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The
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Man's Purpose - By Don Roth |
Man's Purpose
As shown in the previous presentation there is a biblically fixed system of time
on which the historical events of the Bible can be brought to light.
Continuing to reveal the true timeline will put to rest all the innuendoes and
false ideas so many have about the historic value of the Bible. As we move
away from the creation narrative discussed in the previous video, a foundation
of truth must be laid. Ask yourself what does the Father and Christ want to
accomplish through this act of creation?
Genesis 1:26
comes to our attention as we delve more deeply into the first three chapters of
the Bible. Here God lays out His foundational purpose for making this
complex world, with all the beauty and infinite detail it contains. It is so
complex that a man could spend his lifetime studying a single plant or animal or
any other singular aspect of this magnificent creation.
In a very simple pronouncement by the two beings of the Godhead an important
work is revealed which has occupied their full attention for more than 6,000
years. Notice in Gen.1:26. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the
cattle, over all the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”
Most will read over this passage and make the assumption that the two words used
here, “image” and “likeness” mean the same thing. However, they are two
very different words with independent meanings. In Strong’s numbering
system of bible words the number for image is 6754, and the number for likeness
is 1823.
By understanding what these words are meant to convey and not how they are
translated, God reveals the core reason for placing man on this complex and
beautiful planet.
The word “likeness,” #1823, means that God created man with the same outward
shape as Himself – head, arms, legs, body, feet, etc. The more important part of
man’s construction was the development of his character, typified by the word,
image. God wanted to give man the ability to solve problems, to anticipate
outcomes before they might happen. God gave man the opportunity to rule his
environment, as given in
Genesis 1:28. “Then God blessed
them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue
it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over
every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
The word “subdue” is #3533, and the following understanding of this word is
found in the Theological Word Book of the Old Testament. “Therefore “subdue” in
Genesis 1:28 implies that creation will not do man’s bidding gladly or easily
and that man must now bring creation into submission by main strength. It
is not to rule man.” This was the primary method that God planned on using to
develop His character in man.
Now God also admonished Adam that by making wrong choices man would suffer a
bitter pill; the end of his life. He gave the first man and woman the power to
independently choose how to conduct their lives and it’s termed “free moral
agency,” which is the freedom to decide for oneself what is right and what is
wrong. So what brings a man happiness and satisfaction? And on the
opposite side what brings pain, suffering and disillusionment?
The most important part of man’s makeup is his character. God intended man
to rule this physical creation, making right decisions. The Theological
Word Book of the Old Testament, at the top of page 768 says, “Man was made in
God’s image (selem) and likeness (dmut) which is then explained as his having
dominion over God’s creation as vice-regent. Ps. 8:5-8 is similar, citing
man’s given glory, honor and rule. God’s image obviously does not consist in
man’s body which was formed from earthly matter, but in his spiritual,
intellectual, moral likeness to God from whom his animating breath came.”
It was the character of God that He intended to build in man in his
allotted time, not something that could be created by fiat such as one finds in
the animal kingdom. Animals act according to a given circumstance that God
has programmed into them, very different from how He created man. The man
and woman were free to make up their own minds, what we term “free moral
agency.”
Today we think that every human has free moral agency just as our original
parents, Adam and Eve had. The truth is that man, in his present state is
prevented from understanding truth. The fact that we have many competing systems
all claiming to have truth or the right way to life, proves that man is not free
or capable of choosing that right way. There is only one right way, or more
correctly, one truth which teaches the right way.
In
Matthew 7:13-14 Christ defines the way
to truth when He says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate
and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that
go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
leads to life, and there are few who find it.” It is the “few
who find it,” not the large religious organizations who presently claim to have
the truth.
Once Adam and Eve chose the wrong system by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge
of Good and Evil, a plan that Satan promoted of competition and survival of the
fittest, it brought into existence a way of life that man is presently living
with, a world of war, disease, and the constant battle to achieve dominion by
force and/or deception. There is only one way to understand truth. In John
6:44 this statement by Christ explains: “No one can come to Me unless the
Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
This drawing by the Father, through His Holy Spirit, is not a physical
“pulling,” but a mental opening of the mind. Once again it is giving that
individual, the one being called, free moral agency; an opportunity to make the
choice to follow the truth, God’s way of life, or to continue in his present
hopeless way of life, which has been designed by Satan to lead man to
destruction.
