Ch.1: The purpose of life

I remember how I in my teenagers was so completely sure that I knew all about God and the Bible. Of course I knew a lot. I was raised in a Christian family. I had been to Christian festivals where I’d been told to read the bible for one hour every morning (and I did!) I did the right things. Now, I see that I was a little pride, and very often condemned and rebuked the other youths on my age. I remember how my "religious" behavior was exposed once for all in a bible-study group, when the youth pastor asked the youngsters: What’s the purpose of life?


I used to be the first to lift my hand and shout out the right answer. This time I was sure enough the first, but however, I was wrong. I found myself guessing: “The purpose of life.. To be a good Christian? To help others? To preach the gospel?”


Gracefully, the youth pastor explained us the purpose of life: To life in a personal relationship with God. The bible says in ephisians 1.3-4

…he chose us in him before the foundation of the world … In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

You’re the fulfillment of Gods dream!

Maybe your parents have told you your whole life that you were a mistake, that you weren’t planned. You just happened, mum got pregnant, and you kind of "surprised" them with your appearance. But you know what? God didn’t create you by accident! He planned you before the foundation of the world. Psalm 139:13-16 says

For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

My parents planned to have me for 4 years. My mum had miscarriage 3 times before me, so you can imagine their joy and excitement by getting a healthy girl 3.5 kilogram! I was the fulfillment of their dream, though I hadn’t done anything. I wasn’t very thankful. I pooped in my dipper without excusing my behavior. I didn’t fill any needs in the house or in the garden. In fact, I didn’t even answer the phone before I turned five!. But anyway, my parents were pleased with me. Because I was the fulfillment of their dream just the way I was –their own daughter! Imagine how God and the angels were rejoicing about your birth! He had waited patiently for you since the before the foundation of the world.




The price of adoption


Your destiny is to be a son or daughter of God. It’s not your will, but his (john 1:13). Adoption is a very strong action. When I child is born in the natural way, it’s a response to a physical action committed between the parents. Adoption is a physical action committed as a respond to a desire in the parent’s hearts...


Very often, the adopters pay a great price. The price may be a big amount of money. They may have to build out their house, because certain countries require from the adopters a big house with two toilets.


God paid a greater price to make you his own child. We will never know the fullness of it before we stand in heaven and see face to face Jesus Christ, the son God had to sacrifice to make us his own children.


By working on your religious behaviour, you only gain a lot more religious behavior. But you can never work yourself into a deep personal relationship with your Heavenly Father. There are no gimmicks, no 10 steps (or commandments), you can’t do enough good works to deserve it –you will never deserve it!




You and I were sinners.


In the first book of The Bible, Genesis, we can read about how the devil tricked Adam and Eve to listen to him. He tricked them to break Gods command, even though it was only one, simple command –DON’T eat of this three! (Gen 2:17) -Adam and Eve sinned. Sin literally means "to fail a goal". Sin is also the power the devil uses to keep people bounded to himself. John 8,34 explains that:

Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

Sin made Adam and Eve hide from God (gen 3:8) It made them ashamed and made them try to cover it up (gen 3:7). Accually, they had been running around naked in the garden till this very moment. Neighter God, or the devil told them to put on clothes. It was simply caused by their own consciousness of sin. Their sin made their children and grandchildren sin. And in the end, they died. Romans 6,23 states clearly that

“the wages of sin is death”

So when all comes to an end, we are not better than our ancectors Adam and Eve. We are all born with the ability to sin, and also the ability to try to "cover it up". Maybe you say that “I’m not a sinner. I haven’t done any big sins in life” But would you say the same if I encouraged you to pray to God or go to church? Most people answer like “why should I? Why should he have interest in me? Or: “No! I’m not that kind of person”


I can’t convince people about their sins, only God can do that. But the fact is that we are all children of Adam. We are all doing things that we are not proud about. We can try to hide from God. Or cover it up with good excuses; "I'm a good person. I give to the poor." But however, deep in our hearts, we understands that we are not “holy” (or bold) enough to have a long deep personal conversation with a God who is holy and sees every little thing you’ve done.




But you know what? God knew this!


He knew we were unholy. Sinners. Dirty! But anyway: He loved us and wanted to adopt us as his own children (Rom 5:8). He has interest in you!


We can see the price God paid for our adoption by reading the completeness of Ephesians 1:3-4 (the ….:)

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

When you were a child,you were  maybe familar with this phrase: "Go and wash your hands, then you can come and eat dinner". This is what we are used to. We need to be clean ourselves first -and then we can come and enjoy food and fellowship with our parents. But God is not like our parents. He knew that we were a way too dirty to complete the "washing" ourselves. So instead of demanding us to go and wash, He washed us himself!




Holy and blameless through Jesus Christ!


But as you see, God had a great work to do in order wash us, and to fulfill his adoption plans: He had to make us completely holy and blameless. How?


You know, it’s a stupid example, but do you know what I do when I really want to get somewhere by car? I cannot just go ahead and drive, because I have no driver’s license. So what can I do? Simply –I find somebody who has driver's lisence who is willing to drive me to the destination I want. And it’s the same with God. He knew that we had no drivers license (our willingness). We simply couldn’t make it to his presence. We had no holiness, only sin. And without holiness, none can face God.


But you know something great? God knew somebody with the license of holiness who could get us there –his only son Jesus Christ.


Jesus was willing to “do the ride” for you and me. He came to the earth like a human being. He was willing to “drive” his perfect blameless body all the way to hell. He had no reason to go there. Actually, he was the perfect son of God, created for enjoying life in heaven with his daddy. His perfect body was bruised by a nine haled wipe. His hands and feet were nailed. His head were torn. In the end he died. Look what it says in Isaiah 53:5:

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed

He did the trip for us with our sins and garbage to the”junkyard” –Gehenna, which Hell literally means.


And he rose from death after three days. In order for you and I should never go around and wonder anymore. Is my sins paid or not? Am I holy before God, or not?


The work was finished! You can today stand as a holy and blameless person because of the trip Jesus did. Wow, it’s far! It’s far from Norway to India. But Jesus went from heaven to earth, to hell and back to earth and up to heaven again. -All for you.


You are free to live your destiny, in a personal relationship with your father who created you. My dear, He has so much beautiful things he wants to show you. He wants to give you good gifts. Fill the desires of your heart. He wants to embrace you with comfort and mercy and help in all situations. And he wants to give you a “family” consisting of brothers and sisters in flesh and blood in a local church close to your home. All you need to do is not to try to be anything or do anything. You only need to accept that Jesus has done all you needed to do. If you have never done it before, you can simply do it by praying out loud this prayer;


God, Father.
I come to you know, confessing that I am a sinner.
Now I understand that I need you.
I realize that I can’t make it by myself.
But I thank you so much for sending Jesus Christ to die for me.
Forgive my sins. Jesus be my Lord. God, be my father.
Thank you for making me your own child in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.