Christmas 2022

23^rd December 2022

God knows everything - absolutely everything. He knows everything that's happening now, everything that happened in the past, and everything that will happen in the future. The theologians say that God is "omniscient".

God can do anything He wants. He can create the universe a quickly as He chooses to. He can part the Red Sea. He can turn water into wine. He can raise Jesus, Lazarus, and anybody He chooses from the dead. He can intervene in human history, and in any individual human's life, any way He chooses, any time He chooses. The theologians say that God is "omnipotent".

Since God knows everything that will happen, and God can intervene to change the course of history and of every individual's life, howsoever He chooses, and sometimes He does, it must be true that everything happens according to God's plan. God intervenes to adjust the course of events as and when He chooses, to ensure His plan is completed in every detail. Thus the Bible talks about Christians being predestined:

Ephesians 1v4-5
... he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

This confuses some people and seems to offend others. The fact that every detail of human existence will happen in exact compliance with the will of God does not mean that God likes or approves everything that happens. It means that, in His wisdom and justice, He has chosen that it will happen.

The most obvious example of the difference between what God likes and what God chooses is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Of course God didn't enjoy watching Jesus being tortured and killed. But equally, of course, God chose that it would happen. He wouldn't let such a thing happen to Jesus by accident. He's omnipotent, so obviously he could have prevented it. He chose that this terrible crime would be perpetrated against His beloved Son, so that you and I could be saved. He made that decision before the beginning of the universe.

Some people also get confused or offended because they imagine that the certain complete fulfilment of God's plan somehow reduces, or even removes, our free will. It does no such thing. God knew in advance what I had for dinner last night, but that doesn't mean he made me choose it, only that He chose not to intervene to prevent me eating it.

Sometimes God does intervene in my life. That's a good thing, and He has every right to do so. I thank God He does! Does anybody really want God not to intervene in his or her life? They must have a very perverted idea of who God is!

We all intervene in each others' lives from time to time. This doesn't affect each others' ability to choose, although it sometimes affects our ability to do what we choose. If I ate the last chocolate in the house last night, my wife couldn't eat it, even if she chose to.

In God's perfect knowledge, absolute power, perfect wisdom and perfect love, He chose each Christian to be saved before the universe was created, as Ephesians 1v4-5 (above) tells us. In that time before creation (if, indeed "time" is the right word to use here) God knew every sin you and I would commit. He knew every foolish idea we would have. He knew how damaged and incomplete our understanding and our consciences would be, and He decided to save us anyway.

God knew that, in order to save us, He would have to pay the penalty for our sins, since we certainly can't pay for our sins ourselves. So He also knew that He would have to come to earth, live as a man, and die in our place.

Before God said "Let there be light" to kickstart creation (Genesis 1v3) God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, decided to come to earth, to be born in a stable, to live a sinless life for thirty-three years. He chose to allow His fellow countrymen to betray Him to the occupying Roman forces, and to allow the Romans to crucify Him. Before He died, He said "It is finished!" (John 19v30). That part of God's eternal plan was complete. All that was necessary for you and me to be forgiven and reconciled to God was done.

That's what the story of the baby in the manger is all about.

Romans 5v6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.