For more verses on the Bible and its stance on reincarnation, check out this article here. Getting to the BIG why question - we exist for joy - but that joy cannot be realized independently. 10:31, he reiterated this same point when he said, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Paul also prayed for those in Ephesus, who were of like precious faith, that they might experience “…glory in the church” (Eph. From that time, they sought to capture each encounter to explain the way to Christ. I’m going to avoid the whole controversy and say something much simpler, and I think just as profound: Images are created to image. The mirror gets turned around and we see the glory of God again and the defilement gets wiped off gradually and we begin to reflect God. Scripture makes it clear that we have one life on earth before we receive an eternal judgment and verdict, based on whether we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord. 1:6, 12, Eph. He is a promise-keeper. To really know God is to have who He is rub off in such a way He influences what we do, where we go and even who we are. Scroll down to listen to a beautiful song on why we were made and why we are here – … First and fundamentally, to image God means in our most human selves, we are spreaders. 1, 2 Timothy, Titus). Why We Exist. Answer: The Bible says nothing about the pre-existence of souls because this is a man-made idea with no basis in truth. It means that she or he, like 99.99% of the rest of the world at the time, made no impact on the archaeological record.” Why do we die? For example: If God is loving and all-powerful, why is there suffering and evil in the world? He’s the end, you’re the means. He didn’t acquire joy by looking for it. I’ll attempt to gather and superglue together the image-bearing picture. God’s purpose for us will be fully realized, and our entire existence will be directed to the praise of His glory forever (Eph. No! If you have known me, you will know my Father too. We have all sinned and deserve God’s judgment. Why is religion so often an influence for bad rather than for good? Early in His ministry, the Lord Jesus exhorted those in His kingdom to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. And from now on you do know him and have seen him.” To help you search and find thes… These are all good reasons. When we have a big decision to make, we should always look to God first. Am I failing at life? Fulfilled Bible prophecy also demonstrates God’s faithfulness. We at Christ Community Church looked beyond the obvious and asked ourselves, “Why do we preach? Welcome to Man in the Mirror’s Men’s Bible Study, where we always have room for one more guy! Later, in 1 Cor. When there is “glory” in the church, people will hunger and thirst for righteousness, their hearts will be aflame with a need to serve God and their community will be affected by their constant desire to share Christ. (Romans 5:12) But that is not God’s purpose for humans. Because we, the people of God, are to be salt and light (Matt. And I think, frankly, all of those are true and aspects of what it means to be in God’s image” (episode 153). And because we want to maximize our purpose to share Him, we seek to capture each encounter so the way to Christ is explained. The answer to this question depends on what precisely is meant by the term “ghosts.” If the term means “spirit beings,” the answer is a qualified “yes.” If the term means “spirits of people who have died,” the answer is “no.” The MAIN reason Christ left us on earth after saving our souls is so we would be His witnesses. God redeems us … God didn’t create you as an end in yourself. Romans 6:23 directly states, "For the wages of … That does not mean He personally leaves, but it does mean His attributes can no longer be seen. Our rationality, our ability to reason. The question then is simple – why does the church exist? . According to the Bible, death is not the end of life but the separation of the soul from the body. 5:20), we have been chosen to “… proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Our life as one family is meant to bring the transforming power of Jesus Christ into our community, region, and world. The first book actually called "the Bible" is the Latin Vulgate. When God is disobeyed, His glory departs (1 Sam. Of course, we may wisely look at some of the principles in Israel’s civil laws as we think of our own societal politics (principles about public health, caring for the poor, etc. To be succinct - we exist … But since God made man like himself, man’s dominion over the world and his filling the world is a display — an imaging forth — of God. Real joy requires relationship - love. He is also wise and powerful. I don't believe it to be a requirement, but I'll admit it is an expectation. Why did God create man? Why does the church exist? For Moses, knowing God was more than just being aware of His existence, more than having information about who He is, even more than having some kind of religious experience– and so it must be for us. The early church understood what it meant to participate together in fellowship so that God was honored. For this end we turn back into the tasks and opportunities of our lives now. In fact, it was Jesus who said, “I have glorified Thee on earth; I have finished the work Thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4). That is what God is doing by his Spirit. Because we want to manifest our priority to live Him, we seek to cultivate every experience so that the will of Christ is expressed. Then he transitions from marble to mirrors, to explain how we reflect God: Here’s the picture in my mind. In Ps. How he explains our role as image-bearers is consistent, but it’s also scattered throughout John Piper’s articles, paragraphs in books, statements, interviews, and forewords. Joshua 7:19). Only then can we truly give Him glory (Cf. Putting all these pieces together we can see one precious implication for why God created us. He is infinitely excited about his own glory. The bottom line is, image bearing has a lot of right definitions because we are unique and complex creatures made by an infinite and gloriously multifaceted God. God, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him. Putting all these pieces together we can see one precious implication for why God created us. Good morning, men! Know that God does everything He does because it is right and because it is good. So, that we may learn from those who came before us, as … That’s why the prophet Jeremiah recorded, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me…” (9:23, 24). Our struggle to know Him, live Him, and share Him will continue until we go home to be with Him. But when they disobeyed him, they sinned, and eventually they died. 14 If Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they would still be alive today. Because we are living in a fallen world, and all are born with sin into sin, God had His Word recorded, so we may learn who He is, what He is like, and what He expects of us as His children. Images are created to set forth the reality. From the very birth of the church, God designed it to be a place where His Word is proclaimed and explained (cf. Well, the answer may surprise you, but it’s “no.” Please don’t misunderstand, however. Piece-by-piece, we are beginning to tell the world, through our lives and our words and our affections, that God alone is awesome. When that happens, we will be glorified (cf. We exist to make disciples. In each case it sounds slightly different, but it remains the same. This is made clear, for example, in Numbers 14:21, where the Lord says, ‘All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD,’ and in Isaiah 43:7, where the Lord refers to His people as those ‘whom I created for my glory’” (314). He doesn’t. As believers in the Body of Christ, we must constantly say ‘no’ to sin so that we can say ‘yes’ to the greater purpose God has for us. You put up a statue of George Washington to be reminded of the founding fathers. . 16:8 and 9, King David said making the Lord his passion gave him great gladness and joy. For us to live out this purpos… In the fall, Satan persuaded me that my image is more beautiful than God’s image, and so I flip the mirror over. ), but the specific rules were all fulfilled in Jesus. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. He came to do the will of God. It is why we turn to the Bible for answers to problems that we face. Whether it was the “breaking of bread” (celebration), “praying” (intercession), the “selling of their property, possessions, and sharing” (participation) or “with gladness and sincerity worshipping together” (adoration), they cultivated every experience to express the will of Christ (cf. —Titus 1: 16. Death is the result of sin. This Truth comes from Knowing GOD and having a relationship with Jesus Christ as it says in John 14:6-7 Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Trinity Bible Church exists to promote the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the lives of people, through knowing, living, and speaking the truth in love, for the glory of God and the joy of all in Him. © 2021 Christ Community Church. Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”. He wanted desperately to remain in God's will, so he turned to God often for help. The Bible makes it clear that every human being is a unique creation of … In other words, don’t be as concerned about ruling in eternity as you should be about revealing Me to humanity. But what I find especially interesting is how Pastor John focuses on one meaning that often gets missed, perhaps for its simplicity. 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