God’s plan for us and ALL of his creation is grander and more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine! Our heavenly Father’s original design for a perfect universe filled with perfect beings has been in the process of fulfilment from before the creation of the universe. The process of bringing mankind up from their degradation back to human perfection is a primary part of God’s magnificent plan. Ephesians 1:9-10 tells us that God has “a merciful purpose for the government of the world when the times are ripe for it – the purpose which he has cherished in His own mind, of restoring the whole creation to find its one Head in Christ.” (Weymouth translation) I Timothy 1:3 states “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” In His foreknowledge, God knew father Adam would sin, and thereby plunge the entire human family into sin and death. The sacrifice of Jesus paid the ransom price that God’s justice demanded to release Adam and his descendants from the curse of death. God’s plan is for Christ’s future earthly reign to remove the effects of that curse, and end all sorrow, pain, tears and death. (Revelation 20:1-4)
But how does a Christian specifically, fit into God’s plan? During this Gospel age, an invitation has been extended to a select few to be part of the heavenly class that will someday assist Christ in his great work of educating and restoring humanity. The Apostle Paul said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan…For whom he foreknew, and predestined to become conformed to the image of his Son.” (Romans 8:28, 29) If that is your calling, God’s plan for you is to grow and develop a Christ-like character in this life to prepare you for your future work. “Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection, for they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for 1,000 years.” (Revelation 20:6) With this understanding, all the experiences in a Christian’s life become meaningful, teaching special lessons of trust and faith and character growth.
For the majority of mankind, their present experience with sin, pain, death, and estrangement from God is serving the purpose of not only humbling them, but of learning the consequences of disobedience to God’s laws. Then, when presented with the new kingdom reign of righteousness, they will be better prepared to dedicate their lives to God’s service. The experiences of this life are a valuable part of the education of our race to be fully rounded in understanding the goodness of God’s laws.
