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Few people recognize the difference between function, purpose, and mission. Nevertheless, they are distinct.
Function is descriptive of the specific action or task that an object was created to fulfill. For example, the New Testament church was designed with the function of facilitating shared life fellowship between God and mankind. In contrast, purpose can be defined as the reason why something exists. The purpose of the New Testament church is to practice shared life fellowship with God. Mission is a special assignment or directive designed to contribute to the fulfillment of purpose. The mission of the New Testament church is to cultivate and guard the privilege of its shared life fellowship. |
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Purposeful Performance
Unfamiliar with the eternal purpose and mission of the New Testament church, many believers seek meaning in life through performance for God. However, discovering a sense of purpose in performance is not congruent with the will of God. Instead, it is symptomatic of fallen life and an aberration of God’s intent for mankind. Purpose of Mankind God created mankind for the extraordinary purpose of enjoying Him through intimate shared life fellowship. It allows Him to demonstrate the attributes of His nature for the benefit of the angelic host. Fellowship between God and the first man, Adam, was initiated when God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of [eternal] life (LXX - zoe).” (Genesis 2:7) Joined as one, God and Adam were able to enjoy intimacy of fellowship in unparalleled fashion. The intimacy of fellowship between God and Adam was demonstrated by their interaction in the renovated Garden of Eden. It was a special place. Suitable to accommodate the presence of God on earth, it was holy and perfect. In addition, the renovated Garden of Eden was characterized by incomparable beauty. God enjoyed “walking” in the renovated Garden, but not necessarily alone. Therefore, He made the intentional choice to walk in the Garden with the first humans. Fulfilling their intended purpose, Adam and Eve responded with the simple choice to enjoy His presence. After Adam committed the original sin, however, he was by necessity separated from God. The result was devastating. Among other consequences related to the separation, Adam no longer understood his purpose in life. |
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Mission of Mankind
Adam’s purpose in the renovated Garden of Eden was to enjoy God through the intimacy of shared life fellowship. As mentioned, it was the purpose for which God created him. Divinely appointed to contribute to the fulfillment of his eternal purpose, his mission was simply to cultivate and guard the intimacy of his shared life fellowship with God. “Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) The Hebrew verb translated “put” is nuah. In the Pentateuch, the Hebrew word nuah is used only in the sense of rest or pause. (Genesis 8:4; Exodus 10:14; 17:11; 20:11; 23:12; 33:14; Numbers 10:36; 11:25; 11:26; Deuteronomy 3:20; 5:14; 12:10; 25:19) Further, its specific usage in Genesis 2:15 is causative, indicating that God caused Adam to rest in the garden. “The man was ‘put’ into the Garden where he could ‘rest’ and be ‘safe.’”1 Adam was “put” in the Garden for the restful activities of cultivating and keeping. English translations of Genesis typically point to the Garden of Eden as the object Adam was to cultivate and keep. The implication is that God gave Adam the responsibility of gardening. The grammar of Genesis 2:15, however, does not necessarily support the Garden as the object of the verbs “cultivate” and “keep.” Instead, the Hebrew words for “cultivate and keep” are more likely related to spiritual ministry rather than physical service. In the English Bible, the word “cultivate” is translated from the Hebrew word abad, which generally means to work and serve. However, it is often used specifically of God as the object of service. (Deuteronomy 6:13; Exodus 3:12; 8:1; 9:1; 2 Kings 10:19-23) The word “keep” in the English Bible is translated from the Hebrew shamar. It can variously mean “to keep, to guard, to observe, to give heed.”2 “The basic idea of the root is ‘to exercise great care over.’”3 According to Allen Ross, “These two verbs [cultivate and keep] are used throughout the Pentateuch for spiritual service. ‘Keep’ (shamar) is used for keeping the commandments and taking heed to obey God’s Word; ‘serve’ (abad) describes the worship and service of the Lord, the highest privilege a person can have.”4 Richard Howe adds, “The significance of resting the man in the garden is not to demonstrate man’s relationship to the garden, but rather to provide a setting for the story to demonstrate man’s relationship and responsibility to God.”5 Before the Fall, the Garden of Eden existed in a state of holiness. Therefore, it did not need to be cultivated. Human toil and labor are only associated with fallen life outside of the Garden. (Genesis 3:17-19) God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden for the purpose of intimate fellowship with Him rather than tiring physical labor. Adam’s corresponding mission was not to cultivate and keep the garden but to cultivate and keep his shared life fellowship with God. |
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Deviation of Purpose
