The purpose of life
The original of the New Testament was written in Greek. According to Liddell and Scott, , the Greek verb ἁμαρτάνω—hamartanó—translated into English as to sin, was used, in a non-religious context, for instance in the spear throw, to designate the act of missing the mark.
Interesting, isn’t it?
The Bible teaches that we all have sinned; we all have missed the glory God destined us for Rom. 3.23.
The first words of the Bible are, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Gen. 1.1, King James Everyone is free to believe, question, or deny this statement. However, the choice we make conditions our world view and thereby indirectly impacts the direction we will take for our lives.
He who does not believe in God is compelled to define himself the meaning of his life, or to be subjected to the one that influences, currents of thought, circumstances, power struggles, and power plays in this world will attempt to impose on him.
For a believer, God alone has a correct and accurate understanding of the purpose of humanity because he is the creator.
Thankfully, the God of the Bible did not hide the reason why he made us. In fact, he gave it openly and without mystery from the very first pages of the book. In Gen. 1.26, Bible du semeur, , God said, Let us make human beings to be our image, those who are like us.
God created human beings to be his image; yea, he created them to be the image of God. He created them male and female Gen. 1.27, Bible du semeur, .
We exist to be God’s image.
Although no one can see Vincent Van Gogh in flesh and blood, his famous self-portraits show us what this talented painter was looking like when he was alive.
Similarly, although no one can see God John 1.18, 1 Tim. 6.16, 1 John 4.12, 1 John 4.20, we should have perfectly reflected him in our relations with one another.
We manifestly have missed the mark. We have sinned.
God is light 1 John 1.5. But we hide in darkness shameful secrets.
God is love 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.16. But we are satisfied when the sufferings of others contribute to our material or emotional comfort.
God is a God of peace 1 The. 5.23. But we spend our time in conflicts.
God is gentle and humble Matt. 11.28–30. He created the universe. Yet, unlike us, he does not show off 1 Cor. 13.4, neither does he seek to prove his superiority. He is so humble that some people conclude that he does not exist.
What happened? We will see in the next post.
Questions
- What do you think of the following statement? To know oneself, it is necessary and sufficient to know God.
- True or false? The purpose of life is to carry out good deeds or great things on the earth.
Quotations
The nature of God
Love is God’s nature. He can do naught else. Wouldst thou
Be God, then likewise love in every instant’s Now.
One cannot love without God
If God Himself doth not love through thee and in thee,
Thy love, O man, will reveal its limits shortly.
We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Bibliography
Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. A Greek-English Lexicon. Revised and augmented throughout by Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie. Oxford, United Kingdom: Clarendon Press, . Available online from Perseus Digital Library—last accessed on .
Mohr, Greg. (Video) Lesson 1.
In Excellence in Ministry. Charis Bible College, n.d. Available online from Charis Bible College—last accessed on .
Silesius, Angelus. Selections from The Cherubinic Wanderer. Translated by John Ernest Crawford Flitch. London, United Kingdom: G. Allen & Unwin Limited, . Available online from Internet Sacred Text Archive—last accessed on .
Photographic credits
RichVintage (username on iStockphoto). A young boy dressed in business suit and tie shoots arrows at a target and hits the mark. . Available online from iStockphoto (reference number: 543674238)—last accessed on . Featured photo.