Part Three
Every day, in some way, we are reminded of the result of Adam’s fall—Death. All around us the mortality of creation is daily displayed. Whether by man, or beast, there is a constant lesson throughout the world, that Adam plunged this earth into the effects of sin, proving that our present earthly existence is limited and temporal. Everything from pet goldfish floating belly up in the tank, to lifeless animals at the side of the highway. The headlines of newspapers announce the passing away of celebrities, and in the obituary columns there are lists of the recent passing away of friends and family members. Funeral home advertisements graciously display their wares in full color brochures using eloquent language with subtle hints indicating that whether it is now, or later, you cannot escape their inevitable business.Rich or poor; young or old; bound or free; heathen or holy-man, death is the great equalizer! Like it or not, believe it or not, the fact is that every descendant of Adam has inherited his disease of sin and the consequences of a fallen, carnal nature. It is precisely those consequences of that fallen nature inherited from Adam that plunged all creation into a lost and dying condition, separated from the original status of fellowship of God. It is because of that lost and cursed condition that man wanders in darkness and ignorance seeking true meaning and purpose and finding none.
Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? These are fundamental questions. How we answer these questions will greatly influence how we live our lives. And how we are living our lives clearly indicate how we answer those three questions. There is an innate need in mankind to know that their life means something, and that there is meaning in their life. But, without knowing where we came from, or where we are going, it is impossible to know any real meaning as to what our purpose is for being here. For some, it remains to ignore such questions have answers, or that those answers can be known. For others however, who have come into a personal relationship with the Creator of all that is—can find meaning and purpose in this life because the only true answers to their origins and their destiny can only be satisfied in Him.
So then, how should a Christian respond to the topic statement, "That the Bible teaches that the only purpose of this life is to prepare us to be with Him in the true life"? The obvious first response would be to simply answer in the affirmative; but is this question so easily answered in such a way? Does an affirmative answer solve the difficulties of the statement? Is the statement Biblical? Surely we will say that we came from God; that God created us. Surely we will say that this earthly existence is not all there is and that we are going back to God, but what is our answer for His purpose for why we are here? If we came from God and are going back to God, then why did we leave Him in the first place? What was God’s intention when He created mankind in the first place? Is our only purpose in this life to prepare us to be with God in the "true life"? After many weeks of meditation on this very question, I finally understood something that I never saw the same way before until I had to write this essay. Let me try to explain it this way.
Our purpose for this life, as well as anyone’s purpose for life is swallowed up in God’s highest ultimate purpose for us. In other words, as long as our focus is centered on looking for a purpose separate from God’s purpose for us, our focus in the wrong place. It is not to do with us—it is all about Him! The only hope we have of knowing our purpose in this life, can only be found in becoming a true and visible expression of His Will and Purpose! Our only purpose in this life is to fulfill God’s purpose for us! And God’s purpose for us in this life is for us to be vessels of Himself that would be a blend heaven and earth together!
One of the first things we have to realize is that God is not running around trying to fix a mistake made by Adam in the Garden. Adam’s fall was not a surprise to God. Jesus was not God’s plan "B". He was not sent to the cross to patch up something gone wrong with creation. The Devil did not sneak in and spoil things behind God’s back! God is Sovereign! He has always been Sovereign—He can be nothing else but Sovereign! The Devil is a tool in God’s hand to do God’s bidding and accomplish His purpose! Adam had to fall. The first Adam was not God’s final intention or product. The New Creation Man is! Not the first Adam, but the last Adam, second man, which is Christ. The first Adam was a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) is a life giving Spirit. This is God’s purpose for man; to have a creation of life giving Spirits, which is that which is made in His image and likeness. If we miss this fact we will continue to be confused about what God is doing and we will accuse God of being confused as well, or oblivious to what is happening to us, or the rest of creation.
Everything begins with a seed. This is thematic throughout all of Scripture. God, wanting an oak tree does not just "pop" an oak tree into existence. He creates the seed; an acorn, and all of the oak tree is contained in that acorn. But first it must be planted and die before the tree can grow. In the parable of the sower and the seed Jesus explains to His disciples that the seed is the Word of God. I have always taken that to mean the written word. I, for one, thought that it meant that we quote scripture to others and then some of that written word takes root in their hearts. Now I believe that it is not the quoted word that makes the difference, it is the living Word; the Spiritual Life giving Word! John chapter one describes Jesus as being that Word of God. The seed being sown into the heart is Christ! Of course, depending on the condition of the heart when the seed is sewn will determine its effective fruitfulness.
God established the law of sowing and reaping, then God uses that very law to sow Himself within the earthly body of man that He could reap a visible expression of Himself. A whole new creation! Jesus said that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies it abides alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. Jesus was sown into creation and died that He could bring forth much fruit after His kind—The New Creation Man!
Paul explains this thought further in 1 Corinthians 15 from about verse 35-57. Here Paul is telling us more than about resurrection bodies; he is explaining God’s purpose in creating man. In verse 36 he says: "What you sow does not come to life unless it dies." This is the same principle throughout all creation. God is showing man Spiritual truths in nature. Paul continues to say: "When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else." (This is the natural to explain the spiritual truth) "But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body." So then, God created the first man from the dust of the earth. It is into this earthly man that He implants the second man from heaven, (Christ in you!) This is done to beget a whole new creation man; a blend of heaven and earth come together! When a seed is planted into the ground, it grows because it takes its nutrition from the soil.
Paul goes on to say in verse 50, "…that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." So what happens then? Well, he explains just a couple of verses later in verse 54. "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’" Do you see that when death has accomplished its purpose, there will be no more need for it, and then it can be done away with.
"He is the potter, we are the clay!" (Romans 9) "We have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power is from God and not of us." (2 Cor. 4:7) It is within these clay vessels of ours that God has placed the deposit, the down-payment, the seal of the Holy Spirit of promise. (Eph.1:13) This is our guarantee of inheritance, but it is also God’s guarantee that He will get what He paid for as well: "His inheritance in the saints" (1:18). If I go into a store and put a deposit down on an item, it not only guarantees the store that I will be back to claim it, but it also is a guarantee to me, that it will be there when I come to get it. We inherit God, but God inherits us. The seed planted is our proof—and His. So then, what is our purpose for this life? It is in part, that while we remain in this body, our purpose is to become a vessel of His Divine nature until we are fully changed into His image and likeness. That, we would become so completely overtaken by Him, until there is no more of us, but that our life is swallowed up by His Life. Then we can say with Paul: "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me." (Gal. 2:20). Living evidence of His Mercy and Grace unto all ages.
Amen.
