The Purpose of God

"..... that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19b).

In these few words we are reminded by the Spirit of God, that God's full purpose in saving us is that we might be filled with all God's fullness. God will not be satisfied unless we have such a happy experience. That is why we are given the Word of God to show how we can be filled with such fullness. Even though we have been ruined by sin completely and have become useless and worthless, because of the efficacy of the precious blood, we can be so transformed that one day we can be filled with His fullness completely. This is repeated many times in the Bible. In Col. 2:9, 10 we read, "Ye are complete in Him." Complete in the Lord Jesus Christ in whom dwelleth all God's fullness. He wants us to have everything in abundance. With that purpose, God made the first man. We read that God gave the first man dominion, authority and power over the whole creation, not only over the earth but also over animals, creeping things, birds and fishes (Gen. 1:28). God gave the first man Adam a very strong and healthy body to enable him to have dominion, authority and power over whole creation. He provided every kind of food necessary for his health and also He put the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:9). Adam had the privilege to eat from that tree of life at that time (Gen. 2:16, 17). If only he had eaten from that tree he would have rejoiced fully and he would have fulfilled God's purpose straightaway. God desired fullness of joy for man from the beginning of creation. That is why He put in the garden, the tree of life and gave man, power, authority and dominion in order that he might enjoy himself fully.

God made man to show him His love. The love for man was very great. His love is for eternity and He declared it in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love." The same thought is repeated in Eph. 3:18, 19. The tree of life is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If the first man had eaten from that tree, he would have been filled automatically with the very life of the Lord Jesus Christ, and then he would have been able to enjoy all that was around him. But because of disobedience, Adam lost that privilege. Now what Adam lost by disobedience is being recovered by the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants us to be filled completely with His power. It is by that power we conquer our temptations, trials and difficulties and by the same power one day we shall have immortal bodies (Rom. 8:11). It is the power of resurrection, that power which God manifested in raising up the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Upon the earth, we are being quickened daily with the same power to overcome our temptations and burdens. By the same power we shall be given immortal bodies in heaven and by that same power we shall enjoy eventually our share in God's fullness. It is only by the power of resurrection that our inner man can be strengthened, and that we can be deeply rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 3:16, 17). We see all trees on mountains. Let there be any big storm, the trees do not fall down, because their roots go very deep over large areas. That is why no storm can uproot them, rather they go on growing taller and taller and the roots go deeper. In the same way by the power of resurrection, in the inner man, we are rooted deeply in the Lord Jesus Christ. Let there be any trial, persecution or hardship, it will not shake us. We will rejoice in our trials and at the same time we will become stronger spiritually. As we grow spiritually, we know that eventually we shall be filled with God's fullness. Thus we will find in a practical way the love of God filling us more and more. We become loving, tender, patient and gentle as a result. We can love our enemies. We can love the unlovely and pray for those that hate us and curse us. That is the evidence of the fact that we are being deeply grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our hope is that one day, we will be filled by His fullness. May God help us to learn that secret more and more.

The purpose of the loving God in seeking us and finding us is that we may be filled eventually with the fullness of God. The work begins on earth and goes on till we are filled. The very fact that whatsoever is being offered by the Lord is being offered in abundance, is the proof of God's fullness (John 10:10). As far as God is concerned, He offers life, and that more abundantly from the very beginning. It may take us many years to have the experience of abundant life. But that is not God's plan. He offers it to us in the beginning itself, because we read, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." But because we do not trust Him fully and - obey Him, we do not enjoy that life for many years. But the God of love is offering us abundant life. Similarly, He is offering abundance of peace and abundance of truth (Jer. 33:6). Just as He is offering abundant life, in the same way He is offering abundance of peace and truth. Again we find that very few of us have abundance of peace in the beginning. As we go along, we discover by experience all that God wants us to have. As we begin to obey God fully, and do His will in small matters, we find that peace of God growing in our hearts.

In John 15:11 and 16:24, He offers us full joy again, not in a small measure. Unless we learn to rejoice in suffering, our joy will not become full. In Acts 5:41 we read that, when the disciples were persecuted, they rejoiced and later, after opposition and persecution, they were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:52). As we learn to thank God for the privilege to suffer for His sake, we find our joy multiplying in proportion to our gratitude. When we live in God's presence, we find our joy becoming full (Psalm 16:11). So we have to find time to wait upon the Lord, read God's Word, meditate, worship and pray. Then our joy will become full.

Our Lord wants us to be kept full and constantly overflowing with the Spirit. That is why He says, "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). It is only as we learn to find God's perfect will in small matters, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It will not be possible otherwise. To be able to find God's will for every matter, we have to say, "Lord, not my will but Thy will." The more we die to ourselves and our will, the more we are filled with the Spirit.

