Soteriology is the doctrine of salvation. Under anthropology we have seen that every man is by nature totally depraved, guilty before God, and under the penalty of death. Soteriology deals with the provision of salvation through Christ and the application of it through the Holy Spirit. This doc- trine will be treated under these two general categories. The first six chapters (XXI-XXVI) deal with the provision of salvation, covering such topics as the plan of God and the person and work of Jesus Christ. The next eight chapters (xxvII-XXXIV) concern the application of salvation. In this section the work of the Holy Spirit; the great doctrines of salvation, such as election, conversion, justification, regeneration, adoption; and other doctrines which relate to the Christian walk, such as sanctification, perseverance, and the means of grace, are considered.
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CHAPTER XXI
The Purpose, Plan, and Method of God
Since salvation is the great spiritual work of God in respect to man, it is reasonable to believe that he has a definite purpose, plan, and program. It is these three which are considered in this chapter.
I. THE PURPOSE OF GOD
By his prescience God was fully aware that man would fall into sin and become utterly ruined even before he created him. Still, he created him for his glory and purpose and planned a way of redemption when he “chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). This purpose is indicated in human nature and in the Scriptures.
A. IN HUMAN NATURE
The fall of man occasioned the loss of his original innocence and holiness, but it did not rob him of all his spiritual knowledge.
1. The knowledge of God. The intuitive knowledge of the existence of some God or gods is generally acknowledged. All men have some idea or conception of God, though it may vary greatly. Concerning those who claim to be atheists, it is doubtful if any of them would consistently stand by their avowed position under every circumstance. The Scriptures declare that men have this knowledge also on the testimony of the voice of creation (Rom.
1:20; Acts 14:15-17; 17:22-31). The purpose of God to provide salvation for man is thus indicated in the remnant of the knowledge of God which he allowed man to retain.
2. The knowledge of sin. This is as universal as the knowledge of God (Rom. 1:32). In fact, it is possible to meet with men who claim to be agnostics and yet readily admit the existence of sin. The presence of evil all around them is evidence too strong to be denied. Even those who claim they are “good enough” and need no savior, do not go so far as to say they have never committed sin. The heathen may have conceptions of sin which do not
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harmonize with Scripture, but they believe that certain things offend the deity in which they believe. “Further, all men have moral notions, even the modern man who by theory does not believe in morality. Although the standard of moral judgments may be much lower than those set forth in the Bible, moral judgments are still constantly being made.“1
B. IN THE SCRIPTURES
Since the New Testament is the fulfillment and explanation of the Old, we turn principally to the Old for the revelation of God’s purpose. It begins with the protevangelium (Gen. 3:15) and continues until the whole program has been outlined. This revelation can be considered from the standpoint of the Law and the Prophets.
1. The Law. By this we refer to the Mosaic legislation as found in the Pentateuch. First, the theophanies, or appearances of God to Moses, and even to the whole camp of Israel on occasion, served to confirm and develop faith in a personal God. So also did the various miracles wrought in Egypt and during the wilderness wanderings. Secondly, the specifications of divine demands with the announced penalty which would follow failure to obey, served to arouse a conviction of guilt and fear of the consequences of sin.
“Through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). This law is called “our tutor to lead us to Christ” (Gal. 3 : 24). Thirdly, the establishment of a system of sacrifice and a priesthood to administer it, indicated a need of some method of removing man’s guilt as well as the provision of that method by God. It takes the book of Leviticus to fully understand Hebrews.
2. The Prophets. Through the voice of prophecy, God announced his pur- pose. The coming of Christ is clearly foretold. Many of the prophecies have his earthly kingdom in view, for that is also a part of God’s program of salvation, but we are concerned just now about those which speak of his humiliation for the purpose of delivering us from sin. Sifting these from many others, they tell us the following: Christ was (a) to “bruise” the head of the serpent (Gen. 3: 15); (b) to remove ungodliness from Jacob (Ram.
11:26f.; cf. Isa. 59:20); (c) t bo ear the sins of many (Isa. 53: 12); and in order to do this, (d) to make his soul an offering for sin; (e) to pour out his soul until death; and (f) to be numbered with the transgressors (Isa. 53: 10, 12).
The experience of the cross is graphically portrayed in Ps. 22.
God’s revelation is also seen in the numerous types found in the Old Testament in such persons as Adam (Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:45), Mel- chizedek (Heb. 7:1-3), and Joshua (Deut. 18:18; Acts 3:22f.); such events as
‘Schaeffer, Death in the City, p. 112.
The Purpose, Plan, and Method
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God 207the brazen serpent (John 3:14-16) and the wilderness wanderings (1 Car.
