God’s plan of redemption

 In God’s amazing love and kindness He always remembers that He made a promise to Abraham to create a special nation out of his descendants (Israel). He promised these descendantsthe land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. Through Abraham and his descendants God promised, “In you all the familiesof the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis12:3). This promise would eventually be fulfilled through one of Abraham’s descendants. The broad definition of God’s plan of redemption in Genesis 12 becomes even more elucidated as He continues revealing His plan to Israel. By the end of the Old Testament we understandthat God is sending a future king to the Israelites (2Samuel 7:13), who is also God’s Son (2Samuel 7:14). We know where the future king of Israel would be born (Micah5:2); we know He’s divine (Isaiah 9:6–7; Daniel 7:13–14); and we alsoknow, according to Scripture, that He had to suffer on our behalf in order to accomplish the ultimate plan of redemption God has predestined (Isaiah 53). This descendant of Abraham who would fulfill these prophecies from the Old Testament and accomplish redemption is King Jesus, the Messiah! Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4–7), Hemanifested His divine power through miracles He performed when He was on earth, He suffered on the cross on our behalf, enduring the wrath of God (Matthew27:32–6), and was gloriouslyresurrected to prove He had accomplished redemption (Matthew28:6). So now that Jesus has accomplished redemption through His shed blood, has God’s plan been fulfilled? Did Israel fulfill its role by bringing forth the Messiah, or is there moreleft for the nation of Israel to accomplish? God’s ultimate plan of redemption for His creation has not seen its culmination just yet. For us as believers, the blood of Jesus provides redemption now, but we are also waitinganxiously for the completion of our redemption when Jesus returns and our bodies are resurrected. Paul says, "Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits [believers] of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption [resurrection] ofour body (Romans 8:23). HerePaul is looking prophetically into the future, highlighting the zenith of God’s plan of redemption. An amazing verse in Romans 11 shows that the climax of God’s plan of redemption comes when Israel repents and believes that Jesus is their Messiah. Paul says, Forif their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (v. 15). In this passage Paul is proclaiming that even thoughIsrael rejected Jesus, God’s plan of redemption was not thwarted. Instead, it was spread to the nations, and the once-severed relationship between God and His creation was reconciled in Jesus. That’s really good news. However, the news gets even better. Paul looks ahead prophetically to that day when Jesus will return, and on that day Israel will believe and a resurrection (life from the dead)will take place as God’s divine plan is fulfilled with Israel as the centerpiece of the kingdom and Christ as ruler. So is Israel still a part of God’s ultimate plan of redemption? According to the Scriptures, yes! Let’s continue praying for Israel, and may the Lord accomplish His redemption plan for the world! - Tania Koenig