Jesus being crucified, something to prove

Something
to Prove

“… that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

Editor’s Note: This blog would be considered speculative to some. I believe it to be true but I am certain many would interpret the scriptures quoted differently. Evaluate by your own standards.

There is a tension between Good and Evil throughout the Bible. It is not that the Lᴏʀᴅ is not the Creator but that lesser created beings tend to challenge His authority by viewing themselves as at least equals with Him. This is about that challenge.

In the Book of Beginnings, Genesis, we find that God created everything and pronounced it ‘good’ but in Genesis 2:9 we encounter the awareness of ‘evil’:

And out of the ground the Lᴏʀᴅ God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 1

There is numerous proposals of when ‘evil’ began but it is consistent with Genesis 1 that it was not part of what God created and pronounced as good. We do have several glimpses of early ‘evil’ which could be consistent with the view that it came before Genesis 2, that the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ was in recognition of what could be on earth based upon what had already transpired in heaven. This heaven is the realm of God and the created angels and not the celestials or planetary atmosphere. The Bible records God’s view of early sin in the following texts which begins with Satan’s raising up of himself to take God’s place, Satan’s casting out of heaven and Jesus’s witness to his fall:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.  2
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; 8 and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.  3
(Jesus speaking) And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  4

The Scriptures indicate that angels are created beings and that they have the ability to choose. Inherent in choice is the ability to will to do something outside of the desire of God. This is not that God creates evil but that evil is the choice not to agree with God’s character and wisdom. There is ability to be self-determinate, to make choices which do not align with the purposes for which we were created. Relationship with the Lᴏʀᴅ also includes the choice to not be in relationship on the Lᴏʀᴅ’s terms and it is apparent that Satan who was created ‘good’ and who was in service in God’s presence at a point choose to be what he desired to be apart from the Lᴏʀᴅ and was then separated from God’s abiding presence. In keeping with his desire to elevate himself, he convinced one-third of the other angels to follow his choice and they also suffer his consequence.

There then comes an underlying challenge to God’s worthiness to be Lᴏʀᴅ, that the Lᴏʀᴅ does not rate as supremely wise, that God is no more fit to be God and that Satan is God’s equal. The first interactions between Satan and mankind reflect this challenge:

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 5

Satan’s manifest presence craftily presents the challenge in two parts, “Did God actually say” and “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden,” the big challenge is in the Serpent’s challenge to the woman’s response when he once again asserts himself as above God’s wisdom:

 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6

Recognize the subtlety of the challenge to God’s Word of Truth: first, did God actually say it, then the misquoting of what God had said, and then with the question of perception—that what God said is not true, that God is only trying to keep you unknowing. Smooth, really smooth. But not True. Yes, Satan is the deceiver of man but also the accuser of God.

Following the joining into evil of man after the ways of Satan and the fallen angels, God immediately again enters the narrative and addresses both the consequences for Satan, the consequences for mankind AND the cost that God will pay to redeem those who are willing to be redeemed back into relationship with Him. That redemption is the thrust of the rest of the Bible.

God-followers make many ‘purposes’ of why they exist but one certainly is to reassert that God is Wise, that God’s plan is complete and will accomplish His purposes despite what Satan would claim. It is distinctive that when Satan tempted Jesus in Matthew 4, Satan’s first taunt was, “If you are the Son of God” but remember Jesus is also Creator-God and Satan had already seen Jesus before the incarnation as the Word of God reigning in heaven. Satan is challenging God’s wisdom in becoming Incarnate to the end of redemption of mankind, and that Jesus will succumb to the weaknesses of mortal man. In part this could be that the effectiveness of God’s wisdom being proven out rests in our response to God. It is Wise and a complete plan but if we do not agree with God, there is the appearance that it is not Wise.

The Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians about the work of God in his life and places it in the context of God vindicating God’s wisdom demonstrated through Jesus Christ and into believers:

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 7

Do we ever have the perspective that our relationship with God has more meaning in the eternals than what we see in this moment? Is it possible that we are to be a living demonstration that God’s Wisdom is supreme and true? Could it be that our lives in Christ are intended to be part of God’s refuting of Evil’s claim that God is making a mistake in redemption?

God is intent and content with the plan that He put in place from the beginning. Christ is not an after-thought but rather the willingness of God to intervene if we sinned against Him. Possibly the earliest biography of a man in Scripture is that of Job who lived out the accusations and commendations between Satan and God. God was sure that Job would pass through the trials and that Satan would not prevail against Job even when life was not understandable.

Paul also in his later life looked back with satisfaction at the sufficiency of God’s work in Paul’s life serving God’s purposes for God’s honor:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. 8  

Think about whether your life may mean more to God than you comprehend and then commit to living it accordingly. Amen.

FOOTNOTES

1 Genesis 2:9 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/gen/2/9/s_2009
2 Isaiah 14:12-15 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/isa/14/12-15/s_693012
2 Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/rev/12/7-9/s_1179007
4 Luke 10:18 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/luk/10/18/s_983018
5 Genesis 3:1b (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/gen/3/1/s_3001
6 Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/gen/3/4-5/s_3004
7 Ephesians 3:8-12 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/eph/3/8-12/s_1100008
8 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV) – https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2co/2/14-16/s_1080014


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