Why are we here? Part 2

Whose are we? 

Understanding origin is essential to understanding purpose. This is part of the human pursuit, and what we believe about where we came from inevitably informs how we live and why we do what we do. Modern books, movies and more ask these sorts of questions, and we are captivated by the possibilities that they point to. In the 2012 movie, Prometheus, a group of explorers discovers the origins of human life on earth, and they travel across space to find answers. The following conversation takes place between Charlie, one of the explorers, and David, an android created by humans:

Charlie: What we hoped to achieve was to meet our makers. To get answers. Why they even made us in the first place.

David: Why do you think your people made me?

Charlie: We made you because we could.

David: Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same thing from your creator?

Charlie: I guess it's good you can't be disappointed.

When I first saw Prometheus, this scene rattled me. This was when my feelings for the people in the movie changed, and I began to ponder how I would feel and what I would do if I found out the answer to the question, Why am I here? was indifference or chance. For starters, I would not bother writing this blog. I would not go to work. I would quit school. I would do whatever I felt like doing, like loiter in public or like drop kick a cat. I don't believe we exist without purpose. The Scriptures tell us that we were created in the image of God:

Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Gen. 1:26-27, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted)

After God created day and night, waterfalls and mountains, lilies and cedars, the sun and the Big Dipper, clown fish and oysters, and lions and porcupines, He created humanity. And it was not until humankind, male and female created after His likeness, walked the earth that God said it was very good (Gen. 1:31). Out of all the wonders in the heavens and on earth, people are the pinnacle of God's creation. We belong to God and were created with intention. Chance did not bring humanity forth out of the ground, God did. Love and intention, not indifference, colored the heart of God as He brought humanity to life in His perfect creation.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo There are some key things we can draw from creation that shed light on our purpose. First, the image of God means something. Theologians, artists, professors and others have debated for centuries exactly what it means, and I am not going to pretend to add to what others have said. But there is a connection between us and God, something that belongs to the Triune God that He has shared with us.

Second, male and female are both created in the image of God. We mutually share in it and can assume that it has something to do with our existence with one another. I contend that community with God and with others is fundamental to our purpose. Third, humanity (male and female) was meant to have dominion or rule over all creation. Interestingly, in Genesis 1 the explicit statements about rule and dominion (and ultimately, authority) are said to humanity (man and woman) as a joint partnership over the rest of creation. Though there is nothing overt about any sort of difference in authority between man and woman, much is made of it today. It is not until Genesis 3 and the fall of humanity that we find explicit statements about difference in rule. But more on that later.

What went wrong? But all did not remain perfect. Just open your front door, or drive on the freeway, or turn on the news, and you can see that something has marred our world. Whatever we were created for has been muddied. Call it pride, or selfishness, or idolatry--something went awry in the hearts of man and woman, and everything changed in Genesis 3. Because of disobedience, our world changed. Toil would now characterize work (Gen 3:17-18), power would destroy male and female relationships (Gen 3:16), and death would separate us from our Creator. The consequences of not following God's best for Adam and Eve have been passed on to all of us. But, God has been actively working throughout human history to restore community.

What is the big picture and where are we heading? I don't believe the creation account by itself fully encapsulates God's plans for humanity. It may be because our ancestors screwed things up too quickly for God's intentions to materialize. However, we see God's work to put humanity back together since our downfall beginning shortly after things started falling apart. I am going to jump through hundreds of years of Biblical history in a matter of a few short paragraphs by focusing on a few key people and God's covenants spoken to them. Hopefully, God's purpose for us will begin to emerge as we progress.

Abraham

Abraham becomes the paradigmatic model of faith to all who came after him. For some divine reason, the One God reached out to a man in the midst of a polytheistic culture. We have no record of Abraham earning the favor of God prior to Genesis 12; all we know is that God chose him. And among the promise of descendants and land, God said, "and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen 12:3). Abraham is often regarded for being the father of the Jewish people, who were his descendants, but it is the promise of blessing to all peoples through his offspring that is emphasized.

