Problem 12 - That there is only ONE purpose and plan of God in the Bible

PROBLEM NO. 12 --THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE PURPOSE AND PLAN OF GOD FOR THE HUMAN RACE IN THE BIBLE.

Acts 2 Dispensationalists have always believed in a single purpose of God for the human race. Even though they believe that the Nation of Israel is different from the Church, the Body of Christ, they try to place both groups under one major plan of God. This makes for inconsistency when interpreting the Biblical texts for both groups of people.

C.C. Ryrie, in his Dispensationalism Today, on pages 211-212, modifies the Acts 2 position by saying that the single purpose of God is the glory of God. J. Dwight Pentecost says basically the same thing in his book 'Designed To Be Like Him,' page 11; Moody Press; 1975).

(Covenant Theology also believes in one plan of God but from a different perspective).

THE TRUTH

As stated at the beginning of this study, many problems that will be examined are inter-related. This 'one purpose of God' is vitally related to 'one gospel' and 'one plan of salvation' that have been studied.

The answer to this 'single plan of God' is found right at the beginning of the Bible, in the very first verse - Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." All the rest of the Bible is associated with these two spheres - heaven and earth. God has a plan for heaven, and He has a separate plan for the earth; therefore, we can say that Genesis 1:1 teaches that God has a DUAL PURPOSE for the human race, not a single purpose as is taught in Christendom.

God's plan for the earth centers in the revelation He gave Abram over a period of years. This plan is called the Abrahamic Covenant. This Covenant is first mentioned in Genesis 12:1-3 and confirmed to Abraham and his seed in a number of passages in Genesis (Gen. 13:14-18; 15:1-7,18; 17:4-14; 18:18; 22:15-18; 26:1-5; 28:10-15). The Abrahamic Covenant governs ALL of God's dealings with the Nation of Israel - past and future. Other Covenants were given to Israel as enlargements of the Covenant given to Abraham. These are the Palestinian Covenant (Deut. chapters 28 and 29; so named because it has to do with the land of Palestine); the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:4-17); and the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:23-38). These four Covenants are UNCONDITIONAL covenants, which means that the fulfillment of the covenants depends on God rather than depending on Israel. Since they were understood literally by the ones who received them from God, they will be fulfilled literally by God after the Rapture of the Church, the Body of Christ.

Most of the Bible is associated with these four Covenants. As a matter of fact, the only part of the Bible that is NOT associated with these Covenants is the middle of the New Testament, from Romans to Philemon, all written by one man, the Apostle Paul. The Abrahamic Covenant was temporarily set aside at Acts 28 along with the Nation of Israel. The other three Covenants were not even brought into focus because of Israel's unbelief.

The Mosaic Covenant was not listed with the others because this Covenant was a CONDITIONAL covenant, which means that the fulfilling of this Covenant depended on the Nation of Israel rather than on God. It was because of this 'conditional' aspect that Christ could abolish this Covenant by the cross (Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). It also was set aside at Acts 28 by God in a COMPLETE WAY, that is, all of it totally taken out of the way as a unit, never to be used again by man or God.

However, before God set aside Israel and its program at Acts 28, He instituted His purpose for heaven in Acts 9 by saving His worst enemy on the road to Damascus - Saul (Paul). His salvation is so important to God that it is mentioned four times in the New Testament (Acts 9:3-6; 22:1-16; 26:9-18; 1 Timothy 1:14-17). God had a reason for doing this; His repeating of it is not to be considered as being redundant on His part. The passage in 1 Timothy sets forth the doctrinal reasons for His salvation, a passage of Scripture that has been totally misunderstood because of misleading and faulty translations of what Paul was trying to teach.

Paul's salvation took place around 3 to 4 years after Pentecost. This new program of God was phased in gradually as God phased out the old program for Israel. Chapters 9-28, then, in the book of Acts, are transition chapters covering approximately 29 years.

This new purpose of God is called the Revelation of the Mystery (Rom. 16:25). The word 'Mystery' is used 13 times by Paul for this new program of God. God's will for today is contained in the Mystery. The risen Christ Jesus is to be preached according to this new program. This Mystery contains a gospel - the Gospel of the grace of God. This is the ONLY gospel in the Bible that prepares sinners for heaven. Our God and Saviour is honored and glorified when we preach Him according to His new plan. We who have been saved according to the Gospel of the grace of God should always be rejoicing in knowing that our future is not on earth but that God has something incredible for the members of the Body of Christ where our Father God lives - in the Fourth Dimension. Amen!

By Robert C. Brock