The Mystery of God's Eternal Purpose
By John Orr
The Mystery of God's Eternal Purpose.
A PLAN of such magnitude as that by which God was manifested in flesh, for the purpose of restoring life and light to man, must have been carefully prepared. Was it designed in the midst of some unexpected occurrence? Was it the product of afterthought consequent upon the fall of man? These are questions always discussed in connection with a study of the prescience and discernment of Him who rules the universe. It must be that He who is mighty in wisdom (Job 36:5), and knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10), well understood the needs of the future, and so prepared such a plan for the creation of a world of intelligences as would cover every emergency ever likely to arise. In the unfolding of this marvelous plan, One stood in the presence of Jehovah who had been with Him from the very beginning of His way. He was Wisdom, who, before the mountains were brought forth, or the clouds were established in the firmament, was constantly in the presence of the Most High, as One brought up with Him. Prov. 8:14-30. His name was called Wonderful, Counselor, and the mighty God. Isa. 9:6. He was the Word, who was with God in the beginning, and was God, by whom all things were made. John 1:1-3. All things were not only made by Him, but for Him, as well; everything was His by right of creation. Col. 1:15, 16. Yet this same Word afterward became flesh, and dwelt among men as the Saviour of the world. John 1:14. It is therefore plain that every detail of God's eternal purpose concerning creation as well as redemption, was intrusted to the authority and might of Christ. Every minute arrangement was perfected before the word was spoken which called the world into being. Before its founding, Christ was set apart as a lamb to be slain for a lost world. 1 Peter 1:19, 20; Rev. 13:8. Through the might of Christ dwelling in men to control their every action, were they to be holy and without blame before God in love. Eph. 1:4, 5. There was good reason for all this minute preparation. Even while the plan for carrying out the purpose of God was being perfected between Father and Son, a dark plot was brewing in heaven itself; confusing sentiments were being quietly disseminated. One who had stood high in the councils of heaven was harboring thoughts of rebellious discontent, which led him to say in his heart, "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." Not being satisfied with the position assigned him, his ambition led him to attempt the exaltation of himself above his associates, even to the highest place under God. He therefore said, "I will be like the Most High." Isa. 14:12-14. He who knew the end from the beginning was fully aware of this ill-concealed tendency. He foresaw the deplorable trials and sufferings that the development of these vailed sentiments were sure to entail upon all who should come under their influence. It was not possible, therefore, to formulate any plan of creation which did not take existing circumstances under consideration. But to open such a question, at such a time, in the presence of all the angels, would be prematurely to expose the designs of heaven's disaffected members, and so precipitate a movement the result of which might have been charged to the indiscreet canvass of what was to many an uncertain proposition. In such a time, when many were probably at the deciding point as to which side of the great question they would array themselves on, it was wisdom on God's part, and better for all concerned, to keep the secret of His knowledge of affairs, between Himself and Son, letting all the angels act freely as they would in the great crisis then before the universe. This done, the loyal and true would be known to have acted from the purest motives. These considerations alone were sufficient to confine such a council to the Father and His only-begotten Son. In the creation which followed, all things belonged to Christ by right of His creative agency. When man fell under the persuasive power of Satan, and sullied his native simplicity, Christ undertook to redeem His own, and so carry out the fulness of that plan which had been perfected between Him and His Father. Altho to do this was to involve the deepest humiliation and shame. He shrank not from the task, but constantly looked forward to the "fulness of the time" when He would descend to earth in the "form of a servant," and there yield up His life-blood for the redemption of a fallen and degraded race. In all the forms of worship required of the patriarchs, the sufferings and death of the coming Messiah were foreshadowed, but so indistinctly that their fullest and deepest significance was not comprehended. The prophets, also, who, under the direction of the Spirit of Christ, wrote of "His sufferings, and the glory that should follow," altho diligently searching to know the time and the manner of the time which the Spirit was indicating through them, failed to understand the full import of these things. Even the angels desired to look into that which had been hidden from them,—the mystery of Christ dwelling in human flesh for its redemption and salvation. 1 Peter 1:9-12. So, "from the beginning of the world," this secret was "hid in God." The fellowship of the mystery may be experienced, but the eternal purpose of God which He purposed in Christ Jesus can never be fully known, either to men or angels, until the church is gathered home, to reveal in itself the power of Christ to cleanse and uplift those who were once rebels against God's government, and fallen under the ban of heaven's law. Then for the first time will be realized by all,—principalities and powers in heaven as well as dwellers upon earth,—the extent of infinite love for the erring, which prompted such a wonderful plan of salvation. Eph. 3:9-11. Such a mystery is indeed too deep for any mind but His in whose counsels it was conceived. Being beyond the pale of finite senses, human logic can not confirm it. "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." But through faith in God, His Spirit does reveal to the human heart many of those deep things of God into which it so constantly searches. 1 Cor. 2:9, 10. But, to receive this, that science of the laws of thought called logic must be laid aside, and the statements of God's words as given must be accepted, without waiting to discover some remote probable certainty of their reliability. These all must be received as positive truth, just because God said them, and not because logic makes their significance entirely clear to the mind. Nor is this an unreasonable condition, when one stops to think that God's thoughts there embodied are as much higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the earth. Isa. 55:9. By this method alone may we be able to see Christ a "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" as a part of the deep mystery of God, and His coming to earth in the "fulness of the time," to die on the cross the sinner's sacrifice, as the seal of the mysterious compact which was confirmed before the foundation of the world. But as this mystery is the power of an indwelling Christ to redeem man to the restoration of his lost estate, the finishing of the mystery (Rev. 10:7) will be the complete gathering into one of "all things in Christ," as has been "declared to His servants the prophets." As men were for long ages oblivious to the mysterious power of electricity, which lay hidden all about, so the operation of God's life-power has been unappropriated by the masses. To learn its silent working, and to know how to apply its benefits to our own persons, is to learn the mystery of God's eternal purpose concerning us. This done, we may boldly say that Omnipotence is on our side; that Wisdom watches over our heads; in short, that God himself is our safeguard, while we trustingly follow where He leads.