The same promise was given to Abraham's son, Isaac (Gen 26:4), and Isaac's son, Jacob (Gen 28:14). Though the Israelites descended from Abraham were God's chosen people, they were the means by which God would show the world who He is and the carriers of His blessing to people from every tribe and tongue and every nation. God's plan of restoring humanity was always for all people. This covenant becomes the foundation of the full inclusion of the Gentiles among Christ's followers by time the New Testament era comes into fruition: Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'In you shall all the nations be blessed.' (Gal 3:7-8)

Moses

Fast-forwarding ahead a few hundred years, after Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his twelve sons, we come to Moses, whom God chooses to set the people of Israel free from captivity in Egypt. As the journey to enter the land promised to Abraham begins after Egypt, God speaks to Moses and gives him the Law, preceded by the statement, "and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6). The Law was not to be simply a list of do's and don't's, nor was it to be merely a means of pleasing God (though it certainly was), but it was also to be the means by which God would show His love to the world and begin to cascade the blessing promised to Abraham to the nations. The desire for the people of Israel to be a kingdom of priests was indeed a special calling for God's people.

But this calling was not for their benefit alone; they were to be holy and set apart in order to model what it was to be loved by God and to love Him in return. Though the Old Testament chronicles many failures of the Israelites to live up to their calling, God remained faithful to His promise, and we see New Covenant believers becoming the promised, "royal priesthood" (1 Pet 2:9).

David

Skipping ahead again, the people of Israel progress led by the Lord through his prophets. In the time of a prophet named Samuel, a king is anointed over Israel. This is a tragic time in the history of Israel because the people of God ask for a king so as to be like the other nations (1 Sam 8:5-7). They rejected God as their king and, further, the purpose for which He had set them apart. After Saul, their first king, falls out of God's favor, He chooses David, a man after His own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). When David is anointed king, he desires to build a house for God to dwell in. Yet, God replies by promising David a house and that one of his descendants will be an eternal king: "and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Sam 7:13). The eternal king alluded to is certainly "Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1)

Jesus

Jesus is the answer to all the Sunday school questions because He is the fulfillment (or means of fulfillment  of God's promise to Abraham, and to Moses, and to David. Through Jesus, the promise of blessing comes to all peoples through the presence of the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:14). Through Jesus, His followers today become priests of the New Covenant and ministers of God's reconciliation to the world (2 Cor 5:18). And it is the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who has become the eternal king from the line of David, whose supremacy over all things brings us forgiveness and salvation (Heb 2:14-18). In case that wasn't enough, check out how cool this song of the saints sung to Jesus, the Root of David, (Rev 5:5) in heaven is:

Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5:9-10)

So why ARE we here?

It has taken me a while to get here, and there is certainly more to be said on the matter. But, the Scriptures point to the undeniable reality that our purpose is significant. We were created with intention and after the likeness of God, the creator of all things. Whatever that fully means, we have eternal value. And though our first ancestors made a grave error in judgment, God has actively been at work to restore humanity to communion with Him and with one another. God promised to bless all peoples through Abraham's offspring, and He called His people to be a royal priesthood to the nations, and He told David that a king from His line would reign eternally. All these promises are fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, and He extends the dignity of participating in His work to all who follow Him by faith (Rom 3:24-25).

I believe that the answer to the question Why are we here? is rather straightforward. I believe we are here to become a part of the community of God, experiencing restoration with Him and with all peoples as we actively seek to see His promises come to life in all people. I believe we are here to sing the song of Revelation 5:9-10 throughout the world. I believe we are here to seek out what is eternal, what lasts forever, and strive to make it more influential in our present. I believe we are here to see the kingdom of God realized and make His name more famous in all that we do.

There are rather profound implications of what all this practically looks like, and Christa (my wife) and I are passionate about seeing people thrive in the midst of Christ-centered community. So, the next question I will explore What is community? and I am pretty excited about thinking more on that.

Thanks for reading!