Christ’s Preexistence: The Glory He Had Before the World Began

In John 17:5, Jesus prays to the Father:

“And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.”

Here, the words matter — every single one. Jesus says “I” had this glory. Not an impersonal “concept.” Not a “future Jesus” who would only begin existing when Mary gave birth in Bethlehem. Not “the Word” as a vague, abstract idea. I — the living, conscious Son — had this glory with the Father before the world even began.

The personal pronoun makes this deeply intimate. It points to real, personal possession and experience. Jesus is not recalling a mere prophecy about Himself, but something He personally shared with the Father before time itself. This same truth is echoed in John 8:58:

“Before Abraham was, I am.”

Jesus is not saying, “I was planned.” He is making a direct claim to existence prior to Abraham’s birth. This is no poetic metaphor; it’s a direct, historical statement of pre-existence.

The Jews immediately challenged Him: “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” (John 8:57). They were questioning His actual existence before Abraham. Now notice — Jesus does not respond by saying, “You’re right, I wasn’t really there — I only existed in God’s mind as a future idea.” Instead, He declares: “Before Abraham came into being, I am.”

If the non-preexistence view were true, Jesus should have agreed with them and clarified that He never personally experienced Abraham. But He doesn’t. He uses the personal pronoun “I” — claiming conscious, personal existence before Abraham’s birth. His response directly affirms that He was there, He knew it, and He was making a divine claim the Jews understood perfectly — which is exactly why they picked up stones to kill Him (John 8:59).

John 3:13 is one of the clearest proofs of Christ’s pre-existence. The verse reads: “No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.”

Let’s think this through carefully. When Jesus says, “no one has ascended into heaven,” is He talking about an idea? A symbolic concept? A “future Messiah” yet to exist? Of course not. He is speaking about actual human beings—no person had ever gone up into heaven. That’s a literal statement about real people. It would make no sense to interpret it as “no immaterial idea has ascended into heaven.”

So then, what about the second half of the verse: “except He who descended from heaven”? If the first half is speaking of a literal being, then the second half must also be. Jesus is not contrasting “real people” with “abstract concepts.” He is contrasting all mankind who cannot ascend with Himself, who descended.

That means Jesus is presenting Himself as an actual person who came down from heaven. Not the idea of a Son of Man. Not a “plan in God’s mind.” Not a symbolic title that would later be “born through Mary.” The text says He descended. And you cannot “descend” from a womb—you are conceived and born there. Descent implies movement from a higher place to a lower one.

Jesus is clear: the place He descended from is the very place He said no one else had ever ascended—heaven. If He descended from heaven, then He existed in heaven before coming to earth. This is pre-existence in the plainest terms.

Therefore, John 3:13 is not simply affirming that Jesus is “from God” in a general sense. It is a direct statement of His heavenly origin, proving that Christ was already alive and existing in heaven before He came into the world.

Philippians 2: 6-8

Jesus was born poor and had nothing. But this raises a crucial question: if Christ did not pre-exist, then how did He “become a slave” and what exactly did He “empty Himself” of in order to be made in the likeness of humanity? Paul is clear in Philippians 2:6–7: Christ “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of humanity.” The text says He became human. And if He became human, then what was He before? An idea in God’s mind? A non-existent plan waiting to be born? Absolutely not.

Paul writes that Jesus was already “in the form of God” and that He did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited or pillaged. This is a direct action, a conscious choice, from an actual, existing Being. How could a non-existent being make such a decision? An idea cannot grasp, relinquish, or humble itself—only an existing being can.

Non-preexistence teachers try to argue that Jesus emptied Himself “in some other way,” but that is an invention, not what the text says. Paul is explicit: Christ emptied Himself to become human. That means the self-emptying happened in the transition—from the form of God into the form of man. Any attempt to say He was “emptying Himself while He was human” is inaccurate and contradicts Paul’s order of thought. He did not empty Himself after He became a man; He emptied Himself to become a man.

Thus, Philippians 2:6–7 directly affirms Christ’s pre-existence. He was in the form of God, possessing glory with God, and He relinquished that high position in order to take on the lowly form of a servant. Only one who already existed in heaven could make such a descent.

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A Reader’s Question

Recently, a reader of my book wrote:

“First of all, I wanted to say that I really enjoyed your book. I also wanted to ask if you have been keeping up with the non-preexistence of Christ task force on YouTube? Liam, Richard, Clyde, etc., are teaching that Christ did not preexist, and I was wondering what your views are. I believe that Christ preexisted as the Son of God. They are saying that those who believe as I do are in some way disrespecting God and Christ. Please let me know what you think. God bless you!”

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My Response

I appreciate every reader who takes the time to reach out. So here’s my position, plain and simple: I do not agree with the “non-preexistence of Christ” position. Scripture clearly affirms that Christ existed before Bethlehem.

That said, I do not camp my whole ministry on this topic — not because it’s unimportant, but because the foundation of our faith is not the debate over preexistence, but “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The gospel stands on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, not on the outcome of this debate.

But here’s the problem: many who deny Christ’s preexistence do not stop there. I’ve heard some go so far as to say, “You shouldn’t worship Christ” or “Christ has nothing to do with the reconciliation of all things.” That is not only false — it’s spiritually dangerous. Colossians 1:20 makes clear that Christ is the very means by which God reconciles all creation to Himself. To remove Him from that role is to gut the gospel of its power.

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Answering the “Disrespect” Claim

Some claim that believing Christ preexisted somehow “disrespects” God. But let’s examine that:

• Does believing Christ preexisted make Him any less the Son of God?
• Does it take away from His death, burial, and resurrection?
• Does it diminish the agony He endured in crucifixion?
• Was God any less “in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19) if Christ preexisted?