This does not mean that man cannot make choices, such as where to live, where to
work or what he will eat. He can also understand the complexities of the world
he lives in. What is meant here is that man cannot understand the true
reason for his existence. He stumbles through life inventing scenarios that will
somehow put meaning into his life. This is the reason that there are so many
competing religious organizations. Some men go so far as to believe that life is
only a time to enjoy the moment, denying any kind of life after death, or any
other meaning to this life. Man lives his life to get whatever pleasure he can,
in any way that he can, thinking, “I need to get mine while the getting is
good.” This is atheistic materialism and is the basis for much of our present
society’s problems.
FOR MANY ARE CALLED
Where do you stand in this world of confusing ideas about the purpose of life on
this earth? Do you understand what it means to be called by the Father?
Matthew 20:16. “So the last will be
first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
Again, in
Matthew 22:14, “For many are
called, but few chosen.” This makes it clear that being called is
no guarantee of salvation. At this point those called have their minds opened,
thus being free to choose that new way of life the Father is offering, an
opportunity to enter the narrow gate. Once again those called will have free
moral agency, the freedom to choose. They can either chose to enter the narrow
gate or it pass by. It is definitely the many who pass it by.
John 6:17
adds truth to the earlier statement about the two God beings in Genesis 1:26.
What have these two been doing? Christ reveals not only what they were doing,
but who they were, and in Genesis 1:26 the “us” is revealed. Then in John 6:17
we read, “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and
I have been working.’” Their work began at creation and continues to
this day.
Who they were and the work they were doing is shown in
John 15:1-6 “I am the true vine, and
My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He
takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear
more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone
does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they
gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned.” Burned
up!
MAN’S PURPOSE DEFINED
Unfortunately the idea of “bearing more fruit” is taken to mean the saving of
souls by getting others to accept Christ as their savior. Nothing could be
further from the truth! As has been shown it is only the Father who
decides who is called, not another man. Man’s part is the revealing of the
written word. In
Ephesians 4:13 Paul explains what this
fruit is. “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of
the Son of God, to be a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ.” Christ also clarifies this in
Matthew 5:48. “Therefore you shall
be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Man needs to develop moral upright character. He must be an individual capable
of conducting his life so as to recognize who gave life, having a deep respect
for the God who gave him this gift. He must recognize and celebrate this
gift on a weekly basis. It is necessary to have the right attitude to those with
whom they have daily contact. This entails not lying, nor stealing or killing.
It means honoring those who continue to give life. It means not interfering with
the special bonding relationship between husband and wife, and most importantly,
not to contemplate anything contrary to how we should be dealing with God and
our fellow man, which would be the harbinger of deceitful character. Thought
should always precede action.
How we conduct our lives belies our character. Our actions underscore our
character, either righteous or unrighteous. The Bible is the instruction book
given to man by God.
MAN’S FLAWED UNDERSTANDING
In Genesis 3 is the record of Adam and Eve exercising free moral agency. They
chose the wrong way and man, throughout history has followed that way and paid
the price. From that point forward men’s minds were clouded to the truth of God.
Even when presented with the truth most cannot or will not see or understand
that their way of life is evil.
Matthew 13:14-15 proves this. “And
in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear
and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the
heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their
eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their
ears, lest they should understand with their heart and turn, so I should heal
them.’”
No matter how logical and persuasive the evidence is presented to a man he
cannot accept it because it is so contrary to the competitive world he lives in.
Some may even admit that God’s way of life, if practiced, would result in utopia
for man, but without the Father opening their minds it seems impossible and
unrealistic in the present society, so they they continue in their present way
of life.
Man only sees that he needs to defend himself from others, or beat them down in
his climb to the top, or to a perch he deems secure to live out his life.
FREE MORAL AGENCY
To mankind, without the Father opening one’s mind to His way of life, it seems
impossible and unrealistic to live His way in our society, past or present; to
believe one can live according to biblical principles. Do you remember the
statement Christ made in Matthew 20:16 and 22:14? “Many are called,
but few chosen.” And in
Matthew 7:14 only a few find and
enter the narrow gate to traverse the difficult way of life. It is when the
Father opens a person’s mind to see truth that returns one to the state of being
a free moral agent. When this happens they are free to search out the narrow
gate and enter it.
All this can be brought into focus by correctly understanding the parable of the
sower in
Matthew 13:1-9. The Father, the one who
calls, is the sower. The seed represents God’s call. The first seed spoken of
falls on the wayside, and is then immediately consumed by birds. These are those
who are called and shown the gate but fail to enter. Satan’s world is too
alluring for them to give up and even though they take note of the narrow gate
they turn back to Satan’s way because of the pull of the world.
