The basic idea of the plan of salvation is substitution. Like what we said in part 1, the idea of the substitution was already there when Adam fell and God made coats of skins [1]. Abraham offering Isaac as a sacrifice also talks about the substitution [2]. In the era of the New Testament, Jesus was crucified and became the sacrificial lamb to substitute our death penalty, as the price of sin is death.

First, we see that God created Adam and Eve in His own image [3]. Because Adam disobeyed God, he fell [4]. Therefore, Adam was contaminated by sin and sin entered the world [5].  Adam was made in the image of God but was contaminated by sin.

Jesus was begotten by Holy Spirit [7] and is sinless. Thus, He has the image of a human before sin contaminated the world. He emptied Himself when He was here on earth [7]. That is, He emptied the portion of His nature as God. When He was on earth, He totally obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit, and didn’t sin [8].  He was united with God [9], and thus seeing Him is the same as seeing God [10].

All humans are contaminated by sin, and only Jesus coming to earth can give us a chance to go back to that time when sin has not contaminated the world. The wages of sin are death [11].   The plan of salvation is to have Jesus be substituted for us to pay the death penalty. In this way, we can be declared to be righteous due to faith [12], which let’s have a chance to be conformed to the image of Jesus [13].  God loves us. Jesus coming to the earth is the only way that God can save us by giving us an opportunity [14]. 

Man consists of three portions – spirit, soul, and body [15]. Even when we are declared to be righteous because of faith, it is only a beginning. At that time, we will have a new soul [16], and Holy Spirit will abide in us [17]. Therefore, we already have the salvation of spirit. Regarding the salvation of body, we have to wait until Jesus comes again [18]. In terms of the salvation of soul we are already sanctified and are declared as righteous [19] although our experience tells us that the road to be fully sanctified takes a lifetime. It is because we can’t be conformed to the image of Jesus right away. Even Apostle Paul made an effort to reach the goal [20]. Notice that the passive tense is used when being conformed in the image of Jesus, since only God can give the increase of life [21]. 

In the process of sanctification, we have to be very careful. Be sober [22], and not fall into the hand of the servant of the devil who pretends to be an angel of light [23]. But remember that Jesus has overcome the world [24]. Furthermore, we have the promise in Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” We have to keep on abiding in Christ Jesus. In Jesus Christ, we are able to have the power in every trial to obey the will of God. It is clearly said in John 8:36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Some related verses

[1] Genesis 3:21, Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

[2] Genesis 22:13, And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

[3] Genesis 1:27, So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

[4] Genesis 2:16-17, 『And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.』 Genesis 3:6, 『And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.』

[5] Romans 5:12, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

[6] Matthew 1:20, But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

[7] Philippians 2:7-8, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

[8] Hebrews 4:15, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

[9] John 17:22, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 

[10] John 14:9, Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

[11] Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[12] Romans 5:1, Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

[13] Romans 8:29, 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.

[14] John 3:16-18, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

[15] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[16] Ezekiel 36:26-27, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

[17] 1 Corinthians 6:19, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

[18] 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

[19] Hebrews 10:10, By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

[20] Philippians 3:13-14, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

[21] 1 Corinthians 3:6, I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

[22] 1 Peter 5:8, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

[23] 2 Corinthians 11:13-14, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

[24] John 16:33, These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. 

 (Verses refer to those in King James Version – KJV unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)

Let us take a look at part of the original will of God. In Genesis 1, it already indicates that God is the Holy Trinity. Although the Bible consistently says so in both New and Old Testaments and we believe that because of faith, it is still a mystery.

If we examine Genesis 1, we can see that the original will of God is to have all living things “after their kind” and that Covid-19 is awful since it can propagate from bats to humans which is apparently not “after their kind”.

In Genesis 1:26, it is clear that man is made in God’s image and likeness [1].  First, please notice “image” and “likeness” are two different words. From Philippians 2:5-7, we can see that Jesus was made in the likeness of men [2]. We also see that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father [3]. And we need to be conformed to the image of Jesus as Romans 8:29 says, “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.”

The original will of God is to want Adam to trust and obey, and his original duty is to dress the garden of Eden and to keep it [4]. He has only one command to obey, which is not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, he chose not to obey and ate its fruit. But in Genesis 5:3, it says “And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Is God lying? No, definitely not. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, it says clearly that man definitely consists of three parts – spirit, soul, and body [5]. Thus, it is the spirit that died immediately and the other two have survived longer. 

Here, we want to emphasize that one has to look at the whole Bible when quoting. With the limited examples I have encountered, I cannot claim that I know that the whole Bible is absolutely consistent. But with what I have encountered so far, it is always consistent. Please also notice that Seth has the likeness and the image of Adam after he was contaminated by sin. So do Adam’s offspring, including us. 

Before sin came, Adam could communicate with God in spirit and know what to do. The spirit then passed the knowledge to soul, and body listens the command of the soul to perform whatever tasks asked. If Adam followed his command and made a right choice, he would have lived forever [6].

After the sin entered the world, the spirit died. The soul is still in the image of God but was contaminated by sin. The body paid the price, and died eventually [7].  At that time, they were also driven out of the garden of Eden [8].  Nevertheless, in Genesis 3:21, it says “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Thus, animals died because of them. The concept of the substitution of salvation even exists at that time. It is really consistent with what in Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Some related verses

[1] Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

[2] Philippians 2:5-7, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

[3] John 14:9, “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? “

[4] Genesis 2:15-17, “And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

[5] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

[6] Genesis 3:22, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.”

[7] Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

[8] Genesis 3:24, “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

 (Verses refer to those in King James Version – KJV unless otherwise specified.)

(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)