because we had potential to be awesome. We cannot earn the Father’s love. He already loves us more than we can understand. Before He created the world, he chose us. He created us with purpose. He wants us. We are not accidents or afterthoughts.

When God adopted us as His children Jesus was already His Son. In a sense, Jesus is our big brother. He is the one we are to model ourselves after (Ro 8:29). We do not know how to act as children of God so we look to Jesus who modeled this for us. When Jesus left Earth He gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us and instruct us (Jn 14:26, Ro 8:26-18). God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pe 1:3). We are not left alone but with hope and fully alive in Christ. God has given us everything we need in Him and more.

 

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will... [You] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:11-14).