Heaven Coach

Why did God create anything? You will see as we understand WHY God created mankind that everything else created was just to support God’s purpose/plan for mankind. Everything else can be considered the stage, the props that support the test God has devised to fulfill His purpose. God’s PURPOSE is discussed throughout “Heaven Coach” and of course, the WHY is perfectly related to His Purpose. HOW God is achieving His purpose is easily understandable to those who understand His purpose. The creation of the “stage and props” become more understandable as we grow in the knowledge of God. The props and stage can be quite impressive such as the galaxies, the earth, the living creatures which are not in the image of God and the various complex systems which have resulted from those props. Examples of those associated systems would be gravity, Physics, the genetic codes and essentially all the things man has come to understand to this point.

There are a couple of rules that are needed to assure we reach the right answer, they are:
1) Speak where the bible speaks and be silent where the bible is silent
2) We cannot know anything about God, about spiritual things unless God reveals it

These two ideas are similar and originate with God. We find these rules validated throughout the bible. The following verses have been selected to make this point:

1 Peter 4:11

11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God.
This is God breathed speech, that is speak the things which originated from God.

Deuteronomy 12:32

32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

This is a basic principle from God to man. Do not change God’s word by adding to it or taking away from it.

Galatians 1:6-9

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

As though this Godly principle needed any further explantion, God has Paul repeat this idea of not adding to or taking away from God’s word but this time specifically regarding the Doctrine of Christ (which is of course the final installment of God’s revelation to mankind).

Matthew 4:4

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “

Over and over God emphasizes that He communicates truth to mankind in just one way. It is by His word and that word came directly from God in the earliest of times such as Adam and Eve and occasionally thereafter by this manner. At times God’s message came by angels and frequently God used His prophets to bring the message. God saw the message was recorded and in the Old Testament we have that historical record. In the last time the message came by Jesus and as Jesus indicated the Holy Spirit would guide the apostles into all truth. That was completed in the time between the resurrection of Jesus and until some point in the latter part of the first century. Peter in his last letter would say, God in His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. In Jude we see the faith was once for all delivered to the saints. In any case, what we know of God comes from, “Every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” The knowledge of God, His purpose, His plan comes from absolutely from no-place else. Any person who says they speak for God needs to be speaking as God demands, that is God-breathed speech and that is only found in His word. Therefore you can differentiate truth and error and should not allow yourself to be fooled by the religions of men and women.

If we try to answer a question such as, “Why Did God Create Mankind” we cannot do that correctly unless God revealed it. God has provided some of the reasons and hinted at others. If you are searching for truth then understanding why God created you and everything that surrounds you would be a good beginning.

So, “Why Did God Create Mankind”

First,

There are many places to start to answer this question, but I am going to begin with something God advised for men and women. Namely, from something Jesus said that was revealed after His death in the New Testament.

Acts 20:35

35 “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Does this apply to God? That is, “that it is more blessed to give than receive.” The intrinsic reward is in the giving. I believe many people with good hearts will understand this, while selfish persons might consider it ridiculous. This seems like a characteristic of a good person, but taken to the limit as with God, it means God receives benefit, receives blessing from His creation in the giving. This idea seems to fit what God has revealed about Himself, and about His purpose. When we give something of value to someone especially some help and at some significant sacrifice on our part it can allow us to experience a wonderful peace. If on the other hand we do this good deed, this noble act and it is rejected by the receiver it can be depressing and even bring on anger. God begins by giving mankind existence and an opportunity for a wonderful eternal existence. Mankind or humankind, it turns out is easily overtaken by selfishness and greed. God goes further and shows mankind His deep love. God provides mankind the ultimate sacrifice in His Son and when men and women accept this God is greatly pleased. I would suggest that God’s purpose in creating mankind is fulfilled and God is blessed by those who turn from selfishness. On the other hand, if a man or woman rejects God’s Son then there is disappointment and anger and even what we call the “wrath of God.” I would also suggest that God’s purpose is fulfilled inasmuch as those unworthy of God are distinguished from those who have brought blessing to God. It is very interesting, God receiving blessing from His creation. We receive blessing from good children because they choose to obey us. The teacher is rewarded by students who truly learn the things being taught. Occasionally, we see or know a person with some difficult situation and consequently some difficult decisions. Doing the right thing can be very costly – they may go to jail, they may have return money, they may look very badly to the world and/or friends and family, they may lose their job. When we see a person do the “right thing” to their own peril it is a blessing and we are encouraged by the unselfish decision. A little later on this page (discussion about Matthew 34.34-39) we will see how Jesus indicates the level of sacrifice needed to follow Him. Indeed, God will be pleased by your selflessness and returning His love by obedience.