10:6, 11); such offices as prophet (Acts 3:22), priest (Heb. 3:1), and king (Zech. 9:9) ; such institutions as the passover (1 Cor. 5: 7) ; and such things as incense (Rev. 8:3) and the veil (Heb. 10:20).
Paul says that God has “made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view of an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:9f.), and speaks of “the eternal purpose [purpose of the ages] which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph.
3: 11). We are left in no doubt that God has a definite purpose.
II. THE PLAN OF GOD
He who works in an orderly way in nature has not left the salvation of man to haphazard and uncertain experimentation. Scripture shows us that he has a definite plan of salvation. This plan includes the means by which salvation is to be provided, the objectives that are to be realized, the persons that are to benefit by it, the conditions on which it is to be available, and the agents and means by which it is to be applied. It may be added that he has only one plan and that all must be saved in the same way, if they are to be saved at all, whether they be moral or immoral, trained or untrained, Jew or Gentile, whether living in the Old Testament period or in the present age.
A. THE REVELATION OF GODS PLAN
Scripture must be studied as a whole if we are truly to know God’s plan.
One may, for instance, note that Jesus said to the ruler who came to him, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19: 17), and undertake to save himself by good conduct. This would be to miss completely the real meaning of the passage. The Bible is to the theologian what nature is 10 the scientist, a source of unorganized or only partly organized facts out of which he formulates his generalizations. As it is unsafe for the scientist to draw conclusions before he has made a sufficient number of inductions, so it
IS unsafe for the Bible student to formulate doctrines out of isolated or insufficient proof-tests. Nowhere is this principle more important than in the study of the doctrine of salvation, for in no field are there more differences of opinion and in no study are the conclusions more far-reaching.
B . THE OUTLINE OF GOVS PLAN
Certain matters are included in God’s plan. The Scriptures teach that God has provided salvation in the person and work of his Son. This Son was made to
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assume our flesh, die in our stead, rise again from the dead, ascend to the Father, receive the place of power at God’s right hand, and appear before God in the believer’s behalf. He is to come again to consummate redemption. This work of God’s Son was for the purpose of saving us from the guilt, the penalty, the power, and ultimately the presence of sin. This plan embraced also the redemption of nature, which has been subjected to vanity because of man’s sin. Salvation was provided for the world in some general sense, but more particularly for the elect, those who will believe in Christ and walk in his ways. Repentance is necessary for salvation, but merely as a preparation of the heart and not as a price paid for the gift of life. Faith is the only condition to salvation, and it is the gift of God. The Holy Spirit is the agent in the application of salvation to the individual soul. He uses the Word of God to bring about conviction, to point the way to Christ, and to regenerate the soul. He continues the work of sanctification in the believer’s life. Salva- tion is not complete until the believer is resurrected and presented holy and blameless to Christ by the Holy Spirit.
III. THE METHODS OF GOD
Although God has but one plan of salvation, he has had various ways of dealing with man in regard to it, and these over a long period of time. The Scriptures intimate that this long time of preparation was needful. They state, “But when the fulness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4).
The object of this time of preparation was threefold: to disclose to man the true nature of sin and the depth of depravity to which he had fallen, to reveal to him his powerlessness to preserve or regain an adequate knowledge of God, or to deliver himself from sin by philosophy and art, and to teach him that forgiveness and restoration are possible only on the ground of a sub- stitutionary sacrifice. History shows how imperfectly the world learned these lessons ; yet a partial learning of them was necessary before God could introduce the Savior in person. The means God employed to accomplish these objectives are numerous. Though God does not change, his methods often do. He used a perfect environment, conscience, human government, inspiring promises, and the Mosaic law. At present he is using the fuller New Testament revelation, and in the future he will rule personally with a rod of iron. Under each of these tests there was a failure, and each ended in judgment. This will be the case in the present age and in the age to come.
This is clearly seen on a closer examination of the Scriptures in their division of time into periods.
The Purpose, Plan, and Method of God A. IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ERA
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God placed our first parents in the garden of Eden, a most perfect environ- ment. He had created them without a carnal nature and made every provi- sion for their happiness and holiness. He subjected them to a simple test and warned them of the consequences of disobedience. He entered into personal fellowship with them. But when Satan came under the guise of a serpent, Eve listened to him, ate of the forbidden fruit, gave to her husband also, and he ate. As a result, they became guilty before God; their nature became corrupt; they died spiritually; and they transmitted the effects of their sin to their offspring. They did not retain the true knowledge of God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. God expelled them from the garden after he had pronounced a curse upon the serpent and the ground.