In the Garden, Adam and Eve had enjoyed consistent, unhindered fellowship with God. Made evident by their depth of intimacy with God; it was abundantly clear to them that their purpose was not fulfilled by doing things for Him (i.e., gardening). Instead, Adam and Eve recognized that their purpose was fulfilled only through intimate fellowship with God. The original sin had devastating consequences for Adam and Eve. Separated from God, they experienced degeneration of life. Further, they were evicted from the Garden and forced to work for sustenance in a cold, dark world. Life outside of the Garden was no longer a “walk in the park.” Adam and Eve’s new norm outside of the Garden was a far cry from the lofty, privileged position from which they had fallen. Separated from God, they became degenerated in body, mind, will, and emotion. Consequently, Adam and Eve’s priority in life was no longer to enjoy fellowship with God but to assuage their haunting sense of loss, emptiness, insecurity, fearfulness, and uncertainty. However, the remedy for their fallen state was beyond their grasp. The only option available was to distract themselves through the busyness of work and activity. Concordant with the Fall, Adam and Eve’s purpose in life deviated course. It changed from shared life fellowship with God to self-fulfillment. Among many other things, it led to confusion in regard to human purpose, mission, worth, and work. Restoration of Purpose Theologians sometimes refer to Genesis 3:15 as the protoevangelium or “first gospel.” It is because it contains the first promise in the Bible of the possibility of human reconciliation with God and, therefore, restoration to shared life. After the fall of mankind, God not only stated the conditions for fallen life on earth but promised humanity the possibility of reconciliation and restoration to shared life. He stated, “….I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; He [the seed of Eve] shall bruise you [the serpent] on the head and you [the serpent] shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:15) In the Old Testament “….the word ‘seed’ is regularly used as a collective noun in the singular (never plural)…. [it] designates the whole line of descendants as a unit, yet it is deliberately flexible enough to denote one person who epitomizes the whole group.”6 Thus, the protoevangelium was to be fulfilled through one person representing the entire human race. He would provide the possibility for reconciliation and restoration to shared life with God. Within the context of the protoevangelium, the serpent was representational of Satan. His seed was a reference to the fallen angels that chose to rebel with him. It was possibly inclusive of fallen humanity. Genesis clarifies that there would be enmity between the seed of the serpent (fallen angels and humans) and the seed of Eve (Messiah). However, Eve’s descendant would eventually emerge victorious over the serpent. While the serpent would bruise (cripple) the heel of Eve’s descendant, he would crush (fatally strike) the serpent’s head. The Old Testament provides detailed genealogical records that reveal the identity of the promised seed of Eve. He can be traced from Enosh to Noah (Genesis 5:3-32) and from Noah to Abram, later known as Abraham (Genesis 11:10-32). Specifying one person who represents the whole group, God promised Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 22:18) The promise was repeated to Isaac, “I will multiply your descendants (seed) as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants (seed) all these lands; and by your descendants (seed) all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 26:4) and to Jacob, “Your descendants (seed) will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants (seed) shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). The English words “seed” and “descendants” used in Genesis are both translated from the same Hebrew noun “zera”. The promised zera of Genesis 3:15 can be traced beyond Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through the entire Old Testament. (Genesis 3:15; 12:7; 15:13,18; 16:10; 17:12,19; 24:7; 26:24; 28:4; 32:13; 35:12; 48:4; Exodus 32:13; 33:1; Deuteronomy 1:8; 11:9; 34:4; Joshua 24:3; 2 Samuel 7:12; 22:51; Psalm 18:50; 89:4, 29, 36; cf., 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; 43:5; 44:3; 45:19, 25; 48:19; 53:10; 54:3; 59:21; 61:9; 65:9; 66:22; Jeremiah 33:26) The New Testament provides detailed genealogical records which further clarify the identity of the representative seed of Eve. They leave no doubt. In perfect harmony with the genealogical record of the Old Testament, the New Testament plainly reveals that the zera of Eve is Jesus of Nazareth. (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38) From the beginning, it was promised that He was the messiah and the one who would bruise Satan on the head (deliver a fatal blow). Through Jesus the Christ, the promised seed of Eve, the human race was provided with the privileged opportunity for reconciliation with God and restoration to a union of shared life. Through the protoevangelium, God graciously promised from the beginning that He would provide fallen humanity with the possibility to fulfill the purpose for which it was originally created. New Testament Church Purpose Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, the purpose of the New Testament church is to enjoy God. Rather than tiring physical labor for God, however, the elect are positioned in the body of Christ for the privileged purpose of intimate, restful, shared life fellowship with God. God did not choose to indwell His ecclesia so that He could simply admire it from within. Instead, he indwelt it for the primary purpose of enjoying mutual, interactive fellowship with His beloved. From within, God makes the intentional choice to pursue fellowship with His ecclesia. Fulfilling the purpose for which it was created, the eternal New Testament church has the privileged choice to respond and enjoy His presence. |
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New Testament Church Fellowship
