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What’s the Point?by Steve Cox,
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The greatest or most significant question every human being must eventually face is, “what’s the point of my existence? Is there any purpose for our lives, and my life in particular?” In our Sunday morning Adult Bible Fellowship we are learning from Dr. R.C. Sproul as he takes us through an overview of the Old Testament. In the Sunday evening home group I attend, John Piper is teaching us from his material titled, Don’t Waste Your Life and The Blazing Center. I always find it fascinating when related points are being made by different Bible scholars teaching from different passages of the Bible. When the Lord brings about similar points from various sources, it typically means He wants me to give focused attention to understanding and applying the message He is giving through His Spirit. The following related points are becoming very encouraging to me. From the early portions of Genesis, Dr. Sproul elaborates an unfolding message of increasing clarity of God’s purpose for our lives. We have been created by God, we have been created in His image, and we are created to be a blessing to all peoples on earth (Genesis 1:1, 1:26, 12:2). In other words, we are created for the glory of God, to reflect His image in how we live. John Piper says that being made in His image means, “He created us and called us to make Him look like what He really is”. We need to “magnify (glorify) God in all spheres of life”. Piper also makes the point that glorifying God relates to the key commands of Scripture to love God and love others. He further points out that God has made us to pursue happiness (blessing) and fulfillment. The interesting thing I have been starting to see is how these truths (glorifying God, love, and seeking fulfillment/happiness) are all facets of the same Biblical truths. This makes more sense if we seek to understand the real meanings of these words. The word glory in Hebrew means weight, or heavy. In the Greek language it means to weigh, estimate, or give an opinion. God’s glory means to recognize God has weight, value, worth, or merit. To glorify God means to speak and live in a way that reveals His infinite value. Obviously, the word love has a broad variety of meanings. But, in both Hebrew and Greek, its root word means affection. To have affection for someone means to assign value or worth to that individual. If I understand correctly, the key Biblical commands which relate to our purposes on this earth: to do all for the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31), to love God wholeheartedly (Mark 12:30), and to love others (Mark 12:31), are all intertwined. Piper points out that a proper understanding of and living out of these purposes is key to our own fulfillment. When we choose to think and act in ways that place highest value on God and high value on others above ourselves, then we are in right relation to God and His creation. At the same time, focusing on valuing God above all else, and valuing others above myself, leads to true fulfillment/happiness. This may sound overly simplistic. But as someone who can easily lose
sight of what is most important as I face a confusing and hectic world,
it helps me to focus on the simple key truths of Scripture regarding
what the point of life is all about. We followers of Jesus Christ have
the privilege of choosing to think and act in ways that demonstrate
God is central and most important in every aspect of creation. In addition,
we can show that every person we interact with is of great value because
he or she is created in God’s image. If we choose to live in this
manner, we glorify God and experience the joy of being in right relationship
with Him as well as with most people in our lives. Putting it another way, the point of life, and true happiness, is not found in placing ourselves at the center of our universe, as the world and our own flesh encourage us to do. This approach leads only to loneliness and dissatisfaction. True purpose and happiness are found in putting God and others in positions of high value above ourselves. “Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive
before God . . . . Do everything readily and cheerfully . . . . Go out
into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and
polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of
the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night.”
(Philippians 2:14-16, The Message).
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