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Foundations of Faith
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Lesson 9: The Eternal Purpose of God

Did you ever wonder if God has a purpose with man? Reason tells us that he does, although reason alone does not reveal the nature of that purpose. There is order in the world as seen in the perfect balance in nature, in the exact movement of the heavenly bodies, and in the marvelous reproductive systems in the plant and animal kingdoms. These things suggest intelligence. Intelligence, in turn, when expressed in an orderly manner, implies purpose. From such considerations it would appear that the supreme being who created us would have a purpose with man, his highest creation.

The Bible tells us that this logic is correct. It also informs us that this plan was a mystery to man until it was revealed in Christ. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." (1 Cor. 2:7, 8.) It was a mystery because it had not yet been revealed. It was, in fact, "from the beginning of the world...hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ." (Eph. 3:9.) The mystery of God's purpose could not be discovered unaided by man, so it was necessary for God to make it known. Thus the things of God's wisdom "God hath revealed...unto us by his spirit." (1 Cor. 2:10.) As the Old and New Testaments constitute God's written revelation, the only way to discover his purpose is by going to the Bible.

GOD'S PURPOSE SUMMED UP IN CHRIST. Paul tells us that in the fulness of time God carried out his intent "to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth." (Eph. 1:10 -- A.S.V.) In fact, he speaks of "the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Eph. 3:11.) Thus, all things in the Bible point toward Jesus Christ, although this was not clear before he actually came to earth.

GOD'S PURPOSE CONCEALED. After God created the earth in the beginning, he placed the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden and gave them everything they might desire. Had Adam and Eve not eaten of the forbidden fruit and thus transgressed God's law, they might never have died. But "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23), and man was cast from the garden, separated from God in spiritual death, destined to die physically as would all of his posterity. Since then, all who have reached the age of accountability when they are able to distinguish between right and wrong have sinned. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23.) Only Jesus has ever lived a perfect life without sin.

Immediately after Adam's sin we have the first indication of God's purpose to redeem man from sin. As Adam and Eve were driven from the garden he declared, "And I will put enmity between thee (the serpent or devil) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. 3:15.) This appears to be a prediction that Jesus Christ, the seed or offspring of the woman, would conquer Satan by dying on the cross to overcome the sin brought into the world by the devil. The heel of Christ would be bruised in that his death would be caused by the forces of evil. Of course, this was probably not clear to our first parents, but we have here the first glimpse of the eternal purpose of God in saving man from sin.

We read little more of God's purpose until the time of Abraham, the father of God's chosen people, the Jews. Jehovah informed him that "in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Gen. 12:3.) Later he added, "And in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Gen. 22:18.) He was pointing out that Jesus Christ, by whom he had determined to save the world, would descend from Abraham, and that through him all mankind would be spiritually blessed. Although the promise was repeated to Abraham's son, Isaac (Gen. 26:4), the exact nature of God's eternal purpose was not yet clear.

Several hundred years later the descendants of Abraham through his grandson Jacob (or Israel) had so multiplied that they constituted a great nation. By the hand of God they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, and under the direction of Moses wandered for forty years in the wilderness. The world was not yet ready for the coming of Christ so as a temporary measure God gave the Israelites a law to govern their lives, and a sacrificial system to prepare man for the coming of God's son. This Law of Moses is found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Under it animal sacrifices were offered for the sins of the people. They served as a "remembrance of sins" (Heb. 10:3) until the world would receive a perfect sin offering in the person of Jesus Christ. The temporary nature of the law is described in Galatians 3:24, 25. "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

God promised the children of Israel better things to come and revealed a little more clearly his eternal plan. Moses informed them, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." (Deut. 18:15.) The prophet, of course, was Jesus. As Moses had saved Israel from physical destruction in Egypt, so Christ would deliver all men from spiritual death.

