Plan of God – Part 2
The Gospels
At the right time God sent his only begotten Son to the world to fulfill his promise of the coming Messiah who would save people from their sins (Isaiah 59:20-21). In doing so He presented the Kingdom to the Jews indicating they should believe in Him as Messiah to save their souls. (Matthew 3:7; Matthew 4:16; Matthew 10:7; John 3:3,16). God sent John the Baptist as the prophesied forerunner (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; Malachi 4:5).
- Jesus proved His Messiahship through:
- His lineage from King David (2 Samuel 7:14: Matthew 1, Luke 3).
- The virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14: Matthew 2:15).
- He would be called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15).
- Fulfillment of specific Old Testament prophecies (please see prior section).
- His power and purity at the temptation (Matthew 4:1-12).
- His miracles (Isaiah 61:1 fulfilled in Luke 4:16; Isaiah 42:1-4 fulfilled in Matthew 12:7-10).
- The witness of God the Father (Matthew 3:14, Matthew 17:7, John 12:28).
- The witness of the Spirit (Matthew 3:14).
- His teaching in parables (Matthew 13:39; Psalm 78:2).
- His death (Matthew 27).
- His resurrection (Psalm 2:7-8, 16:8-10).
Course of his ministry
The Jews rejected Christ’s claim of Messiahship (Matthew 12:22-45). They crucified Him in an unjust death on the cross for which He died for our sins to provide a way of salvation. On the third day, Christ was resurrected from the dead (Matthew 28:1-10) to provide eternal life for all those who believe, by faith alone. He then appeared to the disciples, to the women and to 500 others (I Corinthians 15:4-7). At Pentecost (Acts 1) He ascended from the Mount of Olives to heaven where He sat down at the right hand of God the Father and sent His Spirit to begin the church (Acts 2:4).
The church
The church is the body of Christ. Its membership consists of all Christians (New Testament believers) under the headship of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13; Colossians 1:18). It began when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit back to seal and empower believers (Acts 2:4; Ephesians 1:20-23). Christ tasked the apostles to spread the gospel across the world in the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and just before His ascension predicted the completion of His command (Acts 1:8). Its fulfilment is in Colossians 1:6. The early church in Jerusalem (Acts 2-6) had the following characteristics, it was: essentially Jewish, small in number, and led by the apostles with help from deacons. Importantly, God connected the message of Christ in the Gospels to the early church by Peter’s preaching and miracles. Starting in Act 7 the church was persecuted and spread afar from Jerusalem helping to fulfill Christ’s prediction (Acts 1:8). Saul was converted in Acts 9 and then called Paul. He was personally taught by Christ (2 Corinthians 12:2-5) and became the major apostle to complete the knowledge of the New Testament (Colossians 1:25; Ephesians 3:2-3). Paul and the other apostles established churches and God’s commandment (detailed in Romans through to Revelation 3) for the 2nd generation Christians and beyond (apostolic authority). Characteristics of the more mature church were that it spread across the world (Colossians 1:6) led by elders in every city and assisted by deacons, and was primarily gentile; though many congregations seemingly had a large proportion of Jews such as Rome, Corinth and northern Asia Minor. Further, in the mature church, miraculous signs had stopped (Matthew 11:13; 1 Corinthians 13:8-13). The commandment given by Christ to Paul, as set down the epistles, is how God communicates in the current church age (Colossians 1:25; Ephesians 3:2-3; Hebrews 1:1-2). The church acts as the body of Christ to accomplish His will, spread the gospel as well as to mature and nurture believers in their walk with God.
End Times
At the end of the church age God promises to conclude all in Christ (Ephesians 1:10-11) which will involve the fulfillment of his covenant with Abraham and include His glorious return to bring all believers in Himself and to eternal life. Christ also will fulfill the promises given to the Jews for their Kingdom and their land, as part of the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant (Revelation 4-22; 1 Thessalonians 4, 5; 2 Thessalonians 1, 2).
Summary
God has initiated, carried out and will bring to conclusion His marvelous plan of salvation. The plan began from before all-time in choosing His believers through the ages, convicting them, driving them to Himself, causing them to believe in Christ’s death on the cross, and giving them positions of eternal security in their legal innocence and a membership in God’s family as well as the church, sealing by the Spirit, and creating in them a new regenerated person.
God will bring His believers to salvation for eternity with Him, providing us now with a great hope, confidence and an anchor for our souls.
By structure, this great salvation was accomplished through the Abrahamic Covenant which provided for the seed (which is Messiah {Galatians 3:16]) through Isaac to bring Salvation to man as well as the physical seed of Israel to Jacob to provide the man Jesus Christ through the Covenant of David. God will fulfill all His promises to His chosen individuals through Jesus Christ.
Thanks be to God that we have such a blessed Savior! All honor and glory are due to God and Christ!
William C. Stewart, MD
Disclaimer – This podcast is provided as information only and is intended for listeners 18 and older. No podcast content should be taken as advice or recommendation for any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the speaker and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by Teleios. The podcast is subject to change at any time without notice. Although the podcaster endeavors to ensure current and accurate content, it may contain errors and is not presented as current, accurate, complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. The podcaster does not accept any liability for the podcast, or any other information (or the use of such information) provided. The speaker does not hold a seminary degree but is self-trained in the scriptures. Specific questions should be directed to experts in the field of theology.
