Why Am I? What is the purpose of life?

We all die. Yet, we have an innate avoidance of death and want to continue to live. Some persons commit suicide, yes, but it is not a natural thing. That is why society tries to prevent it. We have suicide call centers for those contemplating ending their own lives. We have other measures to prevent suicide in place, too. Suicide is not a death wish. It is a protest against the pain we experience in this broken world.

You may have also sensed that you were made to live for eternity. It is in your heart and mind. In fact, the Bible says that everlasting life is the state of being for which humanity was created. Wealthy people freeze their bodies at death in hopes that someday a cure for death will be found. Eternal life is something for which mankind seeks to attain. It seems more natural than death.

Death is a disrupter that was brought to bear by our first human Father and Mother. We received the sentence of death in them. They were Adam and Eve. According to that most ancient book, the Bible, death was part of our earthly inheritance from them. We were within them and part of them.

Other explanations about how humans got here have been made. The theory that has taken hold in the last three centuries is called evolution. Many believe in what is an unproven theory: man evolving from the Earth through natural processes. Mother Earth did it. This theory has never been duplicated in a laboratory experiment which would have to be done for it to be proven. And the answer to the more basic question has not been offered. That basic question is this: Where did water, dirt, and an organized Universe come from? This would require the belief that matter itself is eternal. Is that any easier to wrap a mind around that believing a Living Being called God is eternal? No, it is not. It answers no ultimate questions.

Will the Universe last forever? Not according to science. It is expanding but the rate of expansion is slowing. Science says that in the future the Universe will collapse back on itself. The Bible says this, too.

2 Peter 3:10-13, New International Version (a translation of the Bible), says:

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens [The author believes the “heavens” was the old way of saying the Universe] will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat [Author’s comment: Will that not be Hell?]. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

So, this Universe will be destroyed and melt with heat, and a new one put in its place. And all humans will exist in one of two forms: eternal life with God in the New Earth and Heavens or in the state of eternal death in God’s garbage dump: the atomic fire of this Universe. If you love this Universe and Earth more than God, you can keep it, but it will be Hell.

You and I were made for Eternity. This life is a test. The test is do we love God and want to be with Him, or do we ignore or hate God and want nothing to do with Him?

Most children wonder about why they are here and what life is about. Did you? I did. I remember one incident when I was in the second grade. Mom woke me to dress for school and then said, “Make your bed before you dress. You forgot to do it yesterday.”

I looked at the bed and began to wonder, why do people make their beds? They are just going to come back at night and mess them up again. That led me to the next thought: What is life about anyway? You get up, eat, go to school, come home, play, eat some more, and go to bed to sleep. And then you get old and die.

I was wondering at a young age about purpose. The purpose of life.

Have you ever wondered about that basic question of ultimate Truth?

The dictionary talks about truth as a basic, fundamental fact or reality. Have you discovered the ultimate Truth? Allow me to introduce you to the ultimate Truth.

Ultimate Truth is God in three persons. We know Him (and Them) as God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Human Son. This is how God has revealed Himself to humanity. As the first words written in the Bible put it, “In the beginning God…,” (Genesis 1:1).

So now this question: Why am I? The answer is simple. The answer is love—that is why we exist.

For love to be—that is, to exist—it takes two or more. Love exists in the community. And the Bible tells us this amazing attribute about God: God is Love (1 John 4:8). We were created for community with God. Yet our primal parents, Adam and Eve, broke with God and aligned with a rival of God. Of course, this hater of God was Lucifer that old devil and a high-ranking servant of God.

Lucifer ranked immediately under God along as did two other spiritual beings we know as angels. Lucifer wanted to push God out and be in total control. Lucifer continues to try to usurp God’s throne. But God, instead of punishing Lucifer immediately, chose to use Lucifer and all those under Lucifer’s command to do something else. God chose to use Lucifer and his gang of fallen angels to be the ones to test the love of another order of beings God intended to make. That test group was us—the human race.

Humans were created all at once in the first married couple, Adam and Eve. Out of the loins of Adam and Eve we all came. Adam and Eve were given a test and they chose to go with Lucifer. As a result of that decision, all those who came and will come into being from Adam and Eve are separated from God.

