A MHLS First Year Student Essay by Bram Nguyen

 Wanted Not Needed

I would like to believe that when we were born our parents’ first thought was not, “Why did we bring this child into the world? What purpose will they serve?” But rather, when we were brought into this world their first impression was that they simply loved us and wanted to be with us, not because of anything we had done but because we were their child. We were not created to fill a job, we are not created to fill a need; we are created because we were wanted. Earthly parents want to have children; they do not need to have them. In a similar way, God does not need us:

“nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” – Acts 17:25

Yet, also in a similar way, God wants us. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible tells us one story; in sixty-six different books. It’s the story of God wanting to be with the people He had created.

Immanuel Means: God With Us.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” – John 1:14

All of us at one time were separated from God; removed from His presence not because of His will, but because of our own. We were all born into sin; choosing to live apart from Him. But, God had a plan from before the creation of the world to reconcile us to Himself.

“He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” – 1 Peter 1:20

Humanity had fallen infinitely short of God’s standard. He was completely holy, completely just, completely loving, and completely perfect. And, whoever did not meet those same criteria would become subject to judgement—eternal judgement.

“All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” – Psalm 14:3

And yet, through all of mankind’s sin God still desired to be with the people He had created. He knew that no one would be able to follow the law in its entirety, and that we could not obtain remission for our sins on our own. So, we needed another means of salvation; another means of being reunited with God.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6

So, God in His great mercy made another way for us. He stepped out of Heaven and stepped into the world; to accomplish salvation for us. He sent His one and only Son to dwell among His people, and to grant salvation to mankind.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Jesus came—as God in the flesh—lived the perfectly righteous life we could not, was crucified as the unblemished offering for our sins, and rose again to bring us to life with Him. God’s plan all along wasn’t that we would make ourselves righteous, but that He himself would make us righteous. Perfectly righteous before His eyes, not because of the work we had done, but because of the work He had done on the cross on our behalf.

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time…” – 2 Timothy 1

The entire Bible culminates around the story of Jesus coming to earth to save us from our sins—God with us. But why? The “why” behind God sending His son to earth is His “why” for creating us. God sent Jesus to reestablish the relationship we lost with Him, because of sin, that He had intended for us to have with Him since the beginning. God wanted to be with His people.

This is the First and Greatest Commandment

“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” – Matthew 22:37

Sometimes we tend to over complicate God’s purpose for our life. Jesus is pretty clear about what God’s desire is for us—that is to love Him. God is not a God of confusion, the purpose He has laid out for us in scripture isn’t meant to be complicated. Throughout the narrative of the Old Testament we see God’s people struggling to grasp the simplicity of His desire for them. The Jewish people often thought that God’s purpose for their lives was to follow the Mosaic Law, and that by doing so they would be doing His will. But, they deeply missed the point of the Law. God gave them commandments not to help them overcome sin, but to point out their sin. And, to point to the deeper message that they needed God Himself to be made righteous. God’s intention was not for them to simply follow a set of rules, but that the Jewish people would love Him enough to want to follow His commands.

And the Second is Like It

“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:39

And, God purposed that not only we love Him, but that we also love our fellow man—in an expression of our love towards Him.

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” – 1 John 4:11

To Know God

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” – John 17:3

John 17:3 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It comes straight from the mouth of Jesus—from the mouth of God Himself. In one sentence Jesus explains what it means to live—why we were created.

The most profound assertion Jesus makes in this verse is that eternal life “is” knowing God. Eternal life doesn’t just include knowing God, it’s not just about knowing God, it’s not just “for” knowing God, it “is” knowing God. What Jesus is saying here is that the essence of life itself is to be in relationship with Him.

            “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” – Ephesians 2:1

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul uses deliberate language to describe what it means to be “born again.” He states that we were once “dead” because of our trespasses and sins—This isn’t figurative language. When he said we were dead, he meant it. Because sin had separated us from God, we were truly dead. Our physical bodies were moving, breathing, and functioning—yet our eternal spirit—was dead.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” – Ephesians 2:4-7

The process of us being “born again” into new life was the act of us entering into a relationship with Him. As we came to know God through putting our faith in Christ and turning from the sin that gave us death, we were made alive. Us coming to know God didn’t just give us eternal life, it was the eternal life we had been separated from since the beginning.

The Lord has revealed so many things about Himself to us. Yet, there are an infinite number of things we don’t know about Him. What I find so intriguing about God is that He decides not to completely reveal all of Himself to us at once. Throughout the narrative of the Bible, and even in our personal relationships with God, we see Him unveiling His character and who He is little by little. As if He is intentionally desiring for us to seek and pursue Him more. This is really one of the main reasons for why God gave us the scriptures in the first place. The Bible isn’t just a book of stories or commands from God. In some sense, the Bible is one enormous invitation-letter to knowing Him more deeply.

God’s Glory: the Imago Dei

“And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” – Isaiah 6:3

Pens were created to write, knives were created to cut, hammers were created to build, and mankind was created to glorify God.

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” – Isaiah 43:6-7

When we are glorifying God we are fulfilling our purpose. When we exalt Him and lift Him up we are doing what we were made to do.

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” – Genesis 1:26

We were created to reflect God’s image back to Him. He gave us His image, and now we give it back to Him. When we look into a mirror the mirror itself isn’t what we are admiring, rather we are admiring the image of ourselves that we see in it. I believe, in a similar way, God loves when we seek to glorify Him because, when we do, we reflect back to Him His own image like a person looking into a mirror.

By Him and For Him

God loves each one person individually, and has specific plans for each one of our lives. However, I think sometimes—in an innocent way—we overemphasize ourselves in the matter. We tend to ask the Lord, “God, what is your purpose for me?” when it might be more beneficial for us to ask, “God, what is my purpose—for you?” This is not saying that we make up or decide our purpose for God—or that we have some sort of plan for Him—but rather that God gives us a purpose that is—for Him.

God’s purpose for our lives is not so much “for us” as much as it is “for Him.” When a craftsman builds a chair to sit in, the purpose of that chair is not for the chair itself; the purpose of the chair is “for” him—the craftsman. In the same way, we were not created by Him for ourselves, we were created by Him, for Him—Jesus.

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16

Who has Jesus made mankind to be? And, what is our purpose on earth?

When I read over that question my mind automatically wants to rephrase and restate it. “Who has Jesus made mankind to be?,” well the answer to that question is in the question. Jesus made mankind—to be. God’s purpose in creating us, our purpose for this life, our reason for being placed on this earth was simply “to be.” God never needed us; since before the creation of time God lived an infinitely perfect existence in communion with Himself—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God created mankind simply—to exist—and His purpose for us on the earth was to share that perfect communion with Him.