Just as He offers abundant peace, joy and life, He also says, "All power is given unto me" (Matt. 28:18). He wants us to exercise that power. As we obey Him, follow Him and serve Him, that power will be given to us. With that message the Lord sent His disciples saying "Go and tell everybody that all power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." And those who believed Him enjoyed that power day by day. As they obeyed and followed Him, they received the power (1 Cor. 1:18).

The Lord is offering us His fullness in abundance, not in a small measure. He is a God of abundance, and He wants to give us all things in abundance. Whatever we may receive from Him, whether it is life, peace, truth, joy or power, He offers in abundance. The fullness of the Holy Spirit, all things of the earth and also of the new creation, are given to us by faith. It is said, "All things are yours", all the things of the new creation but not of the old creation (Rev. 21:7). But we must learn to overcome our doubts, fears and unbelief, and then go on claiming all things of the new creation. For all that we require, there is abundance of divine wisdom. That is why the apostle Paul prays in Eph. 1:16-17, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." The Ephesians were highly taught in the doctrines of salvation, because men like Paul, Apollos, Timothy and John, apostles and mighty men of God, were sent to teach them. Yet Paul prayed for them, that God should give them still more knowledge and wisdom, that they might enjoy all that God had purposed and planned for them. All of us require that wisdom, divine and heavenly wisdom, which is from above. With that wisdom we can understand the things of God. We receive it by faith. The Lord wants us to have this, so that we may be filled with His fullness. It does not matter what our past failures, shortcomings and weaknesses have been. Once we are purchased by the precious blood and become His purchased possession, we can claim every privilege that He gives to believers. Eph. 1:3 is a promise for every believer, not only for a few, chosen believers who are serving God, like the apostle Paul. Our loving God wants every believer, to receive all these spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. We have to exercise our right and claim our portion. We do not deserve it. The God of love is offering these gifts to show His love for us.

That is why, in Eph. 3:19, Paul prays first of all that they may know God's love. Individually we cannot comprehend it; even though we spend centuries in meditating upon God's Word, we will never know the mysteries by ourselves. In olden days, Roman Catholic monks thought that by living a lonely life, they would become more holy. That is why we find many monasteries in Palestine. I saw monasteries on every hill. They were built many centuries ago, with the intention that by living in lonely places, without seeing anybody and by meditating upon God, the monks would become more holy. In so doing they brought in many customs and rituals which made them worse, instead of better.

We find a secret here, God's love can only be comprehended by the help of the saints, as shown in Eph. 3:17-19. His love is beyond human comprehension. All of us have to be brought together again and again. You will find our fellowship together as fellow believers is very inspiring and helpful. Unbelievers cannot have such fellowship. That fellowship will be among those who have the same experience of eternal life (1 John 1:3). So all fellowship begins for us in the Lord Jesus Christ and in God the Father. Whatever we receive in our own meditation and waiting upon the Lord, we should share together. Otherwise we shall not be able to grow.

We read in Acts 2:42, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles, doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." These are four anchors that God has provided for our growth. In Acts 27:27-30 we read that the ship was in danger of colliding with the hidden rocks. The sailor cast four anchors, two in front and two at the back, to save themselves from the two dangers, hidden rocks and the waves. With the help of the four anchors, they were kept steady and safe from the rocks. Our Christian life is like that ship. We have to face many storms of life. All these storms and dangers are overcome with God's help by these four anchors (Acts 2:42, 43). That is why, the early Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers.

God's love can be truly comprehended as we learn to have fellowship with fellow believers every where. You have to make some sacrifice to gather God's people for prayer, for worship, for Bible study and for service. By that fellowship we are told that we will know the love of Christ with perfect knowledge and by such love we are made to understand, why God wants us to have that share in His fullness. His love is so great that He wants us to receive all that He has. As loving parents take pleasure in giving their children all that they possess, even so the Lord wants to give us all that He has. Now we are being taught how we have to be prepared upon the earth for such privilege in heaven, to enjoy God's fullness.

In the early days that truth was made clear by the consecration of the High Priest in Exo. 28:1, 2 and 4. In Leviticus 8, we have the details as to how Aaron and his sons were set apart for that great service. Whatever happened in the Old Testament was a shadow of that which is now happening in our period of the New Testament (Heb. 8:5). The Lord Jesus Christ is our true and everlasting High Priest (Heb. 7:24-26). The Lord Jesus as our heavenly High Priest is constantly interceding, that we may be presented eventually spotless, blameless and filled with His fullness (Jude 24). He is able to save us to the uttermost, because He is willing to make intercession for us. He wants to present us spotless and blameless before the angels and the saints. And He wants to make us partakers of His glory and fullness (1 Pet. 5:1).