The answer to all four is no. The “disrespect” argument is projection — they assume that if they believed Christ preexisted, it would diminish God, so they project that assumption onto you. But you’re not making that connection — they are.

It’s like someone saying, “Because you don’t watch the WNBA, you must not like basketball.” I can love basketball and still not enjoy the WNBA for reasons unrelated to basketball itself. But if someone equates WNBA with basketball as a whole, then to them, rejecting one means rejecting the other. The problem is not your reasoning — it’s their definition.

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Keeping It Simple

I am a simple man. My beliefs rest on plain, direct Scriptures: the salvation of all (1 Timothy 4:10), God’s sovereignty (Romans 9), the true nature of death (Ecclesiastes 9:5), the purpose of the ages (Ephesians 3:11), and no eternal hell (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Verses like Philippians 2:6–7 (“He emptied Himself”), John 8:58 (“Before Abraham was, I am”), John 6:38 (“I came down from heaven”), and John 17:5 (“the glory I had with You before the world began”) are straightforward. To deny them, you must replace the plain reading with complex theological gymnastics that cater more to human pride than to truth. I won’t do that.

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The Real Danger

When belief in the non-preexistence of Christ leads to conclusions like “Jesus had nothing to do with the All in all” or “We should not worship Him,” then the belief has crossed into territory that actually undermines the gospel. If that’s where the road leads, then it’s time for serious reevaluation — because the damage caused by such conclusions is far worse than the belief itself.

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Final Word

As for that YouTube “task force,” they seem more focused on pushing a doctrinal agenda than proclaiming Christ’s finished work. While some individuals still preach the cross faithfully, the overall emphasis is often distracting.

So my encouragement is this: stay grounded. Keep the cross central. Let your confidence rest in the fact that the One who said “Before Abraham was, I am” and prayed “Glorify Me with the glory I had with You before the world began” is the same Christ who died for your sins, was buried, rose again, and will one day bring all creation into God’s glory.

That’s not a side issue. That’s the whole story.

Some in the non-preexistence camp actually claim that if Jesus preexisted, it somehow minimizes the faith He had. Really? First, God is fully capable of carrying out any process necessary to make the preexistent Christ fully human — including giving Him the capacity to live by faith.

Second, think about it: the preexistent Christ — the One through whom all things were created — had never experienced death, rejection, torture, or crucifixion before becoming human. Of course He would need faith to endure these things for the first time. In fact, knowing exactly who He was and what He could have avoided would require an even greater exercise of faith to submit Himself to suffering and death. His preexistence in no way diminishes His faith — if anything, it magnifies it.

This kind of argument is a perfect example of the nonsense that arises when people ignore Scripture in favor of making up their own ideas. It’s not about defending the gospel — it’s about drawing attention to themselves, elevating their pet theories above the message of Christ crucified. And that’s a distraction no believer needs.

Non-preexistence teachers love to spin tales that put limits on God — as if He couldn’t have Christ preexist and then transform Him into whatever He needed, by any process He chose, to fulfill His role. They lean on their own human reasoning instead of accepting that God can do far more than their small, finite minds can imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

The irony is, they present themselves as intellectually superior, yet the plain Scriptures already prove Christ’s preexistence. Jesus Himself says so in the first person (John 8:58, John 17:5). And here’s the reality — even if someone believes in Christ’s preexistence, or doesn’t, that fact alone does not erase the gospel. Christ crucified is the core (1 Corinthians 2:2). Neither position changes the truth that the Son of God died for sin, was buried, and rose again.

But then I hear a non-preexistence advocate say, “This is my favorite topic.” Really? Our apostle is Paul, and Paul never once makes the preexistence or non-preexistence of Christ a focal point in any of his letters — not once. And yet, in the final hours of this age, with the world unraveling and the end drawing near, this is what you choose as your hill to die on? You even form a “task force” for something Paul never discusses? That speaks volumes — and not in a good way.

What Paul Actually Focused On

If you read Paul’s letters, you won’t find him obsessed with the preexistence debate. Instead, you find him relentlessly centered on:

• Christ crucified — the foundation of our faith (1 Corinthians 2:2).
• The resurrection — without which our faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:17–20).
• Reconciliation of all things through Christ (Colossians 1:20).
• The grace of God apart from works (Ephesians 2:8–9).
• The hope of immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51–54).
• The proclamation of the gospel to the nations (Romans 1:16).
• Christ as the Head over all creation (Colossians 1:15–18).

If Paul didn’t elevate the preexistence debate to the center of his ministry — and if he was handpicked by Christ Himself to proclaim the gospel — then why should we? The real danger is letting side issues eclipse the main thing.

Paul’s Gospel: Timeless, Universal, and Still for Us Today

There’s a growing claim in some circles that only certain letters of Paul apply to the Body of Christ today—either because they were written before Acts 28 or because they were “only written to Jews.” But here’s the problem with that: sin and death haven’t changed, and neither has God’s remedy.

If the disease is the same and the cure is the same, it’s absurd to suggest that God’s prescription is now “out of date” for us. Paul’s gospel message was always for both Jew and Gentile, because all are under sin, and all need the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:9, 22–23).

And when we actually compare Paul’s so-called “before Acts 28” letters with his “after Acts 28” prison epistles, we see the exact same core truths. The audience, the problem, and the solution are all the same. Here’s the side-by-side proof:

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Paul’s Gospel Message: Before & After Acts 28

Before Acts 28, Paul wrote letters such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians. In Romans 3:23, he declares that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and in Ephesians 2:1–3 (written after Acts 28), he says we were “dead in trespasses and sins… by nature children of wrath.” The problem—universal sin—is identical.

