Bible Rebel

I had a friend named Adriana back in the day. One day at school, Adriana announced that she had a new goal: she wanted to learn how to ski. That Saturday morning, she went to a sporting goods store, bought skis, boots, and poles, and signed up for lessons.

The very next day, Adriana slipped on the sidewalk, fell, and broke her ankle.

The next time I saw her, she had a cast up to her shin and was walking on crutches. I asked her if skiing was still part of the plan.

“Of course it is,” she said. “But now my goal is for my foot to heal—then I’ll learn how to ski.”

That’s a pretty good picture of how God’s grand plan works.

The Plan Didn’t Change—The Path Did

When Adam and Eve rebelled, they shattered their perfect relationship with God and threw His good creation into chaos.

Scripture puts it this way:

Genesis 3:17b–19

Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.

But here’s the key: humanity’s rebellion didn’t cancel God’s purpose. It didn’t force Him to scrap the plan. It only changed the route.

What Now?

The original purpose still stands—but first, the “broken ankle” has to be healed.

Everything in the Bible after the big rebellion is the story of God fixing what was broken. He does that by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to restore the relationship humanity destroyed and to bring creation back on track.

Our purpose hasn’t disappeared. We were still made to reflect God’s image, take care of His creation, and live in real relationship with Him—to walk with Him, talk with Him, and know Him as a loving Father.

But now, there’s more.

A New Layer of Purpose

If you follow Jesus, you don’t just benefit from restoration—you’re recruited into it.

We now share in God’s mission of bringing people back to Himself.

2 Corinthians 6:1

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Let that sink in. God invites ordinary people—people like you and me—to participate in His rescue plan. He lets us play a role in restoring His family and preparing us all for our true home: a renewed heaven and earth.

2 Corinthians 5:18–20

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

That’s not passive faith. That’s purpose with skin on it.

So what does that actually look like in everyday life? How do we live as God’s mirrors in the real world?

That’s where we’re headed next.