MAN'S RUIN . . . GOD'S
REMEDY (Continued, 11)
"(God) Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:9)
Man, who was created in the image of God, makes intricate plans before attempting any important endeavor. An example of this would be the detailed blueprints and plans drawn up by a team of architects and engineers before the construction of a giant skyscraper is begun. The finished building would then be a revelation of all of the intricate details conceived beforehand in the minds of the architects. It should not surprise us, then, that God, who is the all-powerful, all-wise, Master Architect and Builder of the universe, had an eternal plan, or purpose, conceived in His infinite Mind, before He ever created the universe, the earth, and man to dwell upon it. What is unfolding in time is the outworking of what God purposed or decreed in eternity, before the creation of the universe, before time as we know it began (Ephesians 3:9-11; 2 Timothy 1:9-10). According to Acts 15:18, "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." And, according to Ephesians 1:11, God is described as One "who worketh ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will."
Some have said that God had no plan at all, that He just created the universe, then stepped off to the sidelines, so to speak, to allow everything to happen, as it were, by chance, with no concern for the outcome. Others have said that God had a general plan, but that many of the specifics are left entirely up to the exercise of free moral agents. According to this view, God cannot accomplish all that He wants to accomplish, because He cannot violate the so-called "free will" of free moral agents, but can be checkmated and thwarted by both Satan and man. Those who hold this view believe that it is God's will and desire to save every individual without exception of Adam's fallen race, including Pharaoh (Rom. 9:17-18), Judas Iscariot (see John 13:18), and even those of whom it is said, "GOD [Himself] SHALL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION, that [meaning "IN ORDER THAT"] they should believe a lie, that they ALL might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:10-12) -- as much as He desired to save Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-17), but He is failing to accomplish that desire because His ability to do so is limited by the will and the decisions of men. In order to correct such erroneous and false concepts of who God really is, we need to look at some texts of Scripture to see what God has revealed about Himself concerning His own sovereignty and power.
1. The God of Absolute Sovereignty
The Word of God teaches that God is on the throne, ruling over the works of His hands as the KING of the universe, according to Psalms 103:19, "The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all," and that there are no chance happenings or accidents with God, but that according to Ephesians 1:11, He is a God who "worketh ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will." His Kingship means His absolute, irresistible, infinite supremacy over all His creation (I Chronicles 29:11), and His undisputed right as Creator to rule the universe -- and that all created beings, be they men or angels, are under His sovereign control. His providential rule extends to the minutest details, even to the exact moment that a sparrow shall fall to the ground, and the exact number of hairs on our heads at any given time (Matthew 10:29-30). All of creation is here for one purpose, according to Revelation 4:11,
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."
God's sovereign control over His creation is also expressed in these words, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things not yet done, saying, MY COUNSEL SHALL STAND, AND I WILL DO ALL MY PLEASURE . . . yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I HAVE PURPOSED IT, I WILL ALSO DO IT." (Isaiah 46:9-11). The sovereignty of God means that because He has absolute authority, He is subject to none, influenced by none, independent of all, and does as He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases, and that no creature can thwart Him, and none can hinder Him, according to Daniel 4:35,
"He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, what doest Thou?"
Again, we repeat, according to Ephesians 1:11, He "worketh ALL THINGS after the counsel of His own will," just as it pleases Him -- and His pleasure is guided by His own infinite wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and love.
According to the Bible, God exercises his sovereignty in the affairs of men, and nations. It is not blind fate, chance, or "luck" that determines the course of events in our lives (Psalms 37:23; Isaiah 64:8; Acts 17:26-28; Proverbs 16:33; James 4:15), or the history of kingdoms and nations, which He overthrows or causes to prosper, as it pleases Him (Job 12:23; Psalms 22:28, 66:7; Acts 17:26) -- but it is the ruling and overruling providence of God. He is truly the King of kings, and the Lord of lords (I Timothy 6:15), according to Proverbs 21:1, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." In Deut. 8:18, we find these words, "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth." Obviously, he gives that power to some, and withholds it from others. And listen to these words from Proverbs 16:9, "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." The same truth is set forth in Proverbs 19:21, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand."
Now, my friend, with such an exalted and Biblical view of the transcendent majesty and sovereignty of the triune God, we are now prepared to consider what the Holy Scriptures reveal concerning GOD THE FATHER'S eternal purpose of grace -- His predestined plan, GOD'S REMEDY, and His electing grace in choosing those who should be its recipients.
