Meaning of Life, Biblical Take

[Ben Brandt]

I believe the overarching epic drama of the Bible best answers the
meaning of life question. This narrative is the story of a wonderful
creation, a horrific fall, an unbelievable redemption, and a waiting
consummation/restoration.

1) Creation- In the beginning there is only the infinite God. And then
this infinite God in a sense breaths in to make room for a creation.
Then He creates everything (Genesis 1:1). Whether that was 6000 years
ago or 6 billion is a fine discussion but not where I want to go for
my discussion here. If you read Genesis 1 and 2, you see the author
paint this beautiful picture of original creation, with the primary
emphasis being that it was good, indeed very good. God makes this
wonderful universe and planet with all sorts of various plant and
animal life. The story then zooms in on this God putting special care
into making a man, in His image, from the dust of the planet He has
just made. He breaths into this man a soul and he becomes a living
being. He then gives this man another one like him, a woman, and He
instructs them to multiply, cultivate, and steward this planet. He
makes this beautiful garden for them as a sort of model or prototype.
And then He says this is good, go out and make this place better. Make
the rest of the world look like this garden. God gives them the world,
and says you can have everything, just don't eat the fruit from this
tree. Life is good, everything is right and good. There is no sin, no
death, no shame, no pain, nothing of the sort. The original call to
mankind is that they would walk with and mirror their Creator as they
enjoy and cultivate His creation. But...

2) The Fall - Then a serpent, the tempter, enters the story, and it
turns dark. The serpent goes to the woman and tempts her to play God
herself. He tells her that God has withheld happiness from her, and
that if she will eat the fruit, she can be like God. So she does, she
eats and gives some to her husband who also eats, and the universe
shatters, shalom is broken. This beautiful, rhythmic creation has now
been knocked way off course. Sin and evil enters God's good creation
and corrupts it. Before man and woman were naked and unashamed, not
even knowing they were naked. Their focus was entirely outward, on God
and His creation and on the other. But immediately that focus turns
inward. They become self-centered and ashamed. They cover themselves
and hide from their benevolent Creator in fear and shame. The blame
game, that we are all experts at from birth, is played for the first
time. God pronounces curses upon the tempter, the woman, and the man.
And we know these curses, listen to a woman in birth, I have a child,
birth is horrible. It is not a fun process. Man is told that by the
sweat of his brow and in toil he will cultivate this planet. We all
know this one. Everything that we endeavor to do will at times war
against us. It doesn't matter what field of work your in, nothing ever
runs perfectly smooth; its Murphy's law. And in chapter 4, within one
generation we have envy leading to murder. Everyone reading this knows
this story. Not from Sunday school, or church, but just from life. We
all know the world is broken, it's why the biggest section at Barnes
and Noble is the self help section. Everyone reading this
intrinsically feels the need to fix the world. The problem is we are
descendants of Adam and Eve, and we are wicked sinners by our very
nature. Our first inclination from birth is to sin. Anyone with kids
knows this. My 1 year old son will whack me with his toy hammer if I
don't give him the cookie he wants. He intrinsically resorts to
violence when he doesn't get his wants. He didn't learn that from me
or my wife. We're not perfect, but we don't whack each other with
sticks. I've never bit my wife during an argument, but my son knows
to. I've never had a temper tantrum on the floor kicking and screaming
at my wife, but my son does. How does he know to do that? Because he's
born with a wicked sinful nature, just like the rest of us. Every time
we sin, which is pretty much all the time, we continue wrecking this
creation. And the worst part is there is nothing we can do about it.
How can something that's broken fix itself? How many self-help books
are we going to have to read before we realize we can't fix ourselves?
Broken people cannot fix broken people. Any married person who's tried
to fix his/her spouse knows this. We need something outside of
ourselves to fix us. We need a Savior.

3) Redemption - Now comes the good news. Because even way back in
Geneses 3:15, in the first curse we find hope. This hope is that one
day the offspring of the woman will be bruised by the serpent, but
will crush the serpents head. Jesus is that offspring of the woman. He
is God in the flesh, born of a virgin, crushed on the cross for the
redemption of humanity. Jesus is that something we need that is
outside of ourselves because He was God in the flesh (John 1:1-14).
God humbles Himself and enters into His own creation that He might
redeem it back to what it was meant to be (Philippians 2, 2
Corinthians 5:17- end). You see because of our wickedness and sin, we
store up wrath for ourselves, God's wrath. We ruin His creation, try
to assert ourselves to His position, and declare open rebellion
against Him. We commit treason against all that is right and good
every time we sin. God is a just judge, and He cannot simply sweep our
sin under the rug. That is neither loving nor just. A judge who lets a
murderer back on the street simply because the murderer is sorry is
not a just or good judge. Crime demands a penalty, a payment. But God,
being just, is also outrageously merciful. So He makes a way to pay
the penalty and extend mercy. He takes the penalty on Himself. The
judge steps down from the throne and posts bail at the cost of His own
life. God takes on flesh in Jesus Christ, lives out a perfect sinless
life, and gets slaughtered on a cross. In doing so He absorbs the
wrath due to you and me and extends forgiveness to anyone who will
take it. So it's a free gift to you and I, but horrifically costly to
God. And in doing so God begins to redeem back His creation. If you
accept that Jesus took the wrath due to you and accept His
forgiveness, He indwells you with His Spirit and begins to repair and
fix what's broken in you. He begins to turn you away from the
destruction of sin and leads you into new life. You become a new
creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). One day not only will He repair us,
but also all of creation.

Consummation/Restoration (Revelation, 2 Peter 3) - One day Jesus will
come again, and will fix what is broken. He will destroy all evil once
for all and make a new earth, a restoration of this one, in which His
redeemed people will live forever without sin, death, and shame. And
He will once again walk with His creatures and they with Him. As Jesus
was resurrected from the dead, those who died in Him will also be
resurrected with new, imperishable, glorified bodies. This is the
Christian hope, that one day Eden will be restored, except this time
it is not a garden, but a city. Here's the catch. When Jesus returns
again and destroys all evil, that means all evil. Who have we already
established is evil? Me and you. However, if you turn to Jesus for the
forgiveness of your wickedness, a great exchange occurs. He takes your
sin, and He gives you His righteousness, so that God now forgives you
and sees you as righteous and pure, no longer a sinner, all sins
forgiven, past, present, and future. However if you reject Jesus, you
remain in your sins and you will be destroyed in them. Hell is all
that awaits you. Logically a simple choice, but not an easy one for
the wicked and prideful heart.

So what is our purpose? We find our part in the drama. We discover our
part in redeeming and restoring creation. And we do it for the glory
of God. Our purpose is not to live for self but to live for something
and Someone much bigger.

Ben Brandt
Please respond by email