Articles


The Purpose of Life

 

       1 Do we consider the purpose of life on earth?

       Generally, all living creatures develop, react to external stimuli and reproduce themselves, even if their behaviors differ according to their functions and capabilities. However, man is the only creature on earth with the power to wonder about the origin and purpose of life.

       If, as many say, life is not due to a deliberate project, but comes from chaos or chance, life would just be an accident without a purpose, but the percentage of the chances of its accidental origin, expose mathematically the impossibility of this fact, even through millions of years. The possibility that one simple protein may be produced by chance is one in 10113, (10 raise to the power of 113), but life requires much more than a simple protein; so that a single cell remains active, two thousand different proteins are needed and the probability that all of them are produced on one same place and combine by chance, is one in 1040000, (10 raise to the power of 40,000). If we bother to make these calculations, we will understand that the assertion that life arose spontaneously by chance from chaos, is really untenable. Only who is determined to ignore another option clings faithfully to it, and even the most ardent supporters of Darwinian evolution, understand that this theory only presents with many and insurmountable gaps, a series of transformations, but does not explain the origin of life.

       The option that so many strive to ignore, is that of the existence of a creating intelligence, and this fact encourages serious thinking about the source of life and the purpose of creation.

 

       2 Modern archeology and many of the ancient historical reports that have reached us, disclose information that supports and gives weight to a collection of books written over a period of more than 1500 years, with the purpose of displaying the development of the Creator's purpose for the earth and the life on it; these accounts compile the canonical Scriptures of the Bible.

       Moses started the first book with these words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth”, (Genesis 1:1) and John wrote the last of its books, known as Revelation or Apocalypse, where we may read for the umpteenth time: “You, Yahuh, are worthy of the glory and of the power, for you created all things, and these exist and came into being by your will” (Revelation 4:11)

       In line with this, when the people of Athens led Paul to the Areopagus to get information about his preaching, Paul began his speech identifying the source of life, and said: “The God that made the world and everything in it, is the Lord of heaven and earth ... he is who gave life, breath and all things to every one... by him we live, move and exist”. (Acts 17:24…25, 28)

 

       3 All living beings on earth are animated, this word means that they are active and move. For this reason the word soul, which is a synonym of the Latin word “anima”, has to do with animation or movement. It does not describe an invisible immortal substance, as many may believe, Scripture applies it to all living beings, as we read: “Yahuh God made the man from soil dust, and blowing into his nostrils the breath of life, man was made a living soul”. (Genesis 2:7) So when “God put man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it, gave him this command: You can eat fruit from any tree in the garden except from the tree of good and evil. Do not eat the fruit of that tree, because if you eat it, you will certainly die”. (Genesis 2:15…17) And death is the total lack of life.

       The presumption that the soul survives after the death of the body, may alleviate the fear of ceasing to be. This idea comes from the ancient philosophies, and can even be said that its origin is mentioned in the book of Genesis, when contradicting the words of the Creator, the “ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9) tells “the woman: No way will you die!” (Genesis 3:4)

       The belief in the immortality of the soul was adopted by many Jews when Judea was under the dominion and influence of the Greek empire, but is in conflict with the text of the canonical Scriptures, which apply the Hebrew word “nefesh”, which corresponds to the Latin term “anima”, to every living being, human and animal, as we read in the book of Genesis, when: “God said:  there will be living souls (beings) on the earth after their kind; tame animals, tiny beings and all the wild animals of the earth. And so it happened: God made ​​all wild beasts of the earth after their kind, domestic animals after their kind, and every tiny being of the earth according to its kind. And God saw how good it was”. (Genesis 1:24…25)

 

       4 Referring to the purpose of life, Solomon writes: “Those who are alive know that they must die, but the dead know nothing ... and no longer take part in all what happens under the sun”. (Ecclesiastes 9:5…6) And prophet Ezekiel records these words of Yahuh, in harmony with Genesis 2:15..17: “Behold, all souls are mine, the soul of the father is mine just as the soul of the son, and the sinful soul will die”. (Ezekiel 18:4)

       However, the fact that men should live for some years to leave offspring, and disappear after death, was really the purpose that God from the beginning? And what is the sense of the tree of good and evil?

       God had endowed man of conscience and free will, but never gave man the authority to establish subjectively and regardless of his Creator’s laws, what is morally good and what is morally evil; to ignore this fact would mean a break with the source of life, and this would lead him to death. In fact, God does not speak of death as a normal and unavoidable event, he only warns man of what a disobedience of his laws, meant to protect the welfare of all creation, would cause him.

