...The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8

Every builder begins with the finished project already in mind.

A man does not gather lumber simply to admire the lumber. He builds because he sees a finished house. A traveler does not study a map simply to become an expert on maps. He studies the map because he intends to arrive somewhere.

The same is true of God.

From the opening pages of Genesis to the closing vision of Revelation, God is moving history toward a single destination. That destination is union with Him. Union with Him is a direct result of “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. This means before creation even began the cross was already the solution even before the problems existed. Lessons from the cross are the blueprint to transform humanity into the people of God.

God moved forward with creation and all the rest of history knowing that what was accomplished on the cross would be the answer to every obstacle that would ever come along. Redemption is not merely about rescuing fallen people from judgment. It is about restoring mankind to the purpose for which we were created. God is forming a people who bear His image, reflect His character, and willingly delight in His will. Those people are formed by the power of the cross.

This changes the way we read the Bible because when we see the cross the way God sees the cross everything changes. God had the “Lamb” in mind when He said “Let us make man in our image”. The “Lamb” was already there when atonement was needed to cover sins. All the sacrifices made up until Calvary were just place holders - or IOU’s that would all be paid once Jesus fulfilled His role as “The Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world”. So in one way of looking at it Jesus was always the Saviour - of all - both Old Testament and New. In this way he was a unifier of all peoples into the one covenant - made by blood - before the world began.

Seeing the way God sees - scriptures are not simply a collection of doctrines to be mastered or commandments to be obeyed. They reveal the mind and purpose of God. Every truth, every command, every promise, every warning, and every act of redemption is moving toward the same end - the fullness of Christ being formed within His people.

The Old Covenant largely revealed God's righteous judgments through commandments, statutes, and ordinances written upon stone. They established the foundation upon which Israel was to build. Yet even then, God's desire was never merely outward conformity. Through the prophets He continually called for hearts that loved righteousness rather than simply hands that performed religious duties.

Then Christ came.

Instead of merely giving another list of regulations, God gave the world His Son. In Jesus we no longer see righteousness written only upon tablets of stone. We see righteousness walking among us. We see what the mind of God looks like when clothed in human flesh.

The Cross therefore becomes far more than the place where our sins are forgiven. It becomes the defining picture of God's heart.

The serpent promised greatness through self-exaltation.

The Cross reveals greatness through self-emptying.

The world pursues authority through power.

Christ revealed authority through servanthood.

The world teaches us to preserve ourselves.

Christ teaches us to lose ourselves.

The Cross completely redefines what it means to become complete.

Under the New Covenant, God is not simply looking for people who know more verses, defend more doctrines, or belong to the correct theological camp. He is raising mature sons and daughters whose hearts are being transformed into the likeness of His Son. The question is no longer merely, "What am I commanded to do?" but increasingly, "How would Christ respond? What reflects the Father's heart?"

This is why the New Testament speaks so often of growing, walking, pressing forward, being transformed, renewing the mind, approving what is excellent, and attaining the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The New Testament presents a constant striving and moving forwards towards perfection. The Christian life is not intended to remain in spiritual childhood and immaturity. Just as good parents eventually raise children who no longer need to be told every task but have learned to think and act responsibly, so our heavenly Father is forming a people who increasingly govern their lives – not as children that need to be told – but as mature adults with liberty to live by the mind of Christ.

Being an adult with autonomy and fully capable of making responsible decisions is not only the goal in the natural but also in the spiritual. The New Testament speaks of “liberty” - that liberty is analogous to the autonomy of responsible adults – not the wild, anything goes of an irresponsible teenager. So Biblical liberty is to navigate our destinies not as children with no wisdom – but rather the wisdom gained by having the mind of Christ.

Such liberty is not lawlessness.

It is responsibility.

The Spirit does not free us from God's purpose. He frees us to fulfill it.

With that freedom comes both privilege and caution. We are entrusted with liberty, yet warned not to condemn ourselves in what we approve. We are called to build upon Christ, yet reminded to take heed how we build. Every decision, every motive, every use of liberty, and every work we perform becomes an opportunity for the character of Christ to be revealed within us.

This is the journey toward maturity.

The tragedy of much of modern Christianity is not simply that believers disagree over many secondary matters. It is that too often we have mistaken those matters for the destination itself. We become occupied with defending positions while giving far less attention to becoming the kind of people God is seeking.

Jesus said, "The Father seeketh such to worship him in spirit and in truth."

Those words describe far more than a style of worship. They describe the kind of people the Father has always desired - men and women whose hearts have become so united with His own that worship is no longer confined to a meeting place, but is expressed in every thought, every judgment, every act of love, and every decision made throughout life.

That is the life centered around the Cross.

It is not merely believing that Christ died for us.

It is allowing the Cross to reshape everything we are until the mind that governed Christ increasingly governs us.

