The Cross Leads Us Home: The Eternal Plan of God to Dwell with Us
Feb 18, 2025
Why God Created You - The Cross Brings You Home
From the beginning, before the foundations of the world, God had a plan—a glorious purpose that would unfold over time. God’s ultimate desire is not just for us to be saved, but to be His dwelling place.
God created humanity in His image, to reflect His glory and to have a relationship with Him. But after the fall, that relationship was broken. The image of God within us became marred, and sin entered the world, distorting our purpose. Yet, even in that moment of separation, God’s plan was already set in motion.
The Cross Is the Doorway to the Presence of God
From Genesis to Revelation, God's eternal plan has been to restore us to the relationship we were created for. The goal has always been the same: to dwell with His people. And in Christ, through the work of the cross, God made that possible once again.
The death and resurrection of Jesus opened the way for humanity to return to the Father, not just as servants, but as sons and daughters. Jesus made a way to do what the prophets longed for—to enter God’s presence.
Hebrews 10:19-20
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.”
– Hebrews 10:19-20
When Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn, and for the first time in history, we were invited into the very presence of God. The veil was torn, and we are invited in.
This access was given to us not through our works, but through the blood of Jesus Christ, who, by His sacrifice, sprinkled us clean, enabling us to come boldly to the throne of grace. We are made holy and blameless before God, not by anything we’ve done, but because of what Christ did for us on the cross.
We Come as Children, Not Strangers
When we come to God through Jesus, we don’t come as strangers. We come as children. We are not just recipients of His grace; we are heirs, co-heirs with Christ.
This relationship is the essence of salvation—not simply forgiveness, but the restoration of the intimate relationship we were always meant to have with our Creator. In that relationship, we find our true purpose.
Heaven Comes to Us
And this relationship isn't just for the future. Our salvation is not about us getting to heaven, but about heaven coming to us. In this life, we are already being transformed into the image of God, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, drawing us into deeper fellowship with the Father.
Even now, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we experience a foretaste of the relationship that will be fully realized in the new heaven and new earth. As Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.’”
This is the ultimate goal of salvation: the full restoration of the intimacy we were created for with our Creator.
The Cross Brings Us Home
In Jesus, we find the fulfillment of God’s purpose from before time. He is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, and through His death and resurrection, we are reconciled to the Father. The cross isn’t just about forgiveness; it’s about bringing us home to the place where we were always meant to be: in the presence of our loving God.
When we enter God’s presence through the cross, we are stepping into the ultimate reason we were created: to dwell with Him forever.
Takeaways:
- God’s plan from the beginning was to dwell with us—not just to save us but to restore the intimate relationship He created us for.
- The Cross is the gateway to God's presence; through Jesus' sacrifice, we are invited to come boldly to the throne of grace.
- Salvation isn’t just about getting to heaven; it’s about bringing heaven to us and restoring fellowship with our Creator.
- Through Jesus, we are adopted as children of God, with access to His presence and the privilege of dwelling with Him forever.
How to Respond:
The Cross is God’s eternal invitation to come home to His presence.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God has made a way for you to come back into the intimate relationship you were always meant to have with Him. The Cross is where God's love for you is displayed in its fullest measure.
So, come.
Come to the beautiful display of God's love, the cross of Jesus Christ, and allow it to save you from your sin and separation from God.
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Repent. Turn from your old ways, from the self-centered life that distorts your true purpose. Repentance is the first step toward being restored to the relationship you were created for.
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Be baptized. Enter into the new life that Christ has made possible. Baptism is a powerful symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and your new birth in Him.
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Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Allow the Spirit of God to dwell within you, empowering you to live in a way that reflects His glory and fulfills your true purpose as a son or daughter of God.
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Know the God who has loved you from the beginning. You were created for intimacy with Him. Through the Cross, you are invited to enter into that fellowship today and for all eternity.
Scriptures:
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“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.”
– Hebrews 10:19-20 -
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.’”
– Revelation 21:3 -
“The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.”
– Revelation 13:8 -
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
– Genesis 1:1 -
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
– John 3:16 -
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself.”
– Colossians 1:19-20 -
“And He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’”
– Revelation 21:6
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