God’s Will (Listen or Read)
God’s Will
Most people believe God wills the best for every person on earth, but unfortunately, like us, He cannot get what He wants. We have brought God down to our level. Because we cannot always get our will, it must be the same with God. We make His will out to be something merely hoped for or desired. In this section, we will consider what Scripture declares is His will for all humanity, and what it says relative to His power to accomplish it.
He purposed…that in…fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ….who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Ep. 1:9-11).
This is a very deep and revealing passage. It shows God purposing His will to be done, and not merely hoping it is so. “No purpose of His will be thwarted” (Job 42:2 RSV). What is His purpose? To gather together in one all people in Christ. Paul also expressed it this way: “that God may be all in all” (1Co. 15:28).
In order for God to be “all in all,” all must first be subjected to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (1Co. 15:28a). This cannot happen without Christ being formed in each person (Ga. 4:19; 1Jn. 3:2; 2Pe. 1:4). Thankfully, He has not left us on our own. He is committed to its realization and intimately involved in the process (Ep. 2:10; Ph. 1:6; 2:13). “He is able even to subdue all things to Himself” (Ph. 3:20-1). It will all take place in the context of the ages—the “fullness of the times” (Ac. 3:21; 1Ti. 2:6). See also page 42 on this theme.
Christ’s Purpose
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which
was lost. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that
He might destroy the works of the devil.
(Lu. 19:10; Mt. 18:11; 1Jn. 3:8)
Christ came to save “that which was lost.” “That” includes all the lost. God sent Him “to save the world” (Jn. 3:17 NIV). The world is not a few only. The few whom our Lord refers to in Mt. 7:14 are His elect first-fruits who labor with Him now and in the coming ages to bring in the whole harvest. (See “Purpose of Election” chap. 5). The Father sent His Son as the Savior of the whole world, and not merely some out of it (1Jn. 2:2; 4:14). He, whose very name means Savior, came to save, not merely to “offer” salvation. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks those who are lost until He finds them (Lu. 15:4, 7, 20).
Our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross was His supreme act in destroying the devil’s work, but not His only act. In addition, He works in men’s hearts and intercedes for them throughout all ages (He. 7:25) to draw them to Himself and conform them into His likeness.
Jesus’ purpose on earth included modeling before a sinful world a holy and righteous life. At the very outset of His ministry, in His very first public address, He laid down exactly what a model Christian life must be. In so doing, Christ revealed His heart of compassion for suffering humanity. Hear His wonderful words as He quotes from Is. 61:1-2a:
The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD… (Lu. 4:18-22; Is. 61:1-2a).
Jesus finished his quote in the middle of verse two. But look at what the passage goes on to say:
“…to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Is. 61:2b-3).
This is a glimpse into the heart of our God and Savior. We see His deep concern for the anguish all people experience. He desires to deliver us from sorrow, heaviness of spirit, blindness, captivity, and oppression. But one thing seems to be lacking. Do you see it? He seems more concerned about the momentary afflictions of this life, than with eternal sufferings just a heartbeat away! Consider another text further revealing His heart.
When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, [“distressed and dispirited”—NAS] like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples….“pray the Lord… to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:36-38).
Why are we asked to pray for laborers for the harvest? Why are they needed? Does not the text say it is because people are weary, scattered, distressed, and dispirited? But what has our tradition led us to believe? Answer: To pray because all people are on their way to hell! Is there not an inconsistency here?
What are earthly pains compared to eternal woe? Yet, it was the temporal pains that weighed most on our Lord’s heart, not those of the life beyond. How can we explain this? Along with the Gehenna study in chapter one, these passages confirm that our Lord did not teach everlasting punishment. We need to look closely at our Lord’s words to see how clear this is.
Consider another key piece of evidence. Note where Christ ended His quote of Isaiah 61:1-2a: “proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Now look at what immediately follows that He did not quote: “And the day of vengeance of our God” (Is. 61:2b). Why did He leave that part out? Could it be that the “day” of vengeance is just that, a day? For if it were days without end of vengeance, how can we explain His silence here? Should He not have at least finished the sentence? Yes, and much more! He should have warned them in the strongest possible way to snatch them all out of everlasting fire! If there was ever an appropriate time to lay the foundation of eternal torment, this was it. He was sitting on a proof text. Did He not care some in His audience might die that night and go straight to hell? What kind of precedent would this set for His followers who would thereafter follow His example?
One final point regarding His first public address: did you notice the response of the people? “All marveled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth” (Lu. 4:22). Gracious words—the people marveled!
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What is God really like? Is the destiny of the human race tragic? I hope that in this chapter you have come to see God’s nature more clearly—that all is not lost for humanity.
Does God really love every single person impartially? YES.
Can He really do what His heart would like to do? YES.
The God of all the earth is truly GOD, not god. He has all the power of the universe at His disposal, and His very essence is love—pure, unadulterated, impartial love for all His creation. Knowing Him in truth will fill our hearts with peace and hope. We can face whatever lies before us. Our only hope is His very nature. Can we trust Him with our eternal destiny and that of our loved ones? Yes we can! Let us sing aloud of His power and of His mercy (Ps. 59:16)!
References: See Bibliography page.
