​THE MYSTERY REVEALED

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE 

The big question is – “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?”  From the point of view of modern science, there is no meaning; it just happened.  They believe that it happened because of a series of accidents that brought life into being out of nothing.   

Really!  To start with nothing and get to this point in time with the universe and life as it exists today is awesome.  It would be like one person winning the power ball lottery ten times in a row.   

Those unbelieving scientists would consider someone crazy to believe that could happen but they believe and accept something more ridiculous in what they profess to be the answer to our question.   

Is there a more reasonable answer?  Could it be that a creator planned and designed it and brought it all into being?   

Scripture says that is how it all happened.  The first words of the Bible say that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)  

If the scriptures are true and God made it all happen that question remains, “what is the meaning of life?”  If God created this earth and life on it, then He had a reason for doing that.   

Whether it all happened by accident or if it was created by an all powerful creator, almost everyone is in agreement that this earth is not eternal or permanent.  Our sun and solar system is in the process of dying and it will all be consumed in flaming fire some day.  It may last one more year or fifty billion more years but the end will come.   

If it was all created by an Almighty God as just a temporary creation, why bring it into being and create life that is only temporary?  Why did He not tell us why He did that?  Is it possible that He has told us and we have not been listening? Can we see it in scripture?  What does the Bible have to say about this creation and what does it say about the meaning of life?   

Maybe it can also tell us why God would allow pain and suffering to happen to some very good people while blessing some very evil people with the good life for most of their lives.   

Christians can hear God give us some of those answers because they have been listening to the scriptures for centuries.  They can hear them tell us that God’s true promise is for eternal life in a new world to come after this life is over and this world has been destroyed.   

Peter spoke of that end and said we should be looking for the coming of that day, “- - because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!  But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:12-13)   

That question still begs for an answer with regard to life on this earth; “what is the meaning of life?”  Why must God’s people have to go through a painful life on this earth before they can receive life on that new earth?  Why not skip this temporary world in this creation and have that eternal life on a new earth from the beginning.    

After God created this creation that we live in, including all plant and animal life, He created man in the image of God.  Scripture says, “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).   

Adam was created as God’s son (Luke 3:28).  God created man in His own image, male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27).  God created Adam, in His likeness, but unlike God, man had no knowledge of good and evil.  In other words, he was like a child who was not responsible for his mistakes.   

Adam was not accountable for his sins but he made one mistake that did make him accountable.  God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden and He told Adam not to eat of that tree because he would surely die on the day that he ate of it.   

We know what happened after that.  Satan deceived Eve and she ate of that tree and caused Adam to also eat of it and they both died that day.  They did not die a mortal death; they died a spiritual death 

Man had gained the knowledge of good and evil and, therefore, he became accountable for his sins.  He lost eternal life and he lost fellowship with God because sinners cannot dwell in the presence of God.  Adam and Eve and their descendants after them would be condemned to live short and painful lives on this temporary earth and then die and return to dust.   

The Psalmist asked that question.  With regard to man’s short life on this earth, the Psalmist says, “O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?  Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.” (Psalms 144:3-4)   

James speaks of man’s future and says, “- you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)   

Man does not know what tomorrow holds for him but God knows.  From what the Bible says, God is all knowing and all powerful and He is not limited in time or in space.  If so, then He is in all time now and He was in all time from the beginning.  He foreknew what would happen because He was already there.    

God created this heavens and this earth and He created Adam in His image as His Son but Adam had no choice in the matter.  Did God plan it that way so that only those descendants of Adam who would choose to have God as their Father would become His children in the new creation?  Only those who choose to receive Jesus have that right.  

In God’s new creation man has been given the right to choose to become a child of God by receiving Jesus.  John said that Christ came to His own but they did not receive Him.  

He says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13)  

We have the right to become a child of God if we receive Jesus but receiving Jesus requires us to believe in Him.  That is why Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  

John said that those who receive Jesus will have the right to become children of God by having been born of God.  God is Spirit therefore, they will have been born of the Spirit of God.   

Jesus was speaking of that being a new birth when He told Nicodemus that one must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  Jesus then told him what it meant to be born again.   

He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6)  

Nicodemus thought Jesus was speaking of a fleshly birth but He was speaking of a spiritual birth.  We were born of the flesh into this first creation but this is a dying creation.   

We must become born again of the Spirit of God to become children of God if we want to receive His promise of eternal life in His new creation.   

It appears that God was speaking ahead of His children in that new creation when He spoke through Isaiah to say, “- -Bring My sons from afar And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." (Isaiah 43:6-7)   

God’s sons and daughters have been created for His glory and they are called by His name.  Speaking of the name by which they are called, the disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26).  

Peter said of that name, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.  Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1 Peter 4:14-16)  

God’s children must suffer in this life but Paul says, “- I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:18-19)    

The question was, “What is the meaning of life?”  It is not so that we can live for and have the things of this creation because our life in this creation will end in death.  All things of this creation will have been lost.   

We have been given life in this creation so that we can have the opportunity to choose to have God as our Father and live with Him in that new creation.   

Those who choose to receive Jesus and are willing to take up their cross and follow Him and suffer with Him in this creation will have become children of God and they will have eternal life in God’s new creation.   

In the meantime there are good people who are suffering awful things in this world and people keep asking that question, “How could a loving God allow that to happen to those good people?”   

Satan is the one asking us that question.  He wants us to fall for his lies and keep questioning what the scriptures have to say.  He tells us that the Bible is no longer reliable because man has changed it and added to it.  On the other hand, Jesus said that His words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35).   

