Who am I? Why do I exist? Why am I here? What is our purpose and what are we doing here?

 

These are questions that have crossed everybody's mind at least once in our lives. Most people prefer not to venture too much in this line of questioning or just don’t know where to find answers. But as Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov so aptly put it, "There is nothing more harmful to spiritual life than not seeing clearly in oneself."

 

To the question of why we exist, science has no idea because moral matters are outside the scientific framework which argues that we are just an accidental arrangement of molecules. In other words, we exist by accident since we are just the product of our immediate environment. Therefore, there would be no reason to restrict human beings since death is nothingness without continuity. Consequently, we are free to live as we please because our existence is without purpose, obligation or responsibility. 

 

To the question of why we exist, the Bible says we are here for very specific purposes that were established by an Intelligent Designer. Our lives are neither meaningless nor inconsequential and we will be held accountable for the choices we make during our short time on earth. 

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If science cannot explain why we exist, the Bible teaches us 3 fundamental facts:

 

Firstly, ELOHIM put His glory in display in His creation, more precisely in that of the human being whom He made in His own image.

The only time ELOHIM used both "image" and "likeness" in the Bible was during the creation of Adam and before He breathed life into Adam's nostrils.

• Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ."

 

In a profound way it implies that a human being is shaped to the inner and outer image of ELOHIM himself. God gave this unique design to Adam alone and also granted him dominion over all other creatures. For that purpose, He also gave him abilities like His own:  

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* He enabled man to communicate, think, express complex concepts, reason, make decisions, plan, invent and evaluate ideas.

• Exodus 35:35 "He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers of every kind of craft. "

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* He has inscribed in man's heart the work of the Law, which is rooted in his fundamental and complementing concepts of love and justice, in order to endow us with a sense of morality.

• Romans 2:15 "So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them"

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* He also gave man the unique spiritual ability to question, imagine and desire life after death. Animals do not have these desires.

• Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end."

 

Secondly, the human being is threefold, meaning we are made up of a body, a soul and a spirit. 

• 1 Thessalonians 5: 23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your entire spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

The simplest way to understand our composition in relation to ELOHIM's design is as follows:

1. With our bodies we have an affinity with nature and relate to the material realm.

2. With our souls we have self-identity and can interact with other humans.

3. With our spirits we have life and connect to ELOHIM and the spiritual realm. 

 

Thirdly, life is not about us; rather it is about ELOHIM. He did not create us to compensate for any kind of loneliness or to nourish his ego or a burning desire to be worshiped. He does not need us because He is utterly certain of who He is without us. But in His infinite love, He created everything in order to showcase His glory, enable us to experience and enjoy all that He is, and include us in His eternal plan for the comfort of our souls in complete wholeness: joy, peace, and infinite and everlasting harmony.  

• Acts 17:24-28 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring."

 

Through Adam and Eve, the corruption of sin entered the world and the path to our heavenly abode became narrow, tortuous and full of obstacles. We are passing through the earthly realm clothed in a mortal body, and an immortal spirit and soul, heading for our final destination that is the Kingdom of Heaven. Our existence on earth is like a training school where we are constantly and regularly tested. These many tests vary in magnitude and significance; and the cumulative results will produce the final "you" on your deathbed. 

• James 1: 2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,"

• 1 Peter 4:12 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you."

• 1 Peter 1: 6-7 "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

• Jeremiah 17:10 "I, the LORD, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve."

 

To help us succeed in our tests, YAHWEH sets forth His laws, gives us guidance through His prophets, and sacrifices His Son to enable us to wipe out the many errors on our past tests. Seen in this light, it takes us back to the reality that we do not exist by coincidence or accident but by design: we are the special work of ELOHIM.

 

YESHUA clearly said in John 4:34 that his purpose on earth was to do the will of YAHWEH. Our lives are not primarily a matter of possessions or carnal pleasures but rather the ability to obey God, to do His will, and to allow Him to behold us and rejoice in us. 

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Gaze intently into the eyes of your fellow man, consider the complexity of his eyes and contemplate the precision of his hands, what do you perceive? The minute you understand that ELOHIM The Eternal "I am" is your reason for being, you answer the question "Who am I".

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