God created the heavens and the Earth (Gen. 1), and created humans in His own image, to reflect and mirror His glory to the world (Gen. 2). In disobeying God and falling into sin in the Garden of Eden by doing that which God commanded him not to, man broke this perfect relationship with his Creator, in such a way that death and decay entered the world and affected not only his relationship with God, but with others, his entire posterity was corrupted in their nature, as well as the entire creation, having been brought into futility and destruction as a result (Gen. 3, Rom. 5:12, Rom. 8:19-23).
In order to restore this perfect relationship with man and ultimately to renew and restore the entire creation to its original state, a rescue would have to come from outside of hismelf, having been subjected to this futility and unable to rescue himself. God set in motion a plan to do just that, planned from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-10).
This plan was foreshadowed and spoken of in the Old Testament in a rudimentary yet increasingly unfolding form (e.g., God speaking in Gen. 3:15, Abraham and the covenant God made with him pertaining to this salvation to come in Gen. 17, the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, et al.), and in types and shadows (e.g., Moses and the ceremonial system in the Pentateuch, David and his throne in 1, 2 Samuel) and brought to culmination and fruition in time through Jesus’ entrance into the world, who was God Himself become man.
Jesus came to bring about this promised redemption by 1) fulfilling the demands of the law from our side through His perfect life lived (Matt. 5:17-18, Col. 2:13-14), 2) His atoning or sacrificial death that absorbed God’s just and righteous punishment for sin in our place (Rom. 3:21-26, Hebrews 9:11-14), and 3) His glorious resurrection which puts on display for all to see His conquering of sin, death, hell, and destruction, and confirms to all that this salvation is a very real redemption and restoration from our plight (1 Cor. 15:3-5; 12-23).
This salvation is on offer to any and all who would come to Him in faith (John 3:16), who believe and trust in Him alone to justify them and make them right in His sight, and to rescue them from their deserved condemnation for their sins (John 3:36). And one day, even though they die, they will be made alive again with resurrected bodies, and ushered into His glorious kingdom and new creation, heaven come to Earth (Revelation 21) and that which was lost in the Garden of Eden will be restored in multiplied, glorious splendor, beyond our conception.