God created a new race of individuals, humanity, individuals with flesh and blood, individuals who were capable of dying, a necessity for the plan of salvation since Jesus' plan was to come in human form and DIE for the sins of the world. But human beings would be capable of dying ONLY if they sinned. Before sin there was no death, neither in Adam and Eve, nor in all of Creation. Even Satan and the evil angels had been sinning for a long time, yet they showed no signs of deterioration in their stamina. The same is true today.
Satan and his evil angels are going strong! They have no flesh and blood, which is what deteriorates as a result of sin.If neither Adam and Eve, nor their offspring, had sinned, there would be no death. In that case, there would be no need for Jesus to die for us, since no human being would have sinned. Adam and Eve still would have been as innocent as little children. They would not have known the difference between good and evil. They would have been incapable of purposely choosing God for His goodness because they knew nothing else. It would have been impossible for them to glory in God's fabulous creation because they had no opportunity to know anything else. It would have been impossible for Adam to Eve to appreciate God's boundless love for His children, whether perfect or sinful, because Adam and Eve knew nothing of sin, calamity or utter wickedness.It was necessary for them to know evil in order for them eventually to choose "good," intelligently and willingly.Therefore, sin was a necessary part of the plan of salvation. Without sin, there would be no death. Without sin, Adam and Eve would never have experienced the opposite of "good," which would allow them eventually to understand and abhor evil.
Every human being had to be "dipped" in sin to be able to understand first hand the ruinous consequences of sin, to understand that sin leads to death. Sin was imperative because it introduced death to the human race, a prerequisite necessary for Jesus to come in human form and DIE to redeem mankind.It is impossible to know good without knowing evil; it is impossible to learn right without understanding what is wrong, and that often takes personal experience in wrong-doing. It is impossible to build character without having trials and tribulations. The only way we change is by having trouble. If everything is going along fine, we will NEVER change. It takes troubles, catastrophes, illness, financial upsets, severe loneliness, heartbreak, to force us to change our direction, to turn us to God!
We now see that sin was a necessary part of the plan of salvation. That means that the lead sinner, Satan, had and still has, a specific purpose. His purpose was, and still is, to be the opponent, the antagonist, the Adversary against God. In fact, the name Satan actually means Adversary. God, Himself, provides opposition to truth in order to bring attention to truth, to clarify truth and to magnify the difference between truth and lies, between good and evil. That is still happening today. Satan was designated to be the Adversary against Christ, just as Judas was designated to be the betrayer of Christ. After all, SOMEONE had to do it! John 17:12"
The troubles of the universe originated among the celestials, among the angels, long before man was created. Humanity was an entirely separate creation, made in the image and likeness of God to be the form in which God's own Son could come to give up His life for the universe, and remedy what had gone wrong in that higher sphere."Thus humanity is made the vehicle through which the reconciling of the universe is to be effected, even though all efforts of humanity itself are in vain and come to nothing, and it is left to God to provide, in the person of His Son, the one effectual means by which this reconciliation is to be accomplished." The Place of Humanity in God's Purpose, J.H.Essex, pg 45"
The real reason for the creation of humanity was that it would provide a form in which it would be possible for our Lord to come and give His life for the universe. That is why man was made in the image and likeness of God—that Jesus could come in human guise and still be recognized as the Son of God." Ibid pg 67.The Lamb was slain "from the foundation of the world" Revelation 13:8. God's purpose in every facet and detail was planned from the outset, and in no sense whatever is any part of it an improvisation to meet an emergency. He is the One Who tells "from the beginning the hereafter, and from aforetime, what has not yet been done, saying, All My counsel shall be confirmed, and all My desire will I do" Isaiah 46:10. He is "the One Who is operating ALL in accord with the counsel of His own will" Ephesians 1:11, and Who has purposed "to head up all in the Christ, both in the heavens and that on earth," and "through Him, to reconcile ALL to Him. . . whether those on the earth or those in the heavens" Ephesians 1:10, Colossians 1:20."When the reconciliation of all is complete, the joy of the universe will be full. When the purpose of the All-sufficient God has reached its consummation, and He is All in all (1 Corinthians 15:28), every heart will be filled with the true laughter which accompanies the praise and adoration of Him Who is Supreme and Whose name is Love." Ibid pg 72.
God has not created one more person than requiredfor the completion of the Plan of Salvation.
God does NOT waste anything! When Jesus fed the 5,000 men plus women and children, with 5 loaves and 2 fish, there were scraps of bread left over, according to Matthew 14:13-21. Jesus instructed His disciples to gather up the fragments of bread that resulted in the collection of twelve baskets. The extra pieces of bread apparently were then taken home by members of the crowd. The scraps of bread were NOT thrown away. They were NOT wasted.
God does NOT waste anything! In nature, matter is never lost! The flowers die and return to the earth, but matter is not lost.God does NOT waste anything! He knows every sparrow that falls but tells us that we're much more important than the sparrows. (Matthew 10:31)So how could God throw away (permanently destroy or annihilate) billions of His children whom He has created? They are far more important than scraps of bread. We must learn about God's character from nature, from God's fabulous creation. Nature proves to us that God never throws anything away, even His errant children.But He doesn't leave us in our sinful wretchedness. God tells us in His own words how He treats His erring children, including the evil angels who "don't die." Jesus says, "Behold, I make ALL NEW!" (Revelation 21:5) "I came not to destroy men's lives, but to SAVE them" Luke 9:56. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, WILL draw ALL unto Me" John 12:32.God has a specific purpose for your life, a purpose that no one else can fulfill. But first He must draw you to Him through the trials and tribulations that we bring on ourselves—including disease! It's all for a specific purpose. Serious illness should turn us to the Great Physician who promises to "forgive all our sins and (THEN) heal ALL our diseases" Psalm 103:3. Through this experience He wants to change your life.What a wonderful God we have. Who would want to struggle through life without Him!So the question remains, does one have to be a Christian in order to get well? And if so, then why do so many "Christians" die of disease?
A true follower of Christ, a true Christian, will allow Jesus to make ALL of his or her decisions. When that happens, that Christian will no longer be sick. He will have given his mind and heart and body fully to Christ. You don't become well just by calling yourself a Christian. You must learn to trust Jesus completely, to go to Him with every problem and NOT to man.This entire health plan is an exercise in obedience.Simply put, the process of getting well is the process of getting to know God!The process of getting well is the process of learning to trust God completely and depend on Him for everything.
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