The Destination

From the beginning, God has been moving humanity toward one glorious destination: a people who freely and joyfully share His heart, reflect His character, and live in perfect union with His will.

This has always been His purpose.

God did not create mankind merely to exist, nor simply to escape judgment, nor only to inherit heaven. He created us to bear His image. That image was never intended to be merely physical or intellectual. It was the image of His nature expressed through willing hearts that love what He loves, choose what He chooses, and delight in His ways.

The Fall did not destroy God's purpose. It interrupted mankind's ability to fulfill it. Rather than moving closer to God when they heard Him approaching - they became afraid and hid. Fulfillment was not to be found hiding in the bushes. Fulfillment was only possible when they obeyed God’s voice and His prescriptions.

Redemption therefore is far more than the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness removes the barrier. Reconciliation restores the relationship. The gift of the Holy Spirit begins the lifelong work of transforming us into the likeness of Christ. Salvation is not simply rescue from death; it is restoration to God's original and full intentions.

Jesus Christ is the perfect revelation of that intention.

In Him we see humanity exactly as God designed it to be. Every thought, every word, every judgment, every act of mercy, every expression of truth, every display of authority, and every act of obedience flowed from perfect union with the Father. Jesus did not merely teach the will of God; He lived it. He could say, "I do always those things that please Him," because His heart was completely united with the Father's heart.

This is the destination toward which every believer is being called.

The Father's goal is not simply that we know His commandments, but that we increasingly possess the mind of Christ. He is writing His ways upon living hearts until obedience becomes the joyful expression of love rather than the reluctant submission to external command.

As we mature, we are being prepared to exercise the very qualities that belong to God's kingdom. Wisdom instead of impulse. Mercy instead of revenge. Truth instead of deception. Humility instead of self-exaltation. Faithfulness instead of self-interest. Love instead of pride. Our judgments increasingly become reflections of His own righteous character because our hearts are being shaped by His Spirit.

This is why the New Testament continually speaks of growth, transformation, maturity, sonship, renewing the mind, walking worthy, pressing toward the mark, and attaining the fullness of Christ. God is not merely gathering forgiven people. He is raising mature sons and daughters who can be entrusted with His Kingdom because they have learned to think, love, and judge as their Father does. This maturity moves us past being children who must be told thou shalt and thou shalt not – into a fully capable adult maturity with God’s instruction coming from the heart.

The final vision of Scripture reveals the completion of that work. The New Jerusalem is not merely a city prepared for redeemed people. It is the dwelling place of a people fully united with their God. There, His servants serve Him, see His face, bear His name, and reign with Him forever. Nothing remains that opposes His will because His will has become the delight of His people.

This is the destination.

It is perfect union without the loss of personhood.

It is perfect obedience without coercion.

It is perfect liberty without lawlessness.

It is perfect authority expressed through perfect love.

It is humanity fully restored in Christ.

Every doctrine, every commandment, every act of grace, every trial, every work of the Spirit, every correction, every act of discipline, every gift, every ministry, and every circumstance in the Christian life finds its proper place only when viewed in the light of this destination.

The question every believer should continually ask is not merely, "Is this true?" but, "Is this moving me toward the fullness of Christ?"

For that is the measure of every secondary thing.

The destination has always been Christ Himself.

God's ultimate purpose is not merely that His people obey His will, but that they become the kind of people who love His will because they have come to share His heart.

God’s Heart

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18

How can we serve and please God if we really don’t know what is in His heart? I can certainly appreciate the zeal of people wanting a deeper and significant relationship with their God. But even zealous people can be distracted if they focus on the outward rather than the inward which is where the transformation takes place.

A good employee is one that has learned the expectations of the employer or immediate supervisor and acts in advance of having to be told. The less an employee needs to be told - the better the employee. Then that employee moves himself into a status where promotion and raises are much more likely.

It’s really no different within the Kingdom.

God has a Kingdom that includes all that exists. Running an operation of such immensity - God keeps His eyes out for competency and trustworthiness. While no one is more nor less worthy of God’s love - God loves all equally. Yet we find Paul telling us about gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

Jesus’ work is the foundation and it is worth repeating: God gave the world His Son. In Jesus we no longer see righteousness written only upon tablets of stone. We see righteousness walking among us. We see what the mind of God looks like when clothed in human flesh.

While all believers will find themselves in the glories of heaven one day - scripture reveals a testing of “every man’s work.” - this is like the employee analogy. There are employees and there are employees and everyone knows eighty percent of the work gets done by twenty percent of the employees. Fact of life.