The Price of Success – Align Your Life With God

God created mankind that He might be blessed by His creation. God gives existence and because of sin it is necessary to give mankind an opportunity for reconciliation. This gift is indeed the most significant sign of God’s love for His creation. It is out of God’s giving that makes those who accept God’s love such a blessing. God devises a perfect test that determines those who love Him and characteristic of those who love Him is an unselfish, giving person. A person who understands it is more blessed to give than receive. Those achieving the ultimate blessing for mankind from God will be people who place others ahead of themselves. Most significantly a person who places God’s will ahead of their personal will, ahead of their personal desires. Actually by doing this, which might be considered as giving up your life you are actually providing for yourself the best possible outcome. So, ironically in the end you have done the best possible thing for yourself in your devotion to God. The difficulty is getting to the point where you understand this and you do not get there being a selfish person. This should not be surprising that Jesus points out, “it is better to give than receive” and then that we might think of God’s reason for creating mankind may be associated with the same principle. After all, we are created in the image of God and of course with infinitely less capabilities but the principle of, “being better to give than receive” is a Godly principle. The way that God benefits from “being better to give than receive” infinitely surpasses what we can imagine. You can almost imagine that mankind is faced with many ways to live for himself/herself and to choose God in a world where you cannot see God could be tremendously pleasing, satisfying. The process of getting to God is a step by step process and the dedicated person gradually turns away from worldly things to God. The route for doing this is exactly as God indicates. That is, by the word of God.

Second,

In the background of God’s reason for creating mankind, there is a strong implication of a battle between good and evil. Each of God’s human creation will either succeed or fail and ultimately it will be due to Good or Evil dominating their lives. We understand God’s earlier creation consisted of angels and that some succeeded and some failed. Mankind is created at a less sophisticated level compared to the angels. God in providing mankind a relationship with Him may have been a problem for some of the angels – a part of their test. Whatever may have occurred, the angels were tested. Mankind has a very similar test in terms of difficulty, only it is men and women versus the world – men and women versus the things in the world and ultimately it is men and women versus sin. Behind the sin is usually pride, selfishness, lust, envy and other basic faults which entrap mankind. Yet, understand God does not entrap mankind and many apparently believe this might be an excuse for their failure in life. When you understand God, you understand God’s test is passed or failed based on decisions YOU make:

James 1.12-18

12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

God designed the test for mankind based on allowing each person to make choices and from those choices each person’s character is revealed. The character of a Godly person will allow them to find the truth and act on it. Only God could devise and implement such a test. God does not interfere because He is not a respecter of persons or in other words has no partiality. In the final judgment there will be partiality as God accepts those who belong to His Son, while rejecting all others.

Third,

God created mankind so He could select those who of their own free will exhibited characters worthy of eternity with God. In a sense all the things discussed regarding why God created mankind are similar. God will benefit because regardless if you fail or succeed in life the righteousness of God will be demonstrated. We cannot say enough times that God wants all to succeed and He has made this clear.

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Yet, even so we must also say few will achieve heaven because of their myopia. If all you see is today and gain going into tomorrow you will not give-up your desires. You will not live for God but very simply live for yourself.

Jesus spoke many parables of the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God and they dealt with the nature of the kingdom and acceptance into/rejection from the kingdom. In all cases, people were making choices and their heart was being revealed. We talk about our ability to please God but it is hard to put into words the wonder of what we can accomplish – that we have the potential to please God! Each of us experience those who please us and also observe those who disgust us. We would not like the latter to be around us. On an infinitely larger scale, it is apparent that God has no intention of spending eternity with those who disgust Him. God makes the rules and He defines sin as that which disgusts Him and He will not spend eternity with those who die in their sins. That theoretically could include all of mankind or none of mankind. The selections or separation will not be according to the way YOU think it should be! You cannot be more JUST than God in His judgment. God will judge perfectly and it would be exceedingly foolish to be lost eternally because you doubt God’s ability.

When Jesus spoke to the multitude about the character of those who were blessed He was defining the character God requires for the kingdom. Indeed, the character that is required for heaven. Strangely, many fail to see the power of this short speech Jesus gave that many refer to as the sermon on the mount.

Matthew 5.1-12

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

There is a world of wisdom here for YOU. This needs to be your character if you want to achieve heaven. So, why did God create mankind? Because, He was looking for mankind to have a character such that as in verse 12, “Great will be your reward in heaven.” Knowing this you ought to want to be the kind of person described here. You must overcome pride, selfishness, have a forgiving spirit, love the truth and have the courage to act and endure.
I want to look at two verses, first Matthew 5.3:

Matthew 5.3

3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When considering all scripture the “poor in spirit” is easily understood. Few understand the importance of being, “poor in spirit.” Yet unless you can be such a person you will fail to achieve heaven. So, Jesus early in His ministry was revealing this essential component. Those listening would not understand but later after His death and today as mentioned it is easy to understand.

