Humans, created male and female in God's image and mortal, are physical beings whose life is in the blood. However, God imparted a spirit essence to humans, empowering man with intellect and setting him far above the animals. This human spirit enables God to join His Spirit with man's so he might become a child of God. When a man dies, his conscious thoughts cease, his spirit returns to God who gave it and his body returns to dust. God's purpose for man is that he enter the Family of God by means of a spiritual birth upon baptism and receipt of the Holy Spirit, and later be changed to spirit in a resurrection from the dead to immortality and glory.
Scripture References:
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7, 17; 3:19; Psalm 146:3-4; Ecclesiastes 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Job 32:8; Zechariah 12:1; I Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 12:28; I Timothy 6:15-16; Romans 8:29; I Corinthians 15:44, 50-54
From the Library: God's Purpose
Human Will and God's Sovereignty (Part Three)
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God's purpose in creation is central to understanding mankind's existence. In Genesis 1:26, the Father and the Son declare, "Let Us make man in Our image," establishing Themselves as the sole Creators. No other being is appointed to this responsibility, and mankind cannot create itself in God's image. God's creation of mankind …
The Faithfulness of God (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God's purpose is central to understanding why we are here and how He perceives us. He is the faithful God, and His faithfulness is not merely a generality for the church as a whole but extends to each of us individually. He has chosen us as a holy people, a special treasure above all others on earth, not because of our number or …
God's Sovereignty, Ecclesiastes, and God's Will
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God's purpose is central to understanding His will and sovereignty over all creation. He has an overriding purpose that He is working out, initiated before the foundation of the world, though not all aspects are revealed to us. These purposes impact us selectively, affecting some but not others, as part of His divine plan. God …
Our Ultimate Purpose (2024)
Sermonette byAs David pointed out in Psalm 139, God had His eyes on us before our birth, foreknowing the individuals He would call, predestining them into His plan.
God Has the Last Word
Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God's purpose is that He is working out according to His plan, and He has the last word. This purpose unfolds amid the end-time conditions of modern Sodom and Gomorrah, where Israel and Judah have exceeded their sisters in conduct, bringing a downward spiral of immorality that the nation has not yet reached the bottom of. …
The Sovereignty of God: Part Eight
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod's purpose unfolds according to His own sovereign timing rather than human expectation, beginning with the reality that only a small remnant is currently being called to salvation while the rest of humanity has been appointed to stumble for a time. This is not evidence of unfairness or final rejection, since God is not …
The Sovereignty of God: Part Six
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughGod's purpose, established from the very beginning in Genesis, centers on making man in His own image and creating a family for Himself, with this purpose worked out through each individual's relationship with Him. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 frames life as a series of deliberate choices between obedience and disobedience, life and …
Of God Appointed Life
Sermon by Mark SchindlerWe must trust God's sovereign timing even in grief and sore trials, realizing that life is not random, but God-appointed.
For more resources, please see the library topic for God's Purpose