We all share Lucifer’s fate. All are sinners. It is inevitable.

The question is this: how can a person make peace with God and enter back into the community of Love? How can we break with Lucifer? God has taken the initiative to make a way out of the grip of Lucifer and back to Himself. Here is the way it was done in a concise statement from John 3:16 (CSB):

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him [God’s Son] will not perish but have eternal life."

Humanity was locked up in death with our primordial parents so that each one of us would have the same test of loving God that Adam and Eve had. The test for each human being is this: Who do you love? Do you love Lucifer, or do you love God?

God has two trees.

• The first tree was in the Garden of Eden. Of that tree, God said, “Do not eat of this or you shall surely die.”

• The second tree was on Calvary’s Hill outside the gates of Jerusalem. It was the cross on which Jesus hung and died as the sacrifice for our sins. Of this tree, God said, “Do eat of this tree and you shall surely live.”

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking: How can I possibly eat of this last tree, this ancient cross?

The answer is that you eat of it in your heart and mind. You eat of it in the center of your being by making a fundamental decision, a solemn resolve to believe and to take the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, into your heart and life as a welcome resident and Lord. A lord is one with the right to rule. When a descendant of Adam and Eve does this, that person is melded to God through the work of the Holy Spirit. All is forgiven. Then God begins teaching and training his newly born followers. The teacher is Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God’s textbook is the Bible. It is so simple that it is a stumbling block for many. Therefore, let us break it down into its basic elements that take place in a person's heart, mind, spirit, and soul.

The first step in reaching out to Christ Jesus is this: the repentant person must agree with God that he or she has missed the mark of who God wanted them to be. A person must admit, "I am a rebel. I am a sinner and guilty as charged. I broke the law and continue to do it." A person must recognize that he or she should have been placed on a cross for his or her rebellion against God and Heaven, not Jesus. Yet, Jesus stood in our place because it was impossible for us to do what was needed. It had to be an innocent person on God's cross who could be a substitute to take the punishment that God would put that person through. It should have been us that was hung and then sent to the place of the dead. Instead, Jesus did it.

A repentant person further must ask God’s forgiveness. The repentant one does this by calling on Jesus and admitting that he or she is guilty as charged, a sinner and rebel, who needs and wants forgiveness from God. Then you speak to Jesus. What do you say to the Spirit of Jesus Christ? Jesus knows all things. He sees all hearts. He knows the thoughts and intentions of every heart and mind. So, say something like this to Jesus:

Jesus, I believe you died for me. I believe you were buried and then rose from death on the third day. Forgive me for my Sin. Thank you for paying for my debt to God. I want to be reunited with You and Your Father. Come into my heart of hearts, into my life, and save me from the fate of Lucifer. Thank you for saving me.

When I, the author of this blog, prayed for forgiveness and Jesus answered by giving me His Spirit, I personally felt euphoric, like for a time I was floating. Perhaps my spirit was jumping for joy. Every person has different reactions. The main thing is that the Holy Spirit gives us assurance that we have been accepted.

Do not think a person who has connected with Jesus and His salvation always feels emotional. As God begins to reshape, teach, and use us in His service, we go through trials, victories, and a learning curve. That is the natural thing.

God gives all believers one or more spiritual gifts that He has assigned for us for the work He wants us to do. He knows the situations He has prepared for us in order that we might do His work alongside Him. He reveals these gifts to us as we begin to trust and obey. It is a journey that is not always pleasant, yet always joyous in our overcoming daily through faith that leads to prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and loving our neighbors.

God always puts us in a family of other believers that meets regularly for prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. God will lead you to a regular gathering that English speakers call a church for reasons that entirely elude me. No, that is not true. I know why. It is the fault of the King James Version of the Bible, an English translation from the days of Shakespeare. You see, the Bible was written in ancient languages, mainly Hebrew and Greek. The better translations for the word church are either Fellowship or Assembly.

One last word as I close: Do not delay in running to Jesus. Do it now. Now is the only time we really have. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is not here. ##