God’s Purpose in Eternity Concerning Sin Having examined many of the particulars about sin, let us now try to understand the big picture. When we looked at where sin came from, we came to the conclusion that—either the concept of sin has always existed as the antithesis of what God is, or that God created the concept of sin by proclaiming what is good and what is evil. In either case, sin has always been known to the mind of God even before there were any beings created who were capable of sinning. This leads us to this point—sin could have never been manifested except for the fact that God created the circumstances for its existence. God Himself cannot sin; so then sin, as a reality, can only exist when there are creatures capable of sinning—be they angelic beings or men; and there must be something that is accounted as sin for them to commit. Building upon these basic assumptions therefore, let us compare “spiritual things with spiritual,” and plead for God’s Spirit to give us enlightenment concerning the “mystery of iniquity” and God’s eternal purposes concerning sin.
1 Cor 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom
among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor
of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 2 Thess 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. Now, if we may presume to understand something of the mind of God concerning His plans and purposes, why and how did He permit the manifestation of sin? To answer these questions we will, therefore, submit the following points of our thesis for consideration: 1. It was the purpose of God to bring into existence a creation, consisting of a spiritual and a natural world, whose inhabitants are also spiritual, natural, or both. Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Neh 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD
alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all
their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the
seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the
host of heaven worshippeth Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 2. It was the purpose of God that these inhabitants be created with certain attributes like unto His—that He allowed them to have a mind that could reason, emotions that could both feel and express love, and a will that could choose. His intentions therefore, were not to merely create beings that were only robotic creatures incapable of any real autonomy; but He choose to create such beings with these attributes, for Him to have fellowship with and they with Him; and for Him to show forth His love to them, and for them to reciprocate and show forth their love for Him. These creatures were also to have the ability to worship and serve God, and to show forth the glory and praise that is God’s alone.
Job 28:4 Where wast thou when I laid
the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth. Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Deut 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 3. In order for God to have such a real relationship with these creatures, nothing could be hidden or held back from them which would alter their reason, emotions, or will concerning their response to God. Creatures that are controlled by either external forces, a lack of information upon which to make decisions, or the inability to freely choose how they want to respond, are incapable of showing any real love or fidelity. These premises are evident in the creation of man and the garden paradise which God provided for him.
Gen 2:8 And the LORD God planted a
garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had
formed. 4. In allowing such a free and open environment, these creatures must also be accountable for the decisions they make, according to the eternal and unchangeable laws of God. They must know and understand that there are natural and spiritual consequences, both good and bad, for all that they do, even as God Himself does. Gen 3:17 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.
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. 5. God, who has always known all things with one all encompassing thought, was fully aware of the possibility that these creatures, created with such knowledge, ability, and freedom, could, instead of choosing to love, honor, and serve Him, might contra-wise, rebel against His law, His authority, His will, become His enemies, and could, contrary to His intentions, even hate Him. God knew that this was not only a possibility, but foresaw that it would indeed become a reality.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more
subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And
he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like
to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD,
and against his anointed, saying, 6. God purposed therefore—foreknowing all that would come to pass—to allow, and even design a creation in which the great questions concerning God’s love, His sovereign authority, His abhorrence of sin, His justice, and His mercy, would for all of eternity, be answered indisputably by the events that would take place on this planet called Earth, and for this brief interlude of eternity, called time.
Isa 46:8 Remember this, and shew
yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 7. God allowed, yea, even designed that sin and darkness, for a brief time, would rule over this world; and that it would bring upon humanity untold misery, sorrow, and suffering; all for the purpose of showing, for time and eternity, the price of sin and rebellion against God. Now, this suffering is not to be considered God’s punishment for man not choosing to love and obey God; but rather the natural fruit of sin and man’s desire to live his life separated from God and His will. God can never be charged with being a tyrant who mistreats His subjects because they don’t bow to His authority. However, at the same time, He will never suspend the eternal laws which characterize the nature of God Himself, and which govern all of creation. Moreover, God is not obligated to bestow any of His blessings when His creatures turn from away Him. Neither will He condone, encourage, or bless sin in any way. Man can choose to live separated from God, but God can also choose to separate Himself and all of His goodness from man. Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Jer 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD's hand is
not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it
cannot hear:
Prov 1:24 Because I have called, and
ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; With the preceding points in mind, we shall attempt to elaborate on this thesis. First of all, let us examine God’s purpose in creating the arch angel Lucifer, allowing him to fall, permitting his freedom after his fall, allowing him to tempt man to sin, and then to become the prince of this world. We have already studied what were Lucifer’s position and authority, his beauty and his power, and what led him to rebel against God. Why, therefore, did God create this angelic creature with such wisdom and power, knowing that he would become the Devil, the chief enemy of God? God’s purpose for Satan is much the same that it was for the Pharaoh of Moses’ time. God sets up mighty rulers of the heavens and earth, kings and angels, that they might accomplish His will. This particular Pharaoh was a very powerful and strong-willed monarch over the mightiest nation on earth; but God brought him to be Egypt’s ruler so that God might show forth His almighty power, and cause His name to be renowned in all the earth. Who, today, has not heard of Israel’s great deliverance, the plagues upon Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea? All of this would have been unnecessary if this Pharaoh had been weak and timid, giving in to the first demands of Moses. Even so Lucifer was thus endowed with great wisdom and power so that he might be the leader of the forces of evil and darkness; that he might become the “prince of the power of the air,” and “the prince of this world.” He would come, not only to rule over one-third of the angelic spirits, but over mankind as well. It would be through his reign that sin and rebellion would be brought to the very limits of what man and this world could endure. It would be through the defeat of this mighty angelic being, whose power and wisdom far exceeds that of men and all other angels, that God’s almighty power and wisdom might be displayed.
