FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 2

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

Why Redemption?


“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come” (Rom. 5:12-14).



So far we have touched on God’s foresight and provision for Adam’s deviation from the path of glory set before him, I would like us to briefly look at the circumstances that surrounded Adam’s fall and will do this by looking at a section of Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

 The Choice That Confronted Adam
 God planted a great number of trees in the Garden of Eden, but "in the midst of the garden"--that is, in a place of special prominence--He planted two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was created innocent; he had no knowledge of good and evil. Think of a grown man, say thirty years old, who has no sense of right or wrong, no power to differentiate between the two! Would you not say such a man was undeveloped? Well, that is exactly what Adam was. And God brings him into the garden and says to him, in effect, Now the garden is full of trees, full of fruits, and of the fruit of every tree you may eat freely. But in the very midst of the garden is one tree called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"; you must not eat of that, for in the day that you do so you will surely die. But remember, the name of the other tree close by is Life.' What, then, is the meaning of these two trees? Adam was, so to speak, created morally neutral--neither sinful nor holy, but innocent--and God put those two trees there so that he might exercise free choice. He could choose the tree of life, or he could choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.


Now the knowledge of good and evil, though forbidden to Adam, is not wrong in itself. Without it however Adam is in a sense limited in that he cannot decide for himself on moral issues. Judgment of right and wrong resides not in him but in God, and Adam's only course when faced with any question is to refer it to Jehovah God. Thus you have a life in the garden which is totally dependent on God. These two trees, then, typify two deep principles; they represent two planes of life, the Divine and the human. The "tree of life" is God Himself, for God is life. He is the highest form of life, and He is also the source and goal of life. And the fruit: what is that? It is our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot eat the tree but you can eat the fruit. No one is able to receive God as God, but we can receive the Lord Jesus. The fruit is the edible part, the receivable part of the tree. So--may I say it reverently?--the Lord Jesus is really God in a receivable form. God in Christ we can receive.


If Adam should take of the tree of life, he would partake of the life of God and thus become a 'son' of God, in the sense of having in him a life that derived from God. There you would have God's life in union with man: a race of men having the life of God in them and living in constant dependence upon God for that life. If on the other hand Adam should turn the other way and take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would develop his own manhood along natural lines apart from God. Reaching a peak of attainment as a self-sufficient being, he would have the power in himself to form independent judgment, but he would have no life from God.


So this was the alternative that lay before him. Choosing the way of the Spirit, the way of obedience, he could become a son' of God, living in dependence upon God for his life; or, taking the natural course, he could put the finishing touch to himself, as it were, by becoming a self-dependent being, judging and acting apart from God. The history of humanity is the outcome of the choice he made.

Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross


Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby took up independent ground. In doing so he became (as man is now in his own eyes) a fully developed' man. He could command a knowledge; he could decide for himself; he could go on or stop. From then on he was "wise" (Genesis 3:6). But the consequence for his was death rather than life, because the choice he had made involved complicity with Satan and brought him therefore under the judgment of God. That is why access to the tree of life had thereafter to be forbidden to him.


Two planes of life had been set before Adam: that of Divine life in dependence upon God, and that of human life with its independent' resources. Adam's choice of the latter was sin, because thereby he allied himself with Satan to thwart the eternal purpose of God. He did so by choosing to develop his manhood--to become perhaps a very fine man, even by his standards a perfect' man--apart from God. But the end was death, because he had not in him the Divine life necessary to realize God's purpose in his being, but had chosen to become instead an independent' agent of the Enemy. Thus in Adam we all become sinners, equally dominated by Satan, equally subject to the law of sin and death, and equally deserving of the wrath of God.


From this we see the Divine reason for the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We see too the Divine reason for true consecration—for reckoning ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus, and for presenting ourselves unto Him as alive from the dead. We must all go to the Cross, because what is in us by nature is a self-life, subject to the law of sin. Adam chose a self-life rather than a Divine life; so God had to gather up all that was in Adam and do away with it. Our old man' has been crucified. God has put us all in Christ and crucified Him as the last Adam, and thus all that is of Adam has passed away.


Then Christ arose in new form; with a body still, but in the Spirit', no longer in the flesh'. "The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord Jesus now has a resurrected body, a spiritual body, a glorious body, and since He is no longer in the flesh He can now be received by all. "He that eateth me, he also shall live because of me", said Jesus (John 6:57). The Jews revolted at the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but of course they could not receive Him then because He was still literally in the flesh. Now that He is in the Spirit every one of us can receive Him, and it is by partaking of His resurrection life that we are constituted children of God. "As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God... which were born... of God." (John 1:12, 13).