Jesus is the ultimate standard as far as “works” is concerned. The closer we come to that standard the higher our bonuses - above and beyond just getting to heaven and in the presence of God. No one is diminishing the power of the blood to save and no one is taking anyone out of heaven. What I am advocating is striving towards the ultimate standard – and at least keeping our works out of the burn pile. Building on the foundation is better when there is something to show for it. So to learn how to build - as scripture tells us: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith... Hebrews 12:2

...The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8

From before the world began - Jesus has been the heart of God - “which is in the bosom of the Father.” Now we need to do some contemplative thinking. We are searching the heart and mind of God. Not a small thing.

Why do you and everyone else go to work every day? We all go to work because there is an expectation of a payday at the end of the week. God went to work when He brought all into existence. We all at one time or another question - What is the purpose of life?

The existence and continuation of life is for all practical purposes evidence that God goes to work everyday and He has an expectation for His labors. God is laboring because at the end of the day He is going to have a Bride - She is His payday.

...Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God... Revelation 21:9-11

And what labor did it take to make that Bride a reality?

Feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Acts 20:28

The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world because from the foundation of the world God has had His Bride on His mind. Jacob labored for 14 years to get Rachel - God has labored some seven thousand years. So everything from beginning to end - cover to cover - points to this truth: God loves His Church.

...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it... Ephesians 5:25

And here is the point - His giving didn’t only concern Calvary - His giving began from the very first moment of creation and creation was built around and was designed to continue and move forward - come hell and high water - until the culmination and God has His Bride.

And that all began with the cross - the power to overcome hell and high water.

So a Holy and perfect God has been sustaining all creation - a very imperfect, corruptible and often rebellious creation. This is called ‘forbearance’ which means to prop up against falling, to tolerate, to put up with. But not forever:

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4

The perfect and Holy God has propped up and put up with a rebellious creation because He is good. Us recognizing the immense richness of His goodness should lead us to repentance and repentance leads us to the cross. Because Calvary pays all IOU’s and forgives our sins. So we can say “The Lamb slain from the beginning” was the credit card and Calvary was cash on the spot.

So in God’s economy the cross is the procurer of the people God is looking for to become His Bride – the New Jerusalem.

This is why offence against the cross is not a minor infraction. Ignorance is bliss is only a temporary thing. And now you know.

The Cross is the Pattern for Life

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24

Throughout Jesus ministry this invitation continually was offered. Believing in Jesus is one thing but following Jesus is another level. By accepting His invitation you are personally choosing a level of commitment that sets you apart. Somewhat like making a commitment to military duty. You subject yourself to a higher level of rigors and responsibilities. You subject yourself to a chain of command and you never break that chain. And of course you commit yourself to the risk of life in military service.

That level of commitment earns you a lifelong recognition as a veteran where you are honored by nation that sets you apart from the regular civilian population. When committing yourself to that service you are denying yourself - when subjecting yourself - you are making yourself a subject or subordinate of the system. This is where Jesus starts - with the invitation into His Kingdom system that requires subordinating yourself to it - “Let him deny himself”.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This is where we make the personal commitments and willingly choose to acknowledge we have been bought and we are no longer our own. Meaning we place ourselves into a chain of command and do the things of God. This is where I would say our works move out of the combustible column and into the precious stone and metals column.

This is just me but this is how I see the principle of placing yourself into a chain of command. When you are obeying orders - responsibility for the outcome of those orders don’t fall on you - the responsibility falls on the one giving the order. So you are not the one who is going to get burned if accountability is required. When you obey a legitimate order - you have done your job faithfully - that is all that is asked and your standing remains good.

This is why “to whom much is given, much is required”. The higher up the ladder the greater the responsibility and accountability. But you are still required to know what a legitimate order is. Soldiers have a constitution, rules of engagement, common sense and the such like. A command to fire upon unarmed civilians is an obvious dereliction of sensibility and your refusal to obey will be exonerated.

Even Paul said “follow me as I follow Christ”. That same mindset should exist in anyone seeking to lead anyone. Following Christ is the constitution and every other standard within the Kingdoms chain of command. Every one is subject to and accountable to the Word of God.

All that is just at the level of denying yourself - then Jesus continued to say - “pick of your cross and follow me”. I know the instant impact of that statement makes us feel like that is immensely sacrificial and painful. Well yes, certainly for Jesus because His blood was required to pay that price – and that price has been paid ‘Once and for all”. Believing this is enough.

Again this is just me but my perspective is very, very different. The “deny yourself” level is sacrificial and painful - the way I see it - picking up your cross and following Jesus - is more like embracing the victory of the cross and the fullness of Christ.

Denying yourself is where all the sacrifices are made but as I have been saying all along - the cross has been God’s guarantee of victory and the means through which His Bride comes to be.

Our experiences with death and dying carry every negative and painful experience that exists. We rightfully dread that part of dealing with our existence. Now let's just think about the idea of death for a moment. We understand that death entered the world as a result of our disobedience to God and obedience to the devil. So we think death began with Satan and that is what scripture tells us - yes, no doubts.

