Genesis 6:6

"The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain."

Did God fail?  Was his creation a mistake to regret?

In order to determine if God failed, we must first determine what God set out to do in the first place.

If you say "God failed to create mankind without sin", you would be in error for we were created good and perfectly. If you say "God failed to create mankind without the capacity to sin", you are also in error not because mankind has no capacity to sin, but because that is not what God purposed to do in the first place. You cannot fail in that which you did not even try to do.

So did God fail when he realized how wicked humanity was through Sin? Well what was his original intention? For mankind, to create us in His image and give us free dominion over all the Earth so that we might walk with the Lord. 

Had God wiped out all of humanity during the flood, then yes, he would've failed. Had sin and Satan had the final say in keeping us in eternal separation from God, then yes, God would've failed. However, we still remain and the truth of the matter is that we Christians are those who now walk with God and have dominion over and against Satan, being remade into His image. How? Through Jesus Christ's redemptive work on the cross, he has humiliated Satan and rescued us from his domain. It is because of the truth of Jesus Christ that I can tell you with confidence that despite Genesis 6:6, God has not failed to do what he set out to do.

Ephesians 1:13-14

"And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of His glory."

In this short little introduction to Ephesians, Paul marks out the will of God for the salvation of men.  Here, we see the fullness of the Trinity coming together for our redemption; We are marked (by the Father) in Him (Christ) with the promised Holy Spirit.  It is the Father who draws us in through the Son by the Holy Spirit. The Father is the fisherman, the Son the rod, and the Holy Spirit is the hook that never lets us go.  Because it is God working in all three aspects of salvation, the process is made perfect.  Were salvation from men, salvation would fail.  But thank God that salvation is guaranteed for those who believe and are sealed with the Holy Spirit!

And this then is the mark of salvation for every true believer:  That even when you sin and stray from the path, The Spirit will convict you, Christ will forgive you, and the Father will always bring you back to him for the Father always disciplines his children.  All three Persons work together in perfect harmony for our redemption.  Do you believe it? But truly, truly, by faith it is so!

Romans 8:23

"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

It is an amazing reminder that no matter how good things get in the Christian life and no matter how much joy and celebration we have in Christ there are only the firstfruits of what is to be a much larger crop.  What we experience now with the Holy Spirit is only but a tiny fraction of that which is to come.

It is these firstfruits that symbolize the promise of more to come.  We have but a taste of the Kingdom of God and of adoption by God.  If you believe that Jesus is powerful to act through His Spirit in this present day and age, just wait until you see the Son of Man in all his glory ascended to the right hand of the Father!

Indeed the Holy Spirit is our deposit and guarantee of the salvation and redemption of our bodies that is to come.  Though in Christ we have already been made children of the promise and heirs to the kingdom of God, we also eagerly await the fullness of God's glory and harvest.  Those who possess it groan with eager expectation and a deep longing for intimacy with our Father in heaven.  Do you feel it?  That ineffable pull in your gut that longs for more something?  My friends, more is out there and it's coming.

Ephesians 5:15-17

"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."


It's really easy to waste time.  You do it.  I do it.  We've got so much time that we have time to kill.  But do we?

You've heard it said that we should "live like there is no tomorrow" and not waste any opportunity, but in reality you will always have tomorrow and eternity.  Anyone who is in Christ has died already to sin, how can they die again?  And if we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

Perhaps the saying should be "live like you'll live forever".  Every opportunity that God gives you to do a good deed he has given you so that you might be blessed in doing them as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:10

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do."

If you refuse the gifts, then you don't get them, simple as that.  We live a fallen world and we make the best of every situation because it is the Lord's will for the redemption of this world.  Every opportunity passed over is a grace forfeited so be careful how you live, not as foolish but with wisdom.  Do the best you can with what you have.