God is not out to reform our life. It is not His thought to bring it to a certain stage of refinement, for it is on a totally wrong plane. On that plane He cannot now bring man to glory. He must have a new man; one born anew, born of God. Regeneration and justification go together.

He That Hath The Son Hath The Life


There are various planes of life. Human life lies between the life of the lower animals and the life of God. We cannot bridge the gulf that divides us from the plane above or the plane below, and the distance that separates us from the life of God is vastly greater than that which separates us from the life of the lower animals.


In China one day I called on a Christian leader who was sick in bed, and whom, for the sake of this story, I shall call Mr. Wong' (though that was not his real name). He was a very learned man, a Doctor of Philosophy, and one esteemed throughout the whole of China for his high moral principles, and he had long been engaged in Christian work. But he did not believe in the need for regeneration; he only proclaimed a social gospel.


When I called on Mr. Wong his pet dog was by his bedside, and after speaking with him of the things of God and of the nature of His work in us, I pointed to the dog and inquired his name. He told me he was called Fido. Is Fido his Christian name or his surname?' I asked (using the common Chinese terms for personal name' and family name'). Oh, that is just his name', he said. Do you mean that is just his Christian name? Can I call him Fido Wong?' I continued. Certainly not!' came the emphatic reply. But he lives in your family', I protested, Why don't you call him Fido Wong?' Then, indicating his two daughters, I asked Are your daughters not called Miss Wong?' Yes!' Well then, why cannot I call your dog Master Wong?' The Doctor laughed, and I went on: Do you see what I am getting at? Your daughters were born into your family and they bear your name because you have communicated your life to them. Your dog may be an intelligent dog, a well-behaved dog, and altogether a most remarkable dog; but the question is not, Is he a good or a bad dog? It is merely, Is he a dog? He does not need to be bad to be disqualified from being a member of your family; he only needs to be a dog.


The same principle applies to you in your relationship to God. The question is not whether you are a bad man or a good man, more or less, but simply, Are you a man? If your life is on a lower plane than that of God's life, then you cannot belong to the Divine family. Throughout your life your aim in preaching has been to turn bad men into good men; but men as such, whether good or bad, can have no vital relationship with God. Our only hope as men is to receive the Son of God, and when we do so His life in us will constitute us sons of God.' The Doctor saw the truth, and that day he became a member of God's family by receiving the Son of God into his heart.


What we today possess in Christ is more than Adam lost. Adam was only a developed man. He remained on that plane, and never possessed the life of God. But we who receive the Son of God not only receive the forgiveness of sins; we receive also the Divine life which was represented in the garden by the tree of life. By the new birth we receive something Adam never had; we possess what he missed.

Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

I our next post we shall look at the "only Begotten Son" the "Tree of Life" through whom we have divine life. What a wonderful foresight the Master Planner has, to percieve that Adam's choice could only count for disobedience. for now we pray:

Holy Spirit, help us in our realisation of, or analysis of “being in Christ Jesus," to look more to that wondrous secret work of The Father by which we were united to Christ.. Quicken our mind to see that, at the back of our turning, and believing, and accepting of Christ, there was God's almighty power doing its work--inspiring our will, taking possession of us, and carrying out its own purpose of love in planting us into Christ Jesus. Help us to enter into the divine side of the work of salvation, where we learn to praise and to worship with new exultation, and to rejoice more than ever in the divineness of that salvation we have been made partaker of. So that at each step we review, the song will come, "This is the Lord's doing"--Divine Omnipotence working.



You might say – "how do I; and Why do I have to know and experience this Father you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.


We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 1

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory". (1Thes. 2:12)

Why Redemption? Why PLAN B


PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph. 1:3-12 emphasis added)

In the last section we looked at the original eternal purpose which could be summarised in the words of Watchman Nee:

“The glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and “The glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

In our analogy of this eternal purpose, we have looked at PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6; we will now, in this post take a look at the consequences of Adam’s original sin that brought about, if I may say “a temporary deviation” on this plan A as stated in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.

Now, I had a very valid question asked about the last post with regards to the use of the phrases Plan A or Plan B. I will quickly address this question phrased as: “What Plan B!? It was always plan A from the get go!”

