Bob Cassell, Messenger
While in the present mortal body, the greatness and depth of Salvation can never be fully understood by any human being. However, some of its greatness can be seen by comparing and contrasting it with God’s inscrutable creation. Salvation and creation are God’s handiwork and His only, and is so far beyond human ability that no one can comprehend or fully fathom it.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen. 1:1).
So perfectly, and incomprehensively God easily brought all matter and energy into existence. We can only stand in awe of His awesome power and creativity. We greatly admire His handiwork because we are so far outside of it that we can only say amen, God, you are amazing! We can admire but can never duplicate even a portion of His creative work. As we look at the work of His hands we are overwhelmed and can only bow as we observe a power that is so great that it not only staggers our minds but goes far beyond our imagination. The heavens are the work of His fingers, and the moon, and the stars were ordained by Him. Not to mention, all that we cannot see, touch, taste, feel, or imagine.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained; what is man that you are mindful of him (Psalm 8:3,4)?
This includes not only what humans can see with the naked eye, but all that lies beyond the range of the strongest satellite or telescope. The vastness of it all is beyond the comprehension of every human.
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal: but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
While faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:6), true Bible centered faith does not seem to satisfy a shortsighted demand for some kind of sign that questions whether or not God exists. Faith provides something greater than a conjectured nebulous sign. Faith is not dependent on what you can see, feel, touch, or taste. Faith gives you the means to peer into and understand, from a limited human view, what is behind the formation of this world and the immeasurable universe.
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Hebrews 11:3).
As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Let’s take a scant look at the earth with its rocks, minerals, and past life as recorded in the fossils. Inside this amazing earth are precious stones such as the diamond, ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Each of these stones has its own special beauty and attractiveness for mankind to admire and appreciate. A further look inside this special place reveals other beauties such as marbles, granites, sandstone, limestone, and slates used by man to build houses, places of worship, amusements, and businesses. Also, out of this amazing earth man takes other precious materials such as ores and pure metals such as gold, silver, and copper nuggets.
By smelting and refining these precious metals they are used to form the backbone of vast industrial and construction projects; not to mention many other things that are useful to mankind. The soil of this great earth when sown and acted upon by moisture and sunlight brings forth food for both man and beast. The fossils in our mysterious earth tell their silent but expressive story of prehistoric ages when great creatures roamed the primeval wilderness. In some of the forests many massive animal parts have been discovered that are preserved in stones, which are almost as hard as rare jewels.
All of these rocks and minerals have their own peculiar properties, and each one unfolds some of what may be learned under close examination. Many mysterious lessons are locked within these ancient properties that are yet to be discovered. It has been found that these rocks and minerals are subject to fixed and determinable laws of chemistry and physics. Many of these laws have been learned by man while others are being constantly discovered. You may ask, how did each of the metals and minerals acquire its own individual characteristics? Many questions have been asked and some have been answered, but man will not live long enough to answer every question that could be posed. However, when I consider all of these things, I am awestruck and never cease to marvel at the supreme greatness in them as they did not appear on their own and out of nothing without a creative author.
The evolutionist attempts to explain these fixed and determinable characteristics of plant and animal life by claiming chance variations from one generation to another through thousands upon thousands of generations.
The laws of physics and chemistry are as complex as those of plant and animal life. The characteristics of the inorganic are as complex and intricate as those of the organic.
Carefully note, at no point in time has it been demonstrated that variations occur in the realm of the inorganic.
The gold and copper nuggets, the iron, lead, copper, and silver ores, and the marbles, granites, etc. are as old as the mountains themselves. From where did these fixed characteristics and laws originate? There is only one answer: God in His creative work imputed each element with fixed properties and made them subject to His chemical and physical laws. This is more than amazing and is beyond breathtaking!
Man can delve deep into the secrets of geology and other sciences and discover a great deal, but each of the subjects are so vast that there is much that forever remains to be learned. Even the grasses that produce grain, the plants whose roots sustain life, and similar substances that serve as food, were all given their properties by God! Each plant has its own dwelling place including grains in rich soils and others out in the open sun. Many plants grow well in shallow water and others thrive on deep beds in the ocean.
The intricates of plant life show forth God’s creative power and are so vast that even after thousands of years of human existence and analysis on earth there is much left for succeeding generations to discover.
The same is true for the animal world, from the smallest of the insects to the largest mammals, such as the elephant and whale. All from the smallest to the largest were made by God, each according to its own kind (Gen. 1:21) whether it is fowls of the air, fish in the sea, beasts of the earth, or things that creep upon the earth.
To each of these God has imputed life, but of a higher order than what was given to plants. These creatures can move about in the air, in the water, or upon the face of the earth. Each animal has its own characteristics, with fixed instincts and habits within their God given life. To the surprise of many skeptics each one is perfectly adjusted to its own environment.
