Have you ever asked yourself why you are living in this world?
What is the purpose and existence of human life?
No matter what your profession is, probably students, there must be a few things which you, like most people would agree with, that is:
Money cannot satisfy man,
Education cannot satisfy man,
Nor can pleasure satisfy man,
Nor can success satisfy man.
( Note: not satisfied in a way that we feel what we have now is not enough, we are not satisfied n we always, always wan more, wan to be greater, want to be richer etc...)
And you all must be wondering WHY??
Because you have not realized:
God's Plan
God has a plan. this plan has everything to do with man. In the Bible, this plan is called God's economy. God's economy is just God's entire plan for man. It explains the origin and destiny of man as well as the meaning of human existence.
How Can You Know God's Economy?
God has prepared four keys for you to unlock God's economy. These four keys are recorded in the Bible. Each of this four keys are equally important.
Please open your heart right now to quietly and carefully read through. You will then grasp these four keys, understand God's economy, realize the purpose of man, and begin a satisfied human life.
The First Key-God's Creation
Unlocking The Mystery Of Human Existence.
1. Man Has God's Image
Please read the following verse from the bible:
"And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...." (Genesis 1:26a)
God's creation of man is different from His creation of all other things. He created man in His own image.
Example: A glove is created according to the likeness of a hand with the purpose of containing the hand. The purpose of a glove is to contain the hands. If we use a glove to contain water, sand or anything else, the glove will lose it's purpose.
Likewise, man was created in the image of God with the purpose of containing God.
2. Man Is A Vessel:
Now read the next verse:
God "might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy... even us" (Romans 9:23-24)
We are vessels of God. That means that we must contain God. God wants to be our content. As bottles are made to contain water, we are made to contain God.
It is no wonder that knowledge, wealth, pleasure, and accomplishment can never satisfy you, for you were created to contain God!!
3. The Three Parts of man:
Please continue to read the next verse: "May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
We often say in chinese : ling hun.
Actually these to parts are separated. The {ling} is the spirit. The {hun} is the soul. Man is God's vessel. The Bible divides this vessel into three parts- Spirit, Soul, and the Body. See the diagram below:
The BODY is simply the physical body, belonging to the physiological body, contacting the things of the material realm, and is the most superficial part.
(Note: we eat with our body, we have to take care of our physical body, if not we will get sick. It is our flesh.)
The SOUL is the mental faculty, contacting the things of the mental realm, and is the deeper part of man.
(Note: Our conscience, emotions and thoughts belong to this part. We think, we love, we feel happy etc..)
The SPIRIT is the deepest part of man, belonging to the spiritual level, and contacts the things of God.
For problems of the body one may see a doctor.
For problems of the mind one may visit a psychiatrist.
Yet only God can solve the problems of the Spirit.
4. God's Economy:
God wants to enter into man's spirit, to become his content and his satisfaction.
This is the purpose of human existence! You are not merely created to contain food in your stomach, or contain knowledge in your mind, but you are created to contain God in your Spirit.
The Second Key- Man's Fall
Unlocking the Mystery Of The Good And Evil Natures Of Man
1. The Two Natures of Man
Since man was made in the image of God, he possesses a good nature that matches God's nature, with virtues such as truthfulness, goodness, loveliness, wisdom, kindness, and valor.
However, there is also an evil nature in man which wars against his good nature. The Chinese metaphysicists refer to this war as a battle between reason and lust. Throughout history, both in the East and West, those who understand human nature acknowledge the existence of this evil nature which the Bible calls:
2.Sin
Because sin is in man, he is unable to carry out his good intentions.
No one likes to be greedy, jealous, or muderous.
No one likes to be boastful, arrogant or deceitful.
No one likes to be irritable, lustful, or licentious.
No one likes to murmur, complain, or curse.
(Note: Sin is already in man from the day he was born. You don't need to teach a child to be jealous, you don't need to teach a someone to steal, you don't need to teach someone to lie. All these is he will do by himself. This is because he has sin in him. No one in this whole world has not sin before. Even if you do not cheat, steal, lie, brag outwardly, but you can't deny that your thoughts and your intentions are sinful. )
Nevertheless, man cannot escape his evil nature.