In Romans 3:28, Paul says, “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” After Acts 28, in Ephesians 2:8–9, he writes, “By grace are ye saved through faith… not of works.” The basis of salvation is unchanged—grace through faith apart from works.

The remedy is also the same. Before Acts 28, in 1 Corinthians 15:3, he declares that “Christ died for our sins… was buried… and rose again the third day.” After Acts 28, in Colossians 1:20–22, he says we are “reconciled… in the body of his flesh through death.” The cross remains central in both periods.

Paul also taught that Jew and Gentile are one. In Galatians 3:28, written before Acts 28, he says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” After Acts 28, in Ephesians 2:14–16, he writes that Christ “hath made both one… that he might reconcile both unto God in one body.”

Righteousness as God’s gift is found in both periods. Romans 5:17 speaks of “the gift of righteousness,” and Philippians 3:9 says, “not having mine own righteousness… but that which is through the faith of Christ.”

Reconciliation to God is also consistent. In 2 Corinthians 5:18–19, Paul says God “hath reconciled us… not imputing their trespasses unto them.” After Acts 28, Colossians 1:21–22 states that Christ “hath… reconciled [you] to present you holy… in his sight.”

Security in Christ is taught in both. Romans 8:38–39 says nothing can “separate us from the love of God,” while Colossians 3:3 affirms, “Your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Finally, the hope of future glory is identical. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, Paul writes that believers will be “caught up… to meet the Lord in the air,” and in Philippians 3:20–21, he says we “look for the Saviour… who shall change our vile body.”

In short, the same diagnosis, the same cure, and the same hope appear before and after Acts 28—proving Paul’s message was always universal and is still for us today.

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The Evidence Is Overwhelming

When you put the verses side-by-side, it’s impossible to maintain the idea that Paul’s earlier letters were “only for Jews” or “not for today.” The gospel truth is identical before and after Acts 28.

Paul’s message is consistent because the problem—sin and death—hasn’t changed, and the solution—Christ crucified, risen, and His righteousness given as a gift—hasn’t changed either. To reject part of Paul’s writings is to reject the very truths that God gave him for all mankind.

As Paul himself wrote:

“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles…” (Romans 11:13)
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)

All of Paul’s letters carry God’s cure for humanity’s greatest problem—and that cure is still for us today.

We receive these promises by faith—not by living during Paul’s lifetime, not by being part of Israel, and not by being in a certain historical setting. Paul makes it clear:

• “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
• “By grace are ye saved through faith… not of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9).
• “…the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Philippians 3:9).

These are not time-limited statements—they are spiritual realities tied to believing the gospel of Christ. Nowhere does Paul say, “This only applies while I’m alive,” or “This is only for Jews in the first century.” Instead, he addresses Gentiles in idol-worshiping cities like Corinth and Thessalonica, showing that anyone who believes receives these promises (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, 1 Corinthians 6:11).

If faith in Christ is what secures these promises, then anyone who has that faith today stands in the same position before God as believers did then. To argue otherwise is like claiming a life-saving medicine stops working if it’s taken outside the country where it was first prescribed. The cure works because of what it is—not because of where or when it’s taken.

The gospel is God’s prescription for the universal human condition—sin and death—and faith is how it’s received. If you have that faith today, then the promises Paul wrote about still apply to you today. In addition to this, if God chose for you not to have faith, then the same salvation applies to you that applies to all mankind. You don’t have the special salvation of those given belief, but you will be saved by the cross as well, later, through judgement.

Acts 17:17 – So, just because Paul spoke to Jews in the synagogue, does that mean he only ever spoke to Jews? Of course not. The verse says he reasoned with Jews and with devout persons. Are Jews the only ones who can be devout? And what about those he met daily in the marketplace—did Paul stop and screen each person to verify they were Jewish before speaking to them?

Imagine a non-Jew hearing Paul preach to a Jew and shouting, “Paul, I believe your message!” Would Paul respond, “Sorry, you’re not Jewish, so your faith doesn’t matter”? That’s absurd. The record shows Paul engaged whoever was there—Jew, Gentile, philosopher, or passerby—because the gospel was for all who would believe.

And the very next verses prove it. In Acts 17:18–19, some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers—clearly Gentiles—overheard Paul in the market, started a discussion with him, and brought him to the Areopagus (Mars Hill). There, Paul preached directly to a Gentile audience about the “unknown God” (Acts 17:22–31). The progression is seamless: synagogue → devout persons → marketplace → Gentile philosophers. Paul’s ministry wasn’t fenced in by ethnicity; it was aimed at anyone who would hear.

Acts 17 – Paul’s Expanding Audience

1. Synagogue – Jews and Devout Persons (Acts 17:17a)

“Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons…”

• Jews – descendants of Abraham under the Law.
• Devout persons – God-fearing non-Jews who respected the God of Israel.
• Already we see more than just Jews in the audience.

2. Marketplace – Whoever Was There (Acts 17:17b)

“…and in the market daily with them that met with him.”

• Open public setting—anyone could approach.
• No mention of screening for ethnicity or religion.
• Paul preached to whoever came by—Jews, Gentiles, locals, travelers.

3. Gentile Philosophers Engage Him (Acts 17:18)

“Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him…”

• These were Greek thinkers, not synagogue Jews.
• They heard Paul in the marketplace and initiated discussion.

