Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Christian vs. American Worldview Part VII

I am persistent and will finish my eight part discussion on Christian vs. American worldview. In this post I will be answering the question "What is life for?" from a Christian perspective. Remember that this is a brief answer.

"We know for sure that the purpose of life has nothing to do with our present material existence. Material existence, as we know it, will not last forever (Matt 5:18; Hebrews 1:11-12; Revelation 21:1). Ultimately this life must exist for the purpose that its Creator intended. God the Creator will destroy the heavens and the earth when they have fulfilled their purpose. God is the mind behind what is formally called “life.” God fills us in on His purpose in Ephesians 3:10-11, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ultimately the purpose of all life is to glorify God—to show off his infinite attributes. This is why He created the world, and this is why there will come a time when He will destroy it (it will have served its purpose)."

2 comments:

Garrett said...

Jims,

Even though "material existence, as we know it, will not last forever," it's good to be reminded that material existence, as such, will last forever. I mention this because many Christians have the idea that heaven is this misty kind of place where a bunch of disembodied spirits float around. But the Biblical reality is that of a physical "new heavens and a new earth" free from the effects of sin, which Christians will inhabit in physical bodies. In other words, the meek truly will "inherit the earth" at the appointed time. So even though the Lord will destroy the present heavens and earth, it is only so that He can create a "new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells."

By the way, the passage you quoted is from Ephesians 3, not 4.

gh

Jimmy Snowden said...

Garrett,
Thank you for the comment. I completely agree--many do have a wacked out view of eternity. This is why I clarified what I was saying by saying "as we know it."
Also, I will change the reference, thanks for pointing that out.
Jimmy