why God rescue us?

Have you ever wondered why God rescued us? 

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:20‭-‬24 NKJV

You know why you needed rescuing (because of sin), and you know why God wanted to rescue you (out of love). But is there an ongoing, purposeful side to it, something He wants us to do after being rescued?

Yes! But let’s back up to the Garden of Eden for a minute. Remember how Genesis says we were made in God’s image? What does that mean? 

We as humans were created to reflect key characteristics of God, which were perfectly evident in us in the beginning. We were given reason and intellect, giving us the ability to be creative, artistic, and logical. 

We were created with moral values, a reflection of God’s holiness. We were also created as social beings, craving fellowship with others and intimacy in marriage. 

Another part of our created nature was the ability to choose freely. This, of course, led to our downfall because we chose to rebel. We decided we wanted to be God. 

As a result, we ended up in the situation that we’ve been talking about this week: in need of rescue. And it also resulted in us no longer reflecting the true image of God. It was forever marred by sin.

That’s when God executed His plan to rescue us, and offered us the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ as our Saviour. To accept His free gift of salvation. 

So how does that apply to the original question? Well, God’s redemption of us through Christ results in the gradual restoration of the original image of God in us. We are transformed into new creations!

That’s what so much of the New Testament is about: the Holy Spirit at work in us, changing us from the inside out. Gradually restoring us to be more and more in the image of God, by His grace. 

We’ll see signs of the restoration by the fruit in our lives. Our thought patterns will change and our priorities will be adjusted.

Others will see the fruit of the transformation, too, and in this way, God will be glorified, not us. 

And that’s why God rescued us – so we would bring Him, God of the universe, glory and honour and praise.