Most of us live our lives based upon assumptions that may or may not be true. Some folks don’t even question the thought process that society says is the basis for living. There is no “Real Truth” anymore. It seems to be your truth or my truth but never Absolute Truth. I guess that is why so many folks are confused and have difficulty trying to figure out their existence. The truth seems to elude them.
I believe that “Absolute Truth” comes from God and is revealed in the Bible. In order to know God’s truth concerning our existence, we must ask ourselves three basic questions and look to the scriptures for the answers. Our conclusions will literally determine the way we live our lives here on earth and what our eternal destiny will be. They are also the basis for our everyday perspectives.
Life’s Most Important Questions:
1. Where did I come from?
2. Why am I here?
3. What happens to me when I die?
We answer these questions based upon what truth we subscribe to. Our lives
are built on what we believe. Our actions are determined by how we think.
This a Bible verse that illustrates my point. Hear what Jesus said.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matt. 7:24-27
Knowing what God says is true and applying it will always keep us in times of trouble. So it is in this life. We must know the answers to life’s most important questions and apply them in order to be fulfilled as a person. To do otherwise is a self-deception that will steal our destiny and condemn us to a life of hell.
The 1st question is, “Where Did We Come From?”
Over the past 60 years, we have been deceived into thinking that we came into existence as a result of evolution. (God’s “Absolute Truth” was replaced by an ungodly theory.)
Evolution says there is no God, and all that exists is a result of random selection. Some “Think-tanks” will acknowledge the existence of a god but will not ascribe any personality to it or active interaction with creation. It is true that various chemicals exist, however, that doesn’t mean they can evolve, on their own, into any kind of life. That’s like saying if I put the parts of a car in a garage and let them simmer for a million or billion years, they will evolve, on their own, into a fully operational vehicle.
Life is more than a mixture of chemicals. Random Selection cannot produce anything more than gobbledygook.
Man Is & Always Will Be A Special Creation
The Bible tells us that God created man. That’s where we came from. Life does not make any sense unless we are God’s Special Creation. He chose to form man out of the dust of the ground and He breathed into him the breath of life, which was His own life force, His own Spirit. God’s life caused man to become alive, a living soul.
Here’s the supporting text.
“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.” Genesis 2:7
The very definition of life, from a Biblical perspective, is being joined spiritually with our creator. We must have His life in us to be a living soul. Those who do not have His “breath of life” in them are no more than the walking dead.
A Living Soul
The human soul is a combination of Mind, Will and Emotion. This is where we reason, make decisions and feel. The wonder of it all is seen in the fact that man can operate within his soul separate from God. He can exist and control his own destiny. The problem with that is…God never wanted man to exist separate from Him. His plan was that they walk together in this life. He indwelled man and empowered him to live on a Godly plane of existence where he could be blessed and loved. True life is when man is indwelled with God’s Spirit. This connects God with man and man with God. Man does not really live without God. He may exist but not as a living soul.
Being A Special Creation
If we are honest with each other, we can admit that there are many times that we do not feel special and wonder why it is that God created us. What’s so special that we should marvel at our existence?
The difference between man and the rest of creation is that man was made in the image of God.
If we study the account of man’s creation and his sin against his creator, we immediately realize that Adam lost the image and likeness of God when he sinned. Instead, he took on the very nature of evil. Let me show you from the scriptures.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—Romans 5:12 (This is a reference to Adam’s Original Sin), Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience, the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience, the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:12, 18 & 19 kjv
The above scriptures tell us that sin entered the world by and through the transgression of Adam, the first man. They also tell us that Adam’s descendants took on the nature of sin. The breath of life from God was taken from Adam. He spiritually died or was cut off from God.
Adam’s Transgression
When we transgress, we go beyond the limits imposed upon us by law, command or other statute. Speeding is going beyond the legal limit imposed by law. So it was with Adam. He went beyond the command of God. The Bible calls it disobedience.
Adam decided to ignore God’s command and do his own thing. His rebellion led him into a realm void of God’s love and grace. He became the lord over his own life and crowned himself as his own god. This attitude became the basis of the “Sin Nature” that passed on to his descendants and is what rules our world today. It is a, “Do Your Own Thing” philosophy.
In Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” The saying that Adam would die was a Spiritual death that occurred at the moment he ate from the tree? Adam physically died 930 years later. God never wanted Adam to know evil. His plan for mankind was only good. We were created by God so we could do His thing, not our own.
God’s Thing
All the good, the blessings, the joys of life and our eternal destiny are wrapped up in “God’s Thing.” This proves out as seen in future Biblical accounts where Adam no longer walked continually in God’s Spirit. He instead encountered another nature in
himself that was contrary to the will of God.
We can understand the sudden appearance of a new destructive nature in Adam by considering a pregnant girl that is a drug addict who has a baby while on drugs and discovers that her baby is also an addict. The addiction passed on to the child.
So it is with the sin nature. It was passed on from Adam to his descendants down through the ages. Thus, all are infected. All have sinned. God’s special creation was cut off from its creator and God’s desire to fellowship on his level with man was lost. God lost the image of himself in the earth and man lost his Spiritual bond with God.
But the story doesn’t end here. There is more. It’s called, “The Gospel” or “ Good News”
So we, as the descendants of Adam, are a fallen race that is in need of redemption. However, God did not cast us off. He restored his image and likeness in man through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and lived the life we should have lived before God. That’s why he is our savior. That’s why he is the only way to God. No other man could qualify because they are all of a fallen nature and in need of a savior.
Some folks reject the sacrificial death of Christ for the sins of mankind saying that he was also a descendant of Adam and therefore equally guilty of sin. However, they forget that Jesus was born of a virgin. He escaped the sin nature that passed on to humanity through Adam. His unique birth qualified him to become the spotless Lamb of God.
