Why Did God Create Us?

The youth had a great question a couple of weeks ago for our Stump the Geezer Wednesday night Bible study: "Why did God create us?" Of all the questions that have been pondered over the millennia of human history, this is perhaps the most-discussed, most-contemplated question of all (or it's companion question, "Why are we here?"). Some of the greatest creeds of the Christian faith address this very question. It is perhaps the least-answerable question for atheists.

Rather than spoon-feed some ideas, we pondered several other questions first.

1. How did God make man different than the animals? The purpose of mankind should be discernible from the uniqueness of mankind, so if we can figure out how we're different than the animals, perhaps we can see how we're different.
   
   The first obvious answer is that we have souls. But animals are "soulish" animals - they have a non-physical aspect to their existence. The clearer idea would be to say that we have spirits, which is unique.
   
   But the statement of Scripture that makes man unique is that we are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28). That's what distinguishes us from the animals. We bear God's image - no animal does. This is more than having a mind, will, and emotions (because animals share those traits). The image of God means that bear a resemblance to Him in a way that allows us to relate to Him in a unique way. Animals cannot worship God, sing praises to God, seek after God, or enter into a relationship with God. We can - because of the image of God.
   
   Our purpose has something to do with bearing His image.
   
   
2. How does the penalty of sin drive us away from our purpose? Understanding this question could well clarify what our purpose is.
   
   When Adam and Eve sinned, they damaged the image of God that they bore. They didn't destroy it - it was still there. But it was badly vandalized, and it became much harder to recognize. That image is key to our relationship with God, and so damaging that image necessarily damages our relationship with Him. The less we bear His image, the less we can relate to Him.
   
   When God punished Adam and Eve for their sin, He banished them from the Garden of Eden, that space where they freely interacted with God. Their punishment was to have less access to God, less relationship with God.
   
   The way that God responded to sin gives us another clue as to what our purpose is.

Over the next few blog postings, we'll explore four more questions that relate to discovering our purpose.

What is "Dialog" Worship?

This Sunday, we will be practicing a different style of worship service than we typically have at Dublin Bible Church - something we're calling a "Dialog" worship service.

The idea is quite simple - turn a normal worship service (which is often mostly "monologue" - someone speaking to the congregation) into a "dialog", where the congregation is free to participate more throughout the worship service. The biggest difference you'll notice is that instead of a typical sermon, the teaching time is much more interactive. Not only will I involve the congregation more, but the congregation should feel free to raise a hand, interject, ask questions, offer helpful insight, and generally share in the teaching and discussion of God's Word. Did I say something you need clarification on? Raise a hand and ask for a clarification! Haven't you wanted to do that on numerous occasions? This Sunday, you will have that freedom.

The "Dialog" is not just between the congregation and the pastor, but between the congregation and the Holy Spirit. We want the form of our worship service to be very open to the leading of the Holy Spirit - sometimes the "agenda" of a worship service can leave little room for the Spirit to work. So, we may find, for example, the worship leader bring in some music that wasn't planned in advance in response to the working of the Spirit.

Feel comfortable in how you participate - you can be very active, or you can sit back and just take it all in. The only time when interaction is not appropriate is when the teacher takes the platform to share some very specific thoughts. We ask that during that brief time, there be no interruptions.

Remember, we're all family, and this is family time.

Also remember that the worship service will start earlier than normal: 10:30 AM.