SB064 - GOD's Present Purpose
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RaftiniSB064 - GOD's Present Purpose
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RaftiniSEED & BREAD
FOR THE SOWER ISA. 55:10 FOR THE EATER
BRIEF BIBLICAL MESSAGESFROM
THE WORD OF TRUTH MINISTRY
Otis Q. Sellers, Bible Teacher
GOD'S PRESENT PURPOSE
With the one exception of knowing from the Word that he is a child of
God through his faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, there is no
truth that is of more importance to the believer than to know the present
purpose of God. If we would walk worthily of the position in which God has
placed us, we must not be ignorant of this great truth. Many, indeed, are
working at counter purposes with Him because they do not know it. There is
no experience in knowing that will bring tranquility of mind, courage of
heart, and inward peace like that which comes from realizing and living
harmoniously with God's present purpose. Every professing Christian needs
to ask and then seek the answers to these pertinent questions: What is God's
present purpose? What is God doing now? Is He failing or succeeding?
Without any further words of introduction to the subject, permit me to say
decisively and emphatically that God's present purpose is to write into the
history of His long dealings with the human race a complete record of the
grace that is inherent in His character.
By contrast we can say that God is not now demonstrating His power,
majesty, justice or judgment. He is demonstrating His grace. This is His
present purpose.
This purpose began when God suspended His kingdom purposes by
issuing through His herald, the Apostle Paul, the proclamation recorded in
Acts 28: 28 (see Issue No. 11). It has continued for more than 1900 years
and will continue until the record of His grace is complete to His own
satisfaction. He will then assume sovereignty over the earth and all its
inhabitants, and His administration (dispensation) will change radically from
one of absolute grace to one of absolute government.
In Luke 6:35, after exhorting His disciples to love their enemies, declaring
that, by so doing, they would be sons (true expressions) of the Highest, the
Lord Jesus went on to make the amazing declaration that, "He is kind unto
the unthankful and to the evil."
The concept of God that is set forth in these words is contrary to the view
which is held by practically all religions and religious men today. They hold
and teach that He is kind only to the good, measuring out nothing but wrath
to the ungrateful and wicked. To show kindness to the ungrateful and wicked
is most certainly grace in action, and such an act would automatically flow
from those who are gracious. The Scripture record from Genesis 1 to Acts
28:28 gives witness to the fact that God is gracious and to innumerable acts
of grace that flowed forth from Him even though He did act in justice and
wrath on many occasions. However, He is now writing into the history of all
His dealings with mankind an absolute, unquestionable record of the truth of
the words spoken of Him in Luke 6:35, "He is kind unto the unthankful and
to the evil."
When God has finished His present demonstration of grace, never again
can anyone question His grace. If they should, we can point to the record
which will ever be positive proof that He is "the God of every grace" (1
Pet. 5:10). This demonstration of His grace is now taking place in an
administration of grace, in which every act of God is one of love and favor
to the undeserving, so much so, that if He cannot act in grace, He will not act
at all. He will allow nothing to enter into His present work or ways that will
spoil His record of grace. And even though we cannot now read or trace out
the record of the grace that He is showing, all His present works of grace
being untraceable (Eph. 3:8), yet, every day is one of God's grace to the
world and one of special grace to we who are now believing.
It will greatly help us to appreciate God's present purpose if we remember
that the words grace and government declare the polarity of God's character.
He is "the God of every grace" (1 Peter 5:10), and He is "the Judge of all
the earth" (Gen. 18:25). As the Judge of all the earth, He must do what is
right, that is, administer justice and righteousness. As the God of every
grace, He will show forth grace. Yet, these are such totally different
principles that He cannot do both at the same time in regard to anyone thing.
Since, in times before Acts 28:28, God had not committed Himself to any
specific manner of dealing with mankind, He was free to show grace or
administer justice. Many examples can be shown of both.
God has now committed Himself to act in grace. He has declared this
through His chosen apostle, Paul; and we will do well to take Him at His
word and think accordingly. This is the great truth revealed in Paul's final
epistles, especially Ephesians and Colossians. (Note Eph. 3:2.)
