God created man, provided everything that he will ever need and then gave the dominion rights over all that to the same man to represent Him and rule and expand. Lord Jesus also chose twelve disciples and entrusted them with the task of preaching te message of the Gospel to all people. God is capable of doing all He desires to do, on His own, yet He offers a chance to mankind to join Him to do His will. But is this our choice or God’s choice to select some out of the multitudes?
Whose partnership did God seek to create man? The Scripture was written by Moses, a Jew, for the Jewish people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and at the time of creation, God’s Spirit, the Holy Spirit was hovering over the waters. In every important assignment His Spirit was and is always active. God chose Bezalel for work of the Tabernacle and ‘filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship’ (. Exodus 31:2-3). Prophet Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David ‘in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward’ (1 Samuel 16:13). God desired a king over Israel, a man of His own heart, and David was filled with the Holy Spirit for this assignment.
The Jewish people, however, do not believe in the Holy Trinity despite various proofs in the Scripture and quote Deuteronomy 6:4 as proof where Moses told, ‘Hear (Shema), O Israel; the LORD our God, the LORD is one’. The words ‘Let us make man’ reveal this plurality of God but the Jews give a different interpretation to this (Genesis 1:26). Out of many such, the one most believed is about God consulting angels about creating man and they opposed this part of creation. God created mankind and breathed into the pile of dust to make him a living/talking being. The Creator of the universe consulting with the angels, His own creation, howsoever intelligent and mighty they be, seems inappropriate.
The first command from God was ‘Let there be light’ and it happened (Genesis 1:3 & 14-16). But the sun, moon and the stars were not created till the fourth day, ‘the greater light to rule the day; and the lesser light to rule the night’. Scripture clarifies that all things in heaven and earth were created by Him (Lord Jesus Christ), ‘through Him and for Him’ (Romans 11:36 & Colossians 1:16). The Son of God’s appearance in the creation process is from God’s command ‘Let there be light’ and the light of the glory of His Son filled the universe. The New Jerusalem will have ‘no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light’, the same light that first was revealed in creation.
Apostle John identifies Lord Jesus as ‘The Word’ who is God and the Holy Spirit partners with the Word in the creation process (John 1:1-2). But can the Holy Spirit complete such complex process of creation on a word? The Holy Spirit prays for us according to the will of God and God knows the ‘mind of the Spirit’ (Romans 8:26-27). The Word of creation is clearly known by the Holy Spirit for He knows what God desires to do and obeys explicitly. Also Lord Jesus declared, ‘the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner’ (John 5:19). While on the earth in human form, the Son of God is empowered by the Holy Spirit to see and do all that the Father in heaven is doing to give them a vision. Moses was commanded by God, ‘See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain’ (Hebrews 8:5). The image of the heavenly Tabernacle was shown to Moses and he was to replicate that on earth exactly. The Son of God created everything exactly as per the plan revealed by God the Father to Him and the execution was by the Holy Spirit, who knows the Father’s mind fully and is known by Him (Romans 8:27).
Adam was to exercise dominion over everything that was created by God and the words ‘Let us’ point to a special cooperation. The process of creation of man also included his anointing as a ruler over all that was created on the earth before him. God the Son and the Holy Spirit were fully involved in the process till then and the call for ‘Let us’ is to God the Father to step in for this most important part of the whole process of creation. The call is a call of honor and reverence from the Son to the Father and not a consultation with the angels or anyone else. Even in answering our prayers, Lord Jesus desires ‘that the Father may be glorified in the Son’ (John 14:13). How much more would He desire to give glory to the Father in creation of man?
Has this ‘Let us’ call ever been made by the Father to the Son also? Yes, God the Father was always aware, even before creation about the fall of mankind and nature with that and the need of redemption. After sin entered the human race various prophecies were made regarding the Redeemer and in the Old Testament, the whole process of offering sacrifices pointed to this. The call from the Father to His only begotten Son is to be the Redeemer of mankind.
Since dominion rights of everything were given to Adam, the process of redemption must fulfill certain conditions. First, the Redeemer must be a man, born of a woman and not a specifically created being. The prophesy was ‘enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He will strike at your head, and you shall bruise His heel’ (Genesis 3:15). The rights had to be taken back from the devil by a man and then returned to mankind.
Second, the birth must not carry any sinful defects of the bloodline of Adam. Since the seed is of a man, God declared, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel’ where Immanuel means ‘God with us’ (Isaiah 7:14). The purity of the Seed of woman was ensured and Angel Gabriel told Mary, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35).
