Why Are We Here? (Part 1)

What is our purpose? Why are we here? What are we supposed to be doing? Or are we supposed to be doing anything?

One of my favorite books of the Bible is Ephesians, and it has a lot to say about why we are here. Let's start with Ephesians 1:11

"we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will." (NASB)

This tells us we have a purpose. We have a reason for being here. We have a purpose that God determined ahead of time.

In Ephesians 3:10 God reveals His overall purpose:

"God's purpose was to show his wisdom in all its rich variety to all the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. They will see this when Jews and Gentiles are joined together in his church. This was his plan from all eternity, and it has now been carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord." (NLT)

People talk about Satan rebelling against God and now Satan and God are locked in a titanic battle for control. But God created Satan. What He created could He not just uncreate, if He wished? In other words, it appears that God has a purpose for Satan, otherwise He would have just gotten rid of him.

Several times in the Bible God talks about a potter and the clay pots he makes. Romans 9:21 says it well:

"Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?"

In other words, God can make what, and whoever He wants, for whatever purpose He wants.

So now we are getting to the question, why did God make a being He knew would be evil? Can there be good without evil?

This is a question we'll need to answer before we explore the reason why we are here.