When God created man, He intended man
to be Holy and blameless before Him in love (Eph.1:4). God also intended man
to be Holy in accordance with His will (Eph. 2:8-9), because If man
can be holy by works of righteousness which he does by himself, God will be
forced to pay his reward, which he rightfully earns (Romans 4:4).
Hence, the reward will be no longer as a gift of God, grace or blessings
but that which is due man. So, God
purposely made all people prisoners of
disobedience so that He might show mercy to them all. (Romans 11:3)
Thus God created man weak—in the flesh
(Matthew 26:41), hence it is susceptible and prone to sin. Man in his
sinful human nature and in his own capability cannot avoid sinning, so
all men is condemned to die in the lake of fire which is the second death.
(Revelation 20:14)
How can man be saved despite his inherent weaknesses? Certainly the man who sins shall die
but it is also certain that there are also those who will receive God's
gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23) For God had a plan for man before He created him. The Lord
says: I have plans for you, they are plans
for good, to give you a future and a hope. God's plan
is for the good of man because it is about God's
secret plan that had to be completed by means of Christ
as the head of the church. This plan is
to bring all creation together, everything
in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head
of the church. Christ as
head of the church is for the good of men
because it is essential in God's master plan of salvation
for the Church through Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 3:21, LVB).
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God's standing Law on the sinners requires that "everyman shall be put
to death for his own sin.(Dt:24:16:) And God's Law also affirms that
"the soul that sins shall die." (Ez:18:4:) Man in his sinful human
nature and in his own capability cannot avoid sinning, so man
is condemned to die in the lake of fire which is the second
death.(Rv:21:8) But God's divine justice also requires that the
righteous should not die as the wicked. (Genesis 18:25)
How
then can man be saved despite his inherent weaknesses?
According to God's plan,
God made Christ Jesus, the only
person who did not sin or who knew no sin, to be sin for us.
Why?
"So that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
(II Cor. 5:21) This is the only way in which God's standing law on sinners will not
be violated.
How?
God's master plan was clearly
explained in the Bible. God destined all men to be created in
Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:10)
Although all men have sinned, God has made it
possible to redeem their sins through His Son Christ Jesus by creating in
Himself (Christ Jesus) the "One New Man" from the two (Christ and men
who have faith in Him). It is only through this union,
the creation of the "One New Man" where sins of the men (who
have faith in Christ) are forgiven by God, thus peace with God is
attained (Eph 2:15).
Before Christ and men can be created as
the "One New
Man", God's requirement must be fulfilled. God requires that both
(
Christ and men) be reconciled to God in one body (Christ body) through the cross,
thereby putting to death the enmity". (Eph. 2:16) This is the
reason why God offered Christ to die on the cross,
so that by his
sacrificial death (shedding of blood, Heb.9:22) he should
become the means by which people sins are forgiven through their faith
in him. (Romans
3:25, TEV)
In accord with God's plan,
the relationship between Christ and men in the "One
New Man" is that Christ is the Head of the Body (Col. 1:18),
and Men (who have faith in Christ) must be "members individually" in the
Body. (1 Cor.
12:27) In the eyes of God, Christ (the Head) and the Body (His
Church), is the One New Man.
The "One New Man" is rightfully called
the "Church of Christ" for it is Christ who
died and purchased (paid for) the Church
with His own blood (Acts 20:28)
Apostle Paul
described Christ's
relationship with His church as a great
mystery. He likened Christ relationship with His
Church as that of a
husband and wife—they are like one flesh.
Christ and His Church are joined together
according to God's design. In the sight of
God, Christ and His Church are one (Eph
5:25-32). God made Christ (who knew nothing of
sin) to pay (shed blood)
for the sins of the members of His Church, so that in union
with Him, their sins will be forgiven and they become righteous before God,
without violating God's law on sinners
(Dt.24:16) This is God's way of
putting people right with Himself.
By
means of the One New Man, peace with God was
attained for the members of Christ Body—the
Church. This peace with God is the
absence of condemnation—the sentence for all
sinners which is the second death in the
lake of fire (Rev. 20:14)—thus attaining salvation and
eternal life.
God's plan becomes realized, when a sinful
man becomes God's masterpiece (Ephesians
2:10). That is a sinful man has been created
anew in Christ Jesus for good works and now
walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit
( Romans 8:1)
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