Berea was relating to me how empty and hopeless the gospel is without God. "Well obviously," you might say. What she was getting at was when we only talk about certain attributes of God and not others we actually change the gospel into something it isn't. That's serious. And after a week of hearing this type of preaching, I could see the anger in my friend's face. Friends, if we pick and choose God's attributes and modify the gospel to make it more"acceptable", we are in danger of the wrath of God. Look at how Paul addresses the Galatians when they tried to modify the gospel to incorporate the traditions of men and in turn make a legalistic gospel.
"I marvel that ye are soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you , and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8)
Let's take a moment now to see how God's omniscience relates to the gospel.
God knows all things. Everything. His knowledge is eternal (Rev 1:8, Isaiah 40:28). He knows what has happened in the past, what happens in the present, and what will happen in the future. He is outside of time. Picture time as a bubble, God is outside that bubble looking on and interacting with it. He has created the bubble and has planned everything that happens inside it. Or sometimes I picture a live timeline; God can see what was happening in the past what is happening now and what will happen in the future as if they were all happening at the same instant.
With this knowledge, He also has all wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 2:1-6). Actually, all knowledge and wisdom comes from God (Proverbs 3:19). So any knowledge we think we have has actually been given to us by God (Romans 1:17-20).
People often forget God's omniscient when it comes to the knowledge of His will (Isaiah 55:8-11). God has planned everything before the world was even created. When Adam ate the fruit and sin entered the world, that was in the will of God.
What? God can't will sin to happen! Why not? God cannot sin, tempt people to sin, work sin, be acquainted with sin, create sin, or allow sin in His presence (Deuteronomy 32:4). As "The Old Curiosity Shop" writes, "He (God) cannot in any way be the author of evil." But God has planned for evil to enter the world. God is sovereign over evil. When Adam ate the fruit, God wasn't in heaven wringing His hands saying, "Oh no! That wasn't supposed to happen... I guess I'll have to go to plan 'B'." The fall of man was in God's plan 'A', it has always been plan 'A'.
Why did God plan for sin to come into this world? Look at its destruction! For the beauty of the gospel. Think about it, had evil not come into the picture nor would our need of salvation or the grace and mercy of Christ! We would never be able to understand the grace of God! That's why angels long to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12), because they cannot worship God in the way a regenerated sinner can. Salvation was not granted to angels, but to humans, made in the image of God.
It fills me with worship to think that God would plan to reveal His awesome, gracious character to people through the gospel! When we fail to see sin as being part of God's plan, we make the gospel seem like a patch up job. IT'S FAR FROM A PATCH UP JOB! It is God's sovereign plan to reveal His nature through fallen man and pour out His love on His chosen worms - the church. He displayed something so unfathomable on the cross when God in human flesh came to take our place, shed His blood, and bear the wrath of God so that we might draw near to God and know Him. That's the gospel! That is the omniscience of God!
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" Isaiah 46:9-10
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Your Sister in Christ,
Brooke
"I marvel that ye are soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you , and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8)
Let's take a moment now to see how God's omniscience relates to the gospel.
God knows all things. Everything. His knowledge is eternal (Rev 1:8, Isaiah 40:28). He knows what has happened in the past, what happens in the present, and what will happen in the future. He is outside of time. Picture time as a bubble, God is outside that bubble looking on and interacting with it. He has created the bubble and has planned everything that happens inside it. Or sometimes I picture a live timeline; God can see what was happening in the past what is happening now and what will happen in the future as if they were all happening at the same instant.
With this knowledge, He also has all wisdom and understanding (Proverbs 2:1-6). Actually, all knowledge and wisdom comes from God (Proverbs 3:19). So any knowledge we think we have has actually been given to us by God (Romans 1:17-20).
People often forget God's omniscient when it comes to the knowledge of His will (Isaiah 55:8-11). God has planned everything before the world was even created. When Adam ate the fruit and sin entered the world, that was in the will of God.
What? God can't will sin to happen! Why not? God cannot sin, tempt people to sin, work sin, be acquainted with sin, create sin, or allow sin in His presence (Deuteronomy 32:4). As "The Old Curiosity Shop" writes, "He (God) cannot in any way be the author of evil." But God has planned for evil to enter the world. God is sovereign over evil. When Adam ate the fruit, God wasn't in heaven wringing His hands saying, "Oh no! That wasn't supposed to happen... I guess I'll have to go to plan 'B'." The fall of man was in God's plan 'A', it has always been plan 'A'.
Why did God plan for sin to come into this world? Look at its destruction! For the beauty of the gospel. Think about it, had evil not come into the picture nor would our need of salvation or the grace and mercy of Christ! We would never be able to understand the grace of God! That's why angels long to look into these things (1 Peter 1:12), because they cannot worship God in the way a regenerated sinner can. Salvation was not granted to angels, but to humans, made in the image of God.
It fills me with worship to think that God would plan to reveal His awesome, gracious character to people through the gospel! When we fail to see sin as being part of God's plan, we make the gospel seem like a patch up job. IT'S FAR FROM A PATCH UP JOB! It is God's sovereign plan to reveal His nature through fallen man and pour out His love on His chosen worms - the church. He displayed something so unfathomable on the cross when God in human flesh came to take our place, shed His blood, and bear the wrath of God so that we might draw near to God and know Him. That's the gospel! That is the omniscience of God!
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:" Isaiah 46:9-10
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
Your Sister in Christ,
Brooke
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