The Road to Easter: God's Eternal PlanSample

The Plan

The world has known some incredible artists.

Think of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Or Vincent van Gogh, whose swirling Starry Night still captivates. Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas. And then there’s Michelangelo, who spent years lying on his back painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It’s almost impossible to wrap our minds around the level of vision, preparation, and skill it took to create such masterpieces.

Now, imagine a master artist standing before a blank canvas, ready to create something breathtaking. Every brushstroke is intentional, every detail part of a grand design. But now, imagine that artist knowing—before even picking up the brush—that the masterpiece would be defaced and ruined. That one day, it would be torn apart. And yet, he chooses to paint anyway. Not only that, but he already has a plan to restore it, no matter the cost.

That is the heart of God’s redemption story.

Before the world was spoken into existence—before stars burned in the sky, before oceans swirled in their depths, before the first man walked in the Garden—God already knew it would all be broken. And He knew what it would cost to restore it. In ways beyond our understanding, both creation and redemption were set in motion before time itself began.

From our limited perspective, it can seem like the need for redemption only arose after Adam and Eve sinned—as if the cross was God’s reaction to our failure. But that’s not how it happened. The cross wasn’t Plan B. Jesus was always the plan.

And here’s the mind-blowing part: Jesus knew the plan. Before He was the Son of Mary, He was the Son of God. While we are born in order to live, Jesus lived before He was born. He wasn’t just present—He was actively involved in the plan to rescue us. The Father sent His Son into the world, but the Son came willingly.

And God’s plan wasn’t just to save us from sin—it was to make us His own. Ephesians tells us that before the foundation of the world, God chose us in Christ.

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—" (Ephesians 1:4-5)

Before sin ever entered the picture, before humanity even existed, God had already determined that He would rescue and adopt us as His children through Jesus. Redemption wasn’t an afterthought—it was woven into the fabric of creation itself.

And so was the cost. 1 Peter 1:18-20 reminds us that we were redeemed “not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ”—foreknown before the foundation of the world but “revealed in these last times for us.” Jesus, the Lamb of God, was set apart as the sacrifice before humanity even took a breath.

Then, there’s Revelation 13:8, which gives us an astonishing glimpse into God’s eternal plan, calling Jesus “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.” From eternity past, the cross was always in view. Before time began, God knew we would need saving—and He had already decided to send His Son.

This truth is both humbling and deeply comforting.

God’s love isn’t conditional or reactionary—it’s eternal. Before you ever knew Him, before you took your first breath, He had already made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. His love isn’t based on your performance, your failures, or even your awareness of Him. As 1 John 4:19 says, We love because He first loved us.

His love is grounded in His unchanging purpose.

So as we enter this Easter season, let this truth sink in: the cross was always part of God’s plan because His love for you has always existed. You were chosen in Christ before time began. And through His sacrifice, you have been redeemed—because the road to Easter began in eternity past.

Reflect

• Take a moment to reflect on the fact that God’s love for you existed before creation. How does that change the way you see Him?
• How does knowing that Jesus was always the plan impact your understanding of Easter?
• Thank God for His eternal love and for including you in His redemptive plan.