Was the Cross Plan B?
First off, this question has an underlying tone that suggests certain events come as a surprise to God, because one of the reasons for a switch in plan is an unforeseen counter move by the opposing party, among other reasons such as a faulty plan, a new revelation of a much better alternative, or the plan being correctly implemented without interference but totally failing to accomplish the initial purpose.
I am daunted by the mere thought of the realism of one those reasons, as this would have an inevitable effect of imprinting certain questions on the very walls of my heart.
- How can I trust in God’s eternal plan of salvation?
- Or my position in eternity?
- How can I be sure that some other event wouldn’t catch God by surprise in this earth or the new one?
Anthropomorphism
When we speak of anthropomorphism, we speak of how God’s unchanging attributes are represented in the changing circumstances and different moral conditions of His creatures. There are certain parts of scripture that apply language patterns simply so we can relate with our God in a more humane manner.
For example,
For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalms 50:10 NKJV
This verse employs a grammatical construct known as a metaphor. In the words of Simon Turpin “The Bible isn’t trying to tell us that God is a cosmic cowboy who is in the cattle business. That God owns the cattle on a thousand hills is a human way of describing the vast riches that our Creator possesses”.
When verses such as;
And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:6 NKJV
and
God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Numbers 23:19 NKJV
come up, from our human viewpoint God seems to change His mind, but He is only represented to us that way that we might relate to our God.
Permit me to deploy a more mundane example.
It is common knowledge that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, taking a microscopic examination of this statement renders it flawed. In the real sense, the earth rotates about its axis and revolves around the sun, hence creating somewhat of an illusion that the sun rises and set.
We don’t go around telling people they’re wrong when they say the sun rises in the east, why? It’s anthropomorphism in some sense. That which complex is communicated in simple terms as is apparent to the eye.
Back to the question: Was the Cross Plan B?
Steve Ham asks this question this way:
Did the Bible’s redemptive history in a fallen creation result from an eternally wise and powerful God’s purposeful plans, or was it His attempt to remedy an unforeseen tragedy?
The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth. Proverbs 8:22–23 NJKV
clearly speaks of how God’s every work from the beginning was coated with his eternal wisdom. Information as specific as your thumb print is as a result of this eternal wisdom. God’s eternal wisdom displays His true deity.
That which God wills is not Brownian by nature, there is a sole endpoint, which is the glorification of Christ, for there is no better way to display the eternal wisdom of God than through the person and the work of Jesus Christ His beloved son.
Pondering Questions
Wasn’t Christ’s death the exact plan of God?
In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him. ‘ Acts 2:23 GNB
Again in the words of Steve Ham;
Jesus is the very design and accomplishment of God’s eternal wisdom. The plan of redemption was not a necessary afterthought to remedy a plan gone wrong. Jesus Christ had purposed to redeem us from eternity past. His work on the Cross is nothing short of the pinnacle of the revelation of God’s eternal and sovereign wisdom
Wasn’t Jesus Christ’s redemptive work the secret eternal will of God that is now revealed?
I am less than the least of all God’s people; yet God gave me this privilege of taking to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ, and of making all people see how God’s secret plan is to be put into effect. God, who is the Creator of all things, kept his secret hidden through all the past ages, in order that at the present time, by means of the church, the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly world might learn of his wisdom in all its different forms. God did this according to his eternal purpose, which he achieved through Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:8–11 GNB
May I take these questions a step further into cringing terrains, and ask;
Wasn’t the Lamb’s book of life written from eternity past?
All people living on earth will worship it, except those whose names were written before the creation of the world in the book of the living which belongs to the Lamb that was killed. Revelation 13:8 GNB
When God made the heavenly bodies, he knew that one of them would signify the eminent incarnation of Jesus Christ.
When God created the trees, he knew that it would be used for the single most evil event in history.
When God created the animals he knew that he would soon have to sacrifice one of them to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve (as a result of their sin), and He knew this would one day happen to His son.
When God cursed the ground to produce thorns, He knew it would be used some day to pierce the head of His Son.
All these only make me marvel at the Love of God for mankind and I make a bold stand with this verse;
From the beginning I predicted the outcome; long ago I foretold what would happen. I said that my plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do. Isaiah 46:10 GNB
I appreciate your spending time to read through. Never hesitate to contact me should the need arise.
Check out my previous article https://medium.com/@osshobey/so-you-speak-in-tongues-9cac3b6e7d33
Thank you.
