This introductory question about God’s plan for humanity is an important one because it forces us to look at our presuppositions about God, and whether we see him as:
- A reactive God, navigating the vagaries of human and angelic conduct(1), whether for him or against him, in order to attain the goal he intends for his children.
- A proactive God, using his creative power to establish the environment and conditions necessary to lead many sons and daughters to glory.
The next series of articles will address questions like this. They are the result of a focused discussion and study which reassesses our traditional perspective surrounding the events which occurred in the garden of Eden and started humanity on a path that some Christians call horrendous and miserable(2). In these articles we will engage the text in a unique way and with information that was intentionally hidden from the original authors. As we’ll see, this hidden information, called the mystery of God by the apostles Paul and John, and the author of the Fourth Gospel(3), was an essential part of God’s plan to bring about the fulfillment of his work in Yeshua, the Christ.
For details on the scope and purpose of the Mystery of God? Discover more.
Reactive or Proactive?
One may ask if it’s evident from the writings of the Old Testament whether God reveals himself as being reactive versus proactive. I would suggest that although it may not be evident on the surface, it becomes much clearer the deeper one delves into the promises and prophecies of old, many of whom were fulfilled with the incarnation of our Lord and Christ – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
For those who’ve come to value the result of that event in our history, both personally and collectively, the question may never enter into their minds as to the origin of the Lamb’s role beyond his claim of being sent from God, the Father. Christ made the reality of that claim clear by both his words and his deeds. Yet the larger context of his role, as it relates to achieving God’s will for us, was left to others through direct revelation. Since Yeshua was fully motivated by the Father’s will, something he claimed and was committed to throughout his life and death, it becomes valuable for us to understand that broader context, that deeper will of God.
Fourth Gospel 6:28-29,35-40 (ESV, emphasis mine throughout)
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Clearly, the removal of sin and the reconciliation with our Creator is an important aspect of Christ’s work and God’s will. But if we stop there we’ll be missing out on an equally important part – the resurrection to glory, the gift of eternal life in Christ. The apostle Paul refers to this process as being renewed after the image of our Creator (Colossians 3:1-4,9-10). The Son of God, being the author of all things, is also the finisher. It was for him that all things were created.
Fourth Gospel 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Here we see the first glimpse of the role and scope of God’s work in Christ. But where does that role begin? At his incarnation?
Ephesians 1:3-6
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he (God) chose us in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he (God) predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Is that blessing only for the future, or does he enable us through the sanctification and righteousness of Christ, to grow in the wisdom and understanding of God’s will for us now?
Ephesians 1:7-10
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
That plan accounts for the fullness of time, to lead his children, starting with his firstfruits, into the image of the Son.
Ephesians 1:11-14
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Paul, through the revelation of Christ, recognized our calling into Christ was preordained because the Son of Man was preordained. It was always God’s will and intent that, through Yeshua the Christ, we who are called into Christ were predestined to be adopted as His children. It was his will, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, our time, to unite all creation in him, since it was for him that all things were created. It was he who dwelt in the flesh that he should be the firstborn of this new creation – the express image of God. In this we see the fullness of God’s plan laid out.
A) Christ was sent from God as his express image to make known his will and purpose, having shared God’s glory before the world existed.
Fourth Gospel 17:1-5
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
B) All things were created through Christ and for Christ. He’s the author of the first creation and the finisher of the new creation.
Colossians 1:15-20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
C) This Christ, having died for all, reconciled all that we might become the children of God in the image and righteousness of Christ our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are left to conclude then that in the case of this new creation in Christ, God’s plan was conceived and established before the foundation of the world. This reflects clearly God’s proactive character and nature in providing for the completion of his children into the image and likeness of the Son. The question that remains for us individually, is whether that reality impacts our perception and understanding of the events of the Garden of Eden, now seen through the lens of the new creation in Christ.
Plan-A or Plan-B?
What we must keep in mind is that the new creation in Christ, his role as the firstfruit of salvation to glory, and humanity’s future inheritance of it, were not clearly known or understood by the authors of the Old Testament, especially Genesis. It was a mystery to them, hidden in Yeshua, the Christ.
The traditional perspective on Genesis 2 & 3 has varied greatly in its perceived impact on humanity, yet the results put forth typically lean toward the negative due to the existence of chaos and evil. Some are convinced that because sin and death entered the world through Adam and Eve, that God’s reaction was a punitive one, seeing his efforts to create children in his own image thwarted by them through rebellion due in part to the influences of a third party (the serpent). Some go so far as to blame Adam and Eve, insisting all humanity shares in their guilt(4). But these views are incomplete; conclusions drawn from too narrow a context. To view the first creation accurately, we must view it through the work and will of Him who gave his mortal life to finish ours within the context of the new creation.