4. Invitation to Mars Hill (Areopagus) (Acts 17:19–20)

“May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?”

• Paul is taken to the center of Gentile intellectual life in Athens.
• No synagogue, no Jewish majority—purely Gentile setting.

5. Sermon to a Gentile Audience (Acts 17:22–31)

• Paul addresses them as “Men of Athens”, referencing their altar to the “Unknown God.”
• He preaches the Creator God, repentance, and the resurrection—no appeal to Mosaic Law.
• Ends with a call to all men everywhere to repent (v. 30).

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Takeaway: In just a few verses, Paul’s audience moves from synagogue Jews → devout Gentiles → anyone in the marketplace → Greek philosophers → an entirely Gentile audience at Mars Hill. Acts 17 destroys the claim that Paul’s ministry was limited to Jews.

Acts 28 – The Real Sequence of Events

1. Paul Calls the Local Jewish Leaders (Acts 28:17)

“…Paul called the leaders of the Jews together…”

• Paul begins by explaining why he is in Rome.
• His audience at this point is Jewish because he’s giving an account of his imprisonment and charges.
• This fits his normal pattern: “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

2. Paul Preaches the Kingdom and Jesus (Acts 28:23)

“…to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets…”

• He uses the Hebrew Scriptures because he’s speaking to Jews.
• This does not mean his ministry is exclusively to Jews—it means he’s reasoning with Jews on their own terms.

3. Mixed Response From the Jews (Acts 28:24)

“And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.”

• As always, some accept, others reject.
• This is consistent throughout Acts—not a unique “final cutoff” moment.

4. Paul Quotes Isaiah About Hardened Hearts (Acts 28:25–27)

• He warns them from Isaiah 6 about Israel’s hardness.
• This is the same passage he referenced in earlier ministry (Acts 13:46–47), proving this isn’t a “new” declaration but a repeated truth.

5. Statement to the Jews About the Gentiles (Acts 28:28)

“Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.”

• Acts 28 proponents claim this is the start of the Body of Christ’s gospel to Gentiles.
• In reality, Paul had already been preaching salvation to Gentiles for years—long before Acts 28:
  • Acts 13:46–47 – “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”
  • Acts 14:27 – “God… opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.”
  • Acts 18:6 – “From henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”

6. Paul Continues Two Years in Rome (Acts 28:30–31)

“…preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”

• His ministry doesn’t stop here; it continues without restriction.
• There’s no indication that he discards his earlier letters or that those promises expire.

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Takeaway

Acts 28 is not the start of Paul’s ministry to Gentiles—it’s a continuation of what he had been doing since Acts 13. The idea that the Body of Christ only began after Acts 28 ignores multiple clear passages showing Gentile salvation throughout Paul’s journeys. If Gentiles were already receiving the gospel, then the promises in Paul’s earlier letters were already for them, and they remain for all believers today.

Paul Preaching to Gentiles Before Acts 28

• Acts 9 – At Paul’s conversion, Jesus says he is “a chosen vessel… to bear my name before the Gentiles” (Acts 9:15). From the very beginning, Paul’s mission includes Gentiles.
• Acts 11 – In Antioch, Gentiles hear the gospel and believe in large numbers (Acts 11:20–21).
• Acts 13 – In Antioch of Pisidia, Paul openly declares, “We turn to the Gentiles,” citing Isaiah 49:6 to prove this was God’s plan (Acts 13:46–47).
• Acts 14 – Paul and Barnabas report that “God… opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).
• Acts 15 – At the Jerusalem Council, Peter and James affirm that God has already purified Gentile hearts by faith, without the law (Acts 15:7–9, 19).
• Acts 16 – In Philippi, Paul tells the Gentile jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:30–31).
• Acts 17 – In Athens, Paul preaches at Mars Hill to an entirely Gentile audience of philosophers, declaring the Creator and the resurrection (Acts 17:22–31).
• Acts 18 – In Corinth, after Jewish rejection, Paul says, “From now on I will go to the Gentiles” (Acts 18:6).
• Acts 19 – In Ephesus, “all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10).
• Acts 20 – Paul testifies that he has already proclaimed “the gospel of the grace of God” and “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:24–25).
• Acts 26 – Before King Agrippa, Paul says he has been preaching to “both Jews and Gentiles” all along (Acts 26:20–23).

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Why This Destroys the Acts 28-Only Argument:
By the time Paul reaches Acts 28, Gentiles have been receiving the gospel for nearly two decades. When he says in Acts 28:28, “the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles,” he is reaffirming what he’s already been doing since Acts 13—not announcing a brand-new program.

This means the Gentile believers in Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Thessalonians were already partakers of the promises through faith in Christ. Those letters were not “Jew-only” and they didn’t expire at Acts 28—they remain just as much for believers today as they were for believers then.

Conclusion: The record of Scripture makes it clear that Paul’s gospel was never “Jews-only” and did not suddenly change at Acts 28. From the moment of his calling, he was sent to both Jews and Gentiles, and throughout Acts we see him preaching to idol-worshipers, philosophers, and whole Gentile cities long before he ever reached Rome. His letters—whether written before or after Acts 28—present the same diagnosis of universal sin, the same cure in Christ’s finished work, and the same promise of salvation to all who believe. To claim these truths were bound by ethnicity or by a historical cutoff point is to ignore the plain testimony of Paul’s own words: the gospel is for everyone who has faith in Jesus Christ, in every place, in every age.

The Acts 28 position does not make sense. They claim Paul didn’t go to the Gentiles until Acts 28:28 — but let’s look at what the Lord Himself said about Paul’s mission from the very start.

