The Plan of Salvation

I have been studying the book of Romans for several months.  I am taking a class with Bible Study Fellowship.  (Check out https://www.bsfinternational.org/ and learn about this group which has offered classes for children and adults for some 65 years.  They are based in San Antonio and I only learned about them last Summer.)  The material for each class has been used for many years and is very, very good.  I highly recommend that you find a class near you and get involved.

I have also been taking a online class offered by Udemy.  (www.udemy.com).  The class is taught by N.T. Wright and source material includes the new Paul For Everyone commentary written by N.T. Wright and the new translation of the New Testament, The Kingdom New Testament, again written by N.T. Wright.  I find the Bible Study Fellowship study guides and lectures to be a good and necessary balance to N.T. Wright’s lectures and material.  I also have been leaning heavily on the NIV, NET and NLT translations I more commonly use, along with my NIV Study Bible notes.

We just finished the first 8 chapters and as chapter 8 climaxed I was moved to write some words responding to the last chapter.  In particular, I found verses 18-25 to move me in ways I had not experienced before.  Please understand that these are my own thoughts, not N.T. Wrights or BSF, but my own.  These thoughts have been fermenting in my brain for many years.  Please do not adopt these thoughts for yourself without much prayer, meditation and study.  Here is what I wrote:

“This scripture gives me a glorious view of God’s plan of salvation, not just for individuals, but for all of creation.  Suffering we endure here compared to the Glory God has planned is completely overshadowed by that Glory!  The Glory to come is not just a glory we can view, but it is a glory that God intends to share with us.  This scripture implies a time for us to share the triumph earned by Jesus and reign with Him over a continuing creation.  Creation is groaning, waiting for this victory over evil, death and decay to become a reality, for it to be finally revealed.  Look at the ending verses in Psalms 96, 97 and 98 – see the anticipation of creation which was pent up even in the time of the Old Testament.

What will it look like?  We are united with Jesus Christ living in a incorruptible body with no pain, no disease, and no evil.  Jesus has defeated Satan and his demons and shipped them off to the abyss.  He is well on His way to creating a New Heaven/Earth with no Sea, no separation from God the Father.  There is no night, God is the Light.  We have been changed so that we can enjoy fellowship with God and his angels along with all those who have been redeemed by Jesus.

All who have lived and died under the illusion of Satan can now see that his way was a sham.  Satan was a loser.  Could it be possible that they might have a chance to change teams?  Would it be consistent with the character of God, His Son and His Holy Spirit for those who have been deceived to have a second chance?

What is the activity of the New Heaven/Earth?  Sure it will consist of praising and honoring our Holy and Righteous God and Father.  We will pay homage to Jesus and His Spirit and see them as we have never imagined.  But what will we do to assist Him.  He works to complete the creation intended since Eden.  But to what end?  There is a new playing field and a new task.  Those who have been deceived by Satan can now see a demonstration of God’s true sovereignty.  

 There is a fascinating scripture in 1 Peter 3:18-20 which has puzzled me for a long time:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.  After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.  To those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all were saved through water…”

Jesus was awakened after dying a horrible death and did what?  He preached to the people who were deceived by Satan into ignoring Noah and his efforts to convince people that God was real.  To what end?  What good could come from that proclamation? Jesus would not have done that unless there was some hope of even those souls being redeemed!

It is horrible to think of the people who died in the flood.  Every man woman child, baby … even every innocent animal who needed the breath of life perished.  Maybe, just maybe our task will be to join Jesus in His mission to give those who passed up their chance in life to follow Him because of Satan’s deception, a second chance. 

Satan is no more.  Evil is no more.  The environment is like Eden.  No weeds, no evil, no tempter.  God’s sovereign reign can no longer be denied.  People can see without doubt that to reject God is the most foolish act a being can make.  They will gladly enlist in His service along with us who lived as faithfully as we could.

1 Peter 3:18-20 may not be enough evidence to support this dream.  But it sure is a pleasant dream.  And it sure fits in with the vision I have of a loving and merciful God.

God bless.