The Apostle Paul exhorted the ecclesia in ancient Rome to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.” (Romans 12:1) The Greek word translated “present” is paristemi (par-is'-tay-mee). It means to “make available.”7 The specific manner in which Paul uses paristemi is indicative of a recurrent presentation to God, not only of the body (soma (so'-mah)) but the whole person. In the context of shared life fellowship with God, each member of the body of Christ is exhorted to faithfully present all to God. Thus, each is to surrender all that he is, all that he does, all that he has, and all that he suffers. By grace through faith alone, shared life fellowship with God provides the New Testament church with the utter privilege of cooperating with God on earth. The glorious benefit is eternal life (zoe), abundant and overflowing through the divine ministry of eternal life (zoe). (Romans 12:2-21) Although the blessings of the ministry of eternal life (zoe) are immeasurable, the Apostle Paul provided some specific examples. They included the renewal of the mind, illumination regarding the will of God, and awareness of spiritual giftedness. (Romans 12:2-8) The ministry of eternal life (zoe) not only benefited the New Testament church community but also the unbelieving community in proximity. (Romans 12:9-13; 14-21). According to plan, the ministry of eternal life was designed to flow to and from the New Testament church like “rivers of living (zoe) water.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus equated eternal life (zoe) to “living water.” (John 4:10, 14) He said, “…whoever drinks of the [living (zoe)] water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life (zoe).” (vs. 14) Jesus later clarified, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37-38) During the Church Age, the fruit of shared life fellowship with God is life (zoe) in the fullest, designed to flow from God to the New Testament church and through it to the unbelieving world. Each member of the New Testament church serves as an instrument for the ministry of eternal life (zoe) on earth. (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:7) They provide the means through which Christ proclaims the Gospel, releases the captive, heals the blind, the lame and the deaf, cleanses the lepers, sets free the oppressed, and raises the dead. (cf. Matthew 11:5; Luke 4:18) The ministry of eternal life (zoe) was designed to flow from God through instrumentality of intimate shared life fellowship. The story of Martha and Mary serves to clarify the difference between the ministry of law and life (zoe). (Luke 10:38-42) Attempting to please God through the rule of law and self-effort, Martha restrained intimacy with Christ and consequently, the ministry of eternal life (zoe) by: |
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Jesus’ response to Martha was, “you are worried and bothered about so many things.” In contrast, He clarified, “Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Norman Douty adds, “If I am to be like Him, then God in His grace must do it, and the sooner I come to recognize it the sooner I will be delivered from another form of bondage (law). Throw down every endeavor and say, I cannot do it, the more I try the farther I get from His likeness. What shall I do? Ah, the Holy Spirit says, You cannot do it; just withdraw; come out of it. You have been in the arena, you have been endeavoring, you are a failure (under law), come out and sit down, and as you sit there behold Him, look at Him. Don’t try to be like Him, just look at Him. Just be occupied with Him. Forget about trying to be like Him. Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart, let Him fill it. Just behold Him, look upon Him through the Word. Come to the Word for one purpose and that is to meet the Lord. Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord. Make it to be a medium, not of biblical scholarship, but of fellowship with Christ. Behold the Lord.”8 |
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New Testament Church Mission
Before the fall of mankind, it was clear to Adam and Eve that their fundamental purpose in life was to enjoy God through intimate, shared life fellowship. Their corresponding mission in the Garden was to cultivate and protect their privilege of intimate, shared life fellowship with God. The divine purpose and mission for mankind was not revised after the Fall. Like Adam and Eve in the Edenic Age, the purpose of the eternal New Testament church is to enjoy God through intimate, shared life fellowship. First and foremost, its corresponding mission is to value the intimacy of its shared life fellowship with God by cultivating and guarding it. Secondarily, the mission of the New Testament church is to “go… and make disciples of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:18-20) However, it is not fulfilled by the man who goes but by the God who sends. God alone is capable of making disciples. The New Testament church cooperates by faithfully seeking to meet conditions favorable for Him to work. There is no condition more favorable for God to work than the practice of shared life fellowship. It was designed to allow for the manifestation and fruitful overflow of the Spirit of life (zoe) on earth. Thus, faithful sharedl life fellowship constitutes the means by which the New Testament church bears eternal, living (zoe) fruit in New Testament quality and quantity and consequently, makes disciples. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:19-21; cf. 2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:1) Jesus Christ ensured the fulfillment of His command to “Go…and make disciples.” He first said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth,” and second, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Therefore, Christ not only assured His disciples that He had the authority necessary to fulfill the command but promised that He would be personally present with them at all times and in all circumstances. By going into all nations, the disciples were responsible for entering into conditions favorable for Christ to work on earth. However, they were not responsible for the outcome. It was the responsibility of Christ alone. If the New Testament church had remained under the rule of law, it would have been obligated to “Go…and make disciples” by its own effort. However, the ecclesia is not under the rule of divine law. Consequently, going and making disciples is not an act of human effort but faith alone. Therefore, the contribution of the church in making disciples is not trying but trusting. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) There is no more extraordinary privilege than to enjoy shared life fellowship with God. Satisfying the very reason for which mankind was created, it constitutes the pinnacle of human experience. © 2023 James Hiatt |
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