God's Eternal Purpose

The death of Jesus was pre-planned and foreknown before man was created.  We have noticed several passages that state this. 1 Peter 1:18-20 says, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: WHO VERILY WAS FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD…”

Then in verse 22 we also see another  foreknown fact for which Jesus came: it was to to reveal ‘truth’. 

This is equally important in our salvation, because truth is something that must be learned & obeyed by man in order for GOD to save him from his sins.

God foreordained for man to know His will and how to obey HIM.  We see this from 1 Tim. 2:4 which says of God, ”Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”; and here in 1 Pet. 1:22 where Peter said that the soul is purified by obeying truth. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth...”

Salvation is not a result of blind trust; nor is it an unexplainable experience.  It can be understood for it involves being taught.  Man is ‘drawn’ to GOD by being taught of God.  This was one of the reasons that Jesus taught while HE was on earth.

Jesus stated in John 6:44-45, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me DRAW him…THEN JESUS EXPLAINS HOW THE FATHER DRAWS:

“…every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” 

Did you notice the order: hearing and learning precedes coming unto Him?

Jesus didn’t just come and die; he also taught; He taught us of the Father.  ‘Truth’ came by Jesus according to (John 1:17); and it came thru His teachings.  The reason for this is that it is in man’s attitude and reaction to the things Jesus taught that a good/bad heart is revealed in that individual.

A good heart believes and obeys; an evil heart does not.

Jesus said repeatedly that if any man loves Him, that man would ‘keep His commandments’ (John 14:15, 21, 23).

This is why doctrine is so important in religion.  Doctrine can be wrong and there IS such a thing as ‘false’ teaching; (Gal. 1:6-9, Paul spoke of ‘another gospel’).

Satan deceives thru twisting God’s teaching, as we saw from how He deceived Eve.

Those who hated Jesus; who rejected and denied Him as being sent from God; did so because they disagreed with what He taught. 

Even though he performed many miracles in their very presence, [He was not hated for the miracles; He was hated for what He taught]

It was by the acceptance of His teachings that His followers were determined. 

Likewise, those who rejected His teaching and refused to obey what He taught could not be His disciple. 

Any and all division that exists about Jesus and the division within the religious realm, is in regard to Jesus’ teachings and His claims to have received His teachings from God. 

He went on to state that even within a family there would be division over Him.  This division would be over His teachings (acceptance or rejection). 

In Matt. 10:34-37 He said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.   For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  

What we learn from this is that even within a family there are good and evil hearts; the nature of the heart is revealed in how the individual reacts when exposed to what Jesus taught, for He taught that ALL must submit to His teachings and acknowledge His right to command them how to live their life. 

He taught that discipleship involved obedience in v. 38 of this same chapter: “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

The apostle John recorded Jesus’ words on the necessity of obedience to Jesus’ teachings in John 12:48 – “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

God’s eternal purpose for all humanity is their salvation; and their salvation is dependent upon their acceptance of the things Jesus taught.