In Acts 9:15, the Lord tells Ananias:

“He is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before the nations and kings, and the sons of Israel.”

That’s Paul’s commission from day one — to the nations and to Israel. Sorry, Acts 28:28 advocates — this blows your timeline apart. And sorry, “Jews only” crowd — this verse separates “nations” from “sons of Israel,” so it’s impossible to say Paul was only speaking to Jews in his early ministry. It’s equally impossible to claim his earlier letters don’t apply to us today.

Look at Acts 13:48:

“When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to life aionion believed.”

This happened long before Acts 28:28 — and many argue even before Paul wrote his first letter. In other words, Gentiles were already believing Paul’s message that the Acts 28 crowd insists hadn’t been sent to them yet.

It’s nonsense. All of Paul’s letters are for the body of Christ — not just for Jews, and not just for Jews of a certain time period.

The Cross Covered It All — No Exceptions, No Add-Ons

I often hear people say things like, “You must repent,” or “You must choose,” or “You must have faith” in order for the cross of Christ to apply to you. These statements sound spiritual, but they carry a dangerous assumption — that our actions somehow make Christ’s work effective.

Scripture says otherwise. The truth is this: we are saved by Christ’s work alone. All will eventually be saved because of Christ, and nothing can be added to this work. As Paul said in Acts 17:25, “Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” God doesn’t need our help to make the cross effective — and we can do nothing to make it ineffective.

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Special Salvation Now, Salvation for all Later

God, in His timing, gives faith to some now so they can believe and rejoice in Christ’s completed work before the rest of the world does. These believers enjoy what Paul calls in 1 Timothy 4:10 a “special salvation” — they are “believers” who already know the Savior who is “the Savior of all mankind.”

This means:

• Believers now will enjoy aionion life (life in the coming glorious ages) before others.
• They will share in Christ’s reign and work alongside Him to reconcile the universe to God through the cross (Colossians 1:20).

The rest — unbelievers — will come to this same realization later, through judgment. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:22-23, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order.”

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Where Do Faith, Repentance, and Choice Come From?

The religious world gets this wrong. They think these things come from inside us, as if we muster them up and hand them to God like a gift. But scripture shows the opposite.

• Faith is a gift: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).
• Repentance is granted by God: “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25).
• Our will is shaped by Him: “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

We can give nothing to God that He hasn’t first given to us. Everything — even the very breath in our lungs — comes from Him (Acts 17:25).

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The Root, Not Just the Branches

Many religious people divide sins into categories — as though Christ’s death covered some sins but not others. But scripture doesn’t say Jesus died for some sins. It says He died for SIN and DEATH itself — the root cause of every sinful act.

• “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
• “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)

Think of it like this: if you uproot a poisonous tree entirely — roots and all — every branch, leaf, fruit, and seed is gone with it. Christ didn’t just prune certain branches (like lying or lust) while leaving others untouched (like “willful sin” or “unpardonable sin”). He destroyed the root system — sin and death itself — so that nothing connected to it can survive.

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The Cross Is Not Subject to Human Discretion

Sometimes I wonder… when Jesus was being scourged, mocked, and nailed to the cross, did He think:

“I hope Mr. and Mrs. Christian will believe this… otherwise it’s all for nothing.”

Of course not. The cross wasn’t an offer dependent on human acceptance. It was an accomplishment. Jesus didn’t die to make salvation possible — He died to save. “It is finished” (John 19:30) means exactly what it says.

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Grace Produces Love, Not License

When we understand Christ’s finished work, it changes how we live. Knowing we’re already reconciled to God doesn’t make us want to sin — it makes us want to love Him more.

• “For the grace of God has appeared… training us to renounce ungodliness” (Titus 2:11–12).

Religion says: “Live right so you can be saved.”
The gospel says: “You are saved, so live in love and thanksgiving.”

Fear-based obedience never produces genuine love — it produces anxiety and hypocrisy. But when you know nothing can undo what Christ has done, your obedience becomes joyful and sincere.

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The Real Issue: Self-Reliance Masquerading as Holiness

When someone rejects the idea that Christ’s death covers “willful sin,” they’re really just looking for a way to credit themselves. It’s spiritual pride.

• “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” (Romans 9:16)

They think:

• “I’m saved because I don’t willfully sin.”
• “I avoid certain sins, so I’m better than others.”

That’s not the gospel. That’s religion. It’s an attempt to shrink Christ’s work so it fits inside the box of human effort. And it always leads to pride in self and a minimized cross.

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Not Power to Stop Sinning — A Guarantee of Victory

Some religious people say, “Jesus died for sin so you can stop sinning.” But that’s just another way of saying, “Jesus did His part, now I do mine.” That’s not grace — that’s self-righteousness.

Here’s the truth:
We are still dying. Unless we are “snatched away” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), death will touch us. Romans 5:12-13 tells us we sin because we have death. As long as death is operating in us, sin will be, too. The total victory over sin and death happens when both are abolished forever (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Yes, those given belief now will experience immortality first — but the rest will follow after the correction of judgment (Philippians 2:10-11). The point is: Christ didn’t die to give us the power to never sin or die now — He died to guarantee that every creature will be freed from both in their own order (1 Corinthians 15:23).

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Grace Changes Lives — Religion Judges

If someone has truly been given grace to see what Christ accomplished, it will transform their life. Grace doesn’t give permission to sin — it produces thanksgiving and love. It’s only those who reject grace and cling to human effort who think grace encourages sin.

