REDEMPTION – GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN
By W. G. Guy
This article reveals what God intended to accomplish through Jesus Christ and His building of the church. First we must recognize that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ can only be properly built on a sure foundation: that foundation is rock.
Matthew 19:15-18 – He (Jesus) saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (a pebble or stone), and upon this rock (his statement) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Contrary to church doctrine, Peter is not the “rock” that Jesus referred to. The foundation rock is the statement that Peter made: “thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
God has a specific purpose for the church, and that purpose is for the total redemption of man that can only come through Jesus Christ. The word “redemption” means to restore to the original state. This is about restoring man to what God originally made him to be. Thus we need to go back to recognize the original state; so it’s back to the beginning.
Genesis 1:26-27 – 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.
God formed mankind by His own hands and put of Himself into Adam. God’s purpose in making man was so that He had a being that He could love, have fellowship with, and love Him in return. Satan, the devil, hated this as man was given a place in God’s domain that was higher than his own place: especially when God gave man dominion over all the earth. That dominion that was preciously in his (Lucifer’s) own hands as the “anointed cherub that covered (ruled) the earth. He then managed to take back control over the kings and kingdoms of this world by getting Adam and Eve to submit their authority to him, (as referenced in Luke 4:5-6).
Ezekiel 28:14-17 – Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth: and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God: thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise thay have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
God will deal with the devil at the end of this age, but in the meantime, His concern is the redemption and restoration of man and what was lost. Adam was a true son of God, as stated in Luke 4 which lists the lineage of Jesus all the way back to Adam.
Luke 3:38 – which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
We need to recognize that only two men ever came directly from God: Adam and Jesus, who is called the last Adam. Adam was formed by the hand of God from the earth; but Jesus was the only “begotten” son of God that was born of a women. Since both came directly from God, they both had the same character and nature that God placed in them. (We fail to recognize what Adam was like before the fall; this is very significant if you will meditate on it.)
Therefore redemption, that is only provided through Jesus’ sacrifice for sin on the cross, is intended to restore what was lost. So what was lost due to sin? It was righteous and holy character and nature of God, His glory that was placed in Adam. Note that “glory refers to “dignity” which is one’s character and nature.
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Adam was clothed with God’s glory, His righteous character and nature, but it was lost due to sin. Having lost that glorious and spiritual clothing, he was now naked.
Genesis 3:9-11 – And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
Blood sacrifice is required of God to cover sins. God initiated the first blood sacrifice by making skind to cover Adam’s nakedness. This was a foreshadow of the blood sacrifice of Jesus to remove the penalty of man’s sin. God’s plan of redemption for man is based on what Jesus did on the cross, and this plan is revealed in His purpose for the church that He said He would build. Unfortunately, the devil has used his corruptive influence to deceive and circumvent the leadership of the church from what Jesus ordained to be accomplished in and through His church. Thus we have two churches in the world today, the one man is building and the true church that Jesus is building,
What is the goal and purpose of His church? It is declared by Paul, His apostle as he wrote in Ephesians regarding the Lord’s giving of the five specific ministries that are needed to build His church.
Ephesians 4:8-12 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints,
Note the purpose of these ministries all working together is for “perfecting” , or completing God’s plan in them.
Ephesians 4:13 – till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Note also that these gift ministries work to correct what errors have been brought into the church by the doctrines of corrupt men and demons. Their work also prepares us to live and rulke with Christ in His kingdom – LOVE.
Ephesians 4:14 – that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
The reason we have two churches in the world today, His church and man’s church, is because man’s church has rejected the working of the five gift ministries saying that they are not for today. Thus we have the corrupt Institutionalized Religious System of man that is not of Christ, and cannot fulfill the purpose and plan of God to restore His image and likeness in the people.
The LORD’s purpose of His church is to reproduce the character and nature of Christ, and God the Father, back into man: building us into the full measure of the stature of Christ. The goal is to restore us back to what God first formed man to be before sin entered, and as a result of removing sin from our lives through Christ’s sacrifice.
Romans 8:29-30 – 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.
Galatians 4:19 – My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Colossians 1:27 – to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
1 John 3:1-3 – Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
Is your church functioning for this purpose, or is it mearly operating as a religious business trying to grow itself by marketing a product? Such a church fulfills what Paul described what we would see in these last days.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
This describes churches that have no power to change lives or to conform them to the image of Christ. What did Paul advise us of such a church? “From such turn away.”
God’s character and natures that is His image and likeness is listed for us as the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
This Fruit is also referred to as His divine nature as it is again listed but in reverse order in 2 Peter 1:
2 Peter 1:4-7 – whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (Now come the list of the Fruit) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
Consider the results of having or not having God’s character and nature restored to you.
2 Peter 1:8-11 – For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The end result is preparing you for the kingdom of God. This character and nature of God restored in us is the Fruit that our Heavenly Father is looking for.
John 15:1-8 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Therefore the full and end purpose of the church is the completion, or perfecting, of the saints to be fully restored to the image and likeness of God that He originally placed in man. All this starts with Jesus Christ, His crucifixion, resurrection and the establishment of His church – His body of believers. The church needs to be focused on doing as the Lord commanded in the building of His House, the Body of Christ: which is not a building or an organization of man.
