The world is very busy with everyone engaging in some life-pursuing activity. This pursuance is packed with ups and downs, success and failure. Why?
What and why exactly is this life? If we will rightly answer the question, we must be in a position to first know what we are; why we are, what exactly we should pursue and, where we should end up.
Right now there are so many answers to this question. Some say man is a mammal (a class of animals). Others say that man is a dual-natured being with both the physical and spiritual nature.
There are the evolutionists who believe that man is a member of the apes family which evolved with time to become the people we are today.
Among these and many other answers, which one is right? If non, then what is man?
There is a God in Heaven “…………… who made the world and everything in it (Man inclusive) – Act 17:24.” He speaks through his written word in the bible. Lets therefore go to him and know what we are, and what we should be pursuing in this life.
MAN PHYSICAL
So many who profess to believe in God, also believe that man is a spirit being encaged in a physical body. They go ahead and believe that man never dies, that he only transfers from the physical tent and goes to live in a spiritual realm elsewhere. This thinking is purportedly said to be from God’s word where he says; “let us make man in our image and likeness Gen 1:26.” So, since God is Spirit and man is in his image, then he must also be a spirit. But God who alone knows the truth proves them to be liars. Let’s get it from His own mouth.
“Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being – Gen 2:7.”
Is there any spirit being mentioned here? Man is made of dust with some breath of life. Man is physical matter, subject to decomposition and perishing, for our maker continues to say ; “…….surely, man is grass, and his life is like the beauty of flower which fades away – Isa 40:7,6.
These are those who confuse the breath of life with the spirit of God. But this breath of life is simply the oxygen we breath in which is circulated to all parts of the body by blood.It is the blood that carries life(oxygen),supplying it to every body cell-see Lev.17:11. This is why anytime you lack blood in your brain, you faint . you miss the strength- giving life (oxygen). It is also the reason, why one dies when the taking in of oxygen is cut off either by struggling or de-oxiginating.
God proves this oxygen to be the breath of life. Hear it please. This is during the floods when all creatures drowned. He says ;
“and all flesh died that moved upon the earth……………. Everything on dryland in whose nostril is the breath of life died- Gen 7:21-22”.
Mark this please. The breath of life is in the nostrils of both man and all the other animals. So, what goes through the nose? Obviously the oxygen we and the animals breath. He further say; “for the fate of man and that of animals is the same ; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over animals – Ecles 3:19.” So, the breath of life is not a spirit in man. This proves beyond reasonable doubt that man is physical. It is Satan who teaches that man is spirit and can’t die – see Gen 3:4-5.
But after man was deceived, God reminded him saying; “………. You are dust, and to dust, you shall return-Gen.3;1-9.”
The physical man we are is not everlasting, for God says, ’man that is born of women is of few days and full of problems .He comes forth like a flower and withers, he flees like a shadow and continues not-.John.14;1-2.”
If this be the case, then why did God create us? Just for living shortly after which we die? Why the physical life?
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
‘And God said, let us make man in our own image, in our likeness and let them have dominion over……upon the earth-Gen.1;26.’
Eeeh; me and you were created to be rulers, ruling over all the earth and the entire universe. But for this to be possible, we must bear not only the image ,but the likeness of God as well. Yes, we must be like God in every way since it will be God’s kingdom. God is spirit whose shape and form is that of man-see Rev1;14-16; Ezek.1;26-27.
In Gen.1;27,He says he created man in his image[form and shape]only and not his likeness. What does this tell us? God did not finish creating man ,meaning;” man’s creation is a process ,for he says , ‘It is first the physical then the spiritual-1 cor.15;46.’
God has a way of life which He freely chose and likes unconditionally. For man to be like God, he must develop God’s character which he must freely choose .And this character is not something one can acquire automatically It’s something you must do repeatedly until it becomes your behavior.
FOR TRAINING
It was and up to now is, for character building that God had to first create a physical being who is capable of changing. But why need a change?
Where there is choice making, there must be alternatives. When God created angels, He established His kingdom here on earth under them but they sinned(for details, request for our message, ‘WHO IS SATAN’).See also Jude.1:6.
So when God created man, Satan and his fallen angels were already ruling the earth.It is between this two lives (Satan’s and God’s) that man has to make a choice and develop character from it.
