God Planned for Salvation Before Creation - The Crosswalk Devotional - May 24

God Planned for Salvation Before Creation
By Emma Danzey

"But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." - 1 Peter 1:19-21

Whatever you are going through today, however, you are being challenged or pressed by the hardships of life, He is good, He has a plan, and He cares for you.

But with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
I don't know about you, but I have never heard anyone use the term precious to describe my blood at a doctor's appointment. The concept of preciousness indicates purity, innocence, and even beauty. Jesus' blood was precious because He was sinless. He was and always will be perfect. It was a generous gift of life for all who believe in Him. Just as the Jewish people had to sacrifice lambs without blemish or defect, Jesus had to be perfect to save us. An animal could not save us eternally; we could not save ourselves. It had to be Jesus. Life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). If there is no blood, there is no life. Jesus gave us His life for us to live.

He was chosen before the creation of the world but, was revealed in these last times for your sake.
When we sit back and realize how amazing our God is to have had a salvation plan before creation even began, I do not know that we can fully express our gratitude in words. He loved us so much that He, Jesus, our God, came to die on our behalf and reconcile us to Himself so that we could be with Him forever. There is no greater love story. Titus 1:2 says,

"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

When a married couple plans to have a child together, that couple is aware their child will be a challenging, disobedient sinner. Out of great love, the couple decides to create life and commit to being the parents of this baby. They give the child their last name and are forever a family. However, it is not until the actual difficult moments parents realize the fullness of sacrifice and love it takes to raise and care for a child. In a greater way, God our Father gives this to us since He knew all the ways we would hurt and disappoint Him; He knew the price it would cost and the pain He would endure on the cross, yet He chose us anyway. This is the greatest love. He knew all along, yet it was revealed to us in the last times for our sake. Jesus is Lord.

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
The Bible is clear; the gospel's message is that Jesus is the hope of salvation to all who believe in Him. God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him. This is something we should reflect on and live for every day. Jesus is alive, and we are made alive in Him. We have hope and confidence in our eternal life because of Him.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
As you ponder the great love Jesus has for you, how does that make you feel that He gave His precious blood for you? What does it mean to know God already had a plan for salvation before He created you, even though He knew you would sin and rebel? How can you live out of this place of hope and joy today?

Further Reading:

Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.