|
Users viewing this topic:
none
|
|
Login  | |
|
Question - 6/12/2008 12:23:04 PM
|
|
|
Ash657
Posts: 2
Joined: 6/12/2008
Status: offline
|
Alright i'm new to this,
but i have a question...
whats the point of life??
is it to have fun, follow your heart, live the best possible life???
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 12:55:23 PM
|
|
|
Ps103
Posts: 11691
Joined: 4/16/2005
From: Here, now
Status: offline
|
Moving this from Doctrine to General Faith.
_____________________________
Fasten your seatbelts...it's going to be a bumpy night.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 1:06:44 PM
|
|
|
deermousie
Posts: 1901
Joined: 9/26/2007
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ash657
Alright i'm new to this,
but i have a question...
whats the point of life??
is it to have fun, follow your heart, live the best possible life???
Ooh, good question, Ash! I love it!
I find the shorter catechism of the Westminister Confession of Faith really handy for sorting out what the Bible says about important things. Look here if you'd like:
http://www.westminstershortercatechism.net/
Question 1: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
That's an answer I can live with. They give plenty of Bible verses to back up why they think that's right, and you can dig it out yourself.
God bless!
_____________________________
Want to know where a certain word or phrase in the Bible is found? www.biblegateway.com Yay!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 1:18:06 PM
|
|
|
LCannon
Posts: 1258
Joined: 2/22/2007
From: Lebanon, OR
Status: online
|
The 'point of life' doesn't depends on whether or not one is a Christian. The point of life is obedience and appropiation(claiming for oneself)His sacrifice/Victory so that I(we)can participate in the same obedience/Victory.
1 Corinthians 8:5-"For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist."
_____________________________
"It may be that when the angels go about their task of praising God they play
only Bach. I am sure, however, that when they are together en famille they
play Mozart and then too our dear Lord listens with special pleasure."(Karl Barth)
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 1:29:09 PM
|
|
|
justajerk
Posts: 129
Joined: 4/30/2008
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ash657
Alright i'm new to this,
but i have a question...
whats the point of life??
is it to have fun, follow your heart, live the best possible life???
First off, welcome!
I think a great answer comes straight from Thomas Watsons teaching on the Westminster Assembly’s catechism:
WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? (or, as you said: whats the point of life?)
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God.
I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: ‘That God in all things may be glorified.’ The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. ‘Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’ Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; now, man being a rational creature, must propose some end to himself, and that should be, that he may lift up God in the world. He had better lose his life than the end of his living. The great truth is asserted, that the end of every man’s living should be to glorify God. Glorifying God has respect to all the persons in the Trinity; it respects God the Father who gave us life; God the Son, who lost his life for us; and God the Holy Ghost, who produces a new life in us; we must bring glory to the whole Trinity.
Pastor John Piper changed the wording in this answer to better reflect how it is that we should live: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, by enjoying him for ever.
_____________________________
"Men think all things would be very glorious, if they might be done according to their mind. Perhaps, indeed, they would -- but with their glory, not the glory of God." - John Owen
monergism
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 1:40:54 PM
|
|
|
BerianAardvark
Posts: 371
Joined: 5/10/2008
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ash657
Alright i'm new to this,
but i have a question...
whats the point of life??
is it to have fun, follow your heart, live the best possible life???
I tried living my life "having fun, following my heart, and living the best possible" for about 20 years, it was (looking back on it) the most miserable time of my life.
When we live that way the biggest, most important thing in our life is ourselves...and any satisfaction we get generally lasts only until we see something else we want, and frequently that satisfaction is mixed with an empty, hollow feeling, and even the feeling of having been used and somehow dirty.
The only good thing that came out of that period of my life was a poem I wrote after I came to my senses. At risk of censure for posting it outside of the proper area I cite it now:
Testimony
To You, who can restore even
The years the locust have devoured,
I offer up those empty years, so full of me,
The freedoms that left me enslaved by
Indulgences that promised to hurt no one,
Yet wounded still, leaving scars upon my soul
And those of all who dared to love me.
