52 Lessons on Practical Christian Living

Does God Have a Plan?

The centrality of God's purpose is "the [corporate] Christ" (1 Cor. 12.12). Seek after deeper Christian truths (e.g. sanctification, second blessing, deliverance).

Ye Are Sons of God

"Ye are sons of God (no more distinction between male and female)...ye all are one man in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3.26-4.1). "Reckon ye also yourselves dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6.11), "alive together with Christ...raised up with Him" (Eph. 2.4-6). "So then death worketh in us, but life in you" (2 Cor. 4.12), "...crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2.20). "To me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1.21a), "Christ who is our life" (Co. 3.4), for "the heart is deceitful above all else, and it is exceedingly corrupt" (Jer. 17.9a). "We henceforth know no man after the flesh: even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more" (2 Cor. 5.16). "The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart (Rom. 10.8a).

Does God have a plan? If so, what is His plan? How will it be carried out? Are we involved in it? And is there any opposition? These are not mere speculative questions, for the right understanding of them is vital to our spiritual well-being.

The eternal plan of God is to sum up all things in Christ that Christ might have the preeminence in all things (Eph. 1.10, Col. 1.18). This plan is violently opposed by Satan who unjustly seeks that place for himself. Though temporarily the Adversary appears to succeed in frustrating God’s plan, nevertheless at the appointed time God sends His own Son into the world to destroy all the works of the devil and to remove all obstacles to His plan. It is on the cross that Christ has accomplished the work of redemption, and He now calls His church to stand in His victory and work together with Him in bringing all things under His feet. Yet due to the failure of the church, the responsibility falls upon the overcomers of the church. And through the cooperation which they give to Him, Christ will realize God’s plan.

The Centrality and Universality of Christ

Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matt. 16.16)
Christ is all, and in all.(Col. 3.11)
In all things he might have the preeminence. (Col. 1.18)
The mystery of God, even Christ.(Col. 2.2)
For we preach . . . Christ Jesus as Lord.(2 Cor. 4.5)

The Meaning of Centrality

Why are there all things? Why the angels? Did God create all these accidentally? Or were they created according to God’s plan?

Why does God choose men, send prophets, give the Savior, bestow the Holy Spirit, build the church and establish the kingdom? Why does He cause the gospel to be preached to the ends of the earth that sinners might be saved? Why must we reach sinners and build up believers?

Some people elevate baptism, speaking in tongues, withdrawal from sects, holiness, keeping of the Sabbath, or whatever as being central. What, though, is God’s center?

God works with a definite goal in mind. Yet what is the goal of our labor? We need to have vision before we can have the goal of labor. Unless we see the centrality of God our work will be without aim.

The truths of God are all organically related. There is a center towards which all truths are focused.

Some may decide on the centrality of their work according to personal inclination and circumstantial need. But the predetermination and need of God ought to be our center.

What is the centrality of God? What is the thread that is woven through all the truths of God? What is God’s overall truth?

Who is the Lord Jesus? We all might answer that He is our Savior. Yet very few can answer as Peter, who said that He is "the Christ of God" (Luke 9.20).

The center of God’s truths is Christ. The centrality of God is none other than Christ—"The mystery of God, even Christ," wrote Paul. A mystery is that which is hidden in God’s heart. Never before had God told anyone why He created all things, including mankind. For a long time it remained a mystery. Later on, however, God revealed this mystery to Paul so that he might explain it. And this mystery, explained the apostle, is Christ.

The Lord Jesus is the Christ of God as well as the Son of God. At the time of conception the angel Gabriel told Mary that the child to be born is the Son of God (Luke 1.35), whereas at the hour of birth an angel of the Lord announced to the shepherds that the child newly born is Christ the Lord (Luke 2.11). Peter acknowledged Jesus as both Christ and Son of God (Matt. 16.16). By His resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord is declared to be the Son of God (Rom. 1.4). By the same token He has been made both Lord and Christ by God (Acts 2.36). In believing Jesus as Christ and as Son of God men may have life in His name (John 20.31). In himself, so far as His own place in the Godhead is concerned He is the Son of God. But in God’s plan and according to God’s work the Lord Jesus is God’s Christ because He is anointed by God. From eternity to eternity, He is the Son of God. He becomes Christ as far back as when the plan of God was laid. The purpose of God is centered on His Son, "that in all things he might have the pre-eminence"; the plan of God is also centered upon His Son so that Christ might be "all in all" (Col. 1.18, 3.11).

