Purpose of Man

According to Christianity, man is created in the image of God. This means many things:

• God is rational, and man is made a rational animal
• God is a person with free will, and man is gifted with a soul capable of free choices
• God is Holy, and man is called also to be holy

Man is fundamentally a created being, not a necessary being, but dependent on God. God is the very foundation of existence of itself, and the only source of Being.

Man therefore is not a law unto himself, either on the scale of Existence or the nature of the Good, but man is related to something greater than him. The purpose of man is not located within himself, but in his relation to God.

In Leviticus, God said "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." This is an unqualified statement, which means it applies to all people. God commands people to do His will and align to His nature and purposes.

God is omniscient, and God knows the nature of man. God gives commands that are actually possible to fulfill, therefore man can be holy. All interpretations about the nature of original sin, that contradict this, are simply false. The Orthodox Church has the closest understanding on the nature of man.

Sanctification is the process of detoxing man from evil, sin, rebellion and stupidity. It is a requirement for all who wish to be in a salvific relation to God.

God cannot demand less from man, because He will not settle for less and deny his own nature.

All who refuse to be holy are contained in Hell, the place where there is no requirement to do the will of God, and the place where there is no truth or justice.