God planned before the creation of the world, this is called His determinate counsel. The phrase comes from what Peter said about Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in the book of Acts,
Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: (Acts 2:23)
When we think about the determinate counsel of God we may well ask, with whom did He counsel? It is illustrative to recall that in the book of Isaiah, Jesus is called among other titles, Counselor,
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Wonderful refers to His miraculous power as God. Counselor refers to His wisdom. Jesus is God in the flesh, called here, The mighty God. And Jesus is one with the Father. But when He is called, The everlasting Father, the Hebrew reads, the Father of eternity, which the word Father may be used in a number of senses, here very possibly as an everlasting ruler who will never leave nor forsake us. Jesus is the Father of our eternity, read
Hebrews 2:13Hebrews 2:13
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
which quotes
Isaiah 8:18Isaiah 8:18
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.;
and see also
Luke 1:32-33Luke 1:32-33
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.,
of course these verses all have contexts which should be understood. Finally Jesus is indeed the Prince of Peace having purchased peace between us and the Father by His own blood. The phrase determinate counsel in the light of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, speaks to our understanding of God expressed by the phrase: The Trinity.
Paul in the letter to the Ephesians says this:
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:9-10)
Note these things:
Paul continues further in the chapter about God’s mighty power,
… Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, (Ephesians 1:20-22)
Take note of these things:
In chapter three Paul tells us that he is given the grace to reveal these things to the Church:
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 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: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:8-11)
Take note of these points:
In Colossians Paul gives us additional information about God’s plan:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; (Colossians 1:13-19)
Here are the points to note about Jesus:
In short we see that God’s purpose is that Jesus Christ be exalted to the utmost for His own glory:
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)
Not only has God planned, but He has made His plan happen. That is the Gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. It was prophesied in many ways by many prophets, but this description of Jesus Christ by Isaiah suffices for our needs:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
When the time was right according to God’s plan:
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, … (Galatians 4:4)
The unfolding of God’s plan began with the nativity of Jesus:
… a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:27-33)
In the earthly ministry of Jesus we can see that He both knew God’s plan and was diligently fulfilling it by the things which He did, as recorded in the Gospels.
Jesus is to have the preeminence. This is God’s eternal plan. The events, and people, and all things in Scriptures are part of that plan. We know that Jesus often said that the Scriptures must be fulfilled, and that He actually fulfilled all the things so written. Psalms 40:7 is quoted in Hebrews 10:7, and there we read of the Lord saying:
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7)
In the volume of the book, the Scriptures, the Bible, it is written of Him, Jesus. It is written that He is to be preeminent. The volume of the book was written in God’s determinate counsel and foreknowledge, and Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith:
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
God’s eternal plan was kept hidden until in the fullness of time Jesus came to fulfill all things purposed concerning Himself. We have the revelation of that plan now in what we call the Gospel. We have heard the testimony of the Apostles, but let’s hear the Lord’s direct words on this matter. In Luke we read of the events on the road to Emmaus. To those disciples Jesus said,
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25-26)
Then Luke goes on to record:
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)
… in all the scriptures the things concerning himself … All things concerning Him that had been prophesied. After this, Jesus appeared another time to the disciples and He both confirmed that these things had been prophesied, and commissioned the disciples to carry the message:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:44-48)
A thing that is amazing is that we have a part in the unfolding of that plan, we are engaged by the Lord Himself to be partners with Him. He has given us, through the original disciples who became the Apostles, the Great Commission:
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20)
The doctrine of God’s determinate counsel and foreknowledge is an important, orthodox, and central teaching. We must have it well established in our understanding. It speaks of God’s eternal existence, His infinite power, knowledge and wisdom, and His unbounded love for us. It tells us that the Gospel was not an after thought, not a reaction to things gone badly in His creation. It is His eternal plan. Peter puts it into perspective for us:
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:18-21)
Gold and silver are corruptible, the blood of Christ is not. It is precious. And that it would be shed for us was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Thus we know that the Gospel is the eternal plan of God. And we also know that all things in Scripture were written so that we might know God’s eternal plan. The Old Testament was the prequel of this plan. It gave the shadows and types of things to come. The Passover in Egypt was a type of the Gospel. That lamb was to be slain. Its blood sprinkled as a covering to save from death. Its flesh was to be eaten. This speaks of, it tells about, it helps us understand, it is a prophecy of the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins.
As we continue through the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and read of His death on the cross, we come to the book of Acts, which is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke. In chapter two, on the day of Pentecost, after Christ had risen from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, and had sent the Holy Spirit upon the disciples with the sound of a rushing wind and as a flame above their heads, the disciples began to speak in many different languages in the midst of the Pentecost gathering in Jerusalem. The Jews wondered what was happening, and Peter explained what it all meant,
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:22-36)
We’ve looked at this passage already, but here it is again to emphasize what Peter had to say. Paul gives us additional detail,
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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. (Colossians 1:12-18)
God’s plan in eternity past is called His determinate counsel. God determined that Jesus Christ would reveal the invisible God to us. And God determined that Jesus Christ would be the savior of the world. And God determined that Jesus Christ should be preeminent and above all things. None of this is accidental. God did not react to anything. All these things were foreknown to God before the creation of the world.
By His oath, and by His blood there is a New Covenant of salvation which we may enter into freely by faith believing.
For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 6:13-20)
Let us note carefully several points from this passage:
God powerfully achieves His purposes:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16)
It is by God’s word that we find faith to believe.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:13-17)
And,
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21)
And,
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10)
God’s power, wisdom, grace, and love are revealed to us in the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
We are His building, the Church. Jesus said before times that He would do this:
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:15-18)
He is now building His Church. Using different figures at different times He has said variously that we are a temple for Him; that we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones; and, that we are His bride. Paul speaks of the Church, it is a mystery explained in a figure of human love and marriage:
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25-27)
That is our destination, which God has also planned before times, that we should be both with Him where He is, and be like Him, and that Jesus should have the preeminence in all things:
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)
Thus the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
©FH 2012