WHAT IF GOD HAD NOT SENT HIS SON TO BE A PROPITIATION FOR HUMAN SINS?

            We do not know when it became obvious to God and Christ that humanity would have required a Savior. When they did, the Father and the Son may have discussed and considered different options. The option that was finally chosen would have entailed great anguish for both the Son and the Father -- and both knew it.

            But what if the Father had decided not to let it happen? What if he had concluded that sending Christ was too much of a price to pay for puny humans? What if, after weighing the options, the Father had said: “It’s a no!”? What would have been the ramifications of that decision?

             The thought that God the Father might have not allowed Christ to come and die for us humans is highly perturbing. If Christ had not died for us, we humans would have remained under the penalty of death -- with no recourse. The end of all human life would have been a horrifying eternal punishment. Human life would have been nothing but a hopeless and painful ride. Satan would have remained victorious.

             Fortunately, God the Father decided to prevent this horrendous fate for humans and made the fateful decision: His Son would have divested Himself of power and glory; He would have grown among men free from sin; He would have taken upon Himself the death penalty on humans’ behalf. The decision was probably the most difficult decision ever made. Yet our great Father chose to go along with it and, thus, He put into action a plan of salvation that we all are beneficiaries to.

            Truly a God who would give His firstborn for a temporary, mortal creation is a God of endless love.  A Son who is willing to divest Himself of His glory and offer His life for his brothers and sisters, is a brother who overflows with love. The well-known verse, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son,” takes on new meaning, when one considers that God and Christ did not have to go ahead with their plan. The expression “God so loved the world” reveals great intensity of love and an profound concern for us humans. Undeniably, we human beings are very special to both our magnificent Father and our loving Brother Jesus Christ.

WHAT IF GOD HAD NOT PROPHESIED THE COMING OF CHRIST?

           Jesus Christ is accepted as Lord and Savior by hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide. Most accept Him as Lord because they were born in Christian homes and were taught to be Christians. Many have delved into the reasons why Jesus Christ is believed to be Lord and Savior and, by so doing, they have greatly strengthened their faith.

Preachers and the New Testament writers teach us that one of the greatest proofs that Jesus Christ was the promised Savior is the prophecies of the Old Testament. In fact, the Old Testament abounds in prophecies that describe in advance the many aspects of Christ’s ministry on earth, including His death and resurrection.

But what if God had not inspired all the prophecies relating to Christ? What if He had just come and had simply allowed only His

miracles to testify to His divinity and messiahship?

If Christ had come and declared himself to be the Messiah and had accompanied His claim with great miracles, no doubt many would have been impressed and would have followed him, as they had followed others before him (Acts 5:33-37). The foundation, though, would not have been very solid, as He, over time, might have been accused of being just another impostor who happened to deceive the masses through witchcraft.

 Although His resurrection would have astounded them, accusations of deceit and magical manipulations would have finally undone all His labors and teachings. In fact the most cherished Jewish explanation of Christ’s identity revolves around him being a sorcerer and his disciples being cunning deceivers who stole Christ’s body from the tomb and who then concocted the idea that he had been resurrected.

Jesus Christ had to be confirmed as both Messiah and Son of God by something much more reliable than just miracles. He had to be confirmed by God’s Word. Christ affirmed this powerful reality in the book of John: “And the Father Himself who has sent me, has testified of Me…You search the scriptures…and these are they which testify of me” (John 5:37-39). Yes, the Scriptures spoke of Christ centuries in advance in great detail, and they were to be the greatest foundational proof that Christ was indeed the Messiah.

The Old Testament teaches us that Christ was to come to earth and that he would totally submit to God’s will (Psalm 40:7-8). He was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), from the seed of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1), in the city of Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He was to be announced by a great prophet (Isaiah 40:3), and was to be persecuted by a mad man bent on destroying Him, even if it meant killing all other children of His age (Jeremiah 31:15); He was to have a gentle temperament (Isaiah 42:1-4); He was to go to His death in Jerusalem riding a donkey (Zech. 9:9); He was to be rejected of His own people (Ps. 118:22), and by His own disciples (Zech. 13:7); He was to be sold for thirty pieces of silver which were to be used to buy a potter’s field (Zech. 11:12); Soldiers were to cast lots over His clothing (Ps. 22:18); He was to go through a most gruesome treatment and abuse and, finally, was be killed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:1-8);

Furthermore, He was to have his skin and flesh torn off his bones and His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16, Zech. 12:10, 13:6); He was to be placed in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9) and was to be finally resurrected (Ps. 16:10).

The abundance of specifics and their total fulfillment, together with Christ’s great miracles, were a necessary and complete package that undeniably proved Christ’s true identity. Had God not included the prophecies in the package, a powerful ingredient would have been left out, and the preaching of Christ as Messiah would have been more challenging to make credible.

God knew that Christ’s true identity was to be fully supported with undeniable evidence, and He did provide it in a most compelling way, not only through great miracles, but also through the fulfillment of many astounding Old Testament prophecies that point to Christ and His redeeming work for mankind.   

                     WHAT IF GOD HAD NOT GIVEN US FOUR GOSPELS?

The coming, the ministry, the death and resurrection of Christ were pivotal events in human history. God came in the flesh, performed great wonders, died for all our sins, was resurrected and returned to Heaven. Many disciples and thousands of witnesses witnessed these events. But, in time, all the witnesses would have died, and the events would have been forgotten. God chose four reliable sources to record the most important events surrounding Christ’s human life and His teachings, for the benefit of all future generations.

But what if God had not inspired four accounts? What if He only had inspired one or two? Would that have made any difference?

The human life of Christ was the most important event that ever occurred on Earth. His identity as the Messiah was of critical importance to all future believers. Future generations would have been taught about Christ, and the sources would have had to be totally reliable. The Gospels of Matthew and John were written by Christ’s disciples. The Gospel of Mark is thought by some scholars to have been dictated by or to have been heavily influenced by Peter’s experiences.31 Luke was a doctor and a historian who wrote his account based on interviews with people who witnessed the events. The sources were totally reliable.

But why four? The answer could be related to a rule established by God Himself in the Old Testament: “by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a matter be established” (Deut. 19:15).  One witness could be erroneous, false or biased; two would be sufficient; three would be ideal. Four witnesses, though, would have been undeniable. Thus, God made sure that the greatest event in human history would be supported not by two or three witnesses, which would have been sufficient, but by four which was above and beyond what was necessary.

God does everything for a reason and having four Gospels had the critical reason to leave no doubt in believers minds that Christ had come, that He had done great works, that He had died for us and that he had been resurrected. Most of all, they prove beyond any doubt that He was the Son of God and that through Him humanity has a living and eternal hope.

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