Question:
Do you believe that God has a perfect plan for His creation that will be fulfilled perfectly according to His will? Or, do you believe that God has many plans that come to pass based on the obedience or disobedience of individual people?
Answer:
God’s perfect will for His creation was to have man live forever without sin, but we know that man failed to follow His perfect will. Genesis 2:16,17 says, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s perfect will for their lives. Genesis 3:6 says, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Adam and Eve would thus live under conditions that were not God’s perfect will for their lives in the beginning. Genesis 3:16-19 says, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Adam and Eve would also not be able to live in the place where God, in His perfect will, had prepared for them; or eat some of the food, which God, in His perfect will, had planned for them to eat. Genesis 3:22-24 says, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. We are thus living in a world that has gone astray from God’s perfect plan for His creation. Romans 8:22 says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
The question left for us is “What is God’s perfect will for us now in this condition? That is, man has fallen from where God originally created him to be, but what does God now want us to do, and how does He want us to live? Just by the fact that He allowed Adam and Eve to physically live after they had sinned, shows that He still had a plan for their lives that they could fulfill. That is what we are told to seek and find. Romans 12:1,2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” God’s perfect will for our lives now is to not be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by renewing our minds through His Word.
If you are ever able to purchase a new car, it will not be your will to have it get all dirty. When you have something nice and new, you want it to stay clean. What will you do when it does get dirty? Destroy the car? No, you will clean it up and make it as nice as possible again.
Mankind has fallen into sin, and we all thus have a sin nature. Romans 3:10-18 says, “As it is written, THERE US NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 7:14,15 says, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.”
Under such conditions, God wants us to renew our minds in His Word, the Bible. He does not want us to be molded according to the sin of this world. He wants us to have clean minds and hearts that have a desire to do His will. John 15:3 says, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” Psalm 119:9 says, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.” Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Although it was not God’s will for man to sin, God knew that man would do so, and God thus made provision to offer mankind forgiveness. I John 2:1,2 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” But man has to receive what God is freely offering. John 1:11,12 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
God’s will for all of mankind is that they would be saved. II Peter 3:8,9 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
But the next verses go on to say what God’s will for this sin-cursed earth is now. II Peter 3:10-12 says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” God’s will will be done — this earth will be destroyed.
God’s will for those who reject Him will also be done — they will be cast into hell. Revelation 20:11-15 says, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Luke 12:4,5 says, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
God’s will for those who are saved is to take them to heaven to be with Him until He comes to rule and reign upon the earth. John 14:1-3 says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” When the Lord comes to reign upon earth during the Millennium, we will reign with Him. Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
After the Lord destroys this old earth, He will create a new one, and those who are saved will be with Him. II Peter 3:13 says, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Revelation 21:1-8 says, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
God’s plan for a perfect heaven and earth will be fulfilled with those who are saved. In the mean time, God, in His grace and mercy deals very graciously with us, despite out many shortcomings and failures. Psalm 130:3,4 says, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”