From Glory to Grief, Back to Glory

Salvation 2025 | Day 21

“Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down… But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” — Isaiah 53:4–5 (NLT)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and formed man in His image. He gave man the authority to reign over all creation. This was the original intention — man walking in divine likeness, clothed in glory, and exercising dominion over every substance on the earth. Creation reflected the perfection of its Maker, and heaven marveled at the excellence of God’s handiwork.

But then came the fall. Through disobedience, man lost the glory he once carried. Dominion was replaced with despair, and the weight of sin introduced grief, pain, weakness, and separation from God. The image was still there, but marred. The crown was dropped, and the creation that once bowed to man now resisted him. Yet even in man’s fall, God made a promise. He prophesied of a time when He Himself would bear the consequences of sin. Wrapped in flesh, He would carry our sorrows, take on our weaknesses, and suffer the punishment meant for us. The fullness of this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose finished work on the cross became the turning point in history. 

Christ did not just come to sympathize with us — He came to carry the weight of sin and grief and to restore us. When He declared, “It is finished,” everything that separated man from the original intention was dealt with. The curse was broken. Access was restored. Healing, peace, and righteousness were made available.

Now, in Him, we are reinstated to that place of glory. We are no longer slaves to sorrow and brokenness. Through the abundance of grace, we reign in life. The finished work of Christ returns us to Eden’s intention: made in His image, walking in authority, and reigning on the earth.

Further reading: Gen 1:1, 27–28, 3:15–19; Isa 53:4–5, Psalm 8:4–5; Rom 3:23, 5:17; John 1:14, 19:30; II Cor 5:21; Col 1:13; Rev 5:10