Yes the questioner is right. It was always Plan A from the beginning and so it will be for eternity. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”. Rom. 8:29,30

I have used the term plan to indicate the different stage of this journey of "the children of God" having the image of the "first begotten Son"– it is not in any way aimed to imply that God changed His mind along the way or anything to that effect. Looking at the title we have given to this early part of Romans 1 - FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER, I will like to confirm as in our last post, the omniscience of this great God of ours. Now the dictionary gives us the meaning of the three key words in this phrase as



Master:

• A person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.
• Eminently skilled in.
• Carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another.

“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5).

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof “ (Psalms 19:1-6).

The heavens declare His Glory and the firmament exhibit His mastery. Imagine the mastery He displays daily with the workings within the firmament; the sun and the moon know the exact time for each one to appear and withdraw itself at any point on earth; they are never late nor too early or call in sick for work except on an occasions when the Lord wants to show his omnipotence .

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:12-13).

When He spoke in the beginning and man came to being He meant exactly what He said –

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28).

Yes! He spoke and it was done NOT that “it can” or “it could” or even “it shall be done” BUT “it was done”. All provisions made for all eventualities.

"Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast". (Psalms 33:8-9)


Foresight:

• Care or provision for the future; provident care; prudence.
• The act or power of foreseeing; prevision; prescience.
• An act of looking forward.
• Knowledge or insight gained by or as by looking forward; a view of the future.
• Surveying - a sight or reading taken on a forward point.

When God brought Adam into the Garden of Eden, and put before him the “tree of life” of which he (Adam) was permitted to eat from; and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” of which he (Adam) was not permitted to eat from. God being omniscient would have known that Adam in his human nature had the propensity to eat of the restricted tree. It is possible to have created Adam with the full capacity to obey God’s instruction to the letter; but then there is no true obedience without the freedom to disobey.

So our God in His infinite foresight (encompassing all that the definition of the word can be), had already made a provision for Adam’s possible choice and the consequences that may follow -

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world “ (Rev. 13:8).

“Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).



Plan: 

• A scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc: developed in advance: battle plans.
• A design or scheme of arrangement: an elaborate plan for seating guests.
• A specific project or definite purpose: plans for the future.
• To arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding).

God’s perception of Adam’s propensity to disobey, as I said earlier, made it necessary to provide for corrections so that the ultimate plan, PLAN A, the eternal purpose is achieved -

Remember the former things of old: for 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 that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isa. 46:9,10).

This He did through His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour -

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? (Heb. 1:1-5)

So that through Him the temporary deviation caused by Adam’s disobedience can be rectified; and the original plan of having many sons through the “only begotten Son” Who has now become the “first begotten Son” can be achieved –

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Just like Peter said of Jesus, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, have been taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed (Acts 2:23) -

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30).

This contingency plan He had already made before He put Adam in the Garden of Eden -

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:3-4).

So the use of the phrases PLAN A or B only illustrates the provision that the Lord had made form the very beginning.

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

God’s Kingdom is the domain, the realm where due to His attributes as we touched on in the last post, He exerts or exercises His power so that He may manifest, express or display His glory.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord". (Eph. 3:912).

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave us a hint on the importance of why we need to “walk worthy” of God in other to dwell in this domain or realm; when He urged us to vehemently seek the Father to help us fight against the one thing that can render us unfit for this realm - sin.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matt. 6:13).

If God has deliberately in His own infinite wisdom and mercy (1 Cor. 2:7-9), made us who He foreknew and had pre-destined and called to believe in (John 3:16) and be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ; And even from the beginning had also made provisions for any eventualities by justifying us through the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8); just so that we can be partakers of this mystery of exercising or exerting His glory (Rom. 8:29-30): Then the word OBEDIENCE shows it’s prevalence again.

Sin is the bane of this call to walk with God; just as obedience is what keeps us on track. Imagine taking a dog that will not obey you for a walk in the park or even more so a dog competition or horse race with a dog or horse who will not obey your instructions. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“You are God’s creature, and yet you have rendered to Him no obedience! You would not keep a horse or a dog that did not do you some service, or follow at your whistle”.

Sin, brought about by disobedience is the cause of deviation from the eternal purpose. This original sin by Adam caused the deviation from PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6. Adams choice to eat of the forbidden “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, when sin came in it found expression in an act of disobedience to God.

“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19)

So the first man’s disobedience to God’s instructions brought about a change in the rules of the game if I may use that terminology -

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

In our next post we will continue our look at The travails of Adam and the solution provided by the second Adam, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Meanwhile we pray:
 

Lord Jesus, never let me shut You out - Amen.