But scripture also tells us the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world - before Adam and before the devil came around. So death in God's mind wasn't originally to separate but rather the first 'death' was to gather. The second death introduced by the devil is what leads to eternal separation. The Lamb being slain provided a continuous source of mercy and unbroken connection to God. Being connected to God who is the source of life means that, that ‘death’ leads to life. So now we see from the very beginning of creation that two ‘types’ of death have emerged. A ‘death’ - the lambs death - that keeps us connected to God. And a ‘death’ caused by disobedience which leads to permanent separation from the source of life and therefore death as we currently understand it.

This explains a lot particularly about the Gospel. Beyond the mechanics of us just doing or not doing, this now gives us absolute definition and clarity of why and how.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:18-23

Please allow me to edit and paraphrase for clarity.

“The whole creation groans and travails in pain” and “was made subject to vanity” to “the bondage of corruption.” Meaning all creation by itself is corruptible and incapable of self existence. Self existence is the definition of “God” or “one who exists by his own power.” So all creation by itself is not eternal – it only continues as a direct result of God’s will. This is what we call ‘life’ - existence in connection to God.

It is interesting that Paul injects the phrase “not willingly” – you didn’t ask for this, I didn’t ask for this, apparently neither did the rest of creation ask for this. We all just find ourselves here in a place of pain, vanity and corruption. But, but, but not without hope. That hope for all creation rests upon “The Lamb slain”. The works of the Lamb slain is the power to deliver all “from the bondage of corruption” and the power to redeem these bodies – to redeem means to exchange – to trade in these mortal corruptible bodies and then comes “the manifestation of the sons of God.”

Paul called all that “The glory to be revealed.” A glory enabled by the cross. The cross enables our glorification and that sounds like a victory to me. So "picking up your cross" and following Jesus is the path to glorification and that is very positive indeed.

So the hard part is denying ourselves - why we deny ourselves is so we can join Jesus in His victory. How we join Jesus in His victory is through His death that connects us to life everlasting is by obeying the Gospel. So we see there are two voices connected to the two 'types' of death. Obeying God's voice asks us to deny ourselves - die to self and we end up finding life. The devils voice says indulge self and we end up losing our lives. When we obey God's voice we are gathered into His victory and glory. When we obey the devil's voice we are gathered into the devil's defeat and destiny.

I didn't intend on getting into the Gospel but because the Cross and the Gospel are virtually inseparable - speaking about the cross just naturally flows into speaking about the Gospel which according to 1 Cor. 15:1-4 is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Gaining the victory of the cross means we have to obey God's voice and God's voice tells us:

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4

Obeying the Gospel connects us to Jesus in His death. Water baptism connects us to His death where we are connected to His blood which justifies us. And the infilling of the Holy Spirit raises us up with a new hope for an eternal life.

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:38-39

Everything discussed now adds more clarity to know Peter’s command was not casual or ad hoc. It was deliberate knowing the heart and mind of Christ. Peter’s command joins us to Christ’s death and resurrection and that becomes our hope for glory.

Conclusion - Looking Beyond the Cross

From the beginning of creation, God has been moving history toward one glorious purpose. The Cross was never an emergency measure added after mankind failed. It was already the answer before the first question was ever asked. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world because from the foundation of the world God knew exactly the kind of people He intended to produce.

The Cross is therefore much more than the place where our sins are forgiven. It is the revelation of God's own heart. It is the pattern by which His children are formed. It is where self gives way to servanthood, pride gives way to humility, fear gives way to faith, and death itself becomes the doorway to everlasting life.

By the Cross we are not merely rescued from judgment. We are invited into transformation.

God's purpose has never been simply to gather forgiven sinners. His purpose is to raise mature sons and daughters who freely delight in His will because His heart has become their own. The Christian life is therefore not measured merely by what we know, nor by the doctrines we defend, nor even by the religious works we perform. It is measured by how completely the life of Christ is being formed within us.

Yet there remains one question.

If this is God's destination...

If this is the heart revealed at Calvary...

If this is the mind of Christ...

What does that life actually look like when lived among ordinary people?

How does a believer whose life is centered upon the Cross respond to family, friends, strangers, enemies, disappointments, disagreements, temptations, opportunities, and the daily demands of life?

The answer is found in one remarkable exhortation in Hebrews 10:24:

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works."

The New Testament never leaves the Cross upon a hill outside Jerusalem. It brings the Cross into our homes, our churches, our workplaces, our conversations, and our relationships. The Cross is not merely something we believe. It becomes the life we live and our hope for eternal victory.

For it is only when the heart of Christ begins to govern the ordinary moments of life that the world finally sees what the Cross has accomplished.

That is where our journey now leads. The next chapter being:

Provoke to Love: Living the New Life.