God created all things and mankind for the sake of manifesting His glory. Today believers are manifesting a little something of Christ. But one day all things shall manifest Christ because the whole universe shall be filled with Him. In creating all things God desires that all things will manifest Christ. In creating man He wishes that man should be like His Son, having the life of His Son and possessing the glory of His Son in order that His only begotten Son might be the firstborn among His many sons. The reason for God to create and to redeem man is all for the sake of Christ. Redemption is undertaken in order to achieve the aim of creation. Christ is the bridegroom, and we are the bride. He is the chief corner-stone, and we are the many living stones of the building. God created us so as to satisfy the heart of Christ. As we see the relationship of Christ with us, we give thanks. As we see the relationship of God with Christ, we offer praises. The centrality of God is indeed Christ, for all the purpose of God is centered upon Him. Now there are two aspects to God’s purpose: (1) that all things might manifest the glory of Christ, and (2) that man might be like Christ, having both His life and glory.

God’s Salvation

“God,” asserts the Apostle, “has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8.3). This uncovers the actual situation of that moral class of the fleshly who may perhaps be very much intent on keeping the law. They may indeed be observing quite a few of its points. Weakened by the flesh, however, they cannot keep the whole law.* For the law makes it quite clear that “he who does them shall live by them” (Gal. 3.12 quoting Lev. 18.5) or else he shall be condemned to perdition. How much of the law, someone may ask, shall he keep? The entire law; for “whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2.10). “For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law since through the law comes knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3.20). The more one desires to observe the law the more he discovers how full of sin he is and how impossible for him to keep it.

* We should of course note that there is another class, recognized in Romans 8.7, who do not in the least care to keep God’s law: “the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot.”

God’s reaction to the sinfulness of all men is to take upon Himself the task of salvation. His way is in “sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.” His Son is without sin, hence He alone is qualified to save us. “In the likeness of sinful flesh” describes His incarnation: how He takes a human body and links Himself with mankind. God’s only Son is referred to elsewhere as “the Word” that “became flesh” (John 1.14). His coming in the likeness of sinful flesh is the “became flesh” of that verse. Therefore our verse in Romans 8.3 tells us as well in what manner the Word became flesh. The emphasis here is that He is the Son of God, consequently sinless. Even when He comes in the flesh, Gods’ Son does not become “sinful flesh.” He only comes in “the likeness of sinful flesh.” While in the flesh, He remains as the Son of God and is still without sin. Yet because He possesses the likeness of sinful flesh, He is most closely joined with the world’s sinners who live in the flesh,

What then is the purpose of His incarnation? As a “sacrifice for sins” is the Biblical explanation (Heb. 10.12), and this is the work of the cross. God’s Son is to atone for our sins. All the fleshly sin against the law; they cannot establish the righteousness of God; and they are doomed to perdition and punishment. But the Lord Jesus in coming to the world takes this likeness of sinful flesh and joins Himself so perfectly with the fleshly that they have been punished for their sin in His death on the cross. He need not suffer for He is without sin, yet He does suffer because He has the likeness of sinful flesh. In the position of a new federal head, the Lord Jesus now includes all sinners in His suffering. This explains the punishment for sin.

Christ as the sacrifice for sin suffers for everyone who is in the flesh. But what about the power of sin which fills the fleshly? “He condemned sin in the flesh.” He who is sinless is made sin for us, so that He dies for sin. He is “put to death in the flesh” (1 Peter 3.18). When He dies in the flesh, He takes to the cross the sin in the flesh. This is what is meant by the phrase “condemned sin in the flesh.” To condemn is to judge or to mete out punishment. The judgment and punishment of sin is death. Thus the Lord Jesus actually put sin to death in His flesh. We therefore can see in His death that not only our sins are judged but sin itself is even judged. Henceforth sin has no power upon those who are joined to the Lord’s death and who accordingly have sin condemned in their flesh.

In 7 volumes (see the sticky post in each of the 7 forums for the "Basic Lesson Series"), study one lesson per week for 52 weeks of the year for a strong foundation in the Word of God. For a shorter version, in 353 pages, read Spiritual Exercise, A Simplified Version of the Basic Lesson Series on Practical Christian Living by Watchman Nee at Christian Fellowship Publishers.