Of all the original disciples and apostles of Christ, it appears that only a few ventured into the role of Christ as it was framed in the will of God and established before the foundation of the world. It is their writing that gives us a glimpse into that larger context not considered previously by the authors of the Old Testament nor pursued at any depth by our Christian Forefathers who followed them. So it is to the writings of the Apostles Paul and John the brother of James, along with the author of the Fourth Gospel that we’ll continue to find the details we’re seeking as to the impact God’s proactive nature has on our view of the events in the garden. That’s what this series of articles seeks to achieve.
Clarifying Presuppositions
But first we must uncover several presuppositions which form the basis of this viewpoint hidden until Christ. The first presupposition we’ve established is that the work and role of the Son of God and the Lamb of God were established by the Godhead before the world was formed. This alone shows God’s proactive nature and the scope of his plan. For surely if a redeemer is to be born of the same flesh and blood of those made from the dust, then surely there will exist a circumstance from which they will need to be redeemed.
Subsequent presuppositions come from Paul’s encounter with Christ and the revelation he received. Core to Paul’s understanding was the value, necessity, and the nature of the resurrection of the dead, not only for our Savior, but for ourselves as well. As Paul develops this argument for this necessary event to bring about the new creation, the salvation and glory of mankind, a process is introduced. First as an analogy, then more directly by connecting two key participants of the process.
The Seed Must Die
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul illustrates through the use of a seed the process God is using to bring his children to glory through Christ. The glorification that results from resurrection comes through the death of the seed or kernel. It is only through the kernel’s death that the planned and designed object can come to life. Paul’s referring to our lives now, in this physical realm and to our mortal souls, as the kernel. (1 Corinthians 15:35-41)
The Spiritual Doesn’t Come First
Paul builds on this illustration of the process and clarifies the steps God has planned and is working out in Christ to bring his children to glory. The focus of that plan returns to the resurrection of the dead. I suggest reading the entire chapter first.
| The seed that’s sown | The fruit of the seed |
|---|---|
| Is perishable (vs 42) | Is imperishable (vs 42) |
| In dishonor (vs 43) | Raised in glory (vs 43) |
| In weakness (vs 43) | Raised in power (vs 43) |
| A natural body (vs 44) | Raised a spiritual body (vs 44) |
| Is a living being (soul) (vs 45) | Raised in the image of the man from heaven (vs 47-49) |
| Is of the dust (the earth) (vs 47-49) | Of heaven (vs 47-49) |
| Is flesh and blood (vs 50) | Raised imperishable to inherit the kingdom (vs 50) |
| Is mortal (vs 53-54) | Raised with immortality (vs 53-54) |
This entire chapter, beginning with verses 17-19 and concluding with verse 55 nullifies completely the idea that humanity now possesses immortality. For if we did, of what value would Yeshua, the source of life eternal, have for us except his death? Yet Paul clearly claims that without Christ’s resurrection, and ours, we perish (vs 17-19).
In all this, the most significant realization into the will of God for all humanity is quietly hidden in this contrast between the natural and the spiritual, the mortal and the immortal. Did you catch it?
1 Corinthians 15:45-46
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
This is the concluding insight to God’s plan and his proactive approach to achieve it. Yeshua’s role as the Lamb of God was conceived before Adam and Eve were created. When Adam and Eve were made of the dust, mortal, natural, of flesh and blood, they were conceived as the kernel. They were not created initially in their final form – in the fullness and likeness of the Son of Man. That would come later, which we’ll cover in subsequent articles.
Conclusions
If we accept these claims about the Son of God, the Lamb of God, then we are equally compelled to accept the context and will through which his redemptive work was done for those whom the Father has given him. Now that we’ve seen several contributing factors to the will of God and his work in Christ, we need to begin to recognize what this means and how it changes our view of Genesis 2 and 3. Our effort to understand God’s means and methods will deepen our trust in his way and his wisdom.
It’s a bold step to let go of the kernel, to die, and to venture into the unknown. But God has given his Son, who lives, works, dies, and lives again to make that which is unknown to us known. We have nothing to fear.
Footnotes:
- By angelic I mean the created spiritual realm consisting of elohim. These created beings share the spiritual realm with the Godhead, each having their specific roles. Most are loyal to the Godhead. Others oppose God and his plan for humanity. See The Unseen Realm – Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, by Michael S. Heiser for more details.
- Numerous Biblical sources express this view (Gen 3:6); Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Haydock Catholic Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary.
- Due to the dispute over the authorship of the Fourth Gospel, traditionally attributed to John, I will refer to this book as the Fourth Gospel. I have concluded on the side of such authors like J. Phillips (ISBN13: 978-0-9702687-3-0) who has shown conclusively John could not be the sole author and instead attribute primary authorship to Lazarus – the disciple whom Christ loved.
- Numerous Biblical sources express this view (Gen 3:6,7); Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, ESV Reformation Bible; (Gen 1:28) Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament.
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