The Ultimate Purpose of God

Introduction

When we are young children we go through a phase of asking “why.” This phase can almost drive a father or mother crazy when the response to all of our requests and commands is “why.”  As parents we normally do not take the time to explain nor respond seriously to these questions and end up saying even as our parents have said, “Because I said so.” Now being adults we fail to ask the most important question of God, “why.” Many of us just say in error, “God’s ways are not our ways and we will never know why God does what He does” or “God moves in mysterious ways.” If we believe that we cannot know “why” we are in error. It is God’s desire for us to understand “how” and “why” He works in the way He does. Now you may quote this scripture, 1CO 2:9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” You may feel justified because the scriptures tell us that we can not possibly know God’s ‘how and why’s.’ If we stop at this scripture you would be right but let us read the rest of the story. 1CO 2:10 For to us God revealed {them} through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 1CO 2:11 For who among men knows the {thoughts} of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the {thoughts} of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 1CO 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. If we understand these verses there is no way we can declare that God doesn’t want us to understand the how and why.

If we understand why God allowed the fall of man when He knew that it was going to happen and how He chose to accomplish His goal, we will be better able to understand the purpose of the apostle and prophet.

So what is God’s grand purpose for creating the heavens and earth? Why would He place man in the garden when He well knew that Adam would eat the very fruit He told him not to eat? Why would God give man authority over the creation when he would only turn around and give the authority to Lucifer? There must be a very good reason. I hold that the reason God put man on the earth was to create a bride for His Son and to replicate Himself. It is of utmost importance that we understand this section before we go on to the apostle and prophet section. This is the beginning of a mystery that God is now revealing in these last days.

1) God reveals His plan in Adam

It seems that many read Genesis as just some really good narrative but fail to see revelation buried deep within. We read it as if we understand all the situations and revelations that are contained therein and sometimes stumble over the simple story it expresses. In Genesis 1:26-27 we read, Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." GEN 1:27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Many people have stumbled over the “let Us make” section of verse 26, asking who is the “Us”? I think the more important revelation in verse 27 is God created man in his own image! We are created to look and act like God. We may recoil at the idea that we are like God but that is only because of the corruption caused by sin. We have such a sin consciousness that it prevents us from understanding truth. God creates the cosmos and everything in them and only man has the privilege to be created in the resemblance of God. God created Adam like Himself, with some of the same abilities and personality traits that He himself possesses. God is not unlike man, because we are created in His image and according to His likeness. This may be hard for us to accept but this is what the word declares. I think the reason we struggle with it is that we are bound by a sin nature (which we received from our father Adam) that does not exist in God. This sin nature has colored our lives so much that it is hard for us to believe that we resemble God at all. While the sin nature is unavoidable for us, we are still stamped with the eternal image of the eternal God.

Some may conclude that our God likeness died when Adam sinned but I would question that perspective. Some assume that our spirit nature is the only part that ever resembled God and now that it is dead we do not resemble God at all. When a woman and a man procreate, their offspring are in their image and after their likeness. These children usually have characteristics of both parents but may lean more towards one or the other. Height, weight, intelligence, physical features, weaknesses, strengths, disease resistance or lack of, and many other traits usually are transferred  to our children. We replicate ourselves through our children. If one of your children (God forbid) would die or go into a coma does their body not retain likenesses to you? Today we have the technology to keep the body alive while the person is no longer present. This almost lifeless body is your child and yet less than your child. This body still retains all the outward features that identify them as your child. They may have your hair color, nose, or even stature. While you know that is your child, you also know somehow the most important part of your child is gone (or not active). Did Adam lose all the likeness to God when he sinned? No. In God’s perspective the most important part of Adam died. This is not unlike our child that is in a coma. The most important part is no longer present though they can still be identified as our child. While some god likeness is still present in us, the spirit which is the most important part is dead in trespasses and sin. It will take a spiritual rebirth to restore the part that died.

God created man in His likeness and image and the rebellion of Adam caused the most important part of that image to be perverted, altered and die. God warned Adam that if he ate the fruit that he would surely die. GEN 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; GEN 2:17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” At the moment Adam ate the fruit his spirit died. Seeing that Adam’s spirit died when he rebelled against God it is only reasonable that it would take being born spiritually to restore it. Adam was unable to pass onto his children that which no longer was living in him. We through the born again experience are able to restore that image into its original form. The only differences between the pre-fallen Adam and the born again Christian is we have the knowledge of good and evil (Adam didn’t), and we also have to battle a sin nature that Adam was not created with.

