Of all the matters concerning God in the Bible, the most important portions concern the works of God. The names of God tell us who God is, the attributes of God tell us what kind of God He is, and the works of God reveal God’s operation and move in the universe. Therefore, the works of God are the most central revelation concerning God in the Bible. Now we will discuss them in two groups.
The first group consists of five main points:
In Ephesians 1:9, 11, and 3:11, plan or purpose is translated into “will” in Chinese. Actually, the meaning of the original Greek word does not refer merely to a will; it refers more to a plan, a purpose, according to a will. For example, we may have the will to build a large meeting hall, but we may not have the plan; if we had a plan, the will would surely be included in the plan.
The plan of God is something in eternity. Ephesians 1:11 tells us that we were predestinated according to God’s purpose, God’s plan, and verse 4 says this predestination took place before the foundation of the world.
The Greek word for economy has the meaning of “arrangement, management, and dispensing.” According to the Greek, arrangement in Ephesians 1:10 and 3:9 is better rendered “economy,” since the meaning of economy is stronger than that of arrangement.
For example, if we were to set up chairs in the meeting hall, we can call it an arrangement because it is a trivial task. However, if we want to run a big business or open a large factory, we cannot call this an arrangement; instead we should call it an economy. God’s plan is a great matter; therefore, in God’s plan there is an economy, and this economy includes management, administration, arrangement, and dispensing.
The goal of God’s eternal plan is to build a dwelling place for Himself and to build the Body of Christ His Son. In other words, it is to choose a bride for His Son and to gain a corporate vessel for Himself as His full expression. To accomplish this goal, He chose man, whom He had created, before the foundation of the world. God’s selection is not merely to save us, but to accomplish His eternal plan (Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2).
Predestination is to mark us out. In eternity, while carrying out His economy according to His plan, God chose us according to His foreknowledge and sealed and designated us (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:29).
The record in Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” refers to God’s original creation. At this point man had not been created; only the angels had been created. Among the angels there was a leader, God’s anointed cherub, whom God set over the original universe. At one point, this anointed archangel, due to his pride, rebelled against God and became Satan, God’s adversary. The original universe under his rule became corrupted and was brought under God’s judgment with water covering the surface of the deep.
The matter of restoration is spoken of from Genesis 1:2 to the end of Genesis 2. The original creation was submerged under water; it was waste and emptiness, with darkness on the surface of the deep. Therefore, God came in to restore. First, He ordered the heavenly luminaries to give light, and then He ordered the water on the earth to gather together so that dry land would appear. This restoration rearranged and restored the heavens and the earth that had been judged. The sphere of His restoration is the universe, all things are the means, and human beings are the center. God’s creation is for the expression of God Himself.