Those who are poor in spirit acknowledge their SPIRITUALLY impoverished state. Jesus told the Pharisees,

Mark 2.17

17 Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.

In the scriptures we see people like Cain, like King Saul who refuse to acknowledge their condition, their sin. Such persons cannot be helped by God. On the other hand, David despite the severity of his sin acknowledged his sin and God refers to David as a man after God’s own heart. So, here is a person who pleased God, who committed terrible sins and God was greatly blessed by his admission. As a result of his sins David saw his condition as poor in spirit. God created mankind because in the trials of life there will be some who realize their position in relation to God and despite the difficulty they honor God.
Jesus, routinely attacked the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Eventually, the Jews are responsible for His death. Self-righteous people are not poor in spirit.

The other verse to be discussed is:

Matthew 5.6

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

It is not possible to separate God from truth. If you do not have the truth you do not have God. The scriptures explain this even further by linking God, Christ and the scriptures (the doctrine of Christ) in a unbreakable bond.

2 John 1:9

9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

Mankind believes just about anything in relation to God. Why did God create mankind? One reason was to determine if men and women would worship Him or if they would worship other men and women. A modern doctrine is to make God the universal God or whatever God you believe in is just fine. The enemy is the one who says there is one God, one faith and that person is behind the wars and violence that mankind has suffered. The people who say I am right and everyone else is wrong have always been the problem. The universal God is not God at all but just another religion. It is a religion that appeals to many people because it says all religions are correct and good. This universalism of God and religious groups makes many mistakes:
1) They blame religious zealots for the many wars and centuries of cruel violence. This is often true but does that mean there is not a singular God with a singular rule?
2) They are interested in people living together peacefully on earth, whereas God is interested in people’s souls and only accepts His way.
3) They assume all those who will not compromise their beliefs are warring, cruel and violent.

Actually God’s people have a mission in relation to souls but do nothing in relation to politics, governments and wars. They abide by the laws of the government where they live. Indeed, God’s people will not compromise their beliefs or agree in a universal religion but teach the truth. They are not violent but abhor violence and New Testament Christians have NEVER been a force for anything except the saving of souls. The war they fight is a spiritual war for souls with the sword of the Spirit being the word of God. They are not Catholic, they are not Protestant, they are not Muslim but they are God’s people. The ones that indeed follow His laws. God knows who they are but men wrongly associate religious groups with God, while in fact God’s association is only with those who actually follow the doctrine of Christ. It turns out men and women create and worship the ideas and doctrines of other men and women. Their doctrines are behind the warring and violence and their religions have nothing to do with God.

Hunger and Thirst – Seriously Want The Truth

God is separating people along the lines of truth and thus those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are the ones to be filled. This hunger and thirsting is not for food but for truth and as a result they are blessed. How many people do you know who will fight for the truth? How many people do you know that are certain they already have the truth? God created mankind so they could find, obey and live out their life’s in the truth. The idea of God accepting all religions (really all the man-made religions) is destructive. There is no reason to believe it is anything but a way of deceiving people that will eventually cost them their eternal souls. Religion becomes a man-made humanitarian institution for peaceful co-existence. The God of heaven, the God of the bible has a purpose, and He has a plan.

God’s Love Is Wrongly Used To Fool People

People hide behind God being love and everyone says, yes, yes. God is also a God of hate – He hates sin. God is a God of justice and those failing His criteria will fail to achieve heaven. The only way to get to heaven is by His Son. All of God’s mercy is on the cross. God is a God who cannot lie and every word will come to pass – no exceptions. So if you fall into a category that God will not accept for heaven you will be lost. God says of Himself He is a jealous God and other God’s and/or other doctrines will result in your demise. It is quite amazing that people want to blame those who are unwavering in their belief, who will not compromise as the problem with evil on earth. The true evil is the reasoning of men in creating their gods, their religions when God created mankind so they would find heaven by obedience to His will. The irony is how hard people fight against the truth and in effect assure they will be lost eternally. God is love but understand God as He has revealed Himself and you will not have wasted God’s love.

Note: There is much more that could helpful in understanding why God created mankind and I will address these things in future posts.

This May All Seem Complicated

Life is not complicated but man has brought tremendous confusion in the creation of man-made religion and in their frequent desire to explain creation without God.

Here is how uncomplicated life should be:

> Preach the word which is how God brings the truth
> Obey the word, Obey the gospel – which is How God will allow you to be successful (Sins forgiven)
> Live faithfully until death – your life commitment is what God requires (good overcomes evil)
> Receive heaven which is God’s purpose for you and why He created you

How has the world drifted so far from the truth? If I had to point to one cause of man’s failure it would be religion. Religion has destroyed many who seek God but end up following the doctrines of men. They become satisfied with the traditions and respect certain persons maybe family, friends and they believe the truth is what they already possess. In addition, those who do not seek God look at religion and laugh at the hypocrisy, cruelty and the confusion of religion and believe such cannot be related to an almighty God. Of course, they are right since the religions they see have nothing to do with God. What a mess man has made and yet every person can still succeed – if they can see beyond what has been placed before them by mankind.

