This episode spells out the Biblical purpose of man, highlighting the folly of a fool in the process. The image of God in man makes mankind unique among all creation. Men and women are endowed with the capacity to appreciate God and His works, and reflect His glory. The Fall seriously impaired this capacity, but never extinguished the hunger for eternity placed in all men. Solomon, for instance, noted that “God has set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11) Eternity invites man to regard the never-ending works of God, which is the unique privilege of those created in the image of God. Regarding the works of the Lord, honoring God as God and giving Him thanks–these make up the fundamental purpose of mankind. Interestingly, the failure to regard the works of the Lord is the sin of the wicked, according to Psalm 28:5. And the fool in Romans 1:18-23 is essentially one who has no regard for the works of the Lord, even denying “God’s invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature” made evident in creation. The fool then is one who rebels against his purpose, exchanging the truth of God for a lie, living for his own glory instead of the glory of his Creator.