In the following centuries God often spoke to Israel by the prophets. Through them he foretold the coming of the Messiah, or Christ, and revealed a little more how his purpose would unfold. But the exact nature of his eternal purpose was still unclear and the Jews mistakenly concluded from the prophets that the Messiah would establish a temporal kingdom and reign in Jerusalem. We can easily see how wrong they were for not recognizing the spiritual nature of God's kingdom, but we must remember that to them the wisdom of God in saving man from sin was still a mystery.

GOD'S PURPOSE REVEALED. Finally, there arrived God's chosen time to reveal his eternal purpose to man. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman." (Gal. 4:4.) For a little over thirty years Jesus, the son of God, lived on earth teaching man a better way of life. He informed his listeners that "the Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10.) Because of his great love for man, God was "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9.) Therefore we read, "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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16, 17.)

To that end Jesus died on Calvary's cross. In the shedding of his blood, salvation from sin for all men was made possible as stated by Paul, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." (Eph. 1:7.) All men may avail themselves of this atoning sacrifice when through faith in Christ they render obedience to him by repenting and being baptized in order to receive the forgiveness of sins. (See Acts 2:38.)

Christ's death also declared God's purpose to unite Jews and Gentiles. In Ephesians 3:3 Paul speaks of the "mystery" that God had revealed to him, and then informs us that this mystery was "that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." (Eph. 3:6.) He asserts that this mystery "in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit." (Eph. 3:5.) Thus we discover that the ones chosen to reveal that the Jews and Gentiles were one in Christ were the apostles and prophets, not just Paul, and that this revelation was made to them by the Holy Spirit. Paul then continues, "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. 3:9-11.) Then this mystery -- that the Jews and Gentiles were united as one in Christ -- was a part of God's eternal purpose, accomplished by the death of Jesus and first revealed by the apostles.

GOD'S PURPOSE AND THE CHURCH. The preceeding passage states that the wisdom of God has been made known by the church in accordance with God's eternal purpose. Since the church is the body of God's people separated from the world of sin, it is the visible expression of God's wisdom and purpose in (1) redeeming man from the curse of sin, and (2) uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body.

This also shows that the church is not an afterthought of God, but that which he eternally planned. Nor is it a temporary expedient designed to prepare man for the establishment of a temporal kingdom. Rather, it is that body in which the heavenly father culminates his divine purpose in uniting man and redeeming him from sin.

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES

True or false:

F 1. The wages of sin is eternal life.
F 2. The first indication of God's eternal purpose is found in the book of Exodus.
T 3. God promised Abraham that all nations of the earth would be blessed in his seed.
T 4. That promise to Abraham referred to Christ.
F 5. The promise was later repeated to Esau.
F 6. The Law of Moses was intended to be permanent.
F 7. After Moses, God never again foretold the coming of the Messiah.
T 8. The Jews expected the Messiah to establish a temporal kingdom.

Choose the correct letter:

1. Christ came primarily to:
(c) seek and save the lost.

2. God desires to save:
(b) all men;

3. Therefore we may be redeemed by:
(b) the blood of Christ;

4. The one out of Christ may avail himself of this salvation by:
(b) repenting and being baptized;

5. In Christ the relationship between Jews and Gentiles has been changed so that they are now:
(a) united;

6. The apostles and prophets had the mystery revealed to them by:
(c) the Spirit.

7. This mystery was:
(a) part of God's eternal purpose;

8. The church is:
(b) a part of God's eternal purpose;

Read Ephesians 3:1-11 and Ephesians 1:3-10. Fill in the blanks:

by revelation	1. How did Paul learn the mystery?
apostles and prophets	2. To whom did the Spirit reveal this mystery?
Gentiles	3. What people were to be fellow heirs and of the same body with the Jews?
God	4. In whom was the mystery hidden from the beginning of the world?
the church	5. By what has the manifold wisdom of God been made known to principalities and powers?
Christ	6. In whom did God express his eternal purpose?
God	7. Who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ?
Christ's	8. Through whose blood do we have redemption?
Christ	9. In whom has God gathered together in one all things?

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