God did not make life complicated but the free will of men allows men to influence others to oppose God. Life is filled with challenges, temptations, selfishness and greed and these can easily overcome people. This is the test and God needs people to be tested in these ways so He can fairly separate those who succeed from those that fail. Paul clarified God to the Athenians by saying:

Acts 17:27

27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

God created man and then lets us know all men can reach God if they seek Him for He is not far from us. The complication in the world today is unfortunately much the same as it has always been, namely the volume of error substantially, tremendously outweighs the number of people who have the truth. Few who call themselves Christians are indeed children of God, but part of the problem. The world suffers under the delusion that the many must be right and associate themselves accordingly.

The Message from Jesus:
Life Is Very Serious

Jesus was very serious about the souls of people and demonstrated that seriousness by going to the terrible death in obedience to the Father.
Jesus did all He could during the time He was alive to point out the gravity of living your life in a way that pleases God. There was no humor, no lack of intensity, no lack of focus but in all things Jesus said and did there was a common theme. The theme was about the kingdom which was at hand and how to be part of it. Jesus was unwavering in teaching and told His apostles that after His death the Holy Spirit would come and guide them into all truth and they would recall the things Jesus taught. Jesus told his disciples that the world would hate them because they first hated Him. This might give you the idea that what Jesus taught was not popular, well received. It is true that few liked what Jesus taught despite His miracles, which should have alerted people to His authority. Jesus continually pointed out how the Jews had failed and continued to fail to follow God but followed the doctrines and traditions of men. The teachings of Jesus were hard, severe and why is that? It is because life is serious business and you need the truth and those who love the truth will see God’s love in telling mankind the truth. Most, however who do not understand God, for instance in thinking of God as a man. Examples of this are frequently heard such as:
> If God is a God of love how can there be a “hell”
> The bible indicates the world was created in six days, we know that is not true
> There cannot be a loving God because of all the suffering
In all these cases and many more, men and women think of God as though He is limited in the same ways mankind is limited.

Realize that God has your best interest at heart to the point of Jesus suffering the terrible death for you. If a mere man were to say the things Jesus taught you would be right to look elsewhere for truth. The message of Jesus, however is God’s message and God only delivers truth. Matthew 10.34 is just one of hundreds of things Jesus taught that can drive people away. Such people do not understand God, nor do they want to understand God. On the other hand, the following verse brings those who love the truth closer to God and thus closer to heaven.

Matthew 10.34-39

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Now, where is the value in the verses above?

First,

It is the truth and very specifically lays down in a very direct manner how God will separate those who succeed from those who fail.

Second,

One learns that every person needs to place God above all else in their life. There is no question about this.

Third,

It is a difficult thing to take a stand in opposition to family members, close friends but IF that is necessary you need to do it. It should be obvious to you, that it is also best for them. Everyone needs the truth and now you open the door for them to be successful also. Jesus points this out to emphasize the essential nature of truth in the process of achieving heaven. God will never accept what a person thinks is true but God accepts only the truth – finding it, obeying it and living it.

Fourth,

At the center of all Jesus is saying here is the requirement that you love God more than anyone, more than self, more than anything else. Indeed, you are exchanging the life you planned to live (often for yourself) for living the life God wants you to live and in that sense you lose your life for the sake of Jesus. In the process of living according to God’s direction you are deemed worthy.

Fifth,

A very difficult but also obvious conclusion from these verses as well as other scripture is simply that ETERNALLY IT IS JUST YOU. It is not your spouse, your children, your extended family, your friends but you will go into eternity all alone. Others you love may succeed or fail and you will accept that God’s judgment is perfect. If you want to help others, now is the only time.

Conclusion:
Why Did God Create Mankind?

It would seem God desires to share His wonders and receive the blessing of those who demonstrate their love in giving their lives, that is living according to God’s ways. These are the apparent reasons for creating mankind. They amount to the love of God. Clearly, he will NOT share eternity with persons who live in opposition to Him. We see that God will determine those who are worthy by their choices and it is most serious because it is eternal. We see that God receives great satisfaction in sharing His creation with mankind but is greatly pleased when a man or woman places Him above everything else in their life’s. This occurs when they follow God’s instructions in becoming a child of God by establishing a relationship with the risen savior. The test designed by God is perfect in accomplishing God’s purpose. One aspect of that perfection is that although the means to achieve heaven are before everyone, only those with a good heart, loving truth, loving God will “see” those means and act on them and then continue to live faithfully until their death.