25-0921sc - Detailed Summary

The class begins with the teacher, Steve, noting that it is time to start the lesson on September 21, 2025, titled "The Scheme of Redemption, Chapter 2." He explains his mention of the Restoration Movement by referencing online material that attributes authorship to Milligan, who wrote in 1977 and was a restorationist. This material originates from the Restoration Movement, which aims to restore the original approach to God as understood by first-century Christians. Steve emphasizes how this movement focuses on redemption, baptism for the remission of sins, its meaning, and the subsequent lifestyle Christians should lead after conversion. He finds this approach very impressive, highlighting the effort to return to the pure, early Christian practices of faith and devotion.

Steve transitions to an opening prayer, addressing the Heavenly Father and expressing gratitude for the opportunity to study the Bible. He acknowledges that all knowledge about God, human relationships with Him, and how to please Him comes from the Scriptures. The prayer notes that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers to compile the Bible, making it the source for understanding restoration to God through studies of the prophets' writings. Steve asks for blessings on the study to comprehend the material and for the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding, as it is the Spirit’s role to convict of sin and draw people to God. The prayer concludes in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen, underscoring the reliance on divine guidance for spiritual insight and growth.

Steve introduces the chapter’s focus on "Redemption Purposed and Promised," reminding the class that the book’s title frames redemption as planned, needed, and provided. He stresses that this chapter examines the planned aspect of redemption. Reflecting on the previous week’s discussion, he reiterates the necessity of recognizing Genesis as divinely inspired, where God intervenes by creating and sustaining the world while offering reconciliation. This sets the foundation for understanding God’s intentional design in human history, from creation to the provision of salvation, emphasizing divine purpose in every step.

Steve delves into the concept of reconciliation, questioning whether humans need it and defining it as restoring an interrupted or terminated relationship. He illustrates reconciliation in human terms, such as simply asking for forgiveness, which may or may not be granted based on the other party’s graciousness. However, he points out that divine reconciliation involves more, as God provides the basis and opportunity for it. Turning to Ephesians chapter 1 as a key starting point, Steve explains that God intended humanity to come to Him through Jesus from the beginning of creation. He notes that God foresaw human sin, incorporating a plan for redemption into His design, and invites the class to read from Ephesians 1 starting at verse 3 using the New American Standard Version.

Steve mentions his practice of changing Bible versions monthly for deeper study, favoring the New International Version for preaching but appreciating the clarity of the New American Standard. He reads Ephesians 1:3-14, blessing God the Father for spiritual blessings in Christ and explaining that God chose believers in Christ before the world’s foundation to be holy and blameless. This predestination for adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus aligns with God’s will and grace, lavished through Christ’s blood for redemption and forgiveness. Steve elaborates that this plan was conceived before creation, with God foreknowing sin and pre-planning salvation through Jesus. He touches on the concept of grace, both God’s and Jesus', as unmerited favor, and notes the revelation of God’s mystery in Christ to unite all things. The reading concludes with believers being sealed by the Holy Spirit as an inheritance pledge toward full redemption, all to God’s glory. Steve emphasizes the certainty of this plan, as God’s nature—incapable of lying or weakness—ensures its fulfillment, unlike fictional characters with vulnerabilities.

Steve reinforces that God’s plan for redemption is inevitable, drawing from Isaiah 55 to affirm that God’s word accomplishes its purpose without returning void. He contrasts God with Superman, noting God’s lack of any weakness like kryptonite, ensuring His plans cannot be thwarted. This divine reliability means that once set in motion, the scheme of redemption will unfold as intended, providing unwavering hope for believers in the process of reconciliation and salvation.

Steve pauses to welcome visitors in the class, inquiring if books are available for them since the lesson has just begun. He recaps that the discussion is on chapter two of "Redemption Is" by Edward Wharton, a minister and teacher at Sunset School of Preaching, focusing on redemption being purposed and promised. This brief interlude maintains the class’s inclusive atmosphere while tying back to the material’s origins and the ongoing exploration of God’s redemptive plan.

