Was Jesus' Death God's Plan?

Was Jesus' Death God's Plan?

An Apologetic...

Dondy Tan: Was Jesus' death God's plan?

Answer: Yes.

Dondy Tan: So Satan, Judas Iscariot, the Jewish leaders (priests, Pharisees, Sadducees), and the Romans at that time were not sinning. Since it was God's plan, surely they deserve credit, right?

Core Answer:

No, they remained sinful and deserve no credit at all. Even though their evil actions were indirectly used in God's plan, their own motives and actions remained evil and deserving of punishment. They were instruments in God's plan, not partners.

---

An Analogy to Answer Dondy Tan

The following analogy is very helpful. It is a good starting point for reflecting on the situation of Christ's crucifixion, especially regarding intention and sovereignty.

The Analogy of the King, the Tumor, and the Rebel

A very good and wise King ruled a kingdom. One day, he discovered that a malignant tumor was hiding inside his body. This tumor would surely kill him. The royal physicians had no way to remove the tumor without killing the King.

At the same time, a cruel rebel who hated the King planned to kill him and seize the throne. The King, in His perfect wisdom, knew of this evil plan. He also realized that if He went to the battlefield to face the rebel, there was one specific way—a precise spear thrust right at the location of the tumor—that would actually remove the tumor and save His life, even though the wound would look very fatal.

So the King went to war. According to His plan, the Rebel, with hatred and evil intent, thrust his spear precisely into the King's abdomen, hoping to kill him. The King's own guards, who could have stopped it, actually allowed it to happen because they were jealous of the King's power.

What happened next was truly miraculous. The shape of the spearhead and the precise way it struck actually removed the entire malignant tumor without damaging any vital organs. The King recovered fully and lived healthier than before. His kingdom was saved from the threat of the tumor, and the rebel was captured.

---

Applying the Analogy to Christ's Crucifixion:

The King = Jesus Christ.

The Malignant Tumor = The sin of humanity that brings death and must be removed.

The Rebel = Satan, Judas, the Jewish leaders, and Rome. Their motives were pure hatred, betrayal, envy, and the desire to "kill" the Son of God.

The Specific Spear Thrust = The death of Jesus on the cross. It was the instrument used to remove the "tumor of sin."

The King's Wisdom in Planning All This = The sovereign plan of God the Father.

---

Answer to Your Question: "So, do the enemies deserve credit?"

Absolutely NOT.

Let us examine:

1. What was the Rebel's intention?

His intention was to KILL the King. It was an act of evil and betrayal. He had no intention, understanding, or desire whatsoever to heal the King.

2. Was the Rebel's action a sin?

Yes, certainly. His motive was purely evil. He remained a traitor and murderer who must be punished, regardless of the final outcome that he never intended or anticipated.

3. Who actually deserves the credit?

The King deserves the credit. He is the one who wisely used his enemy's evil attack to achieve His goal of healing Himself and saving His kingdom. All praise and glory belong only to the King, who turned a murder conspiracy into a story of salvation.

The Rebel was nothing more than an unwitting instrument in the King's grand plan. His evil remained evil, and he will be judged for it.

This analogy is very helpful in understanding how something evil (the spear thrust) could produce something good (the removal of the tumor). However, the key point remains: the perpetrator's intent was evil, so they remain guilty and undeserving of credit.

God, in His sovereignty, turned an evil instrument (the cross) into an instrument of salvation. Satan and Jesus' executioners thought they had won their greatest victory, but unknowingly, they were actually carrying out their greatest defeat and fulfilling God's perfect plan of victory. They do not deserve credit; they are merely instruments. All glory belongs to God alone.

---

Structured Explanation:

1. They Remain Sinners: Motive Is the Key

God looks not only at actions, but especially at the motive of the heart behind those actions. God's plan was to save, while the perpetrators' motive was to destroy and ruin.

Satan: Satan's motive was to defeat the Son of God and thwart the plan of salvation. It was the pinnacle of evil and rebellion (Luke 22:3; John 13:27).

Judas Iscariot: Judas's motive was greed (John 12:6) and betrayal. Jesus Himself declared woe to Judas (Matthew 26:24).

The Jewish Leaders: Their motives were envy (Matthew 27:18), hypocrisy, and a desire to maintain their power and religious status quo.

Pontius Pilate and Rome: Their motives were political interests (avoiding riots and maintaining stability) and injustice (punishing someone they acknowledged as innocent).

God used their evil actions for good, but that does not change the evil nature of their own actions and motives. Sin remains sin in God's eyes.

2. They Absolutely Do Not Deserve Credit: The Difference Between "Used" and "Contributing"

This is a very important distinction:

They Were "Used" (Instruments): God, in His absolute sovereignty, can use even the most evil actions to serve His ultimately good purposes. They were unwitting instruments in God's hands, not conscious partners.

They Did Not "Contribute" (Contributors): To be called "deserving of credit," a person must act intentionally, willingly, and with the right motive to support that purpose. None of them intended to help Jesus or support the plan of salvation. In fact, they all sought to destroy it.

Analogy:

A clever judge allows a bank robber to carry out his heist in order to capture his entire syndicate.

The judge used the robber's evil action for a greater good (trapping the larger syndicate).

However, the robber deserves no credit whatsoever. His motive remained robbery, not helping the police.

The robber remains guilty and will be punished for his evil intent and actions, even though his actions were used for a good purpose.

Judas and the others are like the robber in this analogy. They will be punished for their sins, not rewarded.

3. Evidence from Scripture: They Remain Guilty

The Bible clearly places blame on the perpetrators, even though it was part of God's plan.

Concerning Judas: "The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him!" (Luke 22:22). This statement simultaneously confirms God's plan ("as it has been decreed") and Judas's guilt ("woe to that man who betrays him").

Concerning the Jews and Romans: Peter boldly said to the crowd: "You crucified and killed him...!" (Acts 2:23, 36). This is an accusation of sin, not a word of thanks.

---

Conclusion:

Saying that Satan, Judas, etc., "did not sin" or "deserve credit" is a logical fallacy because:

1. It Blurs the Meaning of Sin: Sin is determined by one's own motives and actions, not by an unintended outcome brought about by another party.

2. It Confuses God's Sovereignty with Human Responsibility: God sovereignly uses evil for good, but that does not change the evil nature of the perpetrators or release them from responsibility.

3. It Misses the Biblical Facts: Scripture consistently states the guilt and punishment of the perpetrators of the crucifixion, while simultaneously praising God's grace and sovereignty within it.

Therefore, they sinned and deserve no credit whatsoever. The glory and praise for the salvation achieved belong only to God Himself, who is able to turn humanity's evil designs into a magnificent work of redemption.

---

God Bless

September 1, 2025

Mantiri AAM