(for details ,request for our message; ‘THE TWO TREES’)
God therefore placed the two lifestyles before man for him to choose. At this point, man’s mind was empty. He was neither evil nor holy. He was to begin and learn from there. God is spirit and so is Satan. Our Lord says; “A physical man does not receive the spiritual gifts of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually understood-1Cor.2:14”.
So, how will the physical man do the impossible, i.e., make a spiritual choice? This brings us to another most misunderstood, and misapplied scripture about man. For man to have the mental capability to choose, God put a spirit essence in man’s mind. This spirit is not a spirit being in man but a component in him which enables his mind to think intellectually, unlike animals who think instinctively.
We can liken it to a cd in a computer. Through the computer, the cd can record and store information, but it is not part of the computer. It is something in the computer. Any time the computer wishes to get the stored information, it refers to the Cd, yet the Cd alone can’t give the info unless it is put in the computer.
A SPIRIT IN MAN
It is in the same way God has put a spirit in man’s mind in which the mind records everything it learns, for our Lord says; “there is a spirit in man, but it is the breath of the almighty that makes him understand-Job.32:8”.
Understand something here please.The spirit in man is blank. It is the spirit of God that gives him understanding. It is through this spirit that man links with the spirit world, whether with Satan or, God. God confirms this when He says;”It is the spirit of God which bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God-Rom.8:16.”
Yes, our spirit stores everything it learns from the spirit of God or Satan, to give our minds some knowledge. And this is where character development begins. This is where Adam and every one of us began. It is this spirit which, when one dies, it goes back to God who gave it.It is the one that stores everything one does in life, and the one God will use in resurrection for judgement.
LIKENESS OF SATAN
Since man is blank minded at birth ,the same way Adam was created, what direction did he choose to go which was tofrom his likeness. Yes, seeing that he was in the image of God only, whose likeness did he bear. This will be determined by the life he chooses. So which one?
God told Adam; ‘Don’t eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest you die.’ Satan said, ‘God is a liar;you will not Die-Gen.3:4-5.’
So, ‘Eve took of the fruit and ate and gave her husband and he ate-Gen.3:6.
Therefore, the spirit that entered in the spirit of man and began to pass knowledge was that of Satan. ‘the prince of the power of the air,the spirit that works in the children of disobedience-Eph.2:2.’
Up to now, men in the world bears the image of God, but the likeness of Satan. He has remained the physical short lived being who dies. He has also all through engaged in the very satanic destructive life whose fruits are the woes we are witnessing now.
GOOD NEWS
What should we be doing , seeing that we have begun wrongly? Has God abandoned His plan for mankind?. Nearly two thousand years ago, God sent His messenger, Jesus Christ bearing the best news ever proclaimed to mankind. He said and up to now is saying; ‘The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; ‘repent and believe the gospel-Mark. 1;15.’
AS we saw, you and I were created to be made like God for the purpose of inheriting and ruling the kingdom of God here on earth, but through our first parents we were swayed from that purpose and pursued a different and destructive life which packs the today’s world.
Jesus is here reminding us that the kingdom is near, but to inherit it, He says, it’s a must that we change from our right now ways(repent), and put on the knowledge of God to enable us to live like Him. Therefore, it’s a matter of rejecting Satan’s teachings. It’s a matter of erasing what Satan has recorded in your mind and spirit. This is what God want’s to do in your mind if you freely choose to allow Him, He will put His Holy spirit in your mind and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God- Eph.4:22-24.’ This is the purpose of this physical life.Whatever you do in life ,you must do according to God’s word , that way you will develop the vey behaviours of God. For those who will qualify, when Christ comes , they will be changed to spirit beings and inherit God’s kingdom forever .
Is this the man you know about yourself? Is this the life you are pursuing in your business, your employment and even in your socials? If not, you have missed the mark and you neither know yourself nor understand why you are here. Solomon,who tried to pursue the physical life with its glory, not withholding anything from himself ended up discovering what we have seen. And this is the purpose of this physical life.”Fear God and keep His commandment(Live His life),for this is the whole duty of man-Ecles.12:13”.Christ confirmed it,saying;”seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things shall be added unto you-Mat.6:33.”
Do you wish to turn and learn, and pursue this life? God’s servants are right here, very ready to inform you while his spirit gives you the understanding and the power to exactly do that.
Tune in right now to, THE ENDTIME CHURCH OF GOD