Religion invents sins that may not even be sins to God, then condemns others for them to feel more righteous. But if someone continues in sin because they don’t yet understand grace, that’s between them and God — not a religious jury. If they haven’t yet experienced grace, God will bring them to it in His timing.

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The Truth That Sets You Free

Christ didn’t just cover the sins you’ve committed so far. He defeated the entire power of sin and death, forever. Every willful sin, every failure — all nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).

If the root is gone, the branches can’t grow back. The cross is enough. The resurrection proves it. And in the end, God will be all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28).

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Bottom Line

If Christ’s cross can’t cover “willful sin,” then sin is stronger than the Savior — and that’s a lie.

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I recently received a comment from someone who said, “God invented hell because He knew people would sin.” That one statement perfectly captures the tragic confusion that religion creates.

Think about it: God created hell because He knew we would sin? Really? I always thought God sent Jesus Christ because He knew we would sin. That’s the Gospel. That’s the point of the cross.

But here’s the hard truth: Many Christians cling to the idea of eternal hell because, deep down, they don’t actually believe that Jesus dealt fully and finally with sin and death. They say He’s the Savior, but they teach that He only might save you—if you do your part, if you believe the right way, if you avoid hell by your own decision. In doing so, they shift the power of salvation away from the cross and onto themselves.

That’s not faith in Christ—that’s faith in self. That’s not trust in the blood of the cross—that’s fear-based religion built on the myth of eternal torment.

But Scripture says otherwise. It says that Jesus came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), that through His blood He will reconcile all things to God (Colossians 1:20), and that through His death He will abolish death itself (2 Timothy 1:10, 1 Corinthians 15:26).

So no—God didn’t create hell as a backup plan. He created Jesus Christ as the plan, and through Him, sin and death will be fully defeated.

That’s the real Gospel.

Was the Cross Not Enough?

There is perhaps no torture more excruciating than crucifixion. In fact, our very word “excruciating” comes from it. Yet there is one thing more painful than the act itself—the belief, held by many Christians, that what Jesus endured on the cross was not enough to save all of mankind from sin and death.

Let that sink in.

Jesus, the Sinless Son of God, the One through Whom all things were created (Colossians 1:16), was subjected to unimaginable suffering, and many still claim that His death only made salvation possible—but not actual—unless we do something to complete it. That belief, though common in churches today, is a denial of both the cross and the Christ who hung upon it.

Let us reflect, medically, historically, and spiritually, on what Jesus endured—and then ask: How could anyone say it was not enough?

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The Night Before the Cross: Hematidrosis

Before the first whip ever tore His skin, Jesus was already suffering. In Luke 22:44, we read that He sweat drops of blood while praying in Gethsemane. This is no poetic exaggeration—it’s a real, documented condition called hematidrosis, brought on by intense emotional stress and anguish. The capillaries around the sweat glands rupture, causing blood to mix with sweat.

Dr. Cahleen Shrier, professor of biology and chemistry at Azusa Pacific University, explains that this condition makes the skin extremely sensitive—meaning Jesus entered His physical torture already weakened, bruised, and in a state of heightened pain.

But more than that: Jesus knew what lay ahead. As the One through whom all creation was made, He was about to carry the entire weight of its sin. Every lie, every murder, every betrayal, every act of hatred or lust or cruelty—all of it would be laid upon Him.

And He would descend into death itself—a state Scripture defines as unconsciousness, the absence of life and awareness (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Jesus, utterly reliant on God the Father, was preparing to trust Him for resurrection—because otherwise, He would remain dead forever.

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Flogging: The Torture Begins

Dr. Shrier describes in detail what Jesus endured before even reaching the cross.

Under Roman law, flogging was standard before crucifixion. Jesus was stripped and whipped with a flagrum—a leather whip embedded with metal balls and sheep bone. The metal bruised deeply, and the sharp bones tore flesh from muscle, exposing the bone beneath. His back was left in bloody ribbons.

This wasn’t symbolic. It was literal. Jesus lost massive amounts of blood, began to go into hypovolemic shock, and grew so weak that He couldn’t carry His own cross (Matthew 27:32).

Then came the crown of thorns. Twisted branches were jammed into His scalp, damaging facial nerves and causing searing pain. A robe was thrown over His torn back—then ripped off again, reopening wounds. He was punched, spat on, and mocked by the very ones He came to save.

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The Crucifixion: Biology of Agony

Now nailed to the cross, Jesus entered the slowest, most humiliating execution ever devised.

The nails—seven to nine inches long—were likely driven through His wrists, not His palms. That’s where the bones could support His weight. The nails shredded the median nerves, sending jolts of pain up His arms with every slight movement.

His shoulders dislocated. His arms stretched inches beyond their normal length. And each time He tried to breathe, He had to push Himself up on the nail-pierced feet—tearing flesh, nerve, and tendon anew—just to exhale.

To speak, He had to endure this process. And He did it—seven times, according to the Gospels.

One of those times, He pushed up and said:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Let that break your heart.

He wasn’t praying for the righteous. He was praying for the men murdering Him—the soldiers who drove the nails, who spat in His face—and He asked God to forgive them.

Did God ignore that prayer?

According to much of Christianity today, He did. They teach that God only forgives if you say the right words, make the right choice, or believe the right doctrine. But these men did none of that. They were killing the Son of God—and yet, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness before they repented.

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The Final Breath: “It Is Finished”

When Jesus knew His death was near, He used the last of His strength to push up one final time and cry out:
“It is finished.” (John 19:30)

Yet Christians today have the audacity to say, “No—it’s not finished until I do something.”

That is not faith. That is unbelief in disguise.

