Author: Richard Graham
Why did God create everything?
Why would a omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-creative God want to create a universe, in which He would place an earth with all kinds of creatures, including the human race?
The only sufficient reason is that His core and essence is joy. From joy comes all of His other characteristics—love, justice, peace, grace, holiness, etc., and most of all—the longing to share Himself and all of His features with His creatures and creation. That’s why our purpose as humans is to honor God, and enjoy Him forever. Joy longs to share. Love longs to share. Peace longs to share. In all of this, He is always saying, “Let’s have fun! Come and have fun with Me!”
That’s why it grieves Him so much when His creatures, we humans, break the relationship we have with Him. His wrath is a grieving wrath, like that of a spouse who discovers that their loved one has betrayed their relationship. His justice requires that this breaking, this sin against Him, be punished. That punishment is death, the appropriate and justified punishment for the betrayal, a betrayal that killed the relationship with the One Who created them in the first place.
The betrayal has to be punished, and the appropriate punishment has to be death. But His joy, love, peace, etc., does not want to destroy those He created. That grieves Him even more. So what can He do?
The only remedy is to find a substitute, another one, one who did not break the relationship. Since He is Three in One, the only possible substitute has to be Himself. And that has to be a voluntary substitution, willingly given out of love for the One sinned against, and also love for the ones who sinned against the faithful One.
So, the cross. But the joy, love, peace, grace, and justice also refuses to let the substitute stay dead. And so the resurrection. Then justice has been satisfied, and the punishment has been levied. But also, the One Who paid the price also is the One who is restored to fullness again.
Then there is only one thing left to do. The message, the Good News, has to go out to all those who broke the relationship with the One Who created them, and against Whom the sin was done—Repent and come to the party! All is forgiven! By My death, you have been set free again! And by My death, even death itself will be destroyed! Come to the party! You have been restored to full status, to full privilege, to full rulership with Me! Come to the party, and tell everyone else that they are invited as well. Just repent, and be restored by the One Who died and rose again so you could be forgiven, be made free, and be raised up to co-heirship and co-rulership with the One who created you! He is the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, and you are called to reign under Him in His Kingdom, as children of the King, with Jesus Christ as your reigning brother! Repent and come! Come to freedom, come to the joy for which you were created! Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music! Worship and reign with Him forever! Repent, and come!
