From redemption to the Father’s eternal purpose

Redemption is the doorway, but the Father’s eternal purpose is the destination. We were created, redeemed, and adopted to be His family forever.

When we think about God’s plan for humanity, many of us begin with the creation and the fall. Sin, redemption, and salvation often become the central themes in our understanding of the Bible. While these truths are important, if we start here, we miss something far greater—the eternal heart of the Father.

Sin was never God’s starting point

The Bible makes it clear that sin was never part of God’s original design. It was not necessary, nor could it ever reshape His eternal plan. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1:4:

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Before sin entered the picture, the Father had already chosen us in Christ. His plan was always bigger than dealing with sin—it was about creating a family that would share His love and His life.

Redemption was never the end goal

Redemption is beautiful, but it was never the final destination. It is God’s recovery plan, not His ultimate purpose. The cross is central because it opens the way back to the Father, but it points us beyond forgiveness to something much greater: our adoption as sons and daughters.

Paul writes:

Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. — Ephesians 1:5

Redemption brings us home to live as sons and daughters in the Father’s house.

God’s eternal purpose is a family

From the very beginning, God’s plan was to reveal Himself as Father through His Son, and to have a family—the Church—that would reflect His nature and glory. This is why Paul speaks of marriage as a picture of Christ and the Church:

Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her … that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. — Ephesians 5:25–27

Even in Genesis 2, before sin entered the world, God’s design pointed to Christ and His Bride. The story begins not with failure but with the Father’s dream of a family.

A new perspective on life

When we shift our focus from man’s sin to the Father’s eternal purpose, everything takes on new meaning. Salvation is not just about being rescued from judgment—it’s about being restored to God’s family. The Church is not merely a collection of forgiven sinners—it is the Body of Christ, filled with His life, created for His glory.

As Paul concludes in Romans 11:36:

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

When we start with the Father’s heart, we see that history is not centered on man’s need but on God’s purpose. And that changes everything.

Redemption is the doorway, but the Father’s eternal purpose is the destination. We were created, redeemed, and adopted to be His family forever.