Many books have been written on zoology and other intricate subjects which fill libraries with a staggering amount of information. But it is not surprising that many zealots feel we have only scratched the surface as much more remains to be learned. New discoveries will continue to be made which will add even more knowledge to that which was undiscovered only a few years ago. The revelation in these new discoveries, combined with the old, are only a scant portion of Gods amazing creation. We have only touched the hem of the garment.
Hallelujah! Humanity, by the design of God, is the crowning work of His creation.
In His own image made He him and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives (Gen. 2:7). God gave humans the power to reproduce, and subdue the earth. He also gave them dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and all things that move upon the earth (Gen. 1:26-30).
Man was given intelligence and power of reason so that he would possess the mental capacity to search out many of the mysteries of creation. Because God has imputed mankind with an insatiable desire to learn more, humans have discovered many of the previously unknowns in God’s amazing creation. The true seekers are constantly finding many more new discoveries, but none will ever find the end as God’s creation is past finding out.
Lowly man has learned to take coal out of the belly of the earth and use heat from it to generate energy in many unthinkable forms. He has learned to pump crude oil out of the earth, refine it, and use it to fly millions of planes in the air at astonishing rates of speed. Oil has many uses that have enhanced the lives of millions for hundreds of years.
Some of these things are only examples of what man can do with the abundant provisions emanating from the gracious hand of our mighty God. The list of knowns and unknowns will never end! There will never be an end to our quest for discovery. However, each rising step is a reminder of how much we need to fully trust our sovereign God to lead us through our human inabilities and limitations. Each endeavor and the many inadequacies of man demonstrate our deep need of his amazing grace to help during our sojourn on this amazing planet.
Why and how can lowly human beings do so many things that were previously unknown? It is because God endowed mankind with almost unlimited intelligence to work with the fixed and unalterable laws of the universe. This indicates a creative intelligence and a Sovereign God behind them. The Lord God who created heaven and earth and fixed the laws for His creation also created man with intelligence to comprehend these laws and use his God given ability to understand and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28).
You may have heard that man’s mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension. Man is the only creature that both laughs and weeps and can visualize where things are and where they should or could be. Man sees the tension differential between things as they are and as they should or could be and can figure a way to close the gap. This created human that God placed on planet earth has demonstrated an astonishing ability to do good things well while possessing a proclivity to do bad things with just as much dedication.
All that man has done and can do will never compare to the greatness of God’s so great salvation. Earthly humans cannot, by their own intellect, fathom the mysteries of salvation. These marvelous things must be revealed to him by means of the Holy Spirit of God.
As it is written, Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them unto us (believers) by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things yes, the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9).
As great and magnificent as it is, those things that are associated with creation are finite and can be measured by many of the instruments of man. There is a depth to the sea, a height to the mountains, and a wide breath to the vast plains.
There is a span of life for all living things whether they are plants, animals, or mankind. This life may not be more than a few fleeting moments, or it may be hours, days, weeks, months, or years, and even thousands of years as is the case of the great Sequoias of the Sierra Nevada Range. For each of these there is a beginning and a certain end. Even the earth and heaven have a beginning. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1). But salvation is different than these things as it is, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:11) and was promised before the world began. In hope (confidence) of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus 1:2).
You may be assured that this great salvation will endure after the present creation has passed away.
The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment: but thy salvation shall be forever (Isaiah 51:6).
In addressing salvation, God always uses terms that clearly belong to the infinite. Why? Because salvation is eternal.
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that trust him (Hebrews 5:9).
God’s purpose in salvation is to conform man to the image of His own infinite Son,
For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).
Salvation cannot be described in any way other than by the use of infinite terms, and these terms rightly apply to God Himself. Concerning man in his original sinless state God gave dominion over the earth and all that was on it. To those within fallen humanity who will receive Jesus Christ as the exclusive and only Savior, God imputes infinite righteousness and places them in a position far above all else in the universe!
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 (Ephesians 1:21).
This amazing God wrought salvation is so great that it challenges man to come forth with his most thoughtful and deliberate consideration.
It is a fool of the highest magnitude who glimpses God’s truth, even for a second and turns away to run headlong into emptiness, darkness, and an everlasting woe of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
The bible asks a most important question that man must answer as it calls for the most serious, and complete consideration…How shall we escape, if we NEGLECT so great salvation (Hebrews 2:3).
There is an escape… there is an answer. What are you to do as you contemplate your everlasting destiny? Jesus was asked the identical question;
Good master what must we do that we might work the works of God? (John 6:28). His response will save anyone who believes the answer He gave to this important question. This answer may be the critical information you have always needed to receive everlasting life.
Here is His answer, which is THE only answer! …He that believes on me has everlasting life (John 6:47).
This is not complicated… Jesus is the only savior and He saves those who receive Him as their exclusive hope of everlasting life. Your faith may not be strong, but when the object of even a weak faith is the Lord Jesus Christ you will instantly have what you can never earn or deserve, and that is eternal life in Him, through Him, and by Him.
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (John 1:12).
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED (Romans 10: 13).
For there is one God, and mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
