Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends as we begin a new month together!
In preparation for this new phase of our “Walking with Jesus” journey, which will begin on Monday, called “The Grand Narrative”, I have been this week helping us consider what God was doing BEFORE the creation story of Genesis 1. Have you ever thought much about that? It fascinates me!
Today let’s consider the implications of these powerful words, found in the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, written in the middle of the first century: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For HE chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…” (Ephesians 1:3,4) Now what does that mean?
It sure sounds like God, even BEFORE Genesis 1 and His creation of our world, was thinking about us, the human race, which He had not created yet! Right? It seems clear God was making some choices for His design of and His ambitions for the human race, do you see that? Now what are the implications of that as we consider what God was doing BEFORE Genesis 1?
Do you remember Genesis 1:26 records that God said: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over… all creation”. Because that statement comes AFTER God had created everything else in the universe, our conclusion might be that it was only AFTER God created everything else that THEN God thought about creating a human race. But no, this statement in Ephesians 1 suggests God was actually developing His design for mankind BEFORE He created our universe, do you see that my friends?
In fact I propose that God STARTED His creation design plan with His design for a species of beings called HUMAN, made in GOD’s image, and THEN God developed His plan to create a planet and everything else that would sustain life for humanity. Why? Because humans, made in the image of God, are the crown jewel of all God’s creative work! Now ponder that for a few seconds! You and I are far more valuable and sophisticated than galaxies or dinosaurs or dolphins or even angels! (Hebrews 1:14)
The second thing I see in Paul’s statement is that God “…chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.“ Now that is a “quality-of-life” statement. It’s a “character of being” statement and I think the first two humans created by God, Adam and Eve, were both wonderful evidence of God’s magnificent, original design for all of us humans! Perfect, especially in morality and spirituality. Adam and Eve lived in perfect relationship with each other, and with all of God’s creation and with God Himself… until they doubted God and believed the talking serpent. (Genesis 3) Adam and Eve were ‘holy and blameless in God’s sight’ until they invited darkness and evil, doubt and despair into the perfect Garden of Eden.
… and then God’s utopia design imploded!
Sadly, that implosion of God’s perfect Garden of Eden profoundly affected everything, including a tragic design distortion in humanity. When Adam and Eve began to procreate, their offspring, their babies, were not born with the same perfection God had created Adam and Eve. Their children were born despondent, irreverent, rebellious, selfish, prone to mistakes and with an affinity for wrongdoing, even evil!
All that is evidence of a sinful nature inborn in every descendant of Adam and Eve all the way to you and me! That is a sad, dysfunctional distortion of God’s original design of a human race that God designed to be “Holy and Blameless in His Sight”! Do you see this as our reality my friends? Does it trouble you to see what has become of our humanity?
But that leads me to another very powerful implication in those words from Paul about what God was doing BEFORE His Creative work of Genesis 1. Look closely with me at that phrase again: “HE chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…”
Who is doing the choosing? God the Father, the original designer! As God looked down through the corridors of time, from His vantage point BEFORE His creative work of Genesis 1, and God could foresee a wonderful planet earth, wonderful Garden of Eden, wonderful two first humans enjoying their ‘holy and blameless perfection’, I’m sure God was delighted for it was ‘very good’! (Gen. 1:31)
But as God looked further in time, He could foresee a sinful world, filled with sinful people and a dark kingdom having tremendous, destructive, evil influence in our world. God was deeply grieved at the dismal tragedy of selfish humanity rejecting God and choosing evil! (Genesis 6:11,12) That horrific future sight was a catalyst in God’s heart full of Love and Holiness, to make another CHOICE! God chose to develop a Rescue Plan for humanity, even BEFORE humanity was created!
This Rescue Plan would be an OPTION, an OPPORTUNITY for humans suffocating in their evil, to be rescued from their self-destruction and restored into holy relationship with God, their Creator. It would NOT be demanded of humanity nor forced upon humanity. It would be made available to humanity, one person at a time!
That’s what it means “HE chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Just as God’s design and creation plan required the Triune God to work in tandem unity… God the Father (the great Designer) and God the Son (the great Creator) and God the Holy Spirit (the great Sustainer); so God’s Rescue Plan for Humanity would require the Almighty, Holy, Triune God to work in tandem unity to accomplish the Rescue Plan for Humanity and reversal of the tragedy!!
God the Father is accomplishing His design and rescue of Humanity THROUGH the faithful, obedient work of God the Son, Jesus Christ and the re-creation work in every repentant human by the Holy Spirit! Oh my, did you get that friends? Yes, BEFORE the Creation work of Genesis 1, God the Father; God the Son; God the Holy Spirit had to develop and come to full agreement with a magnificent Redemption Plan for Humanity, a human race which had not yet been created but would turn away from its Creator!
That Redemption Plan required God the Son, Jesus, to incarnate here on earth, live a sinless life, die an atonement death, rise from the dead and return to heaven to reign over all, including over the dark kingdom! That Redemption Plan would require God the Holy Spirit to cleanse repentant humans, and take up His residence INSIDE each born again, repentant human! That is the Gospel, of course, conceived and developed in the heart of God BEFORE Creation! It’s so amazing we’ll take one more look at it tomorrow as we prepare to watch God launch His Creative power in Genesis 1.
Now, of course, in our journey ahead we’ll look often and closely at this magnificent miracle, the Gospel, because it is the Center Piece of “The Grand Narrative” the eternal Story God has been writing since BEFORE Creation! For today let’s pause and thank Almighty God for His original design and Creation miracle, but also for His Redemption Plan design and accomplishment which enables us to praise Him with our Redeemed lives!! Here’s a great song calling us to worship…
Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-6.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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