What is the purpose of life that everyone wonders about. This question is on many unbelievers mouths as they ponder their existence. Many love to get into useless discussions to ponder the meaning of life. Why are we here? Where are we going? Is there an afterlife? These and many questions rest on the lips of the lost as they blindly give their opinions in such discussions.
Guess what? These questions are not really a big issue to the born-again Christian. Let me briefly go over a few of them here.
1) Salvation! This is the first and foremost issue of our existence. The Bible clearly says we are all sinners and that there is a penalty for sin. Since everyone is a sinner ... therefore .... everyone has earned that penalty. Romans chapter 6 verse 23 clearly states that the wages of sin that everyone has earned is death. See below:
Rom 6
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That wage that all men have earned is death and this means much more than physical death. Physical death is only the first part of the wages of sin. The second part is spiritual death. This means being cast away from God forever and perishing in the lake of fire for all eternity! Here is a description of the second death that awaits a lost soul:
Rev 20
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire.
The simple fact is that everyone is a sinner and everyone is heading for hell, the lake of fire. However, God is not finished there! Notice the 'but' in the middle of Romans 6:23. That 'but' means... yes we are all sinners and yes, we are all heading to the lake of fire...... BUT....! The 'but' is the good news that God has provided salvation so lost men and women do not need to perish in hell! That is why the Gospel is referred to as GOOD NEWS!
Let's look further at the rest of Romans 6:23 as we ponder the purpose of life being to be saved! After the 'but' God says He offers a gift and that gift is eternal life. This gift includes all this and more: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a home in heaven, a child of God, never perishing and going to the lake of fire! That is a pretty good 'gift' from God isn't it? Well, the next question should be: How do I get that gift? Again back to Romans 6:23. Notice after the gift is mentioned we are told how to receive that gift. Here it is: '....but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' (Rom 6:23) That gift can only be received through the Lord Jesus Christ!
The Bible makes this very clear. Salvation can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is what the Bible says:
John 14
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
Acts 4
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
What does it mean when the Bible says, Jesus is the only way to be saved? Well, simply put, this means if anyone tries to be saved other than through the Lord Jesus, they will fail and perish forever in the lake of fire. This means following Mohammed, or Buddha, or a Roman pope or any other false religion will cause the follower to die without God's gift of salvation. When the Lord Jesus said He was the only way to be saved, this eliminates all other ways. The Lord Jesus was either telling the truth or He was lying! But I hardly think He was lying since the Lord Jesus is God manifest in human flesh!
So keep in mind the main purpose of life is salvation. Following that thought, the only way a person can be saved is through the Lord Jesus Christ. God became a man, He lived and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He now offers the gift of salvation to anyone who will humbly receive this gift. For those who choose to reject God's gift of salvation don't get mad when you perish in hell. You see God already did everything possible to offer salvation from such a terrible fate. If you, reader, decide to reject the Lord Jesus, understand you will be responsible for paying for your own sins. If you reject the Saviour, then someone else must pay for your sins. That someone is YOU, yourself! The penalty for sin is separation from God forever in the lake of fire.
So the main purpose on earth is to be saved and to receive God's love gift of salvation and eternal life.
So, lets continue our discussion. What is next after salvation?
2) After salvation a person serves God. God has a plan of works/service for each of His children.
Eph 2
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The above verses clearly show that salvation is a free gift apart from any good works that we can perform. Salvation is a gift and it cannot be earned or merited in any way. Verse 10 focuses in on what a person is to do after salvation. To put it simply, God has a job for the Christian. He calls His people do perform good works in service to God. This is done after salvation and has no merit on the person's saved state. The Christian serves God out of love and gratitude for such a great gift of salvation. There is great joy in obeying and serving the Lord. He has a job for each of His children that is unique for each person. I cannot do your 'job' and you cannot do my job. Christians are all important and we all have tasks to perform in our walk with God. Some of those tasks will involve making the Gospel known to the lost so that they may be saved also. Here is a list of things done AFTER salvation:
a) Service to God in the work He has called YOU to perform
b) daily Bible reading. This is like eating food. The Bible is spiritual food
and as a Christian feeds on God's Word, he grows and matures.
c) Daily prayer. This is simply talking to God and giving thanks, making requests,
praying for others, and making your heart known to God.
d) Attending a good church. This means finding a good Bible believing church that
is faithful, obedient, and true to the Word of God, the Bible. Once find attend
on a regular basis.
e) Keep yourself obedient and avoid the apostasy of these last days. Do not
forsake foundational doctrines of Christianity like so many are doing in these
last days. Avoid false teachers and wolves. They are dangerous and evil and are
to be rejected and avoided. Strive for the goal of being a good and faithful
servant to your Lord and Saviour!
So far we have covered what the purpose of life is for each person. Next, we covered what is to be done after salvation. Finally, we will look at where we will go for eternity.
3) The saved Christian will live forever in the presence of God in heaven! This will be a wonderful place with no death, no separation, no pain, no sickness, and nothing sinful or evil. It will be such a wonderful place that God says we cannot even conceive in our minds the great things He has in store for His people.
This is a great hope that the Christian has right now! We actually know where we are going after death and this is a great comfort. If a Christian loved one dies, there is comfort. Yes, that person will be missed but one day, there will be a great reunion in heaven. You see, the only thing a person can take with them in this world is people. Only saved people who have accepted God's gift of salvation will be in heaven. This is a great comfort when a sick loved one, who is saved, dies and goes to heaven. This hope is not present in the lost, God rejecting person. Personally I do not know how they cope in this world since they reject God and His salvation. In fact, many do not cope and when bad times strike, these people break down.
CONCLUSION
The really big questions of life are very easy for the Christian to answer. All our answers can be found in the Bible as God know the beginning and the ending of everything. The main goal is for a person to be saved. After salvation God has work for the Christian to perform. After death, the Christian has a home in heaven.
John 14
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Our time here on earth determines where we will spend our eternity. Jesus is the only way to heaven. What men do with the Lord Jesus determines where they will spend eternity. I hope you have made the choice to receive the Lord Jesus and God's gift of salvation!
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