The chosen are those who enter the gate. Remember! The way is narrow and
difficult. Those who enter fall into one of three categories. First are those
who fall among the rocks, being enthusiastic when first chosen, but losing heart
when they find the way is hard. The next group is choked by the weeds, but they
are more determined, lasting longer but making the mistake of looking back,
remembering only the good times. They are choked out by the problems they face
of overcoming the pull of this world. The final group is those who fall into
rich ground, nourished by God’s Holy Spirit and the words of our Redeemer,
Christ. They deeply understand that God’s way of living is the only way that man
can exist without enduring the pain and suffering of this world.
The more those chosen desire the truth the more God grants His Holy Spirit to
them with the power to overcome. Thus this allows them to hold fast to God’s way
of life; to traverse that path to life eternal, even if it means losing their
physical life.
MEANING OF “EAT”
Now it is better understood what God meant when He said that Adam and Eve should
not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By eating of the
forbidden tree they bought into the system that Satan promoted, a system of get.
Previous to his appearance God showed Adam and Eve the tree of life,
representative of His system of love and concern for their fellow man.
Are we to conclude that these two trees were not real; that they only
represented philosophical ways of living? No! These were real trees with real
fruit. We understand that we age because the cells in our bodies are
programed to gradually lose genetic information, so the body slowly ages and
dies.
The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil caused the aging process to
begin. In
Genesis 2:17 the Ferrar Fenton Bible
translation says: For food you may eat of the whole of the trees of the
Garden: “But from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat;
because in the day you eat from it dying; you shall die.”
In contrast, the fruit of the Tree of Life would have maintained the accurate
replication of the cells of Adam and Eve thus enabling them to live an
indefinite amount of time without aging. This is confirmed in
Genesis 3:24. “So He drove out the
man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.”
This is speaking of the electrical/chemical existence of the human body.
The fact that God showed them this tree is indicative of Him teaching them His
way; the narrow, difficult way that leads to eternal life. Because they
rejected God’s way man has paid the penalty ever since. As the two trees, the
tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a metaphor for
the two basic ways of conduct.
Just as the term serpent was a metaphor depicting Satan’s cunningly destructive
character, not his physical form. He had a very different appearance when he
approached Eve, and then Adam.
Some may question why Satan was allowed to sneak into the garden. Was God not
watching? On the contrary! Satan was allowed to enter the garden to
present his system of life to Eve, not just to give her a piece of fruit to eat.
Satan painted a rosy picture of a good and exciting way to strive for mastery or
ruler ship. In turn, Eve convinced Adam that it would be to their
advantage. They chose the broad way that leads to death, as God had warned them
before Satan appeared.
Ezekiel 28:12-15
describes what they saw. “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of
Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: You were the seal of perfection, full
of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every
precious stone was your covering: the sardis, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx,
and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your
timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.
You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy
mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. You
were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till
iniquity was found in you.’”
Some think that the term “serpent” is indicative of Satan’s appearance, but in
fact it was representative of his character. Being allowed into the garden
was a test for Satan. His impressive appearance was just as described in Ezek.
28. This was a test for Satan as well as for Adam and Eve. God did not
force him to lie and deceive Eve, and you should consider that there were three
options open to him. He could have said nothing and gone his way. He could have
explained the power of God and his caring nature, and advised them to follow
God’s instructions on how to live their lives. But Satan chose the way of
deceit. It wasn’t until after he had deceived Eve that Satan received his
punishment.
Genesis 3:14-15. “The Lord God said
to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all
cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And
you shall eat dust And you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He
shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heal.’” Is it any
wonder that Eve was impressed with him? All logic went out the window, and
Adam, not wanting to lose the only being like him went along with her, but he
was not fooled by Satan.
1 Timothy 2:14. “And Adam was
not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression.”
It should be noted that this did not exonerate Adam, but makes it obvious that
he knew better but failed to act as he should have. Adam failed in his
leadership role.
By comparison, God’s appearance was much like that of Adam and Eve. Read the
article
HAS GOD APPEARED IN PHYSICAL FORM? Adam and
Eve made the choice to follow Satan’s way, and man has paid the price for more
than 6,000 years. That is about to change! The material universe, the galaxy,
the solar system and time itself were created to fulfill a divine purpose in an
eternal plan. As Sir Winston Churchill said, “He indeed must be a blind soul who
cannot see that there is a divine purpose being worked out here below.”
Mankind has yet to fulfill his destiny. The final chapter of this timeline
remains to be realized by man. This series of cycles that God has allotted
will continue to unfold exactly as God has proposed, from the beginning of
Genesis to the end of Revelation, until His purpose of building righteous
character in man as exemplified by our Savior, Jesus Christ has been
accomplished.
Don Roth, Oct. 20, 2017