God loves us and does not want us to be lost. However, since He is righteous, He must judge the whole world for the sake of our sins; indeed, it is already under judgment. However, out of love, God came to us in His Son Jesus Christ. He lived a righteous life and took all our sins upon himself on the cross, that is, he, the righteous one, suffered judgment in our place so that everyone who believes in him may obtain forgiveness of his sins and, moreover, receive eternal life. So God has done a great work to save us, and if we accept it in faith, we can also be sure that we are saved (see John 5:24). The following drawing is meant to illustrate God's plan with us human beings once again in a simple way:

1. God became man in Jesus Christ so that the glory and grace of God could be seen in Him (John 1:14).
2. As the Lamb of God, He took upon Himself the sin of the world on the Cross (John 1:29), so He bore our judgment, and so we can now claim the forgiveness of our sins and receive the eternal life of God as purified vessels.
3. God raised Jesus from the dead and made Him Lord of all. As the Spirit who makes us alive, he now enters and abides in every person who receives him (John 14:16-20; 20:22). So in order to possess him as our eternal life and be a child of God, we must receive him: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).

Do we recognize who Jesus Christ really is? Just by a word or a brief touch, he healed everyone who came to him. He set free those who were bound. Through a word from him, the storm and the waves of the sea subsided. He had authority - even authority to forgive people their sins. Who but God can forgive sins? He spoke words of life - words that made those who heard them come alive. Those who heard in faith realized that in him the loving Father spoke and acted, calling people to himself so that they would not remain lost in this world.

As a loving Father, God still calls people to Himself through the word of the Bible, to welcome them warmly and to give them rich gifts beyond expectation. It is therefore not surprising that the Bible is also called a testament. God wants to give us something, he wants to leave us an inheritance. Anyone who wants can receive it, if only he believes in Jesus and comes to him - for example, through the following prayer: "Lord Jesus, I believe in you. Cleanse me from all my sins and come into me. I want to have your eternal life. Guide me according to your plan." In this way we become a child of God and inherit the most precious thing a human being can attain - God Himself, eternal life.

Then, when we read the Bible after receiving Christ, bit by bit the whole purpose of God and the immeasurable riches given to us in Jesus Christ are revealed to us: His divinity, His fine and pure humanity, His love, and much more. Jesus Christ in us is alive and wants to grow and bring us to maturity during the time of our life of faith. Therefore, it should be the concern of every believer to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This can be done through prayer, through regular reading of the Bible, especially the New Testament, and especially through fellowship with other Christians. Together with them we are built up to the house of God, which is the church. There in the church we even experience the whole fullness of God. Little by little we will realize what a wonderful work God has called us to.

Each of us has asked himself why he lives in this world and what the purpose of his life is. The following six points will briefly outline God's plan for our lives as described in the Bible. If we understand it, we will also get an answer to the question of the meaning of our lives.

God's plan

God desires to be expressed through human beings. Therefore, He also created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26) Just as a glove was made to fit a hand, man was created in the image of God. Just as the glove was made to receive the hand and move with the hand, man was created to receive God and be filled and guided by Him.

The man

God created man as a vessel with three parts: the body, the soul and the spirit. The body is material, relates to the material world and absorbs material things.
With the abilities of the soul (psyche) we maintain the relationship with other people, we think, feel, wish, plan and we process what we perceive. The spirit of man, however, his innermost hidden part (not to be confused with the mind, which belongs to the soul), God created with the intention that man should receive him there and there also have contact with him and worship him. So man was ultimately created with the purpose that he should receive God, who is spirit, with his spirit and have relationship with him. Only when God dwells in his spirit can he establish a true relationship with Him.

The fall of man

Man was first created neutral, the spirit of God did not yet dwell in him. Before he could receive God, who is the Spirit and eternal life, with his spirit, sin entered him. Through sin, his spirit died and he lost his relationship with God. His soul, his whole mind became indifferent and even hostile to God, his Creator, and his body developed into sinful flesh. Thus sin corrupted the whole man, his body, soul and spirit and alienated him from God. Man's spirit was without function, was dead. This is the state we are in today. It is understandable that God could not connect with such a man; something had to be done.

Christ accomplished redemption so that God could come into man

The Fall of man could not prevent God from carrying out His original plan. He loves man, but he cannot simply pass over sin, for he is righteous. So he himself became a man in Jesus Christ. Then Christ died vicariously for us humans on the cross to redeem us, taking away man's sin by taking it upon Himself, and clearing the way to God. When he rose again from death, he became the Spirit who gives life, in order to give his Spirit, his divine eternal life, into the spirit of man. Through this, he can be experienced today.

The rebirth of man

Since Christ took upon Himself the sin that separates man from God on the cross and became the life-giving Spirit, man can now receive God's eternal life into his spirit. This is what the Bible calls being born again. Whoever wants to be born again needs the realization that he is a sinner. Then he must accept the redemptive work of Christ in faith by speaking to Jesus Christ with an open, honest heart, such as: "Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I need you. Thank you for dying for me. Lord Jesus, forgive me and cleanse me from all my sins. I believe that you rose from the dead; I receive you now as my Savior. Come into me now and fill me with your life!"

God's complete work of salvation

After salvation and rebirth in the spirit, baptism follows. Then God, who until now dwells only in the believer's spirit, gradually begins to expand and dwell in his soul as well. This process, which the Bible calls salvation, transformation, or renewal of the soul, lasts throughout the whole life and also requires cooperation on our part. Our cooperation consists in allowing the Lord to expand in our souls until finally our desires, thoughts and decisions coincide with his. When Christ returns, God will also completely permeate the body of believers with His life. Man, who was formerly empty and corrupt to God, will then have returned to his original purpose and be glorified, as the Bible describes.