Lesson 4 The Reason for Creation

     We concluded in the previous lessons that the earth was the reason for the creation of the universe.  And, the reason for the earth and everything in it, was man.  Why, then was man created?  Some have stated that man was created to worship God.  Others have said that God just needed servants, so He created man.  It is true that we worship God, but that's not why man was created.
     The angels worship God on a full-time basis and are servants of God, so why make man to do what's already being done and what's always been done?  To understand the reason for man, we must understand the heart of God.  If all of creation was made for man's benefit, then what is man to God?  Why create all of the universe, the earth and everything God placed on the earth, if not for man?  Without man being on the earth, everything here would have been created simply for the beasts and animals.  Man was the inspiration for all of creation.
     We now come to the part of God's creation that has been overlooked for a long time, which is the Father's heart.  Ephesians 1:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Even as (in His love), He chose us (actually picked us out for Himself as His Own) in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated, and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love."  Verse 5 goes on, "For He fore ordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His Own children through Christ Jesus, in accordance with the purpose of His will (because it pleased Him and was His kind intent)."
     Before creating the entire universe with its heavens and earth, mankind was marked out for sonship in God's heart and dreams.  Man was to hold the place as family in the Father God's love.  Man was to be the answer to the Father's desire for family and children according to Romans 8:15-17 (Amplified) which says, "For (the Spirit) which you have received (is) not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption (the Spirit producing sonship) in (the bliss of) which we cry Abba (Father) Father!"  Verses 16-17 says, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with out own spirit, (assuring us) that we are children of God. And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him); only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory."
     Many use Ephesians 1:4-5 as a doctrine for predestination for you future.  Some have used this to say that your whole life was laid out in the very beginning.  They believe that some persons were destined to be saved while others were predestined to be lost and that God planned it that way.  This is a false teaching that relives man of ever having to believe in Christ at all.  These false teachings would have you believe that if you are lost, then it was God's plan for you and if you are saved, then that's God's plan for you.
     Why bother preaching the Word to anyone if God has predestined everyone's future?  What happens if I don't want to be lost and called on the Name of the Lord to save me?  If my number didn't come up, then would God deny me salvation?  What this scripture is saying is that God had desired for man to be His children and family before He created the heavens and earth.  When Adam fell into transgression, God lost His family.  Satan became the spiritual father of man because of this transgression.  The Father would never leave His children in bondage and would pay the highest cost (ransom) to bring them home.
     Because we never saw the true reason for creation, we actually viewed man as a minor part of what God created.  Our spirits were separated and alienated from God by Adam's sin.  Because of this separation, we failed to see through our sense realm, that the Father longed for His children along with the joy having man in His Own Image created.  God gave man the authority and dominion over creation, but we saw Him as a harsh, controlling and almost impossible to please God.
     We invented sayings like, "You never know what God will do" because of a complete lack of understanding of our Father.  We got stuck in the rut of unbelief and formulated prayers like, "Lord, if it be Thy will" because we didn't see His heart.  Because we didn't see God's heart and understand His great love, we were quick to believe the worst about Him.  He was blamed for everything from the death of innocent children to the hell and heartache of the world.  We became so separated in our spiritual being that we only understood by religious acts and rituals.