CREATION, SALVATION, AND RESTORATION.
By John AP Williams
“The Son of man is come to seek and to save THAT which was lost.” Luke 19:10. That, a small word of only four letters; but O, how few (and how sad that so few) are able to grasp the immensity of its significance in this Scripture! How complete the loss, and how perfect the salvation! But in order to be partakers of the latter, we must fully comprehend the former condition. Let us first consider God’s gifts to man. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” At the end of creation, what was said?—“God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Gen. 1:27, 28, 31. It is impossible for fallen man to grasp the true significance of these words, “Behold, it was very good.” They were pronounced by the great Creator of all things, and included how much?—Everything; man, the crowning act, the image and likeness of his Creator. How extensive was the influence of this exalted position?—“Let them have dominion . . . over all the earth.” Verse 26. It was not intended for this man only, but for the whole race throughout eternity.
Man was not only created in the form of God, but he also had the mind of God, as is plainly set forth in the naming of the creatures. “Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Gen. 2:19. Here again we have the idea of “very good” in the Lord’s implied satisfaction with the work of Adam in naming the animals. “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.” Ps. 104:24. Having completed the great work of creation, and pronounced it very good, God “rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” Why?—“Because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” Gen. 2:2, 3. For whom was this rest day made?—“The Sabbath was made for man.” Mark. 2:27. These were the glories intended for man had he continued to live in harmony with his Maker; but being overcome by the wiles of Satan to the disobedience of God’s holy law, it became necessary for the Son of man to come “to save that which was lost,”—man, with all his endowments at creation. We will now consider the part taken by the Son of man in creation. We shall then be better able to understand his power to recreate, to save, to restore, all things to their original Edenic purity. “Let us make man in our own image.” Gen. 1:26. Here we have an expression of plurality. Who are they who are here denominated “us”?—“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” Verse 14. “O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5; see also Col. 1:17.
There is no room to doubt after reading these plain truths, as to who was the active Agent in all creation. Man, being created in the image and likeness of God, was a free moral agent, and was placed on probation to test his fidelity to the enormous responsibility devolving upon him as the dominant power over all the earth. What was the test, and how did he stand it?—“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; 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.” Gen. 2:16, 17. “The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Gen. 3:4, 6. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4), and “the wages of sin is death” Rom. 6:23). What is now the condition of man created in the image and likeness of God?—He is lost completely, sold into the hands of Satan. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Thanks be to God for this complete victory over sin! “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Heb. 2:14. He “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14. Faith in Christ enables man to be redeemed from all iniquity, but the Son of man came to save THAT which was lost. This includes the dominion granted to man at creation; for there must be a complete restoration of all things, otherwise Christ’s mission would not be fulfilled. How is this brought about?—“The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity.” Matt. 13:41.8 (152)“The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. And what is to follow this destruction?—“Behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Isa. 65:17. God’s children are looking forward with faith to this complete restoration. “We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:13. Mark how complete the destruction; there is not even the memory of sin left to mar the peace of the saints of God. For description of the home of the saved see Isa. 65:18-25 and Revelation 21. But while you read this beautiful description, remember that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9. Dear reader, have you had an earnest of these joys that await the saints of God? If not, I would entreat you in the name of the blessed Saviour to heed his last loving invitation ere the door of mercy is forever closed. Here it is: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20. Our heavenly Father left us also a memorial of creation, which must be restored before Jesus comes in the glory of the Father, in order that the Scriptures may be fulfilled. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8. We have already considered God’s holy and sanctified rest day (Gen. 2:3), called the Lord’s day (Mark 2:27), “My holy day,” and “the holy of the Lord” (Isa. 58:13), with an especial call to build up the old institution (verse 12). In Ex. 31:13 it is mentioned as a sign between God and his children, throughout their generations, that they may know the Lord that doth sanctify them; and in verse 17 a “perpetual covenant.” Again, in Eze. 20:20, it is called “a sign that I am the Lord your God.” And “God’s immutable law” (Ex. 20:8-11) bears his seal and mark of authority, not found in one of the other nine commandments. Satanic Opposition to God’s Law.
Now anything in opposition to God’s law must be of Satan, and Jesus says, “Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” Matt. 15:13. Then it follows that any institution of man’s making must be abandoned by the saints of God before Jesus comes; in other words, they must be worshiping according to the commandments. Jesus came to “magnify the law” (Isa. 42:21); “not to destroy,” “but to fulfil” (Matt. 5:17). We have a power brought to view in prophecy which shall “speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and the law.” Dan. 7:25, R. V. The law of the Most High could be no other than the Ten Commandments. Can we prove, then, that God’s times and law have been tampered with by man? Sun worship, together with a recognition of Sunday as a solar holiday, is as old as history itself. Sunday became nominally a legal Christian institution in the reign of Constantine, A.D. 321. About forty years later the spirit of this decree had so permeated the church authorities that they were ready to decree anathema against all who should observe the seventh day according to the commandments. This decree was passed by a church council at Laodicea, A.D. 364. With Whom Will You Co-operate?
Reader, will you unite with the Papacy, or will you coöperate with the Son of man to save THAT which was lost? I would say here that we can not be saved without this voluntary coöperation. It is our privilege to unite with Jesus in this great plan of salvation. A few illustrations may not be out of place. Take the man born blind (our natural condition); Jesus made the clay and anointed the eyes, but the man did the washing. John 9:6, 7. In the case of Lazarus, Jesus commanded the stone to be removed from the grave by those present. Could not the same power that raised the dead remove the stone? Again, why was not Lazarus brought forth freed from the grave clothes?—For the same reason. “Loose him, and let him go.” John 11:39, 44. How many will be found worshiping the apostate power when Jesus comes?—“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.” Rev. 13:8. And who will have their names written in the book of life? Just before the falling of the seven last plagues, we find an angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, saying, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Rev. 7:2, 3. We find then, beyond a doubt, that the sealed and those whose names are (at that time) written in the book of life are identical, because the plagues are to fall upon those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Rev. 9:4. We have already found the seal of God in the fourth commandment. Ex. 20:8-11. The great burden of the saints in Rev. 14:12 refers to the same: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Again, we have these words: “The dragon [Satan] was wroth with the woman [Christ’s church], and went to make war with the remnant [what is left just before Christ’s coming] of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. 12:17. Conditions of Restoration.
We have already studied man’s probationary test (Gen. 2:16, 17), and found the cause of his fall (Gen. 3:4, 6). Let us now consider his expulsion from Eden. Man is now a sinner, and under condemnation of death, and justly so. He has wilfully disobeyed God’s command, and as there is a tree of life in the garden, God in his love and mercy severs man’s connection therewith, lest he should eat thereof, and become an immortal sinner. Gen. 3:22. But he may regain access thereto, conditionally. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Rev. 2:7. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14. It is perfect submission to the will of God that brings about this blissful condition, and when the saints regain their lost dominion, they will worship God as Adam did when he possessed the mind of his Maker before the fall. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66:22, 23. Thus the Son of man completes his mission; having found and saved THAT which was lost.