GOD’S ETERNAL PLAN TO REDEEM MAN [Part Two]

“According to the eternal purpose” (Ephesians 3:11)

By Bob Myhan

Review of Part One

Before the beginning God existed as a tri-personal being having an eternal purpose. His eternal purpose was/is to give eternal life to those who choose to hear His Son’s voice and follow Him.

Matter and Spirit

Through the use of his physical senses man knows that matter exists. He can handle it, taste it, see it, smell it, and hear the sounds produced by it. Through the use of reason man knows that spirit exists. A man knows, for example, that he is not his body. There is matter - the elements which compose his body - and there is spirit - the man himself within the body. There is “the outward man” and the “the inward man” (2 Cor. 4:16).

In the Beginning

Creative power was exerted. Every effect must have an adequate cause. But what was the first cause? Did matter cause the existence of spirit or did spirit cause the existence of matter? Scientists tell us matter is constantly losing energy, which proves that it cannot self-energize. Therefore, it is not eternal because that which is eternal is necessarily self-existent, not depending upon outside forces for its energy. Since matter is not eternal, it must have had a beginning, or was caused to come into existence. Therefore intelligent Spirit must have pre-existed matter and caused matter to exist.

According to the Bible, God is the eternal intelligent Spirit who “created the heavens and the earth” (John 4:24; Heb. 9:14; Gen. 1:1). He, therefore, eternally existed as the uncaused Cause of all else that exists. All else was brought into existence [created] by Him. Before the beginning there was the eternal, invisible realm but no temporal, material realm. After the beginning there was both the eternal, invisible realm and the temporal, material realm. What happened? God wielded His creative power, creating something out of nothing (Heb. 3:4; 11:3). Things that had not existed suddenly did exist. He Whom we cannot see caused the things we can see.

"The things which are seen are temporary; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).

Since He is eternal, God is necessarily all-powerful. He has all the power necessary to maintain His own existence and to accomplish His eternal purpose. He does not need any outside help. This does not mean, of course, that He does everything He can do, for not everything that He can do is “necessary to accomplish His eternal purpose.” Nor does it mean that He does everything directly, or without means. The use of His power is always according to His manifold wisdom. When He deems it wise, He acts directly. But, when wisdom dictates otherwise, He acts indirectly via the use of means. The means chosen are always adequate to the end He desires.

God created order out of chaos. On six consecutive days, He formed and filled that which, initially, “was without form, and void” (Gen. 1:2-25). Of course, He could have created it complete, but chose not to do so, probably to demonstrate the extent of His controlling power.

God created life out of non-life. That is, He caused non-living elements to be organized into life-supporting bodies then caused those bodies to live (Gen. 1:20, 24; 2:7; 3:19; Eccl. 3:18-20; 12:7).

God imparted procreative power to His creatures. Unconscious plant life (Gen. 1:11-12) is only passively involved in its procreation. It has to be acted upon by meteorological and geological forces [rain, wind, gravity, etc.], animals or humans in order to reproduce “after its own kind.” Conscious animal life (Gen. 1:21-22) is only instinctively involved in its own procreation. Self-conscious human life (Gen. 1:28) alone procreates at will. God has specifically - and exclusively - authorized the family unit for purposes of procreation (Heb. 13:4). Thousands of years later, Jesus used procreation as a type of the conversion process.

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.' "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." (Luke 8:4-15).

[To be continued]

WHEN WAS JESUS BORN?

By Bob Myhan

There is much disagreement among scholars as to when Jesus was born. The one thing they seem to be agreed on is that it was not in the month of December, for the shepherds would not have been "abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night" during the winter (Luke 2:8).

Surely, if God wanted us to know the day of the month and/or year Jesus was born, He would have told us. Further, if He wanted us to commemorate the birth of Jesus, He could and would have told us when and how to do so. &

QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTMAS

By Bob Myhan

To what extent may Christians participate in Christmas festivities? Is it right or wrong to observe Christmas? And what should our attitude be toward those whose convictions and actions differ from ours in this matter?

While a Mass for Christ is without scriptural authority and Christians may not refuse to work (2 Thess. 3:6-11), it is not wrong for an employer to give his employees a day off for the pursuit of pleasure and/or enjoyment. And if the federal, state or local government fixes a day on which ordinary business is suspended, in honor of a famous event or person, it is not wrong for Christians to take advantage of such, as long as no ungodliness or unauthorized religious activity is connected thereto. While “pleasures of life” can “choke the word” so that we “become unfruitful” (Matt. 13:22; Luke 8:14), the mere pursuit of pleasure and/or enjoyment is not sinful, in and of itself for “God…gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).

May Christians follow their family traditions? Yes, provided their traditions do not violate God's law. But to incorporate family traditions into the local church assemblies would be equivalent to instituting religious activities.

May Christians read and/or contemplate the biblical account of Jesus’ birth on or around December 25^th? This they may do anytime. However, one should not be critical of those who do not do so. Such criticism is specifically condemned in God’s word (Rom. 14:1-6, 10-13).

May Christians exchange gifts on or about December 25^th? This they may also do anytime. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), but both are blessed.

Doesn’t Jeremiah 10:1-4 specifically condemn Christmas trees? No. Jeremiah was speaking of cutting down and decorating trees for the purpose of worshiping them (see 10:5-10).

May Christians perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus? It is wrong to perpetuate myths and fables as facts but not to perpetuate myths and fables as myths and fables (Judges 9:7-15).

Brethren, it is one thing to enjoy a civil holiday and quite another to devise one’s own religious activities.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). &