In my understanding, which I pray is given only by the Spirit of God, the hope of Jesus was established from the beginning of Creation. God knew the flesh would fail for even some of the angels which are a higher being than ourselves had fallen with Satan. God knew we would need a way to be freed from the bondage our sins inflicted upon ourselves. As we understand, God knows all things so He prepared for us a plan.
God made man to inhabit the Earth but He also asked one thing of us. Through the command not to eat of the one tree in the garden, God asked obedience. It was up to man to fulfill his part in the creation, being an obedient son. For through the action of obedience, man was given a part to complete in the creation, which Jesus completed (John 17:4). However, as we know for here we are now, Adam and Eve failed, choosing rather to become as “gods” with their eyes open, than to listen to their Creator. Disobedience was the first sin, and as we know, sin traps us in the bondage of death.
In the Old Testament, God gave laws to correct the flesh, but the flesh works for itself and not for God, therefore perfection could not be found in the flesh. Also by the law, there was only condemnation and judgment. Mercy and grace could not be by the law. The law was to show us right from wrong, to teach us as a schoolmaster. But we could never move beyond the fear of the law for no matter how many sacrifices or offerings were given it was never enough to clear the stain of sin. Even those who were good were forced to carry the burden of Adam’s sin, both good and evil had to face death. (Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come Romans 5:14).
However, obedience unto death would be enough. For it was pure enough, and selfless and full of love towards God and his brothers. But it had to be a man to fix it for a man brought the sin into his flesh in the first place (For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead 1 Corinthians 15:21). The first man is Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), therefore, we do not see Jesus being created anytime in the beginning, but he was promised and prophesied before even Abraham (And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel Genesis 3:15). Jesus, however, is the firstborn from the dead, for he is the beginning of a new covenant (Colossians 1:18).
God works in mysterious ways. His ways and thoughts are so much greater than our own that at times we cannot comprehend the plans He has for us. But I believe God does have plans for the Creation. And He also takes His time to bringing them forward. As the Bible states: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1. Even the Creation, though it was planned and prepared, it is not until the second chapter of Genesis that it is actually called forth into being (These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens… Genesis 2:4-22).
At Genesis 3:15, Jesus was also established and placed in the plan for mankind. But he had yet to be called out until the schoolmaster and period of learning could be carried through. Therefore, Jesus purpose was predetermined but not yet brought forth into the Creation.
Being predestined I do not believe means programmed like a robot. I believe God sets a path for us, but it is up to us to chose to follow God or not. There are many examples that prove God knows our path beforehand but we still make the choice to follow or not. Here is a brief list of examples:
Jonah – told to go to Ninevah but tried to flee from God’s command.
Esther - Esther 4:13-17
Solomon – he began good (1 Kings 3) but was distracted with his pleasures and wandered from God (1 Kings 11).
Samson – a child from God but strayed from the path God laid out for him because of his lusts.
Jeremiah – “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” Jeremiah 1:5
Samuel also was promised to live in the temple by his mother Hannah before he was even born.
Therefore God can have you in the plans but not call you out until your given time. Just as we see Jesus was.
We see Jesus not as an angel or a higher being but a man revealing the glorious power of God’s creation. For all that God made was good (Genesis 2:3). Man also was good, until we chose disobedience. It was man that sinned therefore it was man that had to prove himself. However, sin reigned from generation to generation, and so God had to establish a new line (the reason for the virgin birth). Jesus was born without the sin of Adam because he did not follow the male lineage (though through his mother Mary, he was from the line of King David). Jesus, made pure from sin and protected by the Holy Spirit of God, still had to learn the ways of God (Hebrews 5:8, Luke 2:46-52). It was through the Old Testament and God’s guidance, he understood his purpose. At baptism he was anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit and given great power and understanding beyond all men. Through his life he taught the true way to worship. Lost since the beginning of Creation, the worship of faith, which Abraham had but it was lost through the generations. Jesus’ actions were to redirect people’s focus from tradition to their Father in heaven. And the new covenant, putting aside the law of death, was sealed with his blood and he was given the position as the High Priest, our mediator, a man who God exalted even higher than the angels (Hebrews 1:4). For the Father was so pleased with His Son, He gave him the highest honour possible.
Could a man be capable of all this? Are we not sinful and unable to even speak of ourselves? Some may argue it was impossible for men to save themselves. But with God all things are possible and all men to be given the choice of salvation required only the obedience and perfect blood of one lamb, one man. This battle is not between God and Satan, the sin was between mankind and Satan. We know that God will conquer all evil, but what is so wonderful is that God is so great, even the weakest of His creation can have strength to over power the wickedness of Satan. If we think about the greatness of our Creator how can we not stop to consider He made us in His image, there is a power in us to. A power given from God known as the Holy Spirit that Jesus released and made available to all that submit themselves to God. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. Romans 16:20.
God seems to like revealing His great power by using the weaker to conquer the strong. Or showing that only a little is needed and He will take care of the rest
For example:
Gideon and the men’s number lowered (Judges 7)
David chosen though the youngest of his brothers
David a shepherd boy against Goliath a mighty warrior
Abraham –barren yet chosen to begin a nation of people
Saul from Benjamin tribe
Fishermen for disciples and apostles
Elijah - one man against 450 (1 Kings 18:22)
I would like to take this moment to turn our understandings on a slight tangent to look at God’s position and His glory. We understand that there are angels with God in heaven. However, we do not find evidence of any other being present with God at the beginning. For example, during God’s Creation it has always been emphasized that God alone created the heavens and Earth and that no one else has any part in that glory (Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:18, Isaiah 44:24, 2 Kings 19:15, Job 9:8, Nehemiah 9:6).
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork Psalm 19:1
One characteristic that is stated clearly about God, especially in the Old Testament is His desire to be given His rightful glory (Deut. 4:24). Though God’s glory stretches beyond our own imagination, His Creation is definitely a major part of it. For we are the works of His hands and He does not share that glory with anyone.
Isaiah 42 5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. 8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Therefore, with verse saying God was alone and only He created the Earth we had to take a closer look at the verses that say Jesus was the beginning of the Creation.
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. (“by Jesus Christ” is not shown in the Greek translation of the Zondervan Parallel New Testament in Greek and English)
Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
When verses say that Jesus was a part of the Creation we understand that if there was not the promise of one to redeem us, we would not have been created. For God will destroy all evil if there is no good or hope of repentance (like Sodom and Gomorrah).
Also, there are two beginnings. One beginning being the actual beginning of creation, but the second is a beginning of a new creation. Being born again into the spirit (John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23) Jesus gave us a new covenant and therefore a new beginning (Hebrews 12:24).
Therefore we praise the name of Jesus, the one man able to fulfill what God had left for us to complete. And we praise and worship our Father in heaven who made us lower than the angels but did not deny us the strength to fight evil. He gave us love and faith and peace. We are not robots, or weak creatures. We are the Creation of the Mighty God and He gave us a mind to think, hands to work and most of all a heart to love. We believe Jesus is completely and wholly a man and that though he was promised in the beginning; he was first called forth in the womb of Mary.
And when all is fulfilled, and Satan in destroyed, Jesus will give back to God all power and authority he was given. And be the man he was created to be, the way God had planned from the beginning, to live peaceably with his brothers and sisters. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