The God who created the heavens and the earth said that.  The God who is not limited in time and who could foresee the future said those words.  I believe that the all powerful God who said those words had the power to keep His promise.  I do not believe that man or Satan could silence Him.   

I believe that He has kept His promise and He has recorded it in the Bible.  We do not have those first inspired writings and there may be a few verses in question but nothing that changes God’s message to man.  Our English translators were not perfect but anyone who is willing to study from several translations will hear God’s message if they are searching for it.   

Satan is the god of this world and “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)   

Most people believe the god of this world because He speaks the message of this world.  He says that God wants His children to prosper here and that we should live for what we can get out of this world while we are here.  We should do whatever it takes to get ahead in this world.   

He also tells us to enjoy our bodies that God gave us and do whatever gives us pleasure and makes us feel good.  He tells us that if God is a God of love, He would not want His children to suffer.  He says that we should question any God who would allow pain and suffering to come upon good people.  

Most people obviously believe Satan because they are living their lives on this earth just as Satan says we should.  He keeps telling us the same thing and our bodies keep getting older and more wrinkled and ugly.  We are slowly dying in this creation but most people ignore that fact and keep trying to hang on to what little they can salvage in this world.   

They have their little “bucket list” of some things they want to do before they die.  They don’t want to leave this life having missed out on some of the best things in this world.     

God’s people have a different kind of bucket list.  Their list contains the things they want to do for Jesus in this life so that they can have that extended vacation of eternal life in Paradise.   

Nothing that we do will matter in the end unless it has to do with obtaining life with God in that new world.  Even the most successful and happiest lives on this earth will end in tragedy at death if that’s all there is.  What happens before our death will mean nothing if we have nothing to look forward to after that.   

God will not take away all of the troubles of those who choose to love Him because those who choose to follow Christ must suffer with Him in this dying world but He will make it possible for them to bear up under their burdens.   

He will put a limit to what Satan can do to them and help provide a way for them to be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).    

Peter spoke of how the faithful are being distressed by various trials, “so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7).   

Jesus was tested and we will be tested.  Bad earthly things happened to Jesus and bad earthly things will happen to us.   If we endure the testing of our faith we will be rewarded and God will be glorified.    

Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)   

The people of this world have set their minds on worldly things.  God’s children must not be like that.  They must set their minds on things above.   

Paul tells us that if we have been raised up with Christ we are to, “- -keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4) 

Have we set our minds on things above or on the things of this earth?  Are we living as if we are only aliens passing through this world or have we settled down to a life of living for what we can get out of this world?  We will only receive God’s promises if we live as though we are just passing through on our way home to that city built by God.  

The Hebrew writer spoke of those departed faithful who never received the promises but how they confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth who were seeking a country of their own; “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:16)  

Christians have their minds set on what is above, not the things of this world.  They know that God requires that we work for a living but not for the purpose of gaining worldly riches.  They also know that God will provide them with the things that they need in this world and they appreciate and are happy with the little things that they have been given.  No matter how little that is, they gladly share what they have with others.   

The people of this world will never be happy with what they have no matter how much they obtain.  That is why Solomon, the man who had it all, could refer to what he had done and what he had gained and say that, “all was vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).   

Striving for the things of this world is like striving after the wind.  Those earthly things will not make it into eternity.  We will go into eternity but we will take nothing with us.   

We will only have things out there if we lay up treasure in heaven while we are on this earth.  We lay up treasure in heaven when we assist others in becoming children of God and when we give of what we have to those who are in need.  We must give our worldly things away to have something out there.  We must especially love and do good deeds for God’s children.   

If we sow bountifully on this earth, we will reap bountifully out there; “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.” (Psalms 126:5)  

Our faith will be tested to see if we will follow the LORD God or follow the god of this world.  That god is telling us to follow him and he will give us the good life.  He makes it sound like a fairy tale.   

It will not happen that way for those who live for the things of this world.  No one who is of this world will live, “happily ever after”.  Only those who follow the LORD our God will live a happy life, forever.  It will happen in that new world for those who believe God like Abraham believed God.    

Christ is speaking of His creation work through the inspired scriptures but the crowds can only hear Him speak of the things of this earth.  The meaning of life is not found in living for the things of this world because every man’s life on this earth is a mere breath or a passing shadow.   

We read from Isaiah where God said that He created His children for His glory.  Jesus told His disciples, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8)   

All fathers are glorified when their children are loving and faithful and fruitful.  The meaning of life is to bring glory to God and we do that when we show our love for Him by receiving Christ and being fruitful.  

This world is here to provide a proving ground to separate out the children of God from the foolish of this world.  For those who choose to become children of God during our short life on this earth our faith will be tested.   

As we are being tested we hope not to have too many bad times but the greatest of the faithful had some very bad times.   

Some early Christians died on crosses.  Some were fed to the lions.  Some were put to the torch.  It did not have to happen to them.  They had a choice.  They did not give in because they could see the big picture.  They could see by faith that new world to come and they were willing to suffer for a short time on this earth in order to obtain it.   

For those who continue to search the scriptures for the truth they will find it if they truly believe God.  For those who are looking for something else, they will find something they were not looking for.  Some day they will find themselves looking back at a wasted life of chasing the wind.  They will have spent a lifetime of chasing the wind and they will have inherited the wind.  They will have missed out on what is real and everlasting.    

 

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org) 

                                                             Johnny Rogers 1/15/12    Revised 9-17-22