God’s plan for creation it is very good and welfare. The goal for which it was instituted is of the greatest utility. It is good in a functional sense, because it is sure to function, producing the ends for which it was ordered. Ultimately, it is good because it is God’s plan.
Concentrating on some aspects of its nature and attributes. Because God is the Planner, we are sure that this plan is safe and good. We will consider the plan, focusing on the general features of the development of the plan in history.
Is there a plan for the earth?
The Scriptures make it very clear that there is a plan. A number of pieces of evidence could be used for the existence of God’s plan for creation, but the most compelling evidence is that which is recorded in Scripture:
The statements of our Lord Jesus Christ are consistent with the words of the Scriptures concerning God’s plan. The Old Testament prophets laid out God’s plan for the Messiah, which included both his suffering and his glory:
Therefore, when he comes into the world, he says: You did not want sacrifice and offering, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sacrifices for sin you took no pleasure.
At the time of his birth, some of God’s plans for Christ were described. Repeatedly our Lord indicated that he was not pursuing his own plan but fulfilling the Father’s plan.
Biblical Features in God’s Plan for Creation
1) The plan is from God.
God is the planner. All plans reflect the attributes of God. Only from this point of view can we properly appreciate the plan itself. An appreciation of the nature and attributes of God requires more than a lifetime; it requires an eternity in his presence. Here we can only briefly review some of God’s attributes and characteristics that reflect on his plan for creation. We will take a sample from the Scriptures of God’s nature, his character, and his activities as stated in the Bible.
Since God, the planner, is also the creator, He is the rightful owner of all creation. As creator God he also had the freedom to design and shape his creation in a way that best served his purposes. A house designed and built by someone else will be different from the one we would design and build. When someone else builds a house and we buy it, certain things can be changed, but some things are beyond modification.
The Scriptures are clear that all of creation was planned and brought into being by God. His creation was made as He wanted it, according to his eternal plan. He has not been given someone else’s creation. All things were created according to his plan and his purposes.
2) God’s plan includes what he has predestined to happen.
When our Lord spoke of the Father’s plan for all eternity, he spoke of it as the Father’s will. Similarly, when we speak of “God’s plan for creation” or “God’s plan for the ages” we will sometimes refer to this as God’s will, and rightly so. But this “will” of God must be carefully distinguished from various other “wills.” In general terms, the expression “will of God” can be summarized in this way:
God’s Eternal Decree
God’s will:
- Preference: God’s desire
- Prescriptive: God’s standards for men
- Permissive: lto the supreme will of God
God’s will: refers to God’s eternal decree, the plan that will surely come to pass. It encompasses all other “wills.” The “preferential will of God” refers to that which gives pleasure or displeasure to God. Our Lord’s prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane reveals that the cross of Calvary was not our Lord’s desire, but rather His purpose. God does not want anyone to perish, but rather that a repentance occur in us.
He wants all men to be saved. Despite this desire, God has purposed that some will be eternally saved, while others will be eternally damned (see Romans 9). Just as we can whip a disobedient child when it is not our desire or delight, God’s decree includes some things in which he does not delight, such as the punishment of the wicked.
The “prescriptive will of God” is the will expressed as a norm for the conduct of man. It is the will established in the Scriptures as commandments, norms or principles that govern what we do or do not do. God’s prescriptive will that we not steal, lie, or worship idols. It is also his (prescriptive) will that we love him and love our neighbor.
God’s “permissive will” includes those events or actions of men that are, in themselves, sinful. They are contrary to God’s preference and his prescriptive will. However, God uses sin to accomplish his will. God used the sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers to bring Jacob’s entire family (Israel) to Egypt, thus fulfilling his will. He used the opposition of the scribes and Pharisees, the betrayal of Judas, and the political cowardice of Herod and Pilate to bring about the sacrificial death of our Lord:
God’s will incorporates all his subordinate wills. In his Word, God reveals his preferential and prescriptive will. When men trust and obey him, God uses his obedience to fulfill a portion of his plan. When men rebel and disobey him, God sovereignly uses his sin to further his plan. In this way God makes all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose and his plan.
