Bible Study with the Cincottis –Purpose in God – 07/26/2026
Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti.
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Purpose in God Audio Podcast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Purpose in God
“For thus says the LORD,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD, and there is no other.” Is. 45:18
Everything in God has purpose. There are no voids or vacuums that He does not fill. The word “vain” in our opening verse is the same word from Gen. 1:2, “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…” Upon that canvas God springs into creation on a grand scale. Purpose is one of the fundamental questions of life, along with identity, origin, and morality (or order). We strain to wonder if there is any purpose in it all, especially in our sufferings.
Today we will only scratch the surface of it by examining purpose in God. If everything that God does has purpose, then purpose is woven into His creation. There are no voids that He does not fill, and nothing is done in vain. Jesus, in His darkest hour, said, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” Jn.12:27
To some degree we can only speculate as to God’s purpose, as we look over the scattered mess of humanity. It seems so foreboding. But God created light to displace the darkness of Genesis 1, and that demonstrated His trajectory. He declared everything after that to be “good”, and man to be “very good.” Michael Heiser, author of The Unseen Realm, speculates that God’s purpose in creation is to have a family. Indeed, we see a pattern in Genesis where everything that has life reproduces according to its kind, and God, the author of life, has created man in His image and likeness, according to His kind. Corruption, brought on by sin and rebellion, has distorted the image of God in us. His purpose, now, is to restore that which is broken. All over Scripture we see evidence of decline and restoration, decline and restoration. “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” Mt. 18:11
In last week’s study on deliverance, we observed God’s purpose to deliver us from evil, and we said that He delivers us from something to something, since there are no vacuums with God. Paul writes, in Gal. 1:3,4, “…our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father…” Jack Hayford comments on these verses:
Paul summarizes the epistle by declaring the fact, the purpose, and the ground of redemption in Christ. Scripture divides history into two ages: this present evil age, dominated by Satan (2 Cor. 4.4), and “the age to come” (Mat. 12:32; Mk. 10:30; Eph. 1:21), inaugurated by Jesus. Since the present age has not yet passed away, the two ages are currently running on parallel courses. Jesus came to rescue us from the dominion of the old age and to transfer us into the Age to Come.
We get beautiful glimpses of the age to come in this life. It’s not all doom and gloom, but mostly we are aware that this life is temporal and passing away. Paul says, “For the form of this world is passing away…” I Co. 7:31, and John is bolder, “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.” I Jn. 2:17. The age to come will fill the void of the world that is passing away, restoring all things to their intended order according to God’s purpose.
Clearly there is some process involved. It seems that God wants a big family; “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Rm. 8:29.
The passage of Scripture that led me down this study was Ex. 34:6,7 wherein God declares His character to Moses on the mountain, “And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty…” This word for “clearing” actually has some interesting connotations. Jack Hayford, again:
“naqah” To clear, acquit, cleanse, make clean; to make blameless, to free, exempt; also, to empty by pouring out the contents of something. This verb may have originally meant to ‘empty out a cup,’ then developed the meaning of ‘emptying any charges’ against one, this leaving him clean and clear. Most of the 40 references to naqah have the suggestion of clearing or declaring one innocent. The adjective naqi means ‘innocent, blameless, and guiltless ‘.
I think that we have a clear snapshot of the gospel in this word.
Jamie Winship, author of Living Fearless, says in one of his podcasts that the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, can also be translated, “Blessed are the empty.” Paul tells Timothy, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. I Tim. 6:7. Jesus said, “for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mt. 16:26. Pr. James Finn use to tell the story that when he was baptized in the Holy Spirit, two men were praying over him; one saying, “empty him out Lord, empty him out,” and the other saying, “fill him up Lord, fill him up.” We’re delivered from something to something. There is purpose and direction involved.
God’s purpose for us, now, is to change us into the image of His Son; or we might say, change us back into the image of His Son. Paul writes, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor. 3:18. Change is at the very core of our Christian experience. Anyone who is not open to change is in the wrong church. You are operating contrary to God’s purpose. If you say that you can’t change, then you are lying against the Scriptures, which emphasize from Genesis to maps…change. He will have a glorious bride, “adorned for her husband.” Rev. 21:2
God reveals His purpose for mankind, “My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed, I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Eze. 37:27. Even back in Exodus, “And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8
He has, and now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Knowing God’s purpose and releasing ourselves into it are two paths that often lie in tension. A more fitting prayer than our usual, “God, please help me,” or “God, please forgive me” might be “God, please empty me of all that is distracting me from hearing Your voice, and doing Your will.” God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, but there was still a lot of Egypt left in their hearts as they wandered through the wilderness with a stiff-necked attitude, reluctant to change.
Let’s not be like that!!!
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