Dan 5:18 O thou king, the most high
God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and
glory, and honour: Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
Matt 24:21 For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. Now, least God be charged with creating Lucifer to bring about all this evil, with no will to choose his own course, such is not the case. This is part of God’s eternal purpose, that His creatures may choose to love and serve Him, or they may choose, as Lucifer did, to rebel. However, we must add, that God’s will is not thwarted by what His creatures do, but rather He accomplishes His purposes through even wicked men and angels. Every creature is totally responsible for their choices, and will bear the judgment they deserve. Lucifer was perfect in the day he was created, but it was because of his own pride that he rebelled, and he will bear his just reward for all eternity. Prov 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the
ground, which didst weaken the nations! Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. We now turn our attention to God’s purpose in the creation of man. We have seen how that, although Adam was made in the likeness of God, and he was naturally good, he was not good in the sense that God is absolutely holy and intrinsically good. Adam was naked, but God is clothed in “honour and majesty.” Therefore, Adam was not good in the sense that, even before the fall—he fell short of the glory of God. He was not good in the sense that he had a created trait that made him susceptible to temptation—he was “subject to vanity”; whereas “God cannot be tempted with evil”. Lastly, he was not good because he was capable of committing sin, whereas it is impossible for God to sin. Nevertheless, even though Adam was made “a little lower than the angels,” that did not prevent his fellowship with God because of his innocence. There was nothing that accused him of falling “short of the glory of God,” and there was no basis for God to find fault with him. Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Psa 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O
LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour
and majesty. Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Heb 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Heb 2:6 But one in a certain place
testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the
son of man, that thou visitest him? Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned: We now put forth these questions: Why did God make a creature in His image, with an imperfection that made him susceptible to being tempted by sin, though He Himself could not sin, or even be tempted? Why did God create a being, whom He created to have fellowship with, who He could love, and who was capable of returning love to Him, and make him “a little lower than the angels,” and far short of His glory; a creature who, apart from the absence of any standard of measurement, could already be labeled a sinner—one who misses the mark of absolute holiness? The answers to these questions must be—that God purposed such a creature as man to be the subject and object of settling the eternal problem of sin, and any questions concerning God’s love, mercy, and justice. That through the instrumentality of man, there could not only be displayed the awfulness of sin, the terribleness of the righteous judgment of God against sinners, but also God’s mercy, love, and grace in redeeming an untold number of this fallen race through Christ.
Isa 45:6 That they may know from the
rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me.
I am the LORD, and there is none else. Isa 54:16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what
is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
1 Pet 1:19 But with the precious blood
of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Howbeit, least we think of God as being some kind of cruel scientist, who inflicts pain upon others for his own research; we should realize that God, even before the cross, suffered more than any of His creatures because of their sin. Although God would purpose to allow this tragedy called sin upon the human race, at the same time He purposed to rescue man from his fate. God, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, became a man, bore the judgment, pain, and agony that that we deserved, and made a way to restore us to Himself. Moreover, we were not just restored to God as perfect men, but as the sons of God, greater than the angels, even as brothers with Christ. Isa 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 1 Pet 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
Isa 53:1 Who hath believed our report?
and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art
mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. However, again, just as in Lucifer’s case, God cannot be charged with the actual downfall of man and the subsequent darkness that followed. Adam and Eve were, by any standards, free moral agents. They had been warned about the consequences of their choices, and before their fall, were quite able to resist the tempter. God only created them with a propensity in their nature that was an avenue of temptation; and God provided them a free access to all knowledge, even the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—a means whereby that inclination could be brought to fruition. God’s plan was to let sin and rebellion have its day, but man is entirely accountable for his actions. God may have an eternal purpose for all the evil that has been the result of sin and rebellion, but the free will choices of His creatures has brought it about.
