Good morning! So, monday spilled over into tuesday… just a wee bit. Sorry! Anyway, Happy Easter everyone. I hope that you all had a great time with friends and family celebrating the Hope that we have in Jesus Christ! If you were not able to be there Sunday for the Five, you can go here and listen to the sermon. Then join the conversation. As you know, I love to carry the conversation over from Sunday and really dig in and benefit from one another’s thoughts and conversation. So, text me a question next time… You can control the conversation… It’s like a choose your own ending novel! Let’s roll.
I got this sweet little vibration in my pocket while preaching, asking this: “Not sure that it was God’s plan. I think that scripture points out that this was Gods plan A. Humanly speaking it was the disciples plan b but in God’s word this was His plan A. Thoughts?”
I don’t believe that Easter was God’s plan A. I actually would disagree with you. In love of course… See, here’s the way I read it. Up until Genesis 3:7 Adam and Eve lived in a sinless state. This is the stage of humanity known as the age of innocence. Or more plainly put, it was a sin free environment. Sin did not exist in humans hearts until Genesis 3:7. I believe that God’s original intent, or His plan A was for humanity to live in a sinless state. Due to our sin, we created a need for a Plan B. Since God is a loving God one who desires a relationship with each and every one of us, He rolled out Plan B. That is the plan that we celebrate every year, Easter.
“When you said that you can’t find the plan anywhere in the Bible what did you mean? The entire Old Testament is filled with references to Easter being the plan of redemption, with Jesus the sacrificial lamb, crucified, and resurrected. Not sure I follow your first comments.”
I agree with you absolutely. I agree 100%. However, what I was trying to say was that in the first 62 verses of the Bible, which summarizes the entire age of innocence, we do not find one illusion to the fact that this plan, Jesus death on a cross, is what was desired.
From this point on however, it is clear that Jesus is the sacrificial lamb, the Messiah, who has come to pay the penalty for my sins. I thank God for what He did for me. However, I believe that it was only because of my sin that Jesus hung on the cross to die. I don’t think that God had this as a part of His plan A. I believe He foreknew it, but did not plan it. I think we with our own free will messed that one up. I came across a video on Carlos Whittaker’s Blog. It is very challenging. It made me really think about my sin that drove Christ to the cross.
[vimeo 4122848]
I loved our conversation today. Don’t ever just take my word for it… Think for yourself… It’s okay to disagree. That is what makes the Body of Christ so beautiful. We are so diverse! I can’t wait to see what God is going to do next. You?
I love you guys!
~Peter
7 Comments
That’s a crazy thought, that salvation was God’s Plan B. But when you think about it, it does make a lot of sense.
Also, I saw that video on Los’s blog yesterday. Wow. If that doesn’t make you want to flip your life upside down and be better than what you are right now, I don’t know what will.
Anthony, I totally agree with you! That video was awesome! I loved it!
I’m still not buying the whole Plan B premise applied to God’s plan of redeeming his own unto himself. I agree that God’s intentional plan has always been to live in fellowship with His creation, man, and that from the beginning of time was “the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” I believe that our sin (through Adam’s original sin and my specific sins) put in place an eternal plan of redemption that was “in play” from the beginning. If it was “in play” from the beginning I don’t see it as a plan B, something created after the fact, because we didn’t do what we were supposed to do. I believe the All Powerful, All Knowing, and Ever Present Triune God had the salvation plan in pocket and ready to go long before Adam even took a bite of the apple…
If we had never sinned, God’s plan A of redemption would never had been executed…But that doesn’t make it plan B. It’s an argument of semantics perhaps, but to say that the Easter story was a plan B, and is not found anywhere in Scripture was a bit dangerous. I understand now from your comments above that you were trying to refer to the age of innocence, but that is not how it came out initially in your sermon.
Thanks for your thoughts and for listening to my ramblings. I appreciate your heart for seeing people come to know Christ in a personal and lifegiving way. May Christ be lifted high in all we say and do!
Dave,
Thanks for your comments and even your challenge to me… I honestly appreciate it. I do think that we are arguing semantics… Anyway, I appreciate you. See you Sunday!
~Peter
hmmm. is the cross God’s plan A? well, if we follow that line of thinking, it means that the cross, and all things associated with it, were exactly what God had in mind when He created the universe. Including sin. people destroying each other. and hell. and some people rejecting His free gift of salvation and going ot hell. the logic follows that if this is God’s plan A, then He decided before time began to create people specifically so they can spend eternity in utter torment. That must have been his design if the cross was His plan A.
I don’t think i can accept that God’s plan A was for the garden of eden to be a failure and people would treat each other horribly and sin against Him. Sounds to me like the cross was definitely a plan B.
As to the semantics – yes, i think we are all talking semantics. if God had the cross “in his pocket”, then by definition, it was a plan b. his plan A was the garden. when He designed plan B doesn’t change it from being a plan B.
So right now are you living Gods plan A B C D E F G ….. of your life?
hmm…i’ve been thinking and studying these things as i read this conversation, and I can definitely see both sides. However, if Jesus was God’s plan b I don not understand how this works with scripture. Especially these verses:
Ephesians 1:3-7 (English Standard Version)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved
1 Peter 1:18-20 (English Standard Version)
18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was FOREKNOWN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
2 Timothy 1:8-12 (English Standard Version)
8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us IN CHRIST JESUS BEFORE THE AGES BEGAN, 10and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me.
Revelation 13:8 (English Standard Version)
8and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been WRITTEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
above all else we must look to scripture for everything, and having done that I cannot see Jesus as a plan b. I’d love to hear what everyone else thinks.