There is a God. This is His world. We live in His world. This God is totally good, totally trustworthy, and totally competent.
He comes to us in Jesus Christ whom we can totally trust. He gives those who trust Him
His Spirit which will lead us to all we need to know about Him and
about us.
The Meaning of Life
You've probably heard of people asking "What is the meaning of life?" "Why are we here?" I believe I have found a scripture that puts it very clearly.
"This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent" (Jesus as recorded in John 17:3).
The purpose of life is to know God. Since we are to know God we are here to find out who God is and what He is like.
Know God
We are to "know God." In order to know we must first learn.
What is the purpose of learning about God?
The purpose of life isn't for me to "be saved" and have a ticket to heaven it is for me to know God personally.
How can we know God?
How can we know God? Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who wants to approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." So to know God first we must believe that He exists. In order to do that we must have faith. Faith in its most basic form as it relates to God is that even though we cannot see God we are convinced that He really exists.
Second we must believe that, this God who truly exists, rewards those who seek Him. Belief is when your whole being is set to act as if something is so. Both faith and belief are best defined as trust. Trust is to be fully convinced about the truth of something to the point of confidently acting upon it. If I believe that when I sit in a chair it will hold me up and give me rest I will not shy away from sitting in that chair. If I am tired I will sit in the chair because I believe that not only will it hold me up but it is also good for me because it gives me rest. Belief is the same when applied to God. If I truly believe that He rewards those who seek Him I will not shy away from seeking Him. I will try to find out about God because I believe He will reward me for doing so. If I truly believe I will act on it and not just think about it to myself.
God rewards those who seek Him
Again Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who wants to approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Now here is a true story that exemplifies this verse.
There was a man in China who longed for a God he did not know. One day he found on a mountain path a torn page that read "Are there more gods than One?"—"No, there is only One God." "Should we worship idols?"—"No..." And the rest was torn away.
The man went home and destroyed his altars to the idols he had been worshipping. Immediately his daughter became very ill and his neighbors taunted him for making the demons angry. The man thought if there was one true God perhaps he could reach that God with his voice. He climbed to the top of the highest peak in the vicinity—12 or 14 thousand feet high-and shouted out, "Oh, God, if You really are there and You are the One I am to worship, please make my little girl well again."
It took a long time to climb back down, but upon arriving home he found the little girl completely well, with no time of recuperation needed. She had recovered at the time he had prayed. That man went on to proclaim the gospel across the entire area.
You see this man believed that God exists and that God rewards those who seek Him. He truly believed because He acted upon it by climbing a mountain and calling out to God. "God searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts" (1 Chronicles 28:9). You see, God is always seeking those who seek Him so that He may reward them but God understands every intent of our thoughts so He is able to rightly discern when someone is truly seeking Him. Be careful to understand that God rewards those who seek Him, not those who seek to earn a reward.
When we seek God that assumes we realize and consider God as wiser, smarter, and more powerful than ourselves. We humbly realize that we are mere human beings who have little power and that God is the powerful & knowledgeable creator of the universe. The fact that God rewards those who seek Him means He loves us. Trusting that God exists and is loving is the requirement to know God.
This is Eternal Life
To know God we must be exposed to the truth about and the person of Jesus, the Son of God. Before God created the world He knew that mankind would sin (harm each other, disregard God) and that they would need a way to be able to know and have a relationship with God again. God decided that when the right time had come He would send His Son, Jesus, to become God in the flesh, born of a woman, born under the law of God (see Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus perfectly obeyed all of the laws of God, provided the perfect example of how to live, and then even in His perfection chose to die a gruesome death on a cross to free the world from the power of sin. Then to prove He was sent by God & to break the power of death He rose to life again 3 days after His death. These facts about Jesus are called the gospel, the word gospel means good news. This is good news indeed that God has done everything necessary for us to know and have a relationship with Him. Because of Jesus sin no longer stands between us and being able to know God. Because of Jesus we can know God & enjoy Him forever.
1 John 4:9-10 says, "By this the love of God is revealed: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins."
Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still helpless sinners, Jesus died for us."
Through Jesus we trust in God and because God raised Him from the dead we can confidently put our trust and hope in God (see 1 Peter 1:21). John 3:16 says, "This is the way God loved the world: God gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in his Son will not perish but have eternal life." Anyone who trusts that the good news about Jesus is true and thus trusts Jesus will have eternal life. Eternal life is that we get to know God & live in His love in this life and forevermore.
Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent."
1 John 5:20 says, "The Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. Those who trust Him are now in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life."
Summary
There is a God. This is His world. We live in His world. This God is totally good, totally trustworthy, and totally competent. He comes to us in Jesus Christ whom we can totally trust. He gives those who trust Him His Spirit which will lead us to all we need to know about Him and about us. The purpose of life is to Know God, Jesus Christ.
How can we know God?
The Meaning of Life
You've probably heard of people asking "What is the meaning of life?" "Why are we here?" I believe I have found a scripture that puts it very clearly.
"This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent" (Jesus as recorded in John 17:3).
The purpose of life is to know God. Since we are to know God we are here to find out who God is and what He is like.
Know God
We are to "know God." In order to know we must first learn.
What is the purpose of learning about God?
