Step Four: God's Responsibility.
Step Four: God's Responsibility.
God loved and created mankind so that He could have fellowship with thinking beings. He loved mankind, or He wouldn't have created them; and He wanted mankind to love Him. He created male and female capable of reproducing; thus populating the earth with people who would love Him and He them. As we know, sin entered and separated His creation from Him. Some have asked why God allowed this to happen. God wanted people to love Him of their own freewill, knowing that He loved them; or He wouldn't have created them. Who would want a mechanical, programmed robot to say, "I love you." with no meaning, feelings, or free will? The reason God gave man a free choice and allowed him to sin was,
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7) This He proved, as we know from John 3:16,
"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."
Peter also reveals God's will in 2 Peter 3:9,
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE (In the Greek, "A change of mind.")
Now that we know God's will, we realize it becomes His responsibility to keep alive, and get the truth to, anyone who has a desire to know the true and living God of Creation. An example of God's longsuffering can be seen clear back in Genesis 15:1-21 in the account of His dealings with the heathen nations, then in the Land of Canaan, which Israel was eventually to conquer. Seven great nations are given by name in Deuteronomy 7:1. God waited over 400 more years for these people to have a desire to know the true and living God, which shows God's longsuffering. The record is in Genesis 15:13; Genesis 15:16,
"...and they (Egypt) shall afflict them (Israel) four hundred years;" (13b) "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: FOR THE INIQUITY OF THE AMORITES IS NOT YET FULL." (16)
God extended His grace and long-suffering 400 more years to see if these nations living in Canaan, including the Amorites, had a DESIRE to know the true God of Creation. They did not. Of the hundreds of thousands of people living there, we know there was one exception. Rahab and her family (Joshua 2:1-24) were spared during the taking of Jericho for her faith in God.
Deuteronomy 7:1-26 records God's instructions for Israel to destroy all these nations occupying the land of Canaan. May I pause and answer the question: "Why would God be so ‘mean' as to have the little babies and children killed along with the parents?" The answer is very simple and logical. Should children under the age of accountability die, they would go to be with the Lord. (2 Samuel 12:22-23 cf. Psalms 16:9-10; Psalms 23:6 b). These little babies and children, if left to their parents to raise would, no doubt, become as heathen as their parents and destined for Hell. Because of God's grace and wisdom, you and I will see these little ones in Heaven which God took prematurely to raise Himself. Should a person desire to know the truth, it then becomes God's responsibility to get the truth to them. This can be seen in Acts 10:1-48; Acts 11:1-30, where the account is given of Cornelius who was...
"A devout man and one that feared God with all of his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." (Acts 10:2).
God told Cornelius to ...
"...call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved." (Acts 11:13 b,14).
Cornelius was religious, but lost. However, he had a desire to know the truth (John 14:6); therefore, God fulfilled His responsibility by sending Peter with the message of the Gospel.
We should mention one more example, the Ethiopian eunuch. He was in charge of all the treasure belonging to the queen of the Ethiopians. More importantly, he was a religious man as he had come to Jerusalem to worship. (Acts 8:27). On the way back, he had stopped and was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah. (Acts 8:30). Like Cornelius, this man was religious but lost. Nevertheless, God knew he had a desire to know the truth.
Philip had been preaching in many villages of the Samaritans when the Lord spoke to him, instructing him to go down where the eunuch was. (8:25,26). Again, we find God fulfilled His responsibility, predicated upon the eunuch's desire to know the truth. Philip led him to Christ, and then baptized him. This leads us to Step Five.