The Purpose of Life

Last month I attended the funeral of a friend. He was almost 87 and had a full life. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to reflect on my own mortality. I will be 67 this year and if I have the same life span as my friend, that’s only 20 years. The funeral was typical: a slide show; memorabilia display; music and some kind words. To have your life summed up in a ½ hour somehow doesn’t seem fair and doesn’t seem to add up to much. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but is that all there is?

Since the beginning of recorded history, there has always been a search for meaning. For some, finding happiness is the ultimate goal. For others, it’s accomplishing something noble or being with loved ones. Many find the answer to life’s questions through religion; but which religion? Three of the top religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism all believe in God. For 2 of them, Christianity and Judaism, the Bible is the source for this belief. This brings up several questions: Is the Bible true and can it be relied upon to answer life’s questions? The Bible has a lot to say about truth. Some notable verses are:

• Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long (Psalm 25:5)

• Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name (Psalm 86:11)

• I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)

• And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)

In 2 Timothy 3:16, the apostle Paul claims that, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. However, you cannot prove that the Bible is true just because the Bible says it’s true. That’s called circular reasoning; the Bible is true because the Bible says it’s true. That doesn’t mean it’s not true; I cannot prove it using this logic. How can we know the Bible is true? Let’s begin by asking what is the Bible?

The word Bible means “book”. It’s actually a collection of books written by several authors over a 1500-year period. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and is available in over 2,000 languages. The bible is historically accurate. The 25,000 ancient copies of this manuscript differ by only .01%. There are more than 3,200 verses of prophecy that have come true and more the 3,100 verses that have yet to be fulfilled. The number of prophesies that did not come true; so far, zero. Dr. Del Tacket, in The Truth Project, says, “…there is no area in life that God has not spoken.” What are some of these areas?

Why were you born? I was asked that question when I was an 18-year-old plebe at the US Naval Academy. At the academy, there is no such thing as, I don’t know; you either answer or say, “I’ll find out, sir.” The truth is, I didn’t know. I don’t know if it was the stress or the subject, but I began to cry. A few months after, I voluntarily left but that question haunted me for the next few years. Jesus knew why he was born. In John 18, Jesus replies to a question by Pilate, “for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

What is your purpose? Solomon understood what the purpose of man was in writing Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” The Hebrew word that Solomon uses for “fear” can be translated as “to revere or to stand in awe.” What are his commandments? To know that, we must refer to the Bible. Most of us are familiar with the 10 commandments; they are not only thou shalt not's, but also what you should do. The shalt not's are: Don’t have someone or anything be more important than God, do not worship things that are made, do not murder, do not cheat on your spouse, do not steal, do not lie and do not crave something that belongs to another. Here’s what we should do: Love God, take a day off to rest and reflect on God and honor your father and mother. Jesus summed it up in two statements, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The Bible repeats these themes throughout the Old and New Testaments. Here’s what it says about reading and studying the Bible:

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, as it judges the thoughts and purposes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)

“Take salvation as your helmet and the word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies.” (Ephesians 6:17)

“Listen, my son: accept my words, and you’ll live a long, long time. I have directed you in the way of wisdom, and I have led you along straight paths. When you walk, your step will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go! Guard wisdom, because she is your life!” (Proverbs 4:10-13).

“Your Word, I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11-12)

I hope, you have been inspired to open the Bible and read what it says about other areas such as: where did we come from, where are we going, how do we love each other, marriage and family, the environment and how do we spot lies?

“Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, stand firm.” Ephesians 6.