 

       5 On the other hand, in the center of the garden was the “tree of life” (Genesis 2:9) and the presence of this tree suggests that the man had within his reach a life without death, but as Paul writes: “because of one single man, sin entered the world and through sin came death, and death spread to all men because they all inherited sin”, (Romans 5:12) since “the salary of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Romans 6:23)

       Man freely chose to ignore the Creator's advice, and established his own moral laws. In harmony with this choice, God left the earth in his hands, giving him the chance to check the results of his conduct. Since then, “the heavens are the heavens of Yahuh, but he gave the Earth to the sons of man”, (Psalm 115:16) while humanity lives a time “in which man dominates man to his hurt”. (Ecclesiastes 8:9)

       But this situation was not to be forever, and according to the promises recorded in Scripture, it will end with the reign of Christ. “Then, when that which is corruptible has dressed incorruption, and that which is mortal has dressed immortality, the word that was written will be fulfilled: Death has been swallowed up forever”. (1Corinthians 15:54; Isaiah 25:8)

 

       6 The purpose of God for the Earth is thus the same from the beginning of creation, he has not changed his design, and “he did not form it for chaos, he created it to be inhabited”. (Isaiah 45:18) God declares through Isaiah: “the word that goes forth from my mouth will not return to me ineffective, but it will do what I want and accomplish that for which I sent it”. (Isaiah 55:11)

       King David prophesied: “The righteous shall inherit the Earth and dwell therein forever”, (Psalm 37:29) and confirming his words, Jesus proclaimed: “Blessed be the meek, because they shall inherit the Earth”. (Matthew 5:4) Death was not the purpose of the Creator for his children; John writes, “God is love” (1John 4:8) and “God so loved the world, that he offered his only begotten Son so that all who exercises faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life”. (John 3:16) It was his wish to provide humanity with a way of justification that would be consistent with his law, so that “if by the transgression of one single man, death reigned, by means of one single man, Jesus Christ, life will reign in those who receive the generous gift of justification” because “as through one single offense, the sentence was extended to all men, by one single act of righteousness, the justification that brings life is extended to all men”. (Romans 5:17…18)

 

       7 However, to follow a path in conflict with the guidelines of the Creator, nullifies any future hope for he who is baptized in Christ, because it deprives him of the life without death that through the redemption of Jesus, God concedes.

       Paul writes that “those that have tasted the good words of God and the wonders of the world to come and yet turn back, cannot be given conversion again, because it would be like sacrificing once more the Son of God for their sake, and expose him to public shame”. (Hebrews 6:4…6)

       This is a recurring warning from Genesis to Revelation; so Paul reminds the disciples: “do not turn aside; you cannot play with God and each one will collect what he has sown. Who sows for the desires of the body, will collect corruption (death) from the body, while he who sows for the spirit, will collect from the spirit everlasting life”. (Galatians 6:7…8)

       When Paul stood before the Roman procurator Felix, to defend himself of the false accusations from the Jews, he told him: “I confess that I worship the God of my fathers, across the Way they call a sect; I believe in all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets, and I have the hope in God, which I also share with them, that there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust”. (Acts 24:14…15)

 

       8 In fact, neither Jesus or his apostles spoke of any other hope for life than the promised resurrection on the last day, a hope that Jesus reminded his people, saying: “this is the will of Him who sent Me: that none of those whom he brings to me, be cast out, and that I raise him up on the last day. Because this is the will of my Father, that everyone who recognizes the Son and believes in him, may have eternal life and I rise him up on the last day”. (John 6:39…40) “Do not be surprised because of this: the time comes when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to a resurrection of judgment”. (John 5:28…29)

       Jesus told Martha: “I am the resurrection: he who believes in me, even if he dies, shall live” and speaking of the time of his return, he said: “whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? She said: Yes Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who was to come into the world”. (John 11:25…27) Her words should be the answer of all his disciples, which are those that await him and put faith in all his words.

 

       9 Since the beginning of his preaching, Jesus proclaimed: “Be converted because the kingdom of heaven has come near”. (Matthew 4:17) And this was true, because even if the time to establish God's kingdom on earth, had not yet come, Jesus, its future king, was already among them.

       Luke writes that “after his death in sacrifice, he evidenced to be alive and appeared to them (to his apostles and disciples) during forty days, to speak about the things concerning the kingdom of God”. (Acts 1:3) After this, he took leave of them and while he was taken up towards the sky, his figure disappeared into a cloud. Then, two men in white robes appeared to the disciples and said: “Men of Galilee, why are you staring at the sky? This Jesus, who from among you, has been taken up into heaven, will return as you saw Him go into heaven”. (Acts 1:10…11)

       Some sixty years later, John received from Jesus a vision about the foundation of God’s Kingdom on Earth, and writes: “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and powerful voices in heaven said: The kingdom of the world has become the reign of our Sovereign and of his Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever”. (Revelation 11:15)

 

       10 The disciples of Jesus have always lived in this unjust and violent world, sustained by the faith in his promises and the hope of his return and his reign of justice. Peter wrote for them: “There is something you must not forget, brethren, that for Yahuh one day is as a thousand years and thousand years as one day”, (2Peter 3:8) but, “in keeping with His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth where justice will house”. (2Peter 3:13)

       God's times are not the same as those of mankind, who lives for a few years and falls into the deep sleep of death, but as in death there is no consciousness, those who sleep in it cannot count or realize the time that goes by until their awakening; this means that they all have to wait as much as the years of their life, which are more or less the same for all the people of the past generations.

       However, the return of Christ is a true and reliable hope for those who put faith in his words; the apostle Paul exhorts them with these words: “stand firm and persevering, my beloved brethren, having always plenty to do in the Lord's task, and being aware that your work for the Lord is not in vain”. (1Corinthians 15:58) since “Christ, having offered himself once in order to abolish forever the sins of many, will manifest himself again for a second time, though no longer in connection to sin, but to those who are waiting him, to be saved”. (Hebrews 9:28)