Man: His Origin, Purpose, and Destiny

To the reader:

This article will be one of many that I will be publishing here that I wrote for my, and a fellow Christian's online magazine called "The Christian Examiner" several years ago. The web address is: www.thechristianexaminer.com.

Man continues to seek answers to questions about his origin, purpose, and destiny from a scientific and philosophical, rather than from a biblical perspective. Rejecting the answers that God's word gives as absolute truth causes men to turn to false teaching such as evolution and humanism. Let us examine the word of God in light of what man teaches on this issue.

His Origin

In Genesis 2:7, we read,"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 soul." In this passage we are shown that man has both a physical and a spiritual body. When a man dies, his physical body returns to the ground from which he was taken (Genesis 3:19), while the spirit, that is his soul, goes back to God.

His Purpose

In the Bible, we find that God gives man three purposes in life. First, He commands him to work."And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it," (Genesis 2:15). Working is a necessary part of life. In Proverbs 6:6-11, Solomon says, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man." When a person does not work, he becomes slothful and unfruitful.

God also placed the responsibility of work in the home. Paul said,"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel," (1 Timothy 5:8). It is commanded of every husband and wife to provide for their family. Likewise, when the children have grown into maturity, they should try to help provide for their parents when they have become unable to take care of themselves.

Second, God instructs all men to worship Him "in spirit and in truth," (John 4:24). What does this mean? What we do in worship must be authorized by the scriptures. Paul, in Colossians 3:17 says,"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." For example, if a church goes beyond the specific command of congregational singing (Ephesians 5:19) by using any type of accompaniment, such as instrumental music, choirs, and praise teams, then it is not worshipping God "in spirit and in truth."

Last, the scriptures teach that man should render service to God and to his fellow man. After he was created, man was given the ability to choose to serve either the God of Heaven or the god of this world. Jesus said,"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon," (Matthew 6:24).

Rebukng the children of Israel for following after their gods, Joshua said,"Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," (Joshua 24:14-15).

There are many ways in which we can serve one another. Examples include letting our light shine (Matthew 5:14-16), helping to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), and guarding each other from sin (2 Timothy 4:2).

His Destiny

Every person has control over his destiny and will be held accountable for everything that has been said and done on this earth. Jesus, in Matthew 12:36-37 said,"Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Therefore,"Every one of us shall give account of himself to God ," (Romans 14:12).

Furthermore, those who are righteous will receive an incorruptible crown of eternal life (1 Corinthians 9:25), while the unrighteous will be condemned to everlasting punishment (2 Peter 2:9).

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