Purpose of Man

Why Is God So Interested In Man

The Purpose of Man

What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, 

And that thou shouldest set thy mind upon him, 

(Job 7:17)

The Shepherd of Hermas

Why is God so interested in man and what are His intentions for man?

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till unrighteousness was found in thee. By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane out of the mountain of god; and I have destroyed thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: 
I have cast thee to the ground 

(Ezek. 28:15-17)

Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah. 

(Job 2:1)

And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 

(Isa. 24:21)

God has already pronounced judgment on Satan, but that sentence has not yet been carried out. This sentence will be carried out at a future date. Why hasn't it been executed already? What is God waiting on?

God is uniquely God, there is no other. As such, He alone is perfect and He alone is holy. God's creatures, however, are subject to imperfection, even spiritual beings such as angels. 

Were God to personally execute His sentence of punishment on Satan, a creature of like essence (spirit), He would be equating Himself on the same level with His creature, which would be a violation of His holy nature. 

Therefore, God must secure a substitute to replace Satan (since God wishes to share His unlimited abundance) and execute His sentence on Satan. But such a replacement must be incapable of falling, as Satan did. This is only possible if the replacement is not merely God's creation but God's creation mingled with God's perfect nature. The creation would not simply have God's nature added to is own, but would have God's nature inextricably mingled with its own. This, and only this, would fulfill the necessary conditions. 

Let us see how God is obtaining this.

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 birds of the heavens, and or the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

(Gen. 1:26)

And Jehovah said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, cursed art thou from among all cattle, and from among every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, 
and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

(Gen.. 3:14‑15)

God's intention from the very start was that man have dominion over the earth, even specifically over the creeping things of the earth. Since the serpent is used to depict Satan, it is clear that this dominion is to be not only over just the physical realm of this earth but also over the rebellious spiritual beings (including Satan) that still wield dominion over the earth.

Be sober be watchful: your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, 
seeking whom he may devour: 

(1 Pet. 5:8)

Satan is far from being stupid. He knows that this is God's intention for man; this is why he caused Adam to fall and why he is our adversary also.

Knowest not this of old time, Since man was placed upon earth, 

That the triumphing of the wicked is short, 

And the joy of the godless but for a moment? 

(Job 20:4-5)

The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah; 

but the earth hath he given to the children of men. 

(Ps. 115:16)

Now is the judgment of this world: 
now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 

(John 12:31)

Here we see further substantiation of God's intention for man. His intention is still the same now as it was before the fall of Adam, it hasn't wavered one bit. How is it that the judgment of this world and its present ruler was accomplished by Christ's death on the cross?

We speak wisdom, however, among them that are full-grown: yet a wisdom not of this world, nor of the rulers of this world, who are coming to naught: but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that hath been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory: which none of the rulers of the world hath known: 
or had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory: 

(1 Cor. 2:6‑8).

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, 
he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, 
and gave up his spirit. 

(John 19:30)

Although, practically speaking, Satan is omniscient from our point of view; he is not actually omniscient as only God is. 

God created man to replace Satan. Satan figured he would stop this by causing man to come under his dominion. To do this, he had to inject his nature into man's being before man allowed God to impart His nature to man. Thus, although Satan has an objective existence, subjectively he is trapped in the human flesh. 

Well, one day God became a man. This was a problem to Satan: for the first time here was a guy who didn't respond when Satan tried to pull his strings. Not only that, but more and more people started following this man, although their own nature was fallen. So Satan figured, “Well, if I put him to death, he will no longer be among the living to stir them up and, being dead, he will then surely be in my power, the power of Death.”

But what did Satan actually wind up accomplishing?

Since the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were 
all their lifetime subject to bondage. 

(Heb. 2:14‑15)

Satan's "best" efforts against God inevitably wind up helping God accomplish His purpose. By putting Christ to death, Satan destroyed his own power and freed Christ to impart Himself — the perfect mingling of divinity and humanity — into all who would receive Him. 

Beginning with the ascension of Christ, Satan began to lose subjects out of his kingdom, due to their translation into the kingdom of God upon their believing in Christ. Having accomplished all this, why has the sentence on Satan still not been carried out? Read Genesis 1:26 again. 

Although Adam was the first man (per se), God says, "Let them have dominion." No individual, no matter how spiritual, can fully express Christ. 

The man that God needs to express His authority and to deal with Satan in a corporate man composed of many people. This is a further process, which is why it has not yet been attained.

Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life? 

(1 Cor. 6:2-3)

For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world‑rulers of this darkness, 
against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly place 

(Eph. 6:12)

having despoiled the principalities and the powers, 

he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 

(Col. 2:15)

Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, 

Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. 

(Ps. 110:1)

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 
(for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, 
but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); 

(2 Cor. 10:3‑4).

Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: 
because greater is he that is in you 
than he that is in the world. 

(1 John 4:4)

Nay, in all these things we are more than 
conquerors through him that loved us. 

(Rom. 8:37)

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, 
and over all the power of the enemy: 
and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. 

(Luke 10:19)

For not unto angels did he subject the world to come, whereof we speak. But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visiteth him? Thou madest him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, And didst set him over the works of thy hand: thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to Him. 

But now we see not yet all things subjected to him. (Heb. 2:5‑8)

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan 

under your (believers’) feet shortly 

(Rom. 16:20).

having abolished in his flesh the enmity, 

even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; 

that he might create in himself of the two 

one new man, so making peace: 

(Eph. 2:15)

And she was delivered of a son, a man-child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; and they prevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. 

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, 

and because of the word of their testimony; 

and they loved not their life even unto death. 

(Rev. 12:5-11)

What is this man‑child, this one new man? 

This one new man is the new creation that God is after: a group of human beings with Christ as their head and themselves as His body because they have allowed Him to transform them, replacing their fallen nature with His own, they, are qualified to be the man‑child. 

When the man‑child is caught up to heaven, Satan will be out of a job and the man‑child will then command Michael to begin executing God's sentence on Satan by casting him out of heaven.

and he put all things in subjection under his feet, 

and gave him to be head 

over all things to the church, 

which is his body, 

the fullness of him that filleth all in all. 

(Eph. 1:22‑23)

Click HERE to see more on the web, Why God is Interested in Man.

Download Complete Book here:
A Message for the Human Race
Copyright © 2018 by A. Christian