What's the Plan

As we draw nearer to what is traditionally referred to as "Easter" or "Easter Sunday" it might behoove us to consider changing the name to "Resurrection Sunday." Why? The name “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions (paganism). This name is never used in the original Scriptures, nor is it ever associated in the Scriptures with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the reason why we should call the Sunday celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ "Resurrection Sunday” rather than “Easter” when referring to the annual Christian remembrance of Christ’s resurrection.

Man has, and continuously accuses God of injustice in His dealings with the human race. Many angrily declare that He has no right to execute judgment because man is basically good. However, can God justify Himself in the face of these age old accusations? Has God a right to sentence one person to hell and another to heaven? Has God, as Judge, a right to execute the sentence prescribed in
Scripture against those who reject Christ? Let us consider this matter to see if God is just or unjust in His dealing with man. We must consider what was in the mind of God, His plan for mans redemption, as to what must be accomplished for mans sin to be paid in full and justice completely satisfied. First. let us consider the fallen state of man.

Man was created to be the eternal associate of God Almighty, and was formed on those lines, in "Gods image and likeness." (Genesis 1:26) When man became a living being, he was completely in tune with the heart and mind of God. God gave man a place in creation that was second only to God Himself with dominion and authority over creation. (Psalm 8:5-6) Yet, this man, Adam, did the unthinkable. He committed a crime against eternity, against creation, against his unborn descendants, moreover, against the Creator. He committed Treason against the Supreme Court of the universe, against the Government of God. He turned over all that he was and meant to be, into the hands of an enemy, Satan, giving this enemy the dominion and authority that God had given him. (Luke 4:5-6)

Man had become spiritually bankrupt. He has lost his approach to God; he has forfeited his legal standing and is now under the rule of a foreign king. He has renounced his allegiance to the God of the universe and is described as "having no hope and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12) But God is a God of justice. When justice makes its demand that man pay the penalty of his crime, man is unable to pay even the interest. The penalty of man's transgression is separation from God, hell. There was no mitigation of the sentence for the crime that man committed. His crime was an unpardonable sin. Sadly, Adam did this on such a legal basis that God could not abrogate or annul what he had done. Justice would have to be satisfied and it all had to happen on legal ground.

The great dilemma; Simply put, man's penalty for treason must be met, man cannot meet the demands, therefore he cannot save himself. The penalty is spiritual death and incarceration in hell. Someone must go there and pay man's penalty. Unfortunately, there is not a man who can represent the human race before God, neither is there a man who can stand for himself before God. The whole human race is under indictment. This means that it would be entirely up to God to provide a way. In other words, God must assume the liabilities of man's awful treason. If not, then man would be eternally lost. If God should assume the liabilities of man's fall and pay man's penalty independently of man, then God will have answered the criticism of man against His justice. This means, that it would be necessary that God would come down to the earth, become flesh, lay upon Himself all the guilt of the entire the human race, go to Hell and suffer in man's place so that no human would have to suffer. This would be the only way that man could be saved and at the same time, God could vindicate Himself.   

So, the work to restore man must not take advantage of Satan, and must be upon absolute legal grounds to man, to the Devil, and to God Himself. Man must not only be delivered from the dominion of Satan, but there must be a way that man be given the authority by which he can meet the devil and conquer him. There must also be legal grounds on which God can justly judge the human race and compel them to pay the penalty of sin if they reject His plan of redemption. So, what's the plan? The first thing that God must do is to provide a Redeemer. This Redeemer must first be adequate to meet every demand of justice; second, every need of man; and third, He must conquer Satan, annihilate death, and bring life.

The only way that this could be accomplished, is through incarnation. That is, He as a spiritual being must take on a human body. This human body cannot be a mortal body as ours, that is, subject to death, but He must have a body patterned after the pure body of the first man, Adam, as well as having the same dominion and authority as Adam had prior to the fall. Finally, He must be able to be a substitute for man. He must pass the requirements that justice demands for a substitute, that is, He must be capable of suffering all that man would have suffered until justice was completely satisfied and every legal requirement of justice has been fully satisfied against the human race. No man, no angel, or a disembodied spirit could accomplish this, it must be God Himself.

The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God... And the Word became 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." (John 1:1-2, 14) One of the most wonderful, incredible, mind boggling event in the entire history of man occurred. Deity put on flesh. The Son of God, Jesus, stepped out of eternity and entered time and space for one reason, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17) Hallelujah!!!

Our heavenly Father had devised such a brilliant, ingenious plan to save man, that not man or Satan himself was able to discern. Man and Satan simply carried out the Father's will completely unaware of it. His plan was progressively revealed throughout the Old Testament and yet man and Satan were blinded to the truth. Let us never forget the great love that our heavenly Father has for man, that He Himself would take the liability for all the crimes of man upon Himself, so that "whoever believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should not perish but have everlasting life."