The “whole counsel of God” refers to the full revelation of God’s will and purposes that are revealed in the Bible. It encompasses all that God has chosen to make known to humanity through His written Word. The phrase comes from Acts 20:27, where the apostle Paul tells the elders in Ephesus that he did not shrink from declaring to them “the whole counsel of God.”
Some key aspects of the whole counsel of God include:
- God’s nature and attributes – The Bible reveals many truths about who God is, including His holiness, love, justice, mercy, omniscience, omnipotence, etc.
- The creation of the world – Genesis 1-2 provides an account of God’s creative work in bringing the universe and humanity into being.
- The fall of humanity into sin – Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Genesis 3 brought sin, death, and a broken relationship with God into the world.
- God’s covenants and promises – Various covenants in the Old Testament (Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic) establish God’s redemptive plan.
- The law of God – The moral, ceremonial, and civil laws given in the Old Testament revealed God’s righteous standards for living.
- God’s providence in history – God exercises sovereign oversight over the events of history to accomplish His purposes.
- Prophecy and fulfillment – Hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament point ahead to the coming of Christ and God’s eternal kingdom.
- The incarnation of Christ – Jesus as the God-Man is the perfect revelation of God come to earth (John 1:14).
- Christ’s teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection – The Gospels recount in detail the life, ministry, and saving work of Jesus.
- The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts – The Spirit empowers and equips believers with gifts for ministry and godly living.
- The church – Its mission, structure, ordinances (baptism & Lord’s Supper), and role in God’s redemptive plan.
- Future things – Details about Christ’s return, final judgment, the eternal state, and more (eschatology).
In summary, the whole counsel of God encompasses all that He has chosen to reveal to us about Himself, humanity, redemption, and the grand scope of His sovereign plan in history. It is centered on the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. As Paul says in Acts 20:27, no part of God’s revealed truth should be avoided or neglected by teachers and preachers of God’s Word.
Here is a more detailed overview of some key aspects of the whole counsel of God:
1. The Nature and Attributes of God
The Bible reveals many truths about who God is, which are crucial for understanding everything else it teaches. Some of God’s key attributes include:
- His eternality – God has no beginning or end (Psalm 90:2).
- His self-existence – God depends on nothing else; all else depends on Him (Exodus 3:14).
- His immutability – God does not change; He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Malachi 3:6).
- His omniscience – God is all-knowing (Psalm 139:1-6).
- His omnipotence – God is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17).
- His omnipresence – God is everywhere-present at all times (Psalm 139:7-12).
- His sovereignty – God rules over creation as its absolute Lord (Psalm 103:19).
- His holiness – God is utterly perfect, righteous and set apart (Exodus 15:11).
- His justice – God is fair and impartial as the perfect judge (Deuteronomy 32:4).
- His mercy – God’s compassion and grace lead Him to save sinners (Titus 3:5).
- His love – God eternally loves His people with a covenant commitment (Jeremiah 31:3).
This is just a sampling of God’s attributes revealed in Scripture. A full understanding of the whole counsel of God requires grasping the majesty, greatness and moral perfection of His nature as the one true God.
2. The Creation of the World
The opening chapters of Genesis provide an account of God’s work in creating the entire universe. Key truths we learn about creation include:
- God created everything out of nothing simply by His word and power (Genesis 1:1).
- Creation was originally “very good” at every level (Genesis 1:31).
- God created man and woman in His image as the pinnacle of creation (Genesis 1:26-27).
- God entrusted humanity to rule His creation under Him (Genesis 1:28).
- God instituted marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24).
- God established the weekly Sabbath day of rest (Genesis 2:1-3).
A biblical worldview must start with recognizing God as the sovereign Creator of all that exists for His glory. All of Scripture is built on this foundation.
3. The Fall of Humanity into Sin
Though originally good, God’s creation was soon corrupted by the fall. Key truths about the fall include:
- Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan and chose to disobey God (Genesis 3:1-7).
- Their disobedience brought sin, guilt, shame and separation from God (Genesis 3:8-13).
- Sin corrupted human nature, making all morally incapable of pleasing God (Romans 3:10-18).
- Physical and spiritual death resulted from sin (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12).
- All creation was cursed and corrupted due to sin (Genesis 3:14-19).
- Mankind’s purpose shifted from bearing God’s image to needing redemption (Genesis 3:15).
The whole counsel of God is ultimately the story of God’s plan to redeem fallen humanity from the devastating effects of sin and restore His creation.
4. God’s Covenants and Promises
A covenant is a binding agreement between God and man that involves promises on God’s part to bless those who keep the covenant. Key biblical covenants include:
- Noahic Covenant – God’s promise to never again destroy the earth with a flood (Genesis 9:8-17).
- Abrahamic Covenant – God’s pledge to make Abraham into a great nation and bless all peoples through Him (Genesis 12:1-3).
- Mosaic Covenant – God giving His law to Israel through Moses to guide them as His people (Exodus 19-24).
- Davidic Covenant – God’s promise that David’s descendant will rule forever over an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:8-16).
- New Covenant – God promising to forgive sin and write His law in believers’ hearts through Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
These covenants progressively reveal God’s faithfulness and point toward His ultimate plan to redeem creation through Jesus Christ.
5. The Law of God
The laws God gave in the Old Testament served to reveal His righteous standards. Major types of laws included:
- Moral Law – The Ten Commandments and other laws reflecting God’s moral standards (Exodus 20:1-17).