These things, once so bright and pride filled,
I offer up to You now for Your glory
In recognition of the debt I owe You
Both as my Creator and my Savior
Ransomed from my self forged chains
By Your Grace, Your Love, Your Blood.
I revel now in the freedom of your service.
How relentless is your grace, my God,
That even in my darkest despair and
Deepest, most helpless dissipation,
In your unfathomable love and mercy
You still gently whisper to my soul,
Here lies forgiveness, healing. Come.
How boundless is your power, oh my Lord.
Effortlessly speaking worlds into being.
Restrained only by your wondrous mercy
From crushing me in my rebellion.
Calling always to your service, even me
With nothing but my broken self to give.
How amazing is your compassion
To ease the deferred agony
The cost of past transgressions
As you soften my pride hardened heart
Your arms encompass with reassurance
Of your eternal, unearned love.
Oh the joyous realization, that
With complete, detailed foreknowledge
Of the length and breadth and depth of my
Rebellion and my failures, even so you
Willingly shed your blood
Redeeming my soul and atoning for my sins.
_____________________________
The Law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted - Martin Luther
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/12/2008 4:58:38 PM
|
|
|
mvic
Posts: 1602
Joined: 1/17/2008
Status: offline
|
A parable according to Me:
Once upon a time there was a God; the one and only living God. He created man (mankind). And man being an inquisitive curious creature immediately asked: WHY? Why did you create me? What's the point?
God smiled and replied:
Because I love you.
Because I want you to live freely to enjoy all I have created for you.
In return I ask you to love me back and to love everyone else you meet. Oh, one more thing - tell other people about me.
The rest is history - man messed it up as you can see around you in the 21st Century.
_____________________________
Visit http://www.holyvisions.co.uk
My Book My Blog
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/13/2008 2:40:40 AM
|
|
|
BibleL7
Posts: 493
Joined: 2/1/2008
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ash657
Alright i'm new to this,
but i have a question...
whats the point of life??
is it to have fun, follow your heart, live the best possible life???
Welcome to the forums the point of life is to Glorify God done only by having faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus. To love Him, Obey Him and live the life He has for you. All else is vanity.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/14/2008 8:36:49 AM
|
|
|
4IMPersuaded
Posts: 405
Joined: 11/17/2007
From: Florence, KY
Status: offline
|
Welcome, Ash657...
I think others have given you the Christian perspective on this most fundamental question quite well. There is only one question I'd ask back...
If you were to evaluate the outcomes of each motivation that you offered, what would it be in comparison to the Biblical perspective? I once had a youth group leader that was fond of saying this (my paraphrase, of course):
If all of the "other" world religions are correct (I am to live a good life of kindness and respect to others and the Earth), or if those that think that death leads to nothingness, then I am covered. I will love God and my neighbor as myself and be fine. If Jesus REALLY is the only way, then I'm still covered-- there is no down side to this philosophy. If Jesus IS the way, the truth and the life, then those who thought otherwise are in big trouble!
Of course this isn't the best reason to invite Jesus to sit on the throne of your life. The best reason is the daily communion and relationship with the Creator who loves us beyond measure. The outcome of this relationship is an eternity of basking in His presence!
|
|
|
|
|
RE: Question - 6/14/2008 3:41:30 PM
|
|
|
Butterflytearz
Posts: 142
Joined: 7/6/2006
Status: offline
|
quote:
To You, who can restore even
The years the locust have devoured,
I offer up those empty years, so full of me,
The freedoms that left me enslaved by
Indulgences that promised to hurt no one,
Yet wounded still, leaving scars upon my soul
And those of all who dared to love me.
So I guess your answer to Ash would be yes NOW that you have given those twenty years to Christ to use for his good purposes in you.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.
|
|
|
|
 New Messages |
 No New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/ New Messages |
 Hot Topic w/o New Messages |
 Locked w/ New Messages |
 Locked w/o New Messages |
|
 Post New Thread
Reply to Message
Post New Poll
Submit Vote
Delete My Own Post
Delete My Own Thread
Rate Posts |
|
|
Forum Tools
Printable Version
