And I praise Him for that and have gratefully accepted His marvelous grace!!!
But Jesus wasn't sent here because this planet (or the men-in God's [spirit] image who inhabit it) was/were "pretty special to Him" .
Jesus Himself said that He came "to seek and to save that which was lost".
IOW, God sent his Son here because mankind sinned -- not because this planet or its inhabitants were created any more "special to Him" than any of the rest of his mighty works.
As I said, claiming that this planet (or you or I) are "special creations" is the height of prideful hubris. What right have we to insist that nowhere else in God's vast created universe did he place beings in His own image -- or to insist that, if they were created, that they also sinned?
Being a sinner doesn't make me "special". Being saved by God's grace most certainly does...
There are angels and although they were never declared to have been created in God's image, about 1/3 of them did fall. I wonder what the evolutionists would say if a Christian admitted to them that they believed in extra-terrestrial life? Advanced life forms that could travel through space and presumably other dimensions.
Like the rest of creation, we exist to demonstrate His glory.
So, it's hard to imagine a Bible-believing Christian could take a position of insisting are NOT special in His creation, given that (1) earth and man are the focus of His creation account, (2) we are made in His image, (3) He breathed life into us, and (4) He gave His only begotten Son for us.
IOW, God sent his Son here because mankind sinned -- not because this planet or its inhabitants were created any more "special to Him" than any of the rest of his mighty works.
And, He could have simply allowed us to spend eternity apart from Him in hell. But, that's not who He is.
Being saved by God's grace most certainly does [make me "special".]
I'm glad you finally came around to agreeing with what I've been saying all along.