Steve directs attention to Philippians chapter 2 to illustrate Jesus' purposeful coming, reading from the New American Standard Version starting at verse 1. He encourages unity, humility, and considering others' interests, urging the class to adopt Christ’s attitude. The passage describes Christ, existing in God’s form, emptying Himself to become a servant in human likeness, humbling Himself to death on the cross. For this, God exalts Him, so every knee bows and tongue confesses Jesus as Lord to God’s glory. Steve highlights this as insight into Christ’s motivation for incarnation and sacrifice, emphasizing selflessness and obedience as models for believers in understanding redemption’s purpose.

Steve connects the mindset of Jesus from Philippians to Ephesians, highlighting that Jesus willingly accepted the role God assigned Him in the plan of salvation, which was established before the world’s creation. He explains that God planned to use Jesus as the means to bless humanity, noting that Jesus preexisted creation and participated in it, as referenced in the Gospel of John and other scriptures. Paul urges believers to adopt this same mindset, emphasizing the fact that Jesus, though divine, voluntarily took on human form to save humanity. Steve points out that the Hebrew writer explains this incarnation was necessary for Jesus to become a high priest, requiring Him to be human to fulfill that role effectively. This underscores God’s meticulous planning in redemption, where Jesus humbled Himself to bridge the gap between God and man.

Steve directs the class to the study material, ensuring time management, and states that Christ’s purpose was to save ruined humanity from sin. He references the angel’s message to Joseph and Mary in Matthew 1:21, instructing them to name the child Jesus because He would save His people from their sins. Luke 19:10 echoes this, stating the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost, while 1 Timothy 1:15 affirms that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Steve stresses that this is the utmost important truth to grasp, forming the core of Jesus' mission and the foundation for understanding the gospel’s redemptive focus.

Steve introduces a subpoint that Christ’s purpose was not primarily to save the world from war, poverty, or famine, though these are fringe benefits of Christian living. He explains that the church must not lose sight of its central purpose under the Great Commission, as evangelizing the world naturally leads to less war, poverty, famine, heartache, and heartbreak by changing hearts through the gospel. Interjecting a contemporary example, Steve mentions Charlie Kirk’s efforts to change the world by employing Christians, recognizing how sin disrupts business and society. He notes that Kirk sought to introduce Christianity to promote a better lifestyle, reducing societal ills, but emphasizes that these fringe benefits should not be confused with Christianity’s central redemptive thrust.

Steve asserts that the gospels portray Jesus as our Redeemer, with redemption as His primary purpose for coming to earth, and His name meaning Savior signifies this mission, as in Matthew 1:21. He cites Jesus' own statement in Luke 19:10 about seeking and saving the lost, and recounts the contrast in Luke between Martha’s focus on serving and Mary’s absorption in Jesus' teaching, where Jesus affirms Mary’s choice as better. In another example from Matthew 9, Jesus tells a palsied man his sins are forgiven before healing him, prompting questions about His authority since only God can forgive sins, thus proving His divinity and demonstrating that redemption from sin is preferable to physical healing. Each gospel concludes with the commission to preach salvation, which Steve paraphrases as going into all the world to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for salvation. According to Luke, Jesus interpreted the law, prophets, and Psalms as foretelling that repentance and remission of sins would be preached in His name to all nations, reinforcing redemption’s centrality.

Steve describes redemption as our Lord’s magnificent obsession, establishing that Christ, the church, and remission of sins form the Bible’s central narrative, fulfilling God’s eternal purpose and the promise to Abraham. He reiterates the pre-creation planning of redemption from Ephesians 1, where Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals God’s intentions for the world and humanity’s redemption. Importantly, Steve clarifies that the New Testament does not teach that God planned for man to sin, contrary to many theologians' views; instead, God did not intend for sin but knew it would occur and thus purposed a redemptive plan involving Christ to carry it out.

Quoting Ephesians 1:9-11, Steve explains that God revealed the mystery of His will to sum up all things in Christ in the fullness of time, making believers a heritage according to His purpose. He emphasizes that God foreordained the redemptive plan, knowing man would sin but not creating him to do so, and planned to redeem through His Son’s sacrificial death as propitiation. Drawing from Romans and 2 Peter 3, Steve discusses faith leading to faith, believing in God and His desire to redeem, noting God’s patience in delaying the world’s end so none perish but all repent and come to Him through Christ for forgiveness. He affirms that Christ accomplished this pre-planned purpose, citing 2 Timothy 1:9, which states God saved and called us according to His purpose and grace given in Christ before eternal times. Steve pauses for questions or comments, reinforcing that God’s intent for the church aligns with this eternal purpose in Christ, as in Ephesians 3:11.

