The Work of God

It is necessary to be clear about the nature and the content of the work of God.

Roberto Sáez

Readings: John. 6:28.29; Gen.2:2-3; Heb.4:3; Eph.4:11-12.

Following the pattern of Ephesians 4 will help us with the great concern of bringing into effect the work of God. This consists, in practice, of the saints carrying out the work of the ministry. In the following paragraphs we will attempt, with the grace of God, to examine what is needed to carry out the work of God.

The work of God before the foundation of the world

The Scriptures contain abundant passages relating to the activities of the Deity in eternity past, in relation to what we could call "Their lifestyle"; the unity within a plurality of persons and the creation of all things.

We know that there was total peace there, in perfect harmony; a Kingdom of intelligent beings, created for God's satisfaction; there, their Son took a preeminent place; He was adored and revered by the angels, obeyed by all creatures, visible and invisible; because everything had been created by him and for him. God Himself constituted him heir of the whole universe. However, God's authority was offended when wickedness was found in the principle angel, the leader of the hosts of angels who rebelled against God, not accepting a position of subordination, but wanting to be greater than God, and was thrown down to the third part of the angelical population.

The Creator doesn't react by Himself, but rather, being God, he had foreseen the form of punishing this rebellion. Nothing catches God by surprise; in His perfection there's no room for accidents or alarming events. God had a plan beforehand, an eternal purpose that would be carried out "by God's set purpose and foreknowledge" (Acts 2:23). This eternal purpose was destined to be the great work of God. This work would bring the greatest of all satisfactions to God's heart, in such a way that God would enter into His rest.

The work of God in Man's creation

Genesis tells us about the process of the creation of this world in six days. When He had created man as the culminating point of His creation, God rested from His works. The creation of man is the great work of God; it was only when this appeared, does it declare that God entered into His rest.

One can confidently infer that the passage in Acts 2:23 is associated with Genesis 1:26: "... Let us make man." This sounds like the voice of a council which meets to decide transcendental matters. "Let us make man" is not a last minute agreement within the Deity, but their eternal purpose. On the sixth day of creation, the hour that had been so eagerly waited for in God's patience had arrived. Why, among all things and creatures of God, is man what gives him the greatest satisfaction? It is because His dear Son would corporally assume humanity for all eternity toward the future, and the Deity would corporally inhabit the human figure. So man was made by reason of Christ; just like the Sabbath, and all the things and creatures made by God.

God's purpose in man's creation

Of no other creature is it said to have been created in the image of God; this is only said of man. Thus man takes a privileged place in God's plan. Man was designed to carry the image of God, to share the Kingdom, the life and the glory of God; this what God said to man: "... Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth... and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (Gn.1:28,26b). To have dominion and to subdue is a king's function, and this implies the exercise of authority. The man created in the image of God should use this authority upon the snake that is figure of Satan. Within God's plan was the purpose that man would re-vindicate God, reigning over God's enemy. To achieve this, he would live by the uncreated life of God, which was represented in the tree of life. Lastly, in God's plan was that man, together with his partner, would multiply.

We know that the fall came and with it the loss of all that God had designed for man. With Adam's fall everything deteriorated; for that reason, this creation is called "the old creation", in contrast with the new creation made in Christ.

The introduction of a new creation

The fall is hardly an interruption in God's plan; everything was foreseen. In that eternal council, they had already provided the solution. The Lamb was offered before the foundation of the world for our redemption. In the Scriptures, Jesus is called "the second man", because the first one failed. He is also called "the last Adam", because in the cross, Adam's race was judged. In Christ, Adam's race ends and a new creation is born. The emperor of death was conquered by means of death. Jesus snatched the keys of death and Hades from Satan the devil. Jesus was raised up from among the dead, which meant that for the first time somebody left the mansion of the dead, because Jesus had no sin.

Satan condemned us to death by means of the records of the ordinances that were against us; but for Christ there were no ordinances against Him. His righteousness and holiness gave him the authority to take those ordinances and nail them next to him on the cross, thus being our advocate before God. The records were nailed and annulled on the cross; this was the disarming of Satan's powers. The powers and authorities of wickedness were exhibited and embarrassed by means of the death and resurrection of Christ. The judicial power of Satan was broken. By no longer having the legal records to condemn, it means that Satan can no longer condemn anybody who takes refuge in the work of the cross. This is the word in which the saints must be perfected. The saints who know this and apply it through faith to their lives are those who can really serve God.

