In The Beginning...

[Asavedo]

What is the Methodist teaching on why God even made man? What was our "purpose", if you will, before sin ever entered into the world? Why were we put here? What would we have done all day had sin not entered into the world through Adam? Please, if you can, I'd love the scripture referrences to your replies too. Thanx for any and all thoughts ahead of time... :D

[wvmtnkid]

Why are we here-the age old question? :)

I'll try to start this out and perhaps some others can help me fill in. God made us to rule over and be stewards of this creation. This we find in Genesis 1:26-30:


Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [1 (http://www.biblegateway.com/cgi-bin/bible?passage=Genesis+1%3A26-30&NIV_version=yes&language=english&x=16&y=9#footnote_480841182_1)] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
I think He also created us for companionship and relationships. Not that God was lonely and needed friends because I think that He has perfect fellowship in the Trinty, but we learn that He had a relationship with Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3:8 it tells us that they (Adam and Eve) "heard the sound of the Lord as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day", so that tells me that they had an intimate relationship with God in that God came to them and made Himself known to them. When sin enters the picture, God sends His son as a sacrifice to ultimatley restore the broken relationship between Himself and man so that tells me that this is a relationship that God takes very seriously.

As to what we would have done all day, Genesis also tells us in 2:15 that "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Again, our job is to be stewards and overseers of what God has created and what He has given us. I think perhaps John's vision in Revelation may also give us a glimpse into what a sin-free world will be like.

Maybe that will get the conversation started....

[Celticflower]

Then the Lord speaks:
"I am God, I am happy in heavens above,
I've had eons and ages of Myself to love,
Still I found it amusing to see Adam come
And the earth did seem greener, and brighter the sun.
Well I may try to hide this from even Myself
But clearly you always knew it,
That is only tickles when you do it."

from: "It Only Tickles When You Do It" by Bob Halligan, Jr and Mick Hanly on the cd "Erasers on Pencils" by Ceili Rain

[HeatherJay]

Another bit of scriptural insight. :) :

Rev 4:11
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to recieve glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

Love, Heather

[Dark_Lite]

In short -

God wanted to create us,

...........so here we are.