God's plan for the salvation of mankind

INTRODUCTION

We all recognize that God is the creator of all things including mankind. Mankind is his greatest creation, which is evident to us all. Look at how high above all other life is man. We are intelligent creatures and God says he made us in his image, yet the Scriptures tell us that God has something greater in mind for mankind. He wants mankind to have the mind of Christ with spiritual bodies of flesh and bone and to live with him in a glorious kingdom Christ will establish on this earth that was made for man. What an awesome future is in store for us and the scriptures that we are looking at today tell us how all this will be accomplished through God’s Son and our Savior. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

I. GOD’S PLAN FOR MANKIND BEFORE THE FALL

Looking at the beginning of this text in Ephesians chapter one, we realize that Paul is talking to the Christians at Ephesus, but from what he is saying it is obvious that he is talking about much more than their salvation alone. He is talking about the plan of salvation that God has for mankind.

We need to first look back to Genesis to see what God’s original plan was for mankind. Genesis 1:26-28 says, that God made mankind in his image to rule over all of God’s creation and Adam could have partaken of the Tree of Life and eventually he and his descendants would have become immortal in God’s kingdom on earth. This was God’s original purpose and plan for mankind until the Fall of mankind with the sin of Adam who represented mankind, male and female. God knew what would happen and adjusted his plan to include the Son of God who would become Jesus, the Christ Incarnate, with all power and authority given him by God the Father to bring about the eventual salvation of the world of mankind.

II. GOD’S ADJUSTED PLAN FOR MANKIND

In First Peter 1:20, we read: 20 “He [Christ] was chosen before the creation of the world, but revealed in these last times for your sake.” So we see that Christ was the chosen one to bring about the salvation of mankind according to God’s revised plan for mankind to follow the Fall of man.

Ephesians 1:4-5 says:

 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight in love 5he predestinated us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins. . . .

God wanted mankind to become holy, blameless, righteous, and the adopted sons in his family who would bare his image in which man was made in the beginning. First John 2:2 says, 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

III. WHO IS JESUS THE CHRIST?

Now we need to understand who Jesus is who was chosen by God the Father before the creation of mankind to bring about the salvation of mankind even when God knew that Adam would sin and cause the Fall of mankind morally. Adam, as a result of this sin, representing all mankind, would cause death to reign on all humans. Because of his sin God had an angel guard the tree of life in which if he had taken of it he could have eventually become immortal. Now mankind as descendants of Adam would die and perish since mortality, not Adam’s sin, was passed down to mankind whereupon all sinned as a result of their temptations of the flesh.

But now we can understand the purpose of God having chosen Christ before the creation to bring about of our salvation from everlasting death. Christ led a life of obedience to God and gave himself in death as the payment for our sins (Romans 6:23) on our behalf but not is our place, or we would not have to die. Christ also promised us that he would rise from the dead, which he did in a bodily resurrection and furthermore ascended to his Father in heaven with a promise to us that he would return from heaven one day and resurrect the dead. First Corinthians 15 tells us that we all would eventually die and perish if not for the promised return and resurrection of all mankind to immortality.

Let’s see what the scriptures have to say about whom Christ is and what he will do on our behalf so we can live again in the new heavens on earth that Christ will create when he returns.

First John 4:14 says, “14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.” Apparently, not all are saved in this life, but the Scriptures say that the church is the first fruits. James 1:18 says, 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. Second Thessalonians 2:13 says, 13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[a] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. And finally, Revelation 14:4 says, 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.

If we in this church age are the first fruits, then that implies that a much larger harvest will come after the church age. This will be during the judgment age when these resurrected unbelievers will be shone the truth and given an opportunity to repent and change their carnal minds to spiritual minds believing in Christ who had died and atoned for them too. They will then become a part of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth which is the salvation of which man should be seeking through Christ. This is how Jesus is the Savior of the world.

John 3:16-18. There is one verse in the Bible that probably most everyone is familiar with. Those who attend church and even those who tend to not have any regard for spiritual things ordinarily, are probably familiar with this passage. Yet it is possible that even those who are spiritual are not fully aware of what this verse teaches. So let’s quote John 3:16-18 and take a more detailed look at what it is informing us: 

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

How many times have we heard this passage read in church without a real explanation given through sermon or Bible study? I would think that everybody would say that this verse tells us how much God loves us. But with that said, are we to think that God is proclaiming his love just to us who are believers? How many times do you think it is truly missed in a quick reading of this passage that God says he really loves the world of mankind, not just believers. This might be a real shocker for some. These verses have become so familiar that we may have truly missed the real important message given in this passage. 

Let’s take a closer look at this passage now and get the real understanding that God is proclaiming to us. The first thing we notice is the word whoever that is a restrictive word. It is understood in a particular sense in that what is offered, in this case salvation, is only received by one coming in belief. The individual must believe to receive the offered salvation, but it does not exclude anyone from becoming a believer and receiving this offered salvation. Therefore, this verse is not compatible with a doctrine that only certain individuals (the elect ones) can come in belief of Christ as their Savior for salvation. Anyone in the whole world is eligible to come and believe in Christ according to this verse.

Secondly, this passage promises that the believer will not perish. First Corinthians 15:17-18 says that if Christ has not been risen from the grave that even those in Christ who have died are lost [perished]. Perished would mean that they would not be resurrected from the dead. Death would be their end forever, but because he was raised from the dead he could promise us to be resurrected one day too. All who die would perish without his atonement and the future resurrection of all mankind. God says that he sent his Son into the world of mankind to save the world of mankind from perishing. 

Thirdly, when the verse promises eternal life, we must explain that this is not the literal translation. The literal translation is aoinian, which means the life of the age, the church age. Since the English word “age” does not have an adjective, we could better use the English word “eon” and then we could translate aoinian to eonian life. Believing in Christ we begin the Christ life, the life of the eon. As believers we are presently in this church age living the spiritual life in Christ, but only at the resurrection will we receive immortality to live forever in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. 

The unbeliever does not have this spiritual life, and he will be dwelt with by Christ during a judgment age that will parallel the kingdom in which Christ reigns.