The purpose of learning about God is to know who He is, what He has done, and what He has said in order for us to establish a love relationship with Him and then grow in that relationship with Him more and more.
We are to learn of God, from God, for God, for others.The purpose of life isn't for me to "be saved" and have a ticket to heaven it is for me to know God personally.
How can we know God?
How can we know God? Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who wants to approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." So to know God first we must believe that He exists. In order to do that we must have faith. Faith in its most basic form as it relates to God is that even though we cannot see God we are convinced that He really exists.
Second we must believe that, this God who truly exists, rewards those who seek Him. Belief is when your whole being is set to act as if something is so. Both faith and belief are best defined as trust. Trust is to be fully convinced about the truth of something to the point of confidently acting upon it. If I believe that when I sit in a chair it will hold me up and give me rest I will not shy away from sitting in that chair. If I am tired I will sit in the chair because I believe that not only will it hold me up but it is also good for me because it gives me rest. Belief is the same when applied to God. If I truly believe that He rewards those who seek Him I will not shy away from seeking Him. I will try to find out about God because I believe He will reward me for doing so. If I truly believe I will act on it and not just think about it to myself.
God rewards those who seek Him
Again Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who wants to approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Now here is a true story that exemplifies this verse.
There was a man in China who longed for a God he did not know. One day he found on a mountain path a torn page that read "Are there more gods than One?"—"No, there is only One God." "Should we worship idols?"—"No..." And the rest was torn away.
The man went home and destroyed his altars to the idols he had been worshipping. Immediately his daughter became very ill and his neighbors taunted him for making the demons angry. The man thought if there was one true God perhaps he could reach that God with his voice. He climbed to the top of the highest peak in the vicinity—12 or 14 thousand feet high-and shouted out, "Oh, God, if You really are there and You are the One I am to worship, please make my little girl well again."
It took a long time to climb back down, but upon arriving home he found the little girl completely well, with no time of recuperation needed. She had recovered at the time he had prayed. That man went on to proclaim the gospel across the entire area.
You see this man believed that God exists and that God rewards those who seek Him. He truly believed because He acted upon it by climbing a mountain and calling out to God. "God searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts" (1 Chronicles 28:9). You see, God is always seeking those who seek Him so that He may reward them but God understands every intent of our thoughts so He is able to rightly discern when someone is truly seeking Him. Be careful to understand that God rewards those who seek Him, not those who seek to earn a reward.
When we seek God that assumes we realize and consider God as wiser, smarter, and more powerful than ourselves. We humbly realize that we are mere human beings who have little power and that God is the powerful & knowledgeable creator of the universe. The fact that God rewards those who seek Him means He loves us. Trusting that God exists and is loving is the requirement to know God.
This is Eternal Life
To know God we must be exposed to the truth about and the person of Jesus, the Son of God. Before God created the world He knew that mankind would sin (harm each other, disregard God) and that they would need a way to be able to know and have a relationship with God again. God decided that when the right time had come He would send His Son, Jesus, to become God in the flesh, born of a woman, born under the law of God (see Galatians 4:4-5). Jesus perfectly obeyed all of the laws of God, provided the perfect example of how to live, and then even in His perfection chose to die a gruesome death on a cross to free the world from the power of sin. Then to prove He was sent by God & to break the power of death He rose to life again 3 days after His death. These facts about Jesus are called the gospel, the word gospel means good news. This is good news indeed that God has done everything necessary for us to know and have a relationship with Him. Because of Jesus sin no longer stands between us and being able to know God. Because of Jesus we can know God & enjoy Him forever.
1 John 4:9-10 says, "By this the love of God is revealed: that God has sent his one and only Son into the world so that we may live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins."
Romans 5:8 says, "God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still helpless sinners, Jesus died for us."
Through Jesus we trust in God and because God raised Him from the dead we can confidently put our trust and hope in God (see 1 Peter 1:21). John 3:16 says, "This is the way God loved the world: God gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who trusts in his Son will not perish but have eternal life." Anyone who trusts that the good news about Jesus is true and thus trusts Jesus will have eternal life. Eternal life is that we get to know God & live in His love in this life and forevermore.
Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent."
1 John 5:20 says, "The Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. Those who trust Him are now in God because we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life."
Summary
There is a God. This is His world. We live in His world. This God is totally good, totally trustworthy, and totally competent. He comes to us in Jesus Christ whom we can totally trust. He gives those who trust Him His Spirit which will lead us to all we need to know about Him and about us. The purpose of life is to Know God, Jesus Christ.
How can we know God?
- We must be fully convinced that God exists.
- We must seek God while being fully convinced that God is loving by rewarding those who seek Him.
- We must trust the truth about and the person of Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus made relationship with God available to us by death on a cross and rising again to life. Because of Him we are able to have an everlasting personal relationship with God that is free from any barriers.
This was Part 1 of 2. Read Part 2, Understanding the Relationship
Thank you for the articles and in-depth explanations of the Meaning of Life. I'm looking forward to Part 2.
ReplyDeletePraise God for He again and again speaks to and reminds all of us so that our faith always be strengthen for His sake. Bless you for God gives you wisdom and knowledge to write this article and the other articles. Let Jesus Christ be glorified forever and ever. Amen.