009 - 18 - Lesson 18: The End of the Story is God

The Alpha and the Omega

The Bible teaches that God is the Creator, but he is also the goal of creation.

1 Corinthians 8:6 ESV

6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Colossians 1:16 ESV

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Romans 11:36 ESV

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

God is the beginning and the ending of the story.

Made for God

This means that we were made for God. One ancient writer expressed it like this:

“Great art Thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised; great is Thy power, and Thy wisdom infinite. And Thee would man praise; man, but a particle of Thy creation; man, that bears about him his mortality, the witness of his sin, the witness that Thou resistest the proud: yet would man praise Thee; he, but a particle of Thy creation. Thou awakest us to delight in Thy praise; for Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless, until it repose in Thee.” (Augustine, Confessions Book 1.1)

Many Scriptures testify to this longing for God (such as Psalm 42:1-2; 84:1-2). This is a desire for God’s:

-Truth (Psalm 25:4-5).

-Beauty (Psalm 27:4).

-Goodness (Psalm 65:4).

-Love (Psalm 36:5, 7-9).

Sin is the misdirected desire for these ultimate values.

But Christ came to reorient us back to God, to invite us to share in the life of God’s love and glory (John 17:20-26).

The New Heavens and Earth

The Bible concludes with a picture of the new life to come. The key theme is found in Rev. 21:3, “the dwelling place of God is with man.” And the imagery is of the ultimate truth, beauty and goodness of God wrapping humanity into an eternal embrace.

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