Please read the following verses:
"For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh. nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to work out good is not." (Romans 7:18)
"But if what I do not will, this I do, it is no longer I that work it out but sin that dwells in me." (Romans 7:20)
3. The Fall Of Man
Sin entered into man and caused him to fall. See the diagram below:
(1) Sin caused man's spirit to be deadened:
"And you, though dead in your offenses and sins." (Ephesians 2:1)
(2) Sin caused man's mind to rebel:
"And you, though once alienated and enemies in your mind because of your evil works." (Colossians 1:21)
(3) Sin caused man's body to sin:
"Do not let sin therefore reign in your mortal body so that you obey the body's lust." (Romans 6:12)
The fallen man is like:
A damaged and untunable radio which cannot receive and play music, but rather meaningless noise.
He is also like:
A cup that has fallen into the gutter still having its original fine form but now covered with mud.
4. Man Cannot Save Himself
Throughout history, man has tried every possible way to escape sin, but has found that:
Good works cannot save him from sin.
Education cannot save him from sin.
Ethics cannot save him from sin.
Chanting cannot save him from sin.
Religion cannot save him from sin.
This picture of man simply depicts the battle between his good nature and his evil nature.
The Third Key-Christ's Redemption
Unlocking The Mystery Of The Life And Death Of The God-Man
1. Who Is Christ?
Christ is the Savior sent from God to the world to solve the problems of human life.
He is the embodiment of the Triune God.
"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
He is also God incarnated:
"The Word was God...the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us...full of grace and reality.'' (John1:1,14)
Therefore, He is both the complete God and the perfect man.
He is more than a good man!
He is more than a great man!
He is more than a moral man!
He is more than a holy man!
He is the God-man!!
2. The Death Of The God-Man
This God-man was nailed to the cross to accomplish the work of redemption. He died with three statuses:
(1) As the Lamb of God, He died to take away man's sin.
"...the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.'' (John 1:29)
(2) As the brass serpent that had been lifted up,
He died to crush the old serpent, Satan, and to deal with the serpent's poison within man- his sinful nature.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up." (John3:14)
(3) As a grain of wheat, He died to release the divine life.
"...the grain of wheat...dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)
NOW:
His death has taken away the sin which man has but should not have!
His death imparts into man the life which he needs but do not have!
The Fourth Key- God's Dispensing
Unlocking The Mystery Of Faith In Christ
1. The Two Becomings of Christ
God became flesh, born as a man called Jesus.
Plaese read the following verse:
"The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us." (John1:14)
The Lord became the Spirit called the live-giving Spirit by His Resurrection from the dead.
Read the following verse:
"The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit." (1 Corinthians15:45)
Since this Spirit is the life-giving Spirit , He dispenses God with His life into His believers. Hence, the Bible says:
"He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life."
2. Regenerating Man
In his first birth, man obtains a physical life.
When man receives God's life through Christ, he experiences a second birth, which the Bible calls regeneration.
" God....has regenerated us...through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Peter 1:3)
Jesus said,"Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
A pig cannot participate in the sheep's life by education, improvement, or regulation; it must posses the life of a sheep.
(Note: U can't teach a fish to fly, but u surely don't need to teach it how to swim. This is because it posses the life of a swimming fish.)
Similarly, man cannot participate in God's kingdom and live a divine life by education, improvement, or regulation; he MUST receive the life of God!
3. The Meaning Of Being A Christian
A christian is one who receives God's dispensing. God first dispenses Himself into our spirit and then spreads from our spirit into our soul. Finally, He fills and saturates our spirit, soul, and body with Himself. The Bible calls this final stage of glorification.
"And those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified." (Romans 8:30)
Through this, we can be transformed and conformed to the image of Christ.
"Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29)
This is the purpose of human life!
This is the meaning of being a Christian!
This is what God has planned for you!
(Note: I repeat. To be a christian is not merely being in a religion or group. It is to have to Lord as our enjoyment. To know Him and take Him in as our supply. To be filled with Him in our Spirit. And all the things I typed above are not my sayings. It is taken from the booklet :The Mystery Of Human Life.)
Praise The Lord for such a wonderful and glorious economy!!!
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