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded
the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 1 Tim 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Having looked at God’s purpose for creating Lucifer, the tempter, and His purpose in creating Adam, the sinner, let us also see His purpose in using The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil as the means of temptation. We have already seen that this tree represented God’s law, and as such, was inherently good, because God is good; and, while we normally think of temptations as those things which are sinful, wicked, and evil, such was not the case with this tree. In looking back at our previous studies, we have seen that for Adam, there were no sinful pleasures to tempt him—because he had no knowledge of even the existence of such temptations—he was ignorant of sin, he lived in innocence, and he did that which was naturally good. What the law did do however, was to appeal to man’s vanity, the natural trait of humans that creates in us the desire to be more than God intended us to be, or to think more of ourselves than we should. This was the Achilles heel of mankind, the chink in the armor by which Satan appealed to Eve. By tempting her, using this tree, to “be as gods,” Satan lured her into disobedience, and Adam followed her for the reasons we have already suggested. However, having seen how the law brought about Adam’s downfall, why did God purpose to put it into the Garden in the first place, even though He forbad man to eat of its fruit? Why did God purposely place this source of temptation in the Garden, even though He knew what would be the disastrous results? After all, the Tree would provide no benefit to man because he was forbidden to eat of it; yet it was the catalyst that brought sin and death into the world through Adam’s disobedience. Gen 2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. First of all, the answer to these questions is obvious to those who believe in the sovereign purposes of God. God, who foreknows the end result of all things, even purposed to allow Adam to partake of the tree and plunge mankind into darkness. God knew that this tree would reveal to man his nakedness—that he indeed was a sinner; that he fell short of the glory of God; that the law would condemn man and cause God to judge man for his sin; that it would bring about mans death—first spiritual, then physical, and finally eternal; that it would drive man to all kinds of religious perversions in an effort to stave off death and judgment; that it would reveal to man every facet of sin, inflaming the lustful desires of mans flesh; and that it would bring into being all the wickedness of sin that this world has seen. Isa 14:24 The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were
brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Rom 4:15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon
all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous.
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law:
for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not
covet. Rom 7:13 Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. Secondly however, even knowing the disastrous results, it was necessary for God to place the tree into the Garden; thus He could never be charged with holding back information upon which His creatures would make their decisions, particularly in regard to their love and devotion to Him. As we mentioned in the points of our thesis, real love can only exist when there is complete openness about all things to be considered. Knowledge is power, and for God to withhold that knowledge, even for benevolent reasons, would be a means of controlling how His creatures responded to Him. The following verses represent a willingness on God’s part to reveal to His creatures all that they would want to know; even though none of them could be considered a direct reference to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Deu 30:11 For this commandment
which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither
is it far off. Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 1 Cor 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Cor 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. Finally, it would be through the partaking of this tree that man would be brought to see the exceeding love, grace, and mercy of God toward even His disobedient creatures. The Tree would bring upon mankind condemnation, judgment, and wrath; but even as God sought the first sinners in the Garden, and clothed them, so has He sought a vast multitude of fallen humanity to show them His mercy in Christ. The Tree would show man the futility of seeking after God and His blessings by obedience to the law, or by doing good works; instead, it would drive us to see the exceeding grace of God in Christ. The Tree revealed God’s wrath, so that we could see His love; it revealed His justice, so that we could see His mercy; it revealed His judgment against sin, so that we could see His kindness toward sinners. Through the law we were brought to see the awfulness of sin and rebellion, so that we could learn “the fear of the Lord.” Through the law we were made slaves to sin, Satan, and the flesh, so that we could learn to be the “servants of God.” The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil brought upon us death, but God’s love, shown on the Tree of Calvary, brought us eternal life. Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psa 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psa 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Prov 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Prov 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things
soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that
every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God. Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were
sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and
pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one
another.
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered,
that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound:
Rom 6:17 But God be thanked, that
ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart
that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye
also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye
should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the
dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit. We know that there are some who will take an offense at what we have proposed here—that God had an eternal purpose in creating man for the very intention of settling the sin question. However, to answer those who have such concerns, we would propose these questions; and ask the reader to simply and honestly answer them with a good conscience, and according to Scriptural truth. Has God known from beginning to end, every event that would take place upon this earth, even before it was created?
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of
old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is
none like me, Isa 48:3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Has there any event taken place on this earth that God did not purpose or allow, according to His sovereign will? Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? Could not God, who cannot be tempted, and who cannot sin, have created beings that also had no propensity to sin? Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Rom 8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Prov 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Was Adam’s sin an unplanned event that had not occurred to the mind of God? Did not God know, before the creation of the world, that Adam would disobey and send the entire human race plunging into sin? Did not God purpose, even before He created man, to send a Saviour? Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Did God not continue in His purpose to create such a world—a world that He foreknew would be overtaken by sin and suffering; a world in which billions of His creatures would suffer, both in time and eternity, despite such foresight? Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire If then, God did foreknow all these events, and preordained a plan to rescue only some of Adam’s race, would He not then have had some greater purpose in allowing this misery of sin to transpire? Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Isa 45:18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. Rom 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. Eph 3:11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
|
The material of this website, except for that which is noted from other sources, is Copyright © 2005-2009 GodsPurposes.org. Those who wish to use any of the material contained herein for personal or non-commercial group study, may do so without permission. Those who wish to use any of this material for mass distribution are requested to contact the webmaster. Webmaster@GodsPurposes.org |