1  Our God is a God of purpose,

    What He plans, He will fulfill!

    Genesis to Revelation

    Shows His full and glorious will.

    What He's after is a building.

    In creation He began

    With a simple garden planted —

    This, the setting for His plan.

 2  Man was made, the first step God took

    To achieve His final goal,

    As a vessel, a container,

    Three parts — body, spirit, soul.

    God, of dust, a body formed him,

    Breath of life into him breathed —

    This part is man's human spirit

    By which God may be received.

 3  In the garden God had planted

    Every tree He made to grow,

    Good for food, to sight most pleasing,

    And the tree of life also!

    Second, then, in God's intention

    Was that man should freely eat

    Of the life-tree in the center

    To obtain His life complete.

 4  Third, we see a river flowing,

    Out of Eden coming forth,

    With its flow in four directions —

    East and west and south and north.

    As on Christ our life we're feeding,

    Living water in us flows.

    Hallelujah for this river

    And the watering it bestows!

 5  In the flowing of the river

    Gold, pearl, onyx stone we see;

    Three materials, raw yet precious,

    For God's building meant to be.

    Look, these elements are shining!

    How can we, then, shine as they?

    Simply by the Lord, the Spirit,

    Us transforming every day.

 6  God the Father (in this fourth step),

    Source of life, is gold divine;

    Christ the Son was wounded by us

    To produce the pearl so fine.

    God the Spirit brings the stones forth —

    Transformation of the clay.

    By the flowing of the Spirit

    Changed we'll be from day to day.

 7  Insufficient are materials

    Precious though they be and best;

    These must be built up together

    That God's house they may express.

    Fifth step: We ourselves hand over

    To the building that we be

    Built into God's house, His dwelling,

    One in each locality.

 8  Finally, in Revelation,

    Is the picture of Christ's Bride —

    Consummation of God's purpose;

    He is fully satisfied.

    New Jerusalem, a city,

    Is the Bridegroom's counterpart —

    So the church built up together

    Forms the Bride for Christ's own heart.

 9  How can we, as those who truly

    Long to see God reach His goal,

    Be united and related?

    By denial of our soul!

    As we contact Christ in spirit,

    Feed on Him as life to us,

    Then His life will flow, transform us

    To His Bride, all glorious!