The Purpose of Life?

POST # 23 – ( updated June 9, 2009)

People tend to avoid those who think they have all the answers to life’s questions and know the purpose of life. However, the Bible sets out quite plainly what it is for Christians. The gospel itself is the good news of God’s free gift of eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives. The Christian life entails being called by grace to believe the gospel (of grace) to be a kind of first fruits harvest (James 1:18) of all people, to be manifested in the first resurrection at Christ’s return (1Corinthians 15:51-53 and Revelation 20:4-6). Christians are called to be ambassadors of Christ (2Corinthians 5:20) and the Kingdom of God now and to receive eternal life and reign with Christ on earth in the millennium; as well as on into the New Heavens and New Earth era.

That is the overview or Big Picture for Christians. What about the billions of other people who have lived since Adam and Eve and have not received God’s grace and calling?

It would be good to refer you to a previous post – The Reward of the Saved and the Unsaved – Here.
Or – Is the Church Age the Only Day of Salvation? Here.

When I was reviewing Psalm 23 and verse 6 “.. and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever”, John 14 :2 came to mind. “In my father’s house are many rooms (mansions or offices); if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

I got to thinking that if Jesus, who can do wonderful works, prepares a place for us it will be a perfect fit. I think all of us may have chosen a place for ourselves that didn’t suit us very well in the end. So we learned and started to look for a more compatible  job or whatever.

 But Jesus is also preparing us for the place that he is preparing for us. Also he is helping us find good friends and a church that we feel at home in, here and now. 

 I was thinking further about the parables of the pounds and talents, where Jesus offered rulership over cities to those faithful in the little things. In the millennium he will put some in charge of 10 cities and they will be perfectly suited for that job, because they were called and chosen and prepared by him. At least that’s the way I read it. I would be happy to assist someone in God’s Kingdom who is in charge of part of a city. Or how about being a door keeper in the Temple of God that is mentioned in  psalm 84?

He has gone to prepare a place for his faithful ones and is working with us weak and foolish ones (worldly speaking) to make us more faithful and bring us up to reach our full spiritual potential. I’m sure he would be happy if we produced even a little fruit of the Spirit.

We need a spiritual Father and mother (the church – the Jerusalem from above, which is the mother of us all) besides our elder brother Jesus , who went to heaven before us, to give us a spiritual upbringing, here and now. He certainly has given us a great hope.

I believe God has a plan to call eveyone who has ever lived to come before him in the Judgment Day (Revelation 20:11-13), to have a personal relationship with him so that they might choose the gift of eternal life, and dwell with him forever, because he wants everyone to be saved. Christians are to announce this good news now even though it seems foolish to the world at large and 160,000 of our brothers and sisters  are martyred each year, according to Amnesty International.

I believe resurrected Christians will be present as witnesses at the Final Judgment, which will take place after the 1000 yr period, and God can point to them  and say to the newly resurrected ones, “See, they did it so can you!” I believe people will be able to judge for themselves at that time. Why not?