2A11
© Jeff Stacey | Last updated: 22 September 2016
2A11. God’s intended roles, in grace, for all people:
In grace, they could still share with God CONDITIONALLY in accomplishing His primary purpose:-
(a) IF they loved God wholeheartedly and obeyed His two basic requirements
(b) THEN God in GRACE would accept them and make Himself known TO and THROUGH them positively, in His ongoing loving relationship with them
2A11(title) God’s intended roles, in grace, for all people
Initially Adam and Eve were obeying God’s one requirement [1A11]. They were freely living LIFE, in a direct and intimate relationship with God and fulfilling His roles for them. But this ended at the FALL.
In the Era following, no new roles for the people seemed to be specifically stated by God. What did He now intend for them? How was His new way of grace to be applied?
2A11(sub-title) In grace, they could still share with God CONDITIONALLY in accomplishing His primary purpose
Despite the FALL, God told Cain how he could be “accepted” by God Gen 4:7a [2A8(c)(i)]. In GRACE, God was offering a CONDITIONAL way for Cain to be restored to a positive relationship with Himself. This applied to all people and involved obeying God’s two basic requirements, as follows.
2A11(a) IF they loved God wholeheartedly and obeyed His two basic requirements
God’s first basic requirement for any person to be accepted by Him was that they must “do what is right” Gen 4:7a and the second was that they must “rule over” sin Gen 4:7b [2A10].
Being CONDITIONAL, God’s acceptance put crucial emphasis onto the people’s hearts. To “rule over” sin and “do what is right” involved acute struggles with their own motivations [2A8(b)]. Only IF they were wholeheartedly committed to God – IF they loved Him – would they have the necessary moral impulse to respond to the ethical awareness of their conscience. They could then choose to obey God’s two basic requirements.
2A11(b) THEN God in GRACE would accept them and make Himself known TO and THROUGH them positively, in His ongoing loving relationship with them
This was God’s strategy. He was simply inviting all people to respond to Him by choosing to obey His two basic requirements. IF they did meet this new CONDITION, THEN God in GRACE would accept them and make Himself known TO and THROUGH them positively, in His ongoing loving relationship with them. This was how they could fulfil His intended roles for them and still share with Him in accomplishing His primary purpose.
Arrow 2A8 -> 2A11
This arrow indicates that for people to fulfil God’s intended roles for them depended on His way of GRACE.
Arrow 2A9 -> 2A11
This arrow indicates the responsibility that God had put upon all people as the stewards of His vast gifts to them. People were to use them appropriately to fulfil His intended roles for them.
Arrow 2A10 -> 2A11
This arrow indicates that obeying God’s two basic requirements was His essential CONDITION for people to fulfil His intended roles for them.