Smiths Outline Bible Project

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Free will to choose our purpose in life

Purpose – the one word that could answer all the questions a person has about life, and why they are here on God’s green earth. I have heard many people wrestle with this word in my 64 years on this earth, they may not outright say, what is my purpose, but nevertheless they struggle to find an answer for this word. They may say something to this effect, I don’t know what I should be doing, or not sure why I’m here, both are struggling to find purpose. A wood pecker pecks wood, has little ones, and lives their life out fulfilling that purpose, therefore fulfilling their purpose in this world. So God has given purpose to all things that He has created and all but one does fulfill that purpose appointed to them, the one exception is people.

To us he has given a free will to choose the purpose we want to live by and fulfill. Some choose to take advantage of others and some choose to help others, some choose to do good in this life and some choose wickedness. That choice, that choosing is what determines their final destination after this short, short lifetime is done. Jesus asked the question in Matthew 16:26, for what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? A question any person should ask themselves when trying to answer the question, what is my purpose?

 

The Nicolaitans were a group mentioned in the book of Revelation in the New Testament, specifically in Revelation 2:6, 2:15. They were a heretical sect in the early Christian church that was condemned by Jesus in his messages to the churches of Ephesus and Pergamum. The exact beliefs and practices of the Nicolaitans are not clearly described in the Bible, but early church leaders such as Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria suggested that they promoted sexual immorality and the consumption of food sacrificed to idols. Some scholars believe that the Nicolaitans were followers of a false teacher named Nicolas, who may have been one of the original seven deacons appointed by the apostles in Acts 6:5. However, the exact identity and teachings of the Nicolaitans remain a matter of debate among theologians and historians.