This study focuses on trying to answer the age old questions we’ve probably asked ourselves a thousand times:
Where did I come from?
Why am I here?
What am I here for?
When we have had these questions answered we can live a secure, well balanced, happy and meaningful life. Who wouldn’t want that right?
OK… So let’s begin at the beginning!
WHERE DID I COME FROM?
You were created. You did not evolve from an ape as many suggest. You were conceived in the the heart of God: Your loving Father and creator.
The first book of the Bible, Genesis, which quite literally means, “In the Beginning” we find God creating the Earth and everything in it, including us.
Genesis 1 vs.26-27
26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created human beings in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them
WHY GOD CREATED MAN
God created man to extend his Heavenly Kingdom upon the realm of the Earth. In other words, He created the seen world= the Earth and everything in it, to represent what is unseen= Heaven and everything in it.
Man was created in Gods image to be his representative in the Earth = To reign and to rule a Kingdom/domain, as God reigns and rules his dominion in Heaven. Man is supposed to be the expressed image of God in the Earth.
26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created human beings in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
From scripture we can see very clearly why God created man, not only because He loves to create, or that he desires relationship, even though he does, BUT more importantly, that in us he might have a representation of himself in the Earth. That we might bring him Glory.
WHY AM I HERE?
As we have seen from the previous two questions, you were created in the image of a loving God for the purpose of expressing his nature in the Earth, as it is in Heaven. We shall now explore what this means in more detail.
26 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created human beings in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
In verses 26 & 28 we see that God gives mankind authority to rule over the Earth and the animals in it. We are to increase our numbers, fill the Earth and overtake it.
This means we have a responsibility to take care of that which we are made responsible for. We have been given similar authority and responsibility as the Lord has in Heaven. We are to mirror image that authority and responsibility in the Earth. We are like Kings ruling over a dominion. We have a duty to rule over it honestly, nobly and wisely. What does this involve and how do we do this?
We must first understand the nature and character of God, so that we can represent him fairly in the Earth. So let’s look:
Galatians 5 vs. 22-23
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.
Here we see clearly the nature of God. Now that we have a definition, we too can model these character traits when we rule over what pertains to us, here on Earth.
What Am I Responsible For?
You are responsible for :
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Loving God
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Yourself
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Your family
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Friends
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Your possessions
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Your community
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The earth (animals, environment etc.)
When in doubt, remember this verse in Matthew 19 vs. 18-20
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother, and 'love your neighbor as yourself."
There is obviously a lot more to it than this short study incorporates but hopefully this has helped give you a general idea to begin with.
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