God’s Plan for Our Salvation
by Stephen Harper
God, “according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9), had a plan for our salvation, and Jesus Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (I Peter 1:20) as the sacrifice for our sins. This plan, though, was “kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations” (Romans 16:25-26).
When the time had come, God deemed this plan to be “manifested…through preaching” (Titus 1:2-3), and so that now-revealed plan was sent out into the world to be preached (Mark 16:15), and man’s response was demanded: Either belief or disbelief. But Jesus stated plainly, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). When that message was first preached, some were convicted of their sins and asked what they must do, the answer was simple: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
A study of all New Testament conversions will show in every case that the word of God (the gospel) was preached, some heard and were convicted (believed), and repentance and baptism were either commanded or simply done due to their belief. There is no other plan.
The simple fact is we were all already condemned to punishment because we all have sinned (Romans 3:23); God’s plan was conceived, established, executed, revealed, and preached because God doesn’t want us to be condemned; He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:4) and “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
But He won’t force anyone to believe and obey, and He has not already predetermined who will and will not be saved. If that were true, then His plan would make no sense; in fact, it would be a farce and a mere, meaningless puppet show! No, the choice is ours, while the work is His.
God does not seek our destruction but our salvation. Do you desire the same?