To say Jesus’ sacrifice only made salvation possible is to say that the cross failed until a human helps complete it. That idea is not Gospel—it is blasphemy.

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The Horror of Denying the Cross

And still, many churches today teach that unless you repent, believe, obey, or follow Jesus, you will be separated from God forever—or worse, burned in hell for eternity.

But separated for what? For sin?

The very thing Jesus endured all this to destroy?

To teach that a person will suffer for eternity because of sin is to say that Jesus failed—that His suffering, His death, His blood, were not enough. That is a grotesque rejection of Christ’s finished work.

We are not saved because we made the right choice. We are not saved because of free will, or church membership, or good behavior. We are saved because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified for sin and death—and He defeated them both.

Imagine telling Jesus, while He hung in agony—pushing up on nail-pierced feet just to speak forgiveness into the air—that it wasn’t enough. That His sacrifice needed your “faith response” to make it valid.

This is the great blasphemy of the modern church.

And even worse: that millions will supposedly suffer eternal separation—or even eternal torment—for the very sins Jesus already suffered for. As if Christ endured the wrath of sin so others could endure it again later—forever.

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Born Into Death, Rescued by Christ

We are born into a dying world. No one chooses to be born into sin and death—Adam did that for us. And Jesus undid it, for us all.

He bore every sin, took every wound, felt every fear, and absorbed death itself—not to make salvation possible, but to guarantee it.

Some receive faith now, and are saved early. Others will go through judgment. But in the end, all will be reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20). That’s the power of the cross.

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What Must I Do?

And still, we ask: “What must I do to be saved?”

Look at the cross.

Look at the blood. Look at the nails. Look at the torn back, the dislocated arms, the breathless gasps, the broken heart. Look at Jesus Christ—the Son of God through Whom all was made—and see what was done for you, in you, through you.

You don’t add to this.
You receive it.
You believe it.
And one day, all will be made to see and believe.

That is the power and sufficiency of the cross.

There are many today who believe they are honoring Christ through their personal response to the cross. They say, “Jesus did this for me, and I show Him gratitude by how I react.” On the surface, there’s nothing wrong with honoring Christ in your life. But the moment you place weight on your reaction—as though it completes what Christ began—you have crossed a sacred line.

That’s not faith. That’s self-righteousness.

If you believe that Christ’s work of salvation is incomplete without your faith, your choice, or your obedience, then you are no longer trusting Christ alone—you are trusting yourself. You’ve shifted the power of salvation from the cross to your reaction. That is not honoring Christ; it’s denying the sufficiency of His sacrifice.

The proper response isn’t about bolstering your own spiritual resume. The proper response is to set self aside entirely and recognize what Christ already finished through His suffering and death. Salvation is not hanging in the balance, waiting for your decision. It was secured by Christ alone.

No matter what you do—or fail to do—you cannot undo what Jesus accomplished. The Son of God, through Whom all was created, bore sin and death, and defeated them without your help. That’s the truth.

So what should your reaction be?

Rest. Rejoice. Be thankful. Love. Not out of fear that your reaction determines your destiny, but from confidence that Christ already secured it. There is a vast difference between reacting out of fear, and living from a place of assurance.

The cross demands only one thing of you:
To believe that it was enough.

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The Gift Example:

Imagine a man trapped in a burning building, unconscious and moments away from death. A firefighter breaks through the flames, drags him out, resuscitates him, and saves his life—entirely by the firefighter’s effort.

Now imagine this man waking up in the hospital and saying,

“Wow, I’m so thankful. That firefighter saved me.”

And then he spends the rest of his life telling others about the firefighter, living gratefully, and helping others, not because he thinks those things keep him alive, but because he knows he’s alive only because of the firefighter’s actions.

That’s gratitude. That’s honor.

But now imagine a second man who insists,

“Well yes, he pulled me out… but I had to start breathing again. If I hadn’t taken that breath, I wouldn’t be alive. I finished what he started.”

Now the focus shifts. It’s no longer about the rescuer—it’s about what he thinks he did to help. He’s placing weight on his reaction rather than on the firefighter’s rescue.

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Spiritual Parallel:

Christ didn’t give you a lifeline to grab hold of—He died and rose again to pull you out of death itself. To say, “Well, I still had to respond right,” is like saying, “I helped save myself because I blinked after the CPR.”

That’s not faith. That’s pride in disguise.

Your reaction—faith, obedience, repentance—is a response to salvation, not a requirement for it. True honor comes from recognizing the fullness of Christ’s work, not from subtly taking credit for completing it.

Conclusion

Jesus sweat blood before the first strike. He was beaten, mocked, crowned with thorns, stripped, scourged, nailed, suffocated, and pierced. He bore all sin, all death, and all judgment.

And then He said: “It is finished.”

So I ask you:
How dare we say it wasn’t enough?

God’s Book: Who Really Writes Your Story?

Is life a series of unpredictable choices? Are we charting our own course through the universe with the mighty force of “free will”? Or… is everything — absolutely everything — part of a divine script written by God Himself?

Let’s take a close look at Psalm 139:16:

“Your eyes saw my embryo,
And my days, all of them were written in Your scroll;
The days were formed
when not one of them existed.”

Let that sink in. Before you breathed your first breath, before your heart beat for the first time, before you even existed — God had already written your entire life in His book. Every day. Every moment. Every breath. Nothing left to chance. Nothing left to “human free will.”

If God Wrote It, You Didn’t Choose It

If God wrote all your days before even one began, then it logically follows: you’re not the author. If your story is already penned, then what you do today — and every day — was scripted long ago by God Himself.