- Civil Law – Laws and penalties for community life among the Israelites (Exodus 21-23).
- Ceremonial Law – Laws governing worship, sacrifices, festivals and purity (Book of Leviticus).
These laws provided instructions for godly living, exposed human sinfulness, and pointed to humanity’s need for the Messiah.
6. God’s Providence in History
The Bible reveals how God exercises sovereign oversight over the events of history to accomplish His purposes. Key aspects of God’s providence include:
- God directs all things according to His eternal plan (Isaiah 46:10).
- God works all things together for the good of His people (Romans 8:28).
- God raises up and removes kings and nations according to His will (Daniel 2:21).
- God intervenes miraculously at key moments to fulfill His redemptive plan (Exodus 14:13-31).
- All of history is moving toward the day Christ returns to make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
A biblical worldview recognizes God’s hand sovereignly guiding history despite mankind’s sin and rebellion against Him.
7. Prophecy and Fulfillment
A key evidence for the divine inspiration of Scripture is the many prophecies made and later fulfilled. Types of prophecies in Scripture include:
- Messianic prophecies about Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2).
- Prophecies about the nations of Israel, Judah, Egypt, Babylon, Tyre, and others.
- Prophecies of the coming of John the Baptist (Malachi 3:1).
- Jesus’ prophecies about the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem (Matthew 24).
- Prophecies about the future kingdom of God and return of Christ (Daniel 2:44; Zechariah 14:4).
Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates the truth of God’s Word and His sovereign oversight over history to accomplish His redemptive plan.
8. The Incarnation of Christ
Central to God’s redemptive plan is His sending of Jesus to be born as a man. Key truths about the incarnation include:
- Jesus is fully God, possessing the divine nature and attributes (John 1:1-3).
- Jesus is fully man, born of a virgin at a point in history (Luke 2:1-20).
- In Christ the fullness of God dwelt in bodily form (Colossians 1:19; 2:9).
- Jesus as the God-man is the only mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2:5).
- The incarnation was necessary for Christ to represent man before God (Hebrews 2:14-18).
The doctrine of the incarnation is vital for understanding Christ’s saving work on behalf of sinners.
9. Christ’s Life, Death and Resurrection
The whole counsel of God involves detailed biblical revelation about the earthly life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Key aspects include:
- Christ’s sinless life qualified Him to be the unblemished sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 4:15).
- Jesus’ many miracles validated His claims to being God’s Son (Acts 2:22).
- Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty for sinners (Romans 3:25-26).
- Jesus’ bodily resurrection proved His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
- Salvation comes solely by God’s grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).
- Jesus ascended to Heaven and intercedes as mediator between God and man (Hebrews 4:14-16).
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus lie at the heart of the gospel and God’s plan of redemption.
10. The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts
The Bible also has much to reveal about the Holy Spirit’s work in the lives of believers. Key truths include:
- The Holy Spirit regenerates dead sinners, enabling them to repent and believe (Titus 3:5-7).
- The Spirit indwells believers, serving as God’s pledge or seal of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).
- The Spirit strengthens believers in their battle against sin and Satan (Ephesians 6:10-18).
- The Spirit illumines believers’ understanding to grasp the truths of God’s Word (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- Followers of Christ are commanded to be filled by and walk in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
- Spiritual gifts equip believers to build up Christ’s church (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Life in the Spirit is presented as essential to living the Christ-life as God intends.
11. The Church
The Bible contains much teaching about Christ’s church. The whole counsel of God includes truths such as:
- Jesus promised to build His church which no power can overcome (Matthew 16:18-19).
- The church is Christ’s body and bride which He loves and died for (Ephesians 5:25).
- Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are key ordinances of the church (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
- Qualifications and responsibilities for church leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
- Instructions for orderly corporate worship (1 Corinthians 14:26-40).
- The importance of each member using their gifts to build up the body (1 Corinthians 12:14-27).
- Commands regarding church discipline and restoring fallen members (Matthew 18:15-20).
God’s whole counsel includes detailed revelation about the purpose, function and leadership of the church.
12. Future Things
The Bible contains many prophecies about end times events and the world to come. Key eschatological topics include:
- Christ’s second coming to judge the world and establish His eternal kingdom (Matthew 24:29-31).
- The resurrection of the dead – believers to eternal life and unbelievers to judgment (John 5:28-29).
- The millennium – controversy over the nature of the 1000 year reign of Christ (Revelation 20:6).
- Judgment of fallen angels and Satan (2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:10).
- Eternity in the new heavens and new earth for the redeemed (Revelation 21-22).
- Eternal punishment for those not written in the book of life (Revelation 20:11-15)
God’s whole counsel equips believers for Christ’s return and their eternal destiny.
Conclusion
In summary, the whole counsel of God encompasses all that He has chosen to reveal in Scripture about who He is, who we are, the problem of sin, and His loving plan to redeem fallen humanity and creation through Jesus Christ. No single theological issue or aspect of God’s truth should be elevated above all others, but the diverse teachings of Scripture constitute God’s complete equipping for salvation and godly ministry.
Key themes tying it all together include: God’s glorious attributes and sovereign rule over history; humanity’s creation, fall and redemption through the God-man Jesus Christ; the comprehensive work of the Triune God – Father, Son and Spirit – to reconcile sinners to Himself; and the grand narrative of Scripture moving from creation to new creation. We must embrace all that Scripture teaches if we desire to understand the mind and heart of God.