What is God’s Purpose for Man?

 

• Why were you born?
• Is there a purpose for your life?
• Why did God create humans, in the first place?

In this article, we’re going to investigate what the Bible says about GOD’S PURPOSE FOR MAN,

 

What was God’s plan for Man?

 

Genesis 1:11-12, 20-21,24-25  Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind … ²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind … ²⁴ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind.

Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:26-27 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 over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

• What does it mean that Man was made in the image of God?
  • • The word that is translated as image is tselem , which means a phantom, a resemblance or a representative figure.
• The meaning
  • • the nature of the case that the “image” does not consist in bodily form;
    • it can only reside in spiritual qualities, in man’s mental and moral attributes as a self-conscious, rational, personal agent, capable of self-determination and obedience to moral law.
    • This gives man his position of lordship in creation, and invests his being with the sanctity of personality.
• In other words, God made man according to the God kind

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

• breath — from neshamah
• life … from hayyim (not “life”, but “lives”)

Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

• spirit … ruach

1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

 

Genesis 3:22   And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.  He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

• forever = from owlam or olam – the vanishing point; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically) eternity.

 

Psalm 8:4-8  What is Man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?  ⁵ For You have made him a little lower than the angels and You have crowned him with glory and honor.  ⁶ You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet ….

1 Corinthians 6:3a Do you not know that we shall judge angels?

Revelation 21:3-4  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God ….”

Ephesians 1:3-5  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ … ⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Matthew 6:9-10   In this manner, therefore, pray:  “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  ¹⁰ Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…. ”   

 

 

 

Questions

1. What did God make the beast of the earth according to?
2. What kind did God make the creeping things according to?
3. What kind did God decide to make Man according to?
4. In whose image did God create Man?
5. What do you think that means?
6. How did Man become a living soul?
7. Is man only physical?
8. What did God make Man to have dominion over?
9. How was Man made in relation to angels?
10. How will Man be in relation to angels in the future?
11. How will Man be in relation to God in the future?
12. Where will God be in the future?
13. Who will wipe away tears from the eyes of God’s people?
14. What will life be like people with God as their God?
15. What did God predestine Man to?