This verse alone topples the idea of autonomous human will. Why? Because you can’t rewrite what God has already written. You can’t erase or override the divine manuscript. It’s not your pen, not your plan.

But the psalmist goes even further: “the days were formed when not one of them existed.” In other words, God not only recorded the days — He shaped them. He crafted them from nothing, designing the details of your life before you took your first step.

Choices? Yes. But Whose?

“But I make choices every day!” someone might argue.

Yes — you do. But those choices are part of the script. They were preordained. You’re not steering the ship — you’re following the course God set before you were born.

Need more biblical backup? Let’s jump to Romans 9:11–13:

“For, not yet being born, nor having done anything good or evil,
that the purpose of God may remain according to choice,
not out of acts, but of Him who is calling…”

Before Jacob and Esau were even born — before they had a chance to choose good or evil — God had already chosen their roles. Jacob was loved. Esau was hated. Their destinies weren’t decided by merit or morality, but by the sovereign choice of God.

This flips the modern narrative on its head. We like to think we earn favor, make decisions, control outcomes. But Scripture shows us otherwise: our acts are not the cause of God’s choice — they’re the result of it.

The False Idol of Free Will

Still, many cling to the illusion of human control. Worse yet, they imagine that God must adapt His will to match our decisions — as if He’s reacting to us, playing divine chess against our so-called autonomy.

But that view doesn’t make man free — it makes man sovereign. And in doing so, it reduces God to a responder, not a ruler. That’s not theology — that’s idolatry.

Free will becomes the golden calf, the untouchable idol that steals glory from the One who gives life, breath, and all to all (Acts 17:25–26).

Evil, Death, and the Days God Formed

Now let’s revisit Psalm 139:16 one more time with open eyes.

If every day was formed by God — then that includes days filled with evil, pain, and yes, even death. Have you ever lived a day untouched by struggle? Probably not.

But here’s the question: Could God form a day without accounting for evil in it?

Could He form your days without already knowing — and allowing — the moment you die?

No. Because Scripture teaches that God gives life and takes it. He is the one who gives breath, and He is the one who calls it back. If God weren’t in charge of the timing of death, then death would be able to surprise Him. And nothing surprises God.

So if God determines your last breath… then He must also determine everything leading up to it.

Living the Script With Humility

This doesn’t mean we live like robots. It means we live as creatures, not creators. We act. We feel. We choose — but within the boundaries of God’s determined will.

God is the ultimate Placer. The supreme Author. The sovereign Subjector. And we? We are the characters in His unfolding story. Living it out day by day, whether we know it or not.

So let’s give God His rightful place — and live with the humble joy that everything is of God. Every trial. Every triumph. Every tear. Every breath.

He wrote the book. We’re living the story.

Another clear example in Scripture of God planning human disobedience is the case of Judas Iscariot.

We can all agree that it was God’s intention for His Son to die on the cross to save humanity. For that purpose to be accomplished, Judas’ betrayal was necessary.

So, was Judas using his so-called “free will” when he betrayed Jesus, or was he carrying out a role purposed by God to fulfill Scripture?

During the Last Supper, Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9, saying:

“He who is eating bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.” (John 13:18)

He added, “I am aware whom I choose, but this is happening so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.”

Judas disobeyed God and betrayed God’s Son, yet the betrayal was foretold in Scripture centuries before Judas was even born. Jesus explicitly said Scripture “must be fulfilled,” and Scripture said Judas would do exactly what he did. Therefore, this act of disobedience was planned by God before Judas’ birth to lead Christ to the cross.

God planned it. Jesus knew it. Judas could do nothing else.

In fact, Jesus told Judas directly, “What you are doing, do more quickly.” (John 13:27) Judas had to betray Jesus because it was written, and God had purposed it. To add to this, Satan entered Judas to carry out this act. If Satan is actively influencing a man, how can that man truly be free?

Once again, we see that God planned disobedience to fulfill His purpose. God decides His purposes beforehand and orchestrates the circumstances of a person’s life to bring about the decisions they make at the appointed time.

Thus, human disobedience does not prove “free will.” Instead, it fulfills the sovereign purpose of God.

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The Law

God gave Israel the Law, written on stone tablets, and commanded them to obey it. Yet, as history shows, Israel failed miserably in keeping the Law, which included far more than just the Ten Commandments—it governed every aspect of their lives.

Did God truly intend for Israel to keep the Law perfectly? No.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that it is impossible for humans to fulfill the Law in a way that would justify them before God:

“Therefore, by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did…” (Romans 8:3)

Though the Law is holy and righteous, God never intended for Israel to achieve righteousness through it. Instead, the Law was given so that Israel would recognize their sinfulness and their need for a Savior.

The Law remains God’s standard, but its purpose is to reveal sin and point us to the righteousness of God found in Jesus Christ alone. The Law was never given as a ladder for man to climb to prove his own righteousness.

As Paul explains:

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Galatians 3:24)

God commanded Israel to obey a Law He knew they could not keep so that they would see their need for the One who could—Jesus Christ.

If Israel or humanity could have achieved the righteousness demanded by the Law, there would have been no need for Jesus. God planned for human disobedience to reveal humanity’s need for the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This plan was established long before Israel even existed, for Revelation 13:8 declares that Jesus was “slain from the foundation of the world.” Human disobedience has allowed God to showcase His righteousness and love through Christ to the world.

Thus, human disobedience is not proof of “free will.” It is evidence of God’s sovereign plan.

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Romans 9 further confirms this truth: while man may disobey God’s stated commands, no one can oppose God’s ultimate purpose. Not a single human can act outside of what God has planned for them to do.