Third, he must belong to the lineage of David for he only was given the promise by God that ‘your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever’ (2 Samuel 7:16). Prophet Isaiah received this oracle from God, ‘There shall come forth a Shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD’ (Isaiah 11:1-2). Angel Gabriel not only declared the birth of the Redeemer to virgin Mary who was from the lineage of David but even informed His God given name, Jesus, the Messiah, who will be called ‘the Son of the Highest; and the LORD God will give Him the throne of His father David’ (Luke 1:31-32).
Four, besides being born with a nature of holiness, the Redeemer must never sin in thought, word or deed. Lord Jesus was ‘led by the Holy Spirit, into the wilderness’ to be tempted by the devil and come out victorious (Luke 4:1& 13). The devil having ‘ended every temptation, departed from Him until an opportune time’ to come again. Being sinless, Lord Jesus could challenge the Jewish crowd to let the person ‘who is without sin among you, to first cast a stone’ at the woman caught in adultery (John 8:7). And He forgave her sins warning her not to sin anymore. He could challenge the Pharisees to point out any sin in Him (John 8:46).
Five, He must fulfill the Law as given to Moses and be accused of the worst crime. The Messiah was accused of blasphemy by the Sanhedrin for claiming to be Son of God and of rebellion against the Roman rulers before Pontius Pilate. He breathed His last at three in the afternoon, the time of evening sacrifice, and after ‘knowing that all things were now accomplished He could declare, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:28).
Six, He must willingly offer Himself as the atoning sacrifice for sins of the world. Lord Jesus’ surrender to the plan of redemption was absolute and even in agony when His sweat ‘became like great drops of blood falling to the ground’, He sought to do the Father’s will (Luke 22:42).
Seven, He must suffer unimaginable physical abuse at the hands of Jews and Gentiles both. His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than any man (Isaiah 52:14). The Son of God was humiliated and His clothes removed, beaten, ridiculed and then crucified but ‘It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief’ (Isaiah 53:10).
God the Father must accept His sacrifice and this was not to be by sending fire from heaven but through other resultant signs. First, reconciliation of mankind to God was done and the door of access opened through tearing of the veil of separation of the Most Holy place torn from top to bottom from heavenwards to the earth (Matthew 27:51-52) and ‘graves were opened ; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised’.
Second, He must defeat death and rise again. Violation of God’s command led to death (Genesis 2:17) and wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since the Messiah was sinless but died for others sins, death could not have any right over Him.
Third, He must return to heaven as proof of His acceptance by God the Father of completion of the assigned task. Lord Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘no one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven’ (John 3:13). Lord Jesus ‘was taken up, and a cloud received Him’ and two angels ‘in white apparel’ confirmed His ascension to heaven and His second coming in like manner (Acts 1:9-11).
All these conditions could only be fulfilled by the Son and the second ‘Let us’ is about redemption of mankind by the Son, who was also the Creator and in whom everything subsists.
After redemption is there any other partnership call also? – God gave dominion rights to man over every created thing on the earth and the Redeemer returned back the same rights to believers (Genesis 1:28). The original task of ‘dominate the earth and subdue it’ still remains the same and our battle is with the devil who was ‘in Eden, the garden of God’ (Ezekiel 28:13). Satan offered rule of all kingdoms of the earth to Lord Jesus in return for surrender to him and this claim of his was not disputed by the Lord (Matthew 4:8-9). The Great Commission is the third call of ‘Let us’ calling for all believers to partner with God in faith and as His representatives on earth, move to win souls for the heavenly kingdom.
Apostle Paul’s command about putting on the Armor of God lists out ‘sandals of Gospel preparation and peace’ (Ephesians 6:15). This is about reaching out to others still in sin and in the clutches of sin and forces of darkness and this is what every believer is tasked with. Lord’s Prayer seeks establishment of God’s kingdom on earth (Matthew 6:10. Lord Jesus told the Pharisees, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation…..For indeed the kingdom of God is within you’ (Luke 17:20-21). We take the message of the Gospel to others to lead them into God’s kingdom. The Holy Spirit is in us to teach us everything and to fill us with ‘power, love and self control’ to witness to others.
After ascending into heaven Lord Jesus is seated at the right hand, place of authority, of God the Father. He confirmed to the disciples that ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’ and now the devil has no right over all believers. When the disciples ‘went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs’ (Mark:16:20). Even today when we reach out to others with the message of the Gospel, heavenly power works with and in us to confirm the message. So Let us all join together to win souls for the kingdom of God.
LORD God can turn all mankind to Himself but He does not override the free will given to man. To offer a choice to all kind to choose God or the devil, we are chosen and blessed by God to reach out with the Gospel message to others. God sends us in the same manner as He had sent His own Son to take further the mission of Lord Jesus to reconcile mankind to Him. Let us join God in this venture!