Conscience now became active, and man was given the opportunity to show that the law of God written in man’s nature was sufficient to bring him back to God. But Cain himself was a murderer; and though for a time there was godliness in the line of Seth, by and by all piety disappeared. All flesh corrupted its way and every imagination of the thought of the heart was only evil continually. There was no seeking after God. The voice of conscience was insufficient to cause man to seek after God and his way of salvation. God was obliged to visit the world in judgment. Only Noah and his house were saved;
the rest were destroyed by the deluge that God sent as a visitation upon man for his sin.
After the flood God gave Noah information concerning human govern- ment. Murderers were to be legally executed. This is the highest function of government, and it implies every lesser function. Yet man was to rule for God, and men were to be directed by God through just and holy laws. Men, however, made a great federation and erected a tower for the purpose of idol worship. The glory and pride of man seems to have been the chief purpose in the erection of the tower of Babel. Man had ceased to rule for God and had begun to rule for himself. God, accordingly, came down in judgment upon the disobedient race and confounded their speech. Then the peoples were scattered over the face of the earth and a divided nation arose. The gov- ernments did not have God in their thinking, and man degenerated into idolatry.
God then called on Abraham to leave his country and follow him into a new land. Abraham obeyed God, and God made a covenant with him. He promised to give to him a great posterity, to give the land in which he was a stranger to his posterity, and to make him a blessing to all nations. The latter promise looked forward to the coming of Messiah, but was not limited to that event. He and his descendants were to be a spiritual blessing to the nations through all time as well. The promise was repeated to Isaac and Jacob. Jacob
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and his family moved to Egypt. The outcome was persecution from the Egyptians and divine deliverance from the house of bondage.
At Mount Sinai God proposed the covenant of works, and the people accepted it. They promised to do “all that the Lord has spoken” (Exod. 19:8).
But it is evident that the people did not reckon with the depravity of the human heart, nor the power of Satan. Before Moses could deliver the Ten Commandments, written on two tables of stone, Israel had made an idol and had begun to worship it. The story of Israel’s failure at Kadesh-barnea, under the judges, and during the monarchy are well known. Under the judges, God several times subjected them to oppressing nations, and after a short time he had the northern kingdom taken to Assyria, and about 135 years later the southern kingdom to Babylon. Some fifty or sixty thousand returned from Babylon, but their conduct was little better.
When Jesus their Messiah came, they rejected him and demanded that the Romans crucify him. Finally, God sent these same Romans to destroy their city and temple and to scatter the people over the face of the whole earth.
They honored the law with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. It was proved that legal prescriptions cannot make man seek after God, nor can animal sacrifices change the heart.
B. IN THE PRESENT ERA
A greater change of method has taken place for the present. This is the church period. After all the previous methods, finally the Savior himself appeared. By his death he made atonement for the sins of Old Testament believers as well as for those of New Testament believers (Rom. 3:21-26).
God now offers to every man salvation through Jesus Christ. Prior to this age the plan of salvation was, in many instances, but dimly apprehended; now the whole scheme is laid open to every man that will know it. All that is required of any man is to accept what God has provided in Christ. If a man by faith accepts the offer of life, he is born again of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit follows up the work begun in regeneration and perfects holiness in the believer. Simple and clear as this plan is, both Scripture and observation teach us that man does not readily respond to the gospel invitation. Indeed, we are told that as the end of the age approaches, many will depart from the faith and ungodliness will abound. God will take his church home to himself and deliver the rest of earth’s population over to the awful tribulation that is to come. But even in the church age unbelief is rampant and the believing are few.
C. IN THE FUTURE ER A
A still greater change is promised to come for the millennial period. Christ must reign in every realm into which sin has entered. He came once and
.*
The Purpose, Plan, and Method of God 205 offered to be Israel’s king and savior, but the majority turned a deaf ear to his offers. He will come again in glory and take charge of this world by force. As t-he son of David, he will institute an earthly kingdom. Israel will be the center of that kingdom and Jerusalem will be the capital. All nations will come to worship at Mount Zion. The period will begin with a converted world, for Christ will judge the armies that come against him at Armaged- clan, judge the nations that sent them, and bind Satan. Only the saved of earth will enter into the kingdom. But many people will be born during the millennium, and they will not all become true believers. Some will yield only feigned obedience. Sin will be put down with a rod of iron, but much conformity will be only outward. The hypocrisy of many will become evi- cient at the close of the millennium, for when Satan will be loosed for a little ieason, he will secure the adherence of the half-hearted believers. Judgment will fall upon the new rebellion, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire.
*The kingdom, too, will not succeed in making the world righteous. Only the grace of God in the individual heart can change the life permanently in any :.rge; and since not all will receive that grace in any age, not all will be saved.