2. God the Father Predestined the Provision of the Remedy
Nearly 2,000 years ago, God personally visited lost and fallen mankind, and dwelt among men for 33 years. The eternal, invisible God personally invaded time and space, being made visible in human flesh, in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; 1 Timothy 3:16), and the glory and majesty of God was actually seen in Him (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:16). The second Person of the triune God, God the Son, took unto Himself human nature; He had no earthly father, but was supernaturally conceived in the womb of a Jewish virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35). By means of the incarnation, He became the God-Man, truly God and truly Man.
The true and real humanity of Christ is portrayed throughout the Gospels, from the account of His virgin birth to His agonizing death on the cross. He became weary and exhausted, needed sleep, and was capable of being tempted (yet without sin), and suffered pain and death; He experienced the full range of human emotions such as grief, joy, fear (though it was godly fear), sorrow, and anger (though it was a righteous and holy anger). We may be sure that, in the days of His earthly sojourn in the flesh, He was one with us, and like us in every respect, with one exception, and that is sin (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16; 7:26). Christ was holy and pure, and without the slightest taint of a sinful nature or personal sin of any kind.
The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is clearly set forth in many, many passages throughout the Holy Scriptures, in both Old and New Testaments. Not only do the Prophets and Apostles proclaim His Deity, but Christ Himself declared His Deity on numerous occasions. One of the most striking is found in a conversation He had with the Jewish religious leaders, as recorded in John 8:31-59. These Israelites were making much of the fact that Abraham was their forefather, or progenitor, and belittling and ridiculing Christ and His teaching, even to the point of accusing Him of being demon-possessed. He took this occasion to make the following statement: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad." They responded, sarcastically we may be sure, "Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" Now, I urge you to pay close attention to His reply, for I believe it is one of the most profound statements to ever come from His lips: "Before Abraham was, I AM." In those 5 words, Jesus Christ is claiming to be Jehovah of the Old Testament, fully identifying Himself as the Eternal, Self-Existent One who transcends time, the One Who revealed Himself to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM," in Exodus 3:14. The Jews immediately understood His meaning -- that He was claiming Deity and identifying Himself as Jehovah -- and therefore, not believing Him, they took up stones with the intention of stoning Him to death for blasphemy, from which He easily escaped. See also John 10:30-33.
Now, my friend, consider this: THIS SAME JESUS, at the age of about 33, was taken by the wicked hands of His enemies, unjustly tried and unjustly condemned, and then slain (Acts 2:23) -- HE DIED THE SHAMEFUL DEATH OF BEING CRUCIFIED, NAILED TO A ROMAN CROSS OUTSIDE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM BETWEEN TWO THIEVES!! We must ask, and find the answer, to this question -- WHY??
The question has two answers: One from the human perspective, the other from the Divine perspective.
First, let's look very briefly at the human side. From the earliest days of Christ's public ministry, He stirred up the opposition and enmity of the religious leaders in Israel -- the Scribes, the Pharisees, the chief priests, and the Sadducees. They were offended not only because of His claims to Deity, but also because He rebuked them on numerous occasions, sometimes severely, for their hypocrisy. In view of all the miracles He performed, and the authority with which He taught, they should have humbled themselves in repentance, cast off their religious pretensions, and sat at His feet to be taught and instructed by their own Messiah, the very Son of God. But because He rebuked them and refuted their authority, they, being motivated by hatred, pride, envy, and self-righteousness, conspired together to have Him put to death by the Roman authorities. They were finally successful, aided by the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of His own disciples, and the moral weakness and political ambitions of the Gentile Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who himself admitted, "I find no fault in Him." Thus the Son of God, the Perfect Man, the Second Person of the triune God manifest in human flesh, suffered the cruel and humiliating death by crucifixion, hanging naked upon a Roman cross in open public view outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem, blood streaming from five major wounds, and numerous minor ones -- blood pouring from the crown of thorns pressed down upon His sacred brow, and from His back which was ripped open by a severe beating with a whip, a Roman instrument of torture called a "cat-o-nine-tails." From the human perspective, this is why and how He was put to death.
Now for the second answer to our question, we must seek to understand this tragedy from the Divine perspective. Though the actual crime and heinous sin of the Saviour's death must be charged to the human race, to each one of us through our representatives, the death of Christ was far more than human cruelty and Jewish malice -- it was ordained and predestined by God the Father, and agreed to by God the Son, before the foundation of the world! We dare not charge God with the sin, nor minimize the fact that the human race is guilty of slaying the Son of God, but we must ultimately trace the crucifixion of Christ to its source, which is the sacred fountain of Divine love! According to Isaiah 53:10, "It PLEASED THE LORD to bruise Him; HE hath put Him to grief, when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin..." When we look beyond the Roman nail and spear, and the rabble crowd which cried for His death, we will be able to see from the Holy Scriptures that it was THE LOVE OF GOD, and THE PLAN OF GOD THE FATHER, that sent GOD THE SON, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to voluntarily offer Himself up to the Father as a Substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of His chosen people! Let's explore the Scriptures together as we seek to better understand this wonderful truth!