If God is not recognized as being both the God of grace and the God of
government, we will have a lopsided concept of the character of God, one
that comes from believing only apart of the truth. When men argue that
because of the great love of God, no man will ever be punished, they are
ignoring one pole of His character. They are putting all the emphasis on the
God of grace and ignoring the God of government. He has punished in the
past, and He will punish in the future. The obvious fact that He is not
punishing men today is clear proof of His present administration in which
He deals graciously with all. It does not indicate that He has ceased to be the
Judge of all the earth, Who will do what is right in that day when every sin
and transgression receives its just recompence of reward (Heb. 2:2; 12:23).
Mankind is yet going to see and experience a complete and open
demonstration of the government of God. He will experience its power and
principles, its methods and morals, its justice and judgment, its light and life,
its healing and health, its benefits and blessings. These will all be seen in
manifest operation. "All men shall declare the work of God, for they will
wisely consider of His doing" (Psa. 64:9). Under an administration of
divine government, men will come to know from experience the Judge of all
the earth and that He does right. They will in that day be able to make a full
comparison between God's government and man's government and will
repudiate the latter forever.
This is what the world would have seen and experienced if God had not
suspended His kingdom purposes at the close of the Acts period. The
foundation was laid in that thirty-three years for the full revelation of God's
righteous government, the manifest kingdom of God. The blade and ear
stages (see Mark 4:26-29) of the kingdom were finished. The time for "the
full grain in the ear" stage had arrived (see Issue No. 48). But all this was
suspended by God in order to fulfill another purpose that is supremely essen-
tial if men are ever to know the God of grace. This purpose was a secret
known only to God until He revealed it to the Apostle Paul.
God is now creating within the history of mankind a total and complete
record of the graciousness of His character. He is doing this in an
administration (dispensation) of grace under which all His government or
kingdom purposes are in abeyance.
God's present purpose is succeeding every day and in every way. He is not
failing in anything that He purposes to do. Every passing day on the calendar
adds one more page to the record of His grace. This record is not open to us
today. All His operations are secret. His works are untraceable. However, a
day is coming when the secret workings of God in this dispensation will be
opened for inspection. Then, when we stand with eyes that can truly see and
look back over 1900 years of divine history, we will know and cause the
world to know that He was indeed the God of every grace.
Since God's present administration is one of grace, as Paul so definitely
proclaims in Ephesians 3:2, then it cannot be an administration of divine
government, even in part. In Eph. 4:32, Paul declares that God is dealing
graciously with us, a great truth that is buried under the erroneous translation
of charizomai in the KJV. This word is found twice in this passage. It means
"to deal graciously," a fact that most translators ignore because of their
ignorance of God's present dispensation of grace, His method of dealing
with mankind in it, and His present purpose in such a lavish display of grace
as this passage declares.
Another important passage in connection with God's present purpose is 2
Tim. 1:9. This passage is also so poorly translated that its great message is
stultified. In a more accurate and literal rendering, this would read: "Who
saves us and places us in a holy position, not in accord with our works,
but in accord with His own purpose, even the grace which is given to us
in Christ Jesus before eonian times."
We are the by-products of God's present display of grace. He is being
gracious to all in order to produce the record of His grace. As definite acts of
grace, He has acted and moved in relationship to us, tenderly knocking upon
the door of our hearts. If we slam the door in His face, if we turn our backs
upon Him, His gracious acting toward us will still become a part of the
record and, in due time, will speak of the grace that is inherent in Him.
The explanation of God's long toleration of evil, His present silence in the
face of multiple and manifest wrongs, and His toleration of the works of
Satan can be explained only when we realize that God is fulfilling another
purpose. This purpose of His is one that greatly concerns Him and the full
revelation of His character toward men. What He is doing now is for the
sake of His own name.
God is now doing all that is necessary to forever establish beyond all
question that He is the God of every grace. This is what He is now doing.
This is His present purpose.