Steve describes the plan of salvation as God’s eternal purpose, conceived before time and extending into eternity after the ages' consummation. Quoting 1 Corinthians 2, he explains that Paul spoke God’s hidden wisdom, foreordained before the world for our glory. This wisdom, the gospel, was once a mystery hidden from man but now revealed, emphasizing God’s eternal existence and His plan for salvation so humanity could spend eternity with Him. Steve clarifies that the purpose of creation was for humans to join God eternally, with the plan spanning from eternity past through time to eternity future, inviting the class to grasp this profound continuity.

Steve notes that Peter agrees with Paul, quoting 1 Peter 1:19-20 about redemption through Christ’s precious blood, foreknown before the world’s foundation. He reiterates that God’s foreknowledge of man’s fall into sin does not mean He foreordained it; man was not created with that blemish. Instead, knowing sin would occur, God predetermined a plan to save, leading to His glory and the glorification of the saved, as detailed in Ephesians 1:3-14, where God’s purpose is consummated through Christ in the eternal glorification of His saints.

Steve reads Romans 8:28-30, stating that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, for those He foreknew He also foreordained, called, justified, and glorified. He explains that this passage illustrates the scope of God’s eternal purpose to redeem humanity from sin, extending from eternity before the world’s beginning to eternity after the ages' consummation. At that point, the saints will be glorified in fulfillment of this purpose, and believers look forward to eternal life with God following the resurrection and judgment day, emphasizing the comprehensive and timeless nature of divine redemption.

Steve discusses how Paul’s revelation of God’s intent to save the ruined human race provides the proper framework for studying the Bible, which records the fulfillment of this purpose consummated in Christ. The Scriptures reveal God’s interference in history from the beginning to accomplish His redemptive plan, setting the stage for understanding historical events not solely as human endeavors but as influenced by divine involvement. God remains active in human affairs today, just as in ancient times, for the same redemptive goal, highlighting the ongoing relevance of His purpose in contemporary life.

Steve introduces concepts like divine intervention, providence, and preservation, explaining that after creating the world, God did not abandon it but continues to be involved. This involvement ensures the execution of His salvation plan, not leaving history entirely to human efforts. He references Genesis 3:15 as the first prophecy of Jesus' coming and redemption, addressed to Adam, Eve, and Satan, where God promises that Eve’s seed will bruise the serpent’s head, depicting a battle where a descendant avenges the fall, underscoring God’s active role from the outset in countering sin through prophetic promises.

Steve traces the seed lineage from Genesis, noting that after Cain kills Abel, the line continues through Seth, with the Bible providing Seth’s genealogy to Noah and then from Noah’s son Shem to Abraham. God intervenes by calling Abraham to leave his land, promising to bless him, multiply his seed, and through it bless all nations, a focus central to Jewish understanding of world blessing via Abraham’s descendants. The lineage continues from Abraham to David, with God promising that through David’s seed the promised one would come, illustrating God’s ongoing protection and guidance of the seed to ensure the fulfillment of His redemptive plan.

Steve emphasizes that Jesus fulfills these promises, with God interceding throughout to preserve the seed and bring the plan to fruition, asserting that prophecy can only be fulfilled by God, not by human effort alone. He notes that even if humans are involved, it is through God’s direction via divine intervention, providence, and preservation. Referencing the current date as September 21, he points to Psalm 105, which details God’s involvement in Israel’s history, such as orchestrating events to bring Jacob’s family into Egypt during famine, ensuring the survival and growth of the chosen line.

Steve provides examples of divine intervention, such as the famine that drove Jacob to Egypt where Joseph, sent there by God’s providence, invited him, and later God’s call to Moses to deliver the Israelites through plagues and the command to Pharaoh to let His people go. These acts demonstrate God’s active role in salvation history, extending to the present opportunity to share the message of reconciliation, as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5. Steve concludes the lesson, planning to continue next week with the redemption promise made to Abraham, thanking the class for their attention and time, and noting his availability for the following session before pausing for two weeks.

Steve wraps up by expressing gratitude to the class for their attention and time spent in the study, reinforcing the appreciative tone for participation in exploring the scheme of redemption. This brief closing affirms the value of the session’s discussions on God’s eternal plan and encourages continued engagement with the material in future classes.