In 1 John 4:9-10, the Apostle John made this tremendous and glorious statement concerning the great love of God the Father for His people,
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the PROPITIATION for our sins."
It was the Father's great love for His chosen people that caused Him to both SEND, and GIVE, His only begotten Son to die in their behalf. In this regard, see John 3:14-17 and Gal. 4:4-5.
In 1 Peter 1:18-20, the Apostle Peter is writing concerning the basis upon which believers are saved. He says we were redeemed,
"...with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: WHO VERILY WAS FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, but was manifest in these last times for you."
Peter is teaching that believers are saved through the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is God's spotless, perfect Lamb ["the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)], and that this substitutionary sacrifice of Christ was foreordained, or predestined, by God before the foundation of the world, or in eternity, before time began.
The Apostle John uses similar language in the book of Revelation, as he describes Christ as "the Lamb slain from [or before] the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)
In a bold sermon preached to some of the very ones who were responsible for His crucifixion, the Apostle Peter, in calling them to repentance (Acts 2:38), brings out both the human and the Divine perspectives of the death of Christ in one sentence,
"Him, being DELIVERED by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of GOD, YE have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain!" (Acts 2:23).
The Greek words translated "determinate counsel" here literally means "pre-determined plan" (NASB), or predetermined course of action. The Greek word translated "foreknowledge" here carries a much stronger meaning than mere knowledge beforehand, and actually means "foreordination." The verse means, then, that Christ -- though He was taken by wicked hands and crucified and slain -- was ALSO delivered to this death by the PREDETERMINED PLAN and FOREORDINATION of God!
We will now look at another great passage in the Book of Acts which states this tremendous truth with clarity and finality, Acts 4:26-28:
"The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."
We learn from these verses that everything that was done against the Lord Jesus Christ by the rulers and people of both Israel and the Gentiles, which included all of His sufferings and cruel death by crucifixion, was the fulfillment of what God Himself had determined beforehand, or predestined, should be done. When Pontius Pilate asserted to Christ that he had the power to either crucify or to release Him, our Lord responded in these words, "Thou couldest have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above . . ." (John 19:11). Thus we see that, in a wonderful, incomprehensible and mysterious way, the sufferings and death of Christ is the greatest example of GOD THE FATHER predestinating an event -- that from the human perspective, was the ultimate sin -- in order to accomplish His eternal purpose, which is to provide a REMEDY for MAN'S RUIN! And, as we shall see later under the heading, "The Remedy Provided," God the Son was in perfect agreement with this plan, and came into the world for this very reason, in order to accomplish that purpose by voluntarily surrendering His life to death by crucifixion, a substitutionary blood atonement unto God the Father in behalf of His people (John 10:17-18; Mark 10:45). However, this predetermined plan and action by the triune God did not destroy or impair the responsibility of those who crucified Him. Though they fulfilled God's great eternal purpose of redemption in the sacrifice of His own beloved Son, they also acted in perfect harmony with the freedom of their own sinful natures, and were alone responsible for their sin, as is clear from Acts 2:23.
For other illustrations of how the God of the Bible, the God of absolute sovereignty, controls and directs the actions of evil men and evil spirits in exacting detail in order to accomplish His own will and purpose&endash;&endash;and without in any way destroying or impairing their responsibility in acting as free moral agents -- see the following examples: Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 45:5,8; 50:20); Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21, 9:12,16; 14:17); and King Ahab (I Kings 22:20-23).
When we come to the section, "The Remedy Provided," we will search the Scriptures together, seeking to understand the DEEP SIGNIFICANCE of the substitutionary death of Christ, and why His blood-shedding was absolutely necessary in order for God to save lost, guilty sinners such as we (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22).
3. God the Father Predestined the Application of the Remedy
Not only has God the Father foreordained or predestined the great Remedy for sinners in the Person and work of His beloved Son, but He also has chosen, or elected, from among fallen mankind those to whom He will show grace and mercy, who will be the recipients of that Remedy. In Ephesians 1:3-12, the Apostle Paul gives us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, some further details of God the Father's great Plan of Salvation, His eternal purpose of grace: