Consider for a moment the whole of human history from God’s viewpoint. He is not bound by the construct of time; therefore, He sees the entire timeline all at once (unlike humans, who view time as it passes by – sort of like watching a parade pass through a window, one section or moment at a time). When we think of divine viewpoint this way, we realize that to God all things have always been known by Him (and therefore decreed). When we apply this truth to His salvific plan for the ages, we get a certain clarity which helps us contextualize the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
- John 12:44-50

Jesus possessed divine perspective regarding salvation. He knew that all humans born after the Fall in the Garden of Eden are born under righteous condemnation. In the absence of God’s intervening mercy, every human being would be justly condemned to Hell (e.g., separation from His holiness due to the pollution of sin). Take a moment to visualize this if you can. I sometimes picture it as a sea of darkness. I think about the deep sea, where fish exist in total darkness and, unless they are somehow plucked from the depths, their entire existence begins and ends in this darkness. They die on the floor of the sea in the condition in which they were born. That is their predetermined beginning and end. Nothing alters that existence unless some outside force intervenes and pulls them up out of the darkness and into the light. Not a perfect analogy, but good enough to drive my point home, I hope, and one that Jesus also used.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Matthew 4:19

Mankind is born depraved, hopeless and helpless, in utter darkness. If God decided to leave man to his own devices, he would justly die in the condition he was born. The exception to this is Jesus Christ, whom our Father sent to save some.

I believe a lot of Christians have a skewed understanding of God’s viewpoint on salvation. It’s understandable to some degree because humans tend to like symmetry. For example, regarding salvation, it seems “natural” to conceptualize salvation and condemnation as being equally decided in time (as if both options are on hold until some event takes place). But this isn’t the case at all. The Bible teaches us that we are all born condemned, “by nature, children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:3). That is our starting point. Right away we can conclude that there’s no symmetry, only a foregone conclusion. The Bible teaches us that God could’ve justly allowed every human to go to Hell; yet, He has chosen to save some, to pluck them from the depths of darkness, as an act of mercy, compelled by no other reason than to satisfy His own purposes. Again, there’s no symmetry we should attempt to impose here.

Man left alone is justly condemned to Hell. By the mercy of God alone, some are plucked out of darkness and saved.

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
- Colossians 1:13-14

This may seem like I’m splitting hairs here, but I’m not. Remember, Satan likes to use nuances and subtleties to distort the Truth. As Jesus warned us, we must think like our enemies to discover and resist their schemes, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

So, on the one hand, all of mankind is born into darkness. On the other hand, the Light has come into the world so that some are saved.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
- John 1:4-5

This “light of men” was on a mission (a fishing expedition of sorts). He was to plumb the very depths of darkness to call forth those whom His Father had given Him.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
- John 10:14-16

Maybe some part of you (e.g., your flesh’s desire for symmetry) doesn’t like what I’m writing here because it doesn’t seem “fair”, as if fairness can’t be achieved without symmetry. What’s fair is that we all go straight to Hell. What’s merciful is the grace of God plucking some of us from justified condemnation. If you read Jesus’ own words throughout Holy Scripture with this perspective, you will begin to understand that it is the one He also rightly held. The words of our Savior will take on a new dimension because you understand the context of Jesus’ life and work as being very specific and directed. If you don’t understand said context, you will be confused as to why He came to save and not condemn (hint: the world He came into had been condemned already).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
- John 3:16-21

Man doesn’t decide for himself whether or not he’s condemned - he is born condemned. Salvation is being plucked from that condition by the grace and mercy of God (Ephesians 2:1-10). This is the Gospel message that a person must believe to be saved. This is the message that Jesus preached, along with His disciples, “And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household’” (Acts 16:31). Believing in the Lord Jesus means to believe in what He stood for and why He went joyfully to the Cross (Hebrews 12:2). Context matters. Truth matters.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.…

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
- John 8:31-32, 36


Love in Christ,

Ed Collins