The introduction of a new man

This new creation is also known as "the new man." When God ordered man to multiply, He didn't speak to one man alone but to a collective man. Obviously, one man could not multiply. Christ is that grain that fell to the earth and gave origin to a sheaf, which is the church. Christ and the church is the new man. Now God has the man that He always wanted to have; the man that allowed Him to rest from all His works. For the first time, humanity saw a perfect and complete man, according to the eternal purpose. God spoke from the heavens giving testimony: "This is my beloved Son... listen to him... follow him." He brought the likeness, the authority, the life and the multiplication of God to us.

What is the church? She is Christ in another form. Just like what was taken out of Adam was presented to Adam to be his wife, likewise the church that came out of Christ is the bride that will be presented to him to be his wife. Today Christ and the church configure the new Man; a collective man. However, it is a single and a new man, why? Because she is made of Christ, of his Spirit, life and mind; she is a bone from his bones and flesh of his flesh.

In the four gospels we find four aspects of Christ's image: The Lion, the Servant of God, the Son of Man and the Son of God. Jesus in his royalty, his service, his humanity and his divinity. This Man fulfills God's purpose declared in Genesis; but now you find something surprising:

After the four gospels comes the book of Acts, and Christ is seen there in the life of the church; so much so that when Jesus appeared to Saul he tells him: "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" However, Saul was persecuting the church. This is because the church is Christ in another form. In the gospels we have the individual Christ; in Acts we have the collective Christ. Therefore, what does it mean to do the work of God? It means the expression of Christ through the church; a task for each and every Christian. This is the preparation that the saints need in order to do the work of the ministry, since this is also the work of God.

The work of God today

One of the biggest faults in the church has been not knowing what the work of God is and, in the same way, not knowing how to do it. It has been filled with 'Church growth' strategies, using the techniques that sales companies of the world use, and they believe that this is doing the work of God. The first thing to have clear is the nature and the content of the work before using methods; otherwise it will be like giving sticks to the blind.

Paul defined his apostolic function as one who proclaims, admonishes and teaches, in all wisdom, to present all men perfect in Christ. He also tells the Corinthians: "...For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ." (2 Cor.11:2).

I ask ministers of the Word today: are the saints of their congregation perfect in Christ? Does the church in which you are serving look like a pure virgin for Christ, forsaking all their other loves to belong to Christ alone? If not, then the problem is in the ministers of the Word. Could it be that they are trying to give the saints Jesus' teachings instead of giving them Christ Himself? Could it be that the ministers of the word are speaking about Christ without preaching Christ Himself? Could it be that only a few specialists in the matters of the Lord are trying to do all the work? Could it be that they are using techniques that give results in numbers, but when looking for fruit, there are only leaves? Could it be that the growth is kilometers wide, but only a centimeter of depth? Could it be that the preaching has such a wide variety of topics that Christ is no longer the center of the Word?

It is not wrong to use diverse forms in order to do the work of God, provided the saints have the content of what they have to express. The church is there to express Christ inside and outside. When this reality is obtained, then the forms will be as varied as those that the Lord used in the days of his flesh. The Jews asked: "What must we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."(John 6:28-29) As we can see, the work of God is one alone: Christ is the work of God. Christ believed upon, assimilated and expressed by all the saints. It is interesting that in John 9:4, the Lord Jesus says something that seemed to contradict the above-mentioned: "We must work the works of him who sent me...." The work and the works. Only one work of God exists; the other ones converge toward it. The miracles, the services, the favors and liberations that the Lord did were to confirm the single work of God: Christ Himself.

The use of means in the work of God is completely legitimate: books, music, radio, T.V., meeting places, etc., etc. But let us remember: the work of God always has to do with a single and new Man, which is Christ and the church, Christ being the head, and the church, his body. If what we do for God doesn't have the stamp which is zealously exclusive of God, then it won't have spiritual results. Perhaps there will be great multitudes, but they won't have the life of God, because God only approves and supports what is His.

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