If we fully understand Revelation 13:8 as it is translated in the New International Version we may be able to gain insight into the mind of God. God not only knew that Adam would sin but seemingly prepared for the event before the creation of the world. Revelation 13:8 reads: “all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.¹ ( NIV).” Before God created the world he decided to put Himself into a human body (Jesus) and that body would die for the forgiveness of all transgressions that would occur during human history. Jesus’ body was like ours in every way because we were patterned after Him, in His likeness. Jesus has a spirit, soul, and body, we have a spirit, soul, and body.  

Yet we must ask, “Why would God create man in His image and likeness?” There had to be some purpose and plan greater than what is so far evident. Why would God go to such great lengths to create man in His own image and likeness only to have them fall into sin and need a Savior?

The last part of Gen 1 verse 27 states that God created them, “male and female He created them.” This brings up an interesting question. Is God male and female? If God created us in his image and He made us male and female it would seem reasonable to conclude that God is both male and female. When God first created man He did not create a man and a woman but only one man. Contained within that man was the potential of both male and female. Sometime after the creation of the one man, God pulled that potential out of the one man and thus created man, male and female. This is how God is, having the potential of both male and female. This will be explained more later. Remember, man is created in the likeness of God and what I am speaking about is understanding man’s likeness to God. God created us in His likeness and image and God created Jesus’ body in our likeness, which is really in God’s likeness.

After God created man, God declared that “it is not good for man to be alone.” I believe God made that declaration to refer to Himself. It is not good for God to be alone. Man at this point was as “god” to the creation. He was given responsibility to manage and subdue all of life. Everything on earth was created for Adam and he was given authority over it all yet he remained the only one of his species. He names the animals and probably realizes they all have female counterparts except him. Adam is alone in the world with no one like him. Likewise God is sovereign in the universe and everything that is created is for Him. It worships Him, serves Him and obeys Him and yet is not remotely equal or like Him. It is not good for God to be alone! God realizes this and sets out to create for Himself a help mate, an equal, someone like Himself. Now at this point many may be saying, “This guy is out of his mind.” “He’s a heretic.” I am not asking you to believe me, but just to consider what I am saying. Please finish reading this through and you may end up with a revelation.

We understand that the body of man is created out of dirt and the soul and spirit were breathed into man from the divine breath (Gen.2:7). The breath of God in us is directly from God and our body is indirectly from God, seeing God created the heavens and earth. We must also understand that once God decided to send Jesus to take on a body of dirt, God would never be the same (even though the decision was made before the earth’s foundation). God chose to add a created substance for all eternity to Him. God no longer is made up of spirit alone but now has a corporal element, a created part, a part belonging to the world. This very fact should have us in awe of the great love God has for us. God was willing to alter Himself in order to alter us. When this is viewed in the light of the destiny of the fallen  angels it is even more amazing. The angels rebel and God creates a lake of fire for them. These fallen angels will suffer for all eternity in the lake of fire without any hope of redemption or forgiveness. Man rebels and God creates a Savior (or mixes Himself with His creation). Man is not condemned to eternal judgment like the angels but is given an opportunity to be restored back to a right relationship with God. This is no minor or insignificant feat on God’s part! Why would He do it?

If we hold to the fact that God is omniscient then everything that has happened after Adam was placed upon the earth was known before hand. Actually God not only knew Adam was going to sin but prepared for Adam’s sin. The grand plan of God was based on the fact that Adam would sin and for Jesus to die in order to bring about His desired end. The apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians makes the statement, “1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.” This life we are living was not a mistake. Adam did not frustrate God’s plan but was an integral part. Revelation 13:8 reads: “all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world¹ (NIV).” God not only chose us before the foundation of the world to be in Christ but also saw Jesus as crucified from the foundation of the world. God knew how He was going to deal with the sin problem before Adam’s sin occurred. Creation is playing out as the Creator intended. God knew what was going to happen and prepared for it because it was part of His plan. Many of us seem to think Adam’s sin caught God off guard and God has been playing catch up ever since. But this is not true, God’s purpose and plan is playing out just as He wanted it. Jesus even tells us in the story of the sheep and goats nations (Mat 25:34) that there is a kingdom that has been prepared for us before the foundation of the earth. We should find all of this comforting. If God knew and prepared for Adams fall then He also prepared for ours. There is nothing that we could do or say that God did not prepare a remedy for.

 

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