Lesson 1: What is my purpose in life?

(Part 2)

Bible study: What is my purpose in life? (Lesson 1 of 1)

Genesis 1:26-31

1:26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they
may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”
1:27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them,
male and female he created them.
1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and
subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that
moves on the ground.”
1:29 Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire
earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the
creatures that move on the ground—everything that has living breath in it—I give every
green plant for food.” It was so.
1:31 God saw all that he had made—and it was very good!
© NET Bible

1.4 What it means to look like God

What does it mean to “look like” God? To understand this we must firstly understand
who God is. God is one God, but he is also three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You may remember these words from Genesis 1:26: “Let us make humankind in our
image, after our likeness…” In these words we can already hear the Father, Son, and
Spirit speaking to each other.
The Father, Son, and Spirit have always been together, loving each other and rejoicing
in each other. That is why the apostle John even says that God is love (1 John 4:8). The
God of the Bible is a God of relationship!

Now we are ready to understand what it means to “look like” God. It means to live in
relationship. As a man or a woman, you have been made to:

 Live in relationship with God.

You were made to know, enjoy, love, and serve God with your whole heart,
soul, mind, and strength. You were made to share in the love that the Father,
Son, and Spirit have for each other (Deuteronomy 6:5; John 17:24-26)!

 Live in relationship with the people around you.

God made you to receive his love and share it with the people around you.
God is glorified when there is a community of people who love each other. That is
why he said to the man and woman, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth…”
(Genesis 1:28).

 Live in relationship with God’s creation.

God filled his creation with many wonderful things. He made you to enjoy and
rule over these things (Genesis 1:28-29). You must do this with thanksgiving
to God and with wisdom, holiness, and righteousness (Ephesians 4:24;
Colossians 3:10, Colossians 3:17).

Let us try to put all of this into one sentence. What is your purpose in life? It is to glorify
God by knowing and loving him, sharing his love with the people around you, and
ruling over creation.
 1.5 Trust in God’s perfect image

If you are honest with yourself, you will know that you have failed in your purpose. We
have all failed. As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God.”

Instead of loving God and others, we have fallen in love with ourselves. Instead of ruling
over creation with thanksgiving, we have used and abused creation. Instead of being
faithful images of God, we have tried to be God (Genesis 3:4-6)! For this we deserve
eternal death.

However, there is One who did not fail. He is the Son of God. He became a man just
like us: the man Jesus Christ.

Jesus lived by the Spirit, always glorifying God his Father. He loved his family, his
friends, the people around him, and even his enemies. He ate, drank, worked, rested,
and did everything else with wisdom, righteousness, and holiness.
Then he, the perfect image of God, was broken by God’s own hands. He died so that
you and I may be forgiven. And he was raised from the dead—so that you and I “too
may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).

Do you want to fulfil your purpose in life? Then put no trust in yourself. Admit that you
have failed and put all your trust in God’s perfect image, Jesus Christ.

God promises that, if you do this, his Holy Spirit will work in you. Through his Word
and Spirit, Christ will teach you “to put on the new man who has been created in God’s
image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth” (Ephesians 4:24). Slowly
but surely, you will become the person you were made to be!

We hope you will continue to study the Word of God with us to learn who our God is and
how we can glorify him. Please answer the question below in WhatsApp.
 Question

What is your purpose in life?

Choose the correct answer:

a) It is to use everything that God has given me to become happy and rich.
b) It is to glorify God by knowing and loving him, sharing his love with the people around
me, and ruling over creation.
c) It is to use everything that God has given me to become famous and powerful.

Choose your answer on WhatsApp: a, b, or c. (Click on the button a), b) or c) on

WhatsApp).