3) God’s plan is eternal.
God is eternal, and so is his plan. It was set in eternity past, long before God created the heavens and the earth. It extends into eternity future when the kingdom of God is established on earth, and men will enjoy the eternal blessings of being in his presence, or the agony of eternal separation. The revelation of God’s plan in the Bible does not begin at the beginning of eternity (if we can speak in these terms) but at the beginning of man, since the Bible is about man and for man.
The foundation of the world is a reference point in the Bible:
God’s plan was established long before creation. His program for humanity began at creation. Because the Bible is addressed to men, the creation story is the starting point. The rise and fall of satan receive little attention in the Bible. In the texts dealing with his downfall, the reference to him is somewhat veiled, intertwined with an accusation of kings.
4) God’s plan is all-encompassing.
When human plans fail, it is often because the planner has overlooked some detail. Something unforeseen comes up, and suddenly the plans collapse. This is because not all the details were taken into account. God’s plan is all inclusive. It is based on the omniscience of God (knowing everything), so that everything past, present and future is taken into account. God’s omniscience, as we have seen, includes all things that will actually happen, as well as all things that could happen. Every contingency is taken into account in God’s plan.
God’s plan includes seemingly insignificant details. Excludes “good luck” or coincidences. When Joseph wandered through a field looking for his brothers, they not only found him and told him where his brothers had gone. The fact that the pit into which Joseph was thrown was empty was not a coincidence. The passing caravan, heading towards Egypt, was also no accident. The fact that Ruth “happened” in the field of Boaz, a close relative of Naomi, was not a mere chance but a matter of God’s providential control (see Ruth 2:3).
God’s plan for creation includes the sovereign choice of individuals for salvation and destruction. As difficult as this may be for some to accept, it is the clear and consistent teaching of Scripture.
Apart After the sovereign intervention of God, through his Spirit, no man seeks God, and no man will ever find him. Since salvation is God’s work, and not ours, God must receive the glory. This fact also ensures our salvation and sanctification. This does not minimize our responsibility to proclaim the gospel or man’s responsibility to receive or reject it.
God’s plan also includes the creation of life, the design and destiny of men. Includes the calling of individuals to a specific service. The plan also has a precise calendar.
5) The goal of God’s plan is to bring glory to himself.
The demonstration of the glory of God is offensive to the unbeliever who prefers to seek his own glory. The same thing happened with satan. “Charles Hodge rightly points out the error of making man’s happiness the goal of God’s plan.” For the Christian, the glory of God is our hope.
It is by faith that we stand firm; and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
6) God’s plan does not change, and cannot be frustrated – it is an effective plan
This characteristic is frequently and dogmatically asserted in the Scriptures. God’s plan does not change.
God’s plan is absolutely true:
The truth that ensures that God’s plan is effective is because he is God. This is based on the truth that God is all-knowing and all-powerful, that he is faithful to his promises, and that his glory is at stake. It is also based on the fact that God’s plan is eternal and inclusive. Nothing is truer than what he states in the Bible.
7) God’s plan is being partially and progressively revealed.
God’s plan is fully developed, and as good as done, from God’s point of view: His works were finished from the foundation of the world. From the human point of view, the plan unfolds progressively throughout the story and is only partially revealed. The Old Testament law established the general outline of God’s plan.
God’s plan for creation could be seen in his initial work throughout the history of Israel. The Old Testament prophets persisted in calling Israel’s attention to the foundations that God had laid in the law. They also added more detail to the plan that God had outlined in the law. If the law foretold of a savior through Eve’s “seed” (Genesis 3:15), this seed was later revealed to be the offspring of David (2 Samuel 7) and also of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 ).
The Messiah’s suffering is hinted at in Genesis 3:15; it is prefigured in the offering of Isaac in the rejection and suffering of Joseph, as well as in the Passover. It is further explained in the Psalms (16:22) and in the prophets. The coming Messiah, who was first understood as the “son of man,” is later described as the “Son of God” (see Isaiah 9:6-7). And so the Messiah was progressively revealed as the God-man.
When Jesus came to earth, suffered, died and rose again, God’s plan was fulfilled…