We have seen so far that there is a mystery which has been hidden since the beginning of the world, but has now been revealed. This mystery is called, amongst other things, the mystery of His will.
The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints),
Col 1:26 (AMP)
Making known to us the mystery (secret) of His will (of His plan, of His purpose). [And it is this:] In accordance with His good pleasure (His merciful intention) which He had previously purposed and set forth in Him,
Eph 1:9 (AMP)
The mystery will reveal God’s will, His intention or purpose.
We could say that it will reveal God’s vision.
We must also understand that God’s purpose has not, will not and does not ever change!
Accordingly God also, in His desire to show more convincingly and beyond doubt to those who were to inherit the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose and plan, intervened (mediated) with an oath.
Heb 6:17 (AMP)
Nothing catches God by surprise! He knows the end from the beginning.
Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure and purpose,
Isa 46:10 (AMP)
So let’s go to the beginning and search for clues to God’s purpose that we can understand God’s vision.
Understanding God’s Purpose
To understand God’s original intentions we are going to attempt to answer three questions:
What is God doing?
How is He doing it?
Why is He doing it?
Many people have asked the first question before and have come up with a wide variety of answers. We have all heard answers like, “God is reaching the lost” or “God is saving the world”, but imagine if this answer is incorrect! That means that the second and third questions would also be answered incorrectly!
It is obvious that the answer to the first question could be very broad and will determine the direction of our study. So from the beginning it is critical that we are careful to be led by the Spirit and study scripture diligently.
Most people, when answering the first question, assume that it has to do with God’s plan, but perhaps it has more to do with the purpose of His plan. This makes more sense when looking at the second question. Often writers on this subject bundle plan and purpose into one concept, but a plan has a purpose. The purpose is achieved by the plan. So when we speak of God’s plan and purpose, we are speaking of two separate concepts.
With this in mind it will help to clarify the questions.
What is God doing? In other words, towards what purpose is God busy working?
How is He doing it? How does God achieve this purpose? What is His plan to achieve His purpose?
Why is He doing it? What is God’s reason for His plan and purpose? What is His intention in achieving this purpose?
So let’s keep these questions in the back of our minds as we continue searching for God’s unchanging purpose.
We will begin our search for the answers right at the beginning of the Bible where we find the very first recorded words which God spoke concerning man, as well as the very first words which God spoke to the created man.
And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen 1:26-28 (KJV)
In this passage are three important points that will form the basis of this teaching.
1. God created man in His own image.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… (KJV)
2. Man was designed to rule over creation.
…and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (KJV)
…and let them have complete authority… (AMP)
…and let them rule… (NIV)
Even from before man was created, God decided to give man the authority to rule over the works of His hands. As dangerous as this may sound, God was not irresponsible, since man could only rule over creation as an extension of his relationship with God.
3. God was looking for a multitude.
And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it… (AMP)
God’s intention from the beginning was to have a multitude of people all over the earth. All of them in His own image, having His nature, in intimate communion with Him and ruling over all of creation.
We will follow these three points through the Bible.
God created man in His image
So what was it that made Adam to be the image of God?
There were two components that were put together: the dust of the ground and the breath of life. We know that man’s physical body is made of the same chemical composition as the animals, so it must be the spirit or breath of life that made man resemble God.
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.
Gen 2:7 (KJV)
…and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and the man became a living being. (AMP)
(The word for breath or spirit is exactly the same word in the original text).
The first reason for this is clearly for communication or rather communion or fellowship. It is impossible for any meaningful relationship to exist between to unlike beings. Dust cannot have fellowship with his Creator, but spirit can have fellowship with Spirit.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24 (KJV)
Secondly a person’s spirit determines his character or nature. So when God breathed into man the breath of life, He was ensuring that the man would have His character or nature. This was vital, since man was placed on earth as an extension of God’s authority. If man was to rule then he would have to do so justly and in loving kindness.
God does not breathe air! It was His own Life, His Spirit, which He breathed into Adam!
God breathed of Himself into the man.
God breathed His character, His divine nature into man.
The Spirit of God is the glory of God is the character of God.
God is Spirit. His glory is everything that He is.
When Moses asked God to show Him His glory, the Lord answered by revealing His character (divine nature) and His name to Moses.
And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Exodus 33:18-19 (KJV)
(See also Exodus 34:6-7)
The character of God is His glory; it is Who He is, it is His Spirit.
Man was designed to rule over creation
Adam had God’s Spirit, he had God’s divine nature, he was the image of God, he was clothed in God’s glory and had God’s name upon him. Adam was godly and because of this godly nature that he possessed, Adam was able to rule over all creation.
God had crowned man with His glory and this allowed man to rule justly and with loving kindness.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psalms 8:5-6 (KJV)
Man, filled and led by the Spirit of God, was an extension of God’s authority in the earth.
Adam may have been ruling for some time before Eve was formed (He surely had enough time to name all the animals), but imagine for a moment what it must have been like having complete authority to rule over all of creation. No resistance would be offered once his words were spoken. Every creature, every plant, even the weather and the ground, every molecule, element and atom would have to obey.
Adam was begotten of God. Adam was the image of God. Adam was the son of God.
Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
Luke 3:38 (KJV)
God was looking for a multitude
But God wanted a multitude. God wanted many sons all crowned with glory and ruling over creation: a multitude of people all having complete authority over creation, but united and in fellowship with God by one Spirit.
Furthermore, it was God’s intention for this multitude to fill the earth, not just populate one area, but spread out. If this had to happen then it is quite possible that as they moved further and further away from each other they would begin to develop dialects and ultimately different cultures, yet still be united by the Spirit of God. So from the outset God has desired a multitude which would be united in its diversity.
The answer our three questions is beginning to take shape.
As we continue we will notice that God’s purpose truly never changes.