We are forgiven because Jesus died in our stead and we are accepted because Jesus never sinned. His righteousness is imputed into us and his blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It’s as though we had never sinned. Listen to what Jesus said as recorded by the apostle John.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16
The Apostle John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
Once the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin and we are saved by his life, we can rest assured that indeed, we are a Special Creation of God.
Here’s what the Apostle Paul said.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
Knowing this gives us self-worth, no matter who accuses us or tells us different. We are his creation and his beloved. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
The 2nd question is:
Why Are We Here?
Some folks actually killed themselves because they could not figure out what Life Was All About. Suicide… says that there is “No Point To Life”, “That we have no value as an individual”, “That life has no meaning” Why Are We Here? Here are some Suicide statistics from the It is God’s Love for us that compels us to repent and be filled with his, “Breath of Life” in order to become a new Creature.
No more “Walking Dead.” American Foundation For Suicide Prevention
While this data is the most accurate we have, we estimate the numbers to be higher. Stigma surrounding suicide leads to underreporting, and data collection methods critical to suicide prevention need to be improved.
Suicide he US by suicide…Additional Facts About Suicide in the US
The annual age-adjusted suicide rate is 12.93 per 100,000 individuals.
Men die by suicide 3.5x more often than women.
On average, there are 117 suicides per day.
White males accounted for 7 of 10 suicides in 2014.
Firearms account for almost 50% of all suicides.
The rate of suicide is highest in middle age — white men in particular.
Over 20 veterans kill themselves every day.
On average, 1 person commits suicide every 16- minutes.
Untreated Depression is the number 1 cause of suicide.
There are 2 times as many deaths due to suicide than AIDS.
For every suicide there are 25 attempted Suicides at a cost of $ 44 Billion annually.
Most adults are still searching for an identity, even into their senior years. They go through life holding on to titles as a way of explaining who they are.
The Used-To-Be Scenario
We live about 30 minutes north of The Villages, a huge retirement community. I know a lot of folks from that area. I hear some of them saying, “I used to be” or “I was” but rarely do I hear, “I AM”. Some folks seem to have lost their identity and, in the process, themselves. More than 7,500 seniors took their own lives in 2014.
We were created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:27 records the event, “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Here’s what Jesus said about why he came to earth.
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
We can live an abundant life. This is a life that is full of blessings, love and forgiveness. It is what Jesus wanted for us and made available to all who trust in him. He wanted us to be happy.
A Purpose Driven Life
God had a purpose for us in his creation. We were not just a random selection without a reason to exist. It was to bear His image and likeness in the earth. God, being a Spirit, as the Bible tells us, says that the image and likeness of God is not a physical resemblance but rather Spiritual. He wanted us to be the embodiment of His character, which is … “Love, Peace, Joy, Longsuffering, Meekness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Goodness and Faith.” Galatians 5:22-23
Unfortunately, we see more anger, hate, murder, jealousy, and evil flowing from the hearts of our fellowman. When abortion is deemed a health issue instead of murder, we know that the image of God has been lost.
Over 50 million babies have been killed in the womb since the Rowe vs. Wade decision. This is not what God intended. We were not created to kill our unborn in the name of good health.
We were created by God to show forth his glory and to have fellowship with him. He is the only true and living God. What we do in life as to profession should not exclude God. We are, after all, His image and likeness. We can reflect God’s glory as workers, retirees, housewives, children or whatever we choose to do or be… as long as our light is shining bright with the Love of God. This is why we were placed upon this earth at this moment in time. This is the abundant life.
The 3rd question is:
Where Are We Going When We Die?
Do you remember the story when Jesus was telling his disciples that he was going away? (Referring to His death on the cross) Here’s the account.
Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, where goes thou? Jesus answered him, where I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake. John 13:36-37
Later he would tell Phillip, John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
All roads do not lead to Rome, nor do all religions lead us to eternal life. Paul said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:2
Do not think that you can get into heaven through a church, a religious leader, a set of rules and regulations, or a doctrine that is contrary to what the apostles taught.
Hear what the scriptures say about that. “For if he that cometh preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” II Corinthians 11:4
God is for us! He is not against us!
Note: To bear with him is to indulge or put up with or accept, which should not be done. The inference is that they should immediately be rejected as liars and false teachers. They that follow such teachers will also suffer the judgment ascribed to them by God.
Our Future Home
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2-3
Jesus is the only way to God; the Father and he is even now engaged in the preparation of an eternal dwelling place for those who believe in him.
The Promise of God To The “Whosevers” In This World “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
I decided long ago that I was one of those, “Whosevers” and I did what Jesus said in John 3:16, …
I believed in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God.
I believed that Jesus was indeed the only way to God, who created me.
I believed that Jesus came to earth to die for my sins so I could have victory over death, hell and the grave.
I believed that Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day as the scriptures declare.
I believed that He prepared a place for me with Him in heaven.
I am spending my senior years looking for my Savior to return and take me to my new home.
I am doing just fine, but… what about you? I want to invite you, “All of You” that read this teaching, to come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If you are not filled with the image and likeness of God, your creator, you need to be. He will wash away your sin and recreate you into a new creation that reflects His love and grace. You just need to repent and ask Him to save you.
You can know the joy of being saved, of walking with God in this life and being assured of life after death when your time comes. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”
Please join me in being the “Whosoever” of John 3:16 and discovering the joy of being saved. He will never let you down.
Where Are You Going When You Die?
There is only one true answer that brings abundant life here on earth and happiness in eternity. That answer is…we will be with Jesus. See it for yourself in the scriptures.
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house, which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in
this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2-Corinthians 5:1-8
Receive Him today and His Holy Spirit will fill you with the image and likeness of God. You will be happy for all of eternity.
