The meaning to life is one of the core questions we face. The ultimate answer to this question will reflect how one has concluded what the real state of reality is and therefore how we should adapt to it. However there are a few universal truths that seem to be deeply placed withi us as human beings. These are:To live - The desire to surviveTo love and be loved - The desire to have communityTo learn - The desire to understand, know, and createTo laugh - The desire to experience joyTo leave a legacy - The desire to impact the world after we dieThese five desires seem to reflect the meaning of life for most people unless they have been so wounded physically and/or emotionally that they have lost hope or inner balance. For a functional human being these seem to normally become their purpose for life. As I Christian I take these five values and see them reflected in my world view. To live is to have this life as a gift and eternal life in the kingdom of heavenTo love and be loved is to know family and friends here and a divine love as well in the person of Jesus ChristTo learn is to study the two books of God, one the creation and the other the scripture to strive to understand the mind of God and conform my thinking and actions to His. I am to think God's thoughts after Him. To laugh is to enjoy the goodness of creation within the framework of God's law and to know the heavenly joy of God within my own heartTo leave a legacy is to find my calling and accomplish it during my life time. This will help build the kingdom of God on earth. I will be rewarded forever for a faithful legacy lived by a life of love on the earth.Now many will disagree with the Christian application of these five desires. But the meaning of life would seem to have to address all of these issues regardless of the various world views which would strive to answer them. One way to evaluate a world view would be in its ability to provide a meaning for life based on these five needs of our humanity.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Thoughts
Where is the "New Birth"?
One of the reasons why people doubt Christianity is because those who claim to be infected don't seem to have the disease. The idea is that when people be "regenerated" the very life of Jesus is to be in them and they are to become like Jesus in their thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Spending time with people who claim to have been "born again" makes one wonder if this is working. They seem to have the same struggles and issues the rest of us have but many times seem to use their baptism into Jesus as a source of denial. Some seem to be "wolves in sheep's clothing" and are clearly abusing people in the name of religion. What seems to be a reality however is no "new humanity" has been born in the Church since the temptations ranging from self centered self righteousness to lawlessness can be observed. Few seem to have a stable "Spirit filled" life or demonstrate a new reality based on their spiritual regeneration. This is what seems to really be behind the complaint that Christianity is rejected because of the hypocricy of those who claim to be followers of Christ. The reality is that most everyone wishes the "new birth" did "work" and create "little Christs" out of each person who experienced it. But reality shows us that this rarely happens.
Now the answers to this are two fold. One is that just because someone claims to be "born again" that does not mean they are. In fact Jesus said we would know those who truly had experienced this new birth by the fruits it had in their lives. No fruit then no birth. A transformation of life is the sign of the spiritual birth in the same way as the cry of a new born baby is the sign of physical birth. We would just have to conclude that many more claim to have this new birth than actually possess it.
Secondly, we can also see that birth is just the beginning in a growth cycle of life. Physically we have few expectation of new born children. But we know that for the potential of a child to be developed they must be nurtured, trained, educated, and disciplined. Maturity only comes through a process and does not evolve naturally from simply being born. Without proper nurturing, training, education, and discipline then every child would grow up to just be a savage and demonstrate very little of the more noble aspects of human nature. The same would be true of Christians who are not nurtured, trained, educated, and disciplined. They would never live up to the potential of their new birth as well.
Now this provides for Christianity a reasonable defense against this attack upon its truthfulness. But we should be concerned at a practical level that the Church has fallen into such a state that such a defense has to be given. We were suppose to be the salt and light of the earth which encouraged people to give praise to our heavenly Father because of our good deeds. Yet, now people blaspheme Him because of us. We must care about this public and real lack of reality in the church. Lord have mercy upon us and help us be truly born again.
One of the reasons why people doubt Christianity is because those who claim to be infected don't seem to have the disease. The idea is that when people be "regenerated" the very life of Jesus is to be in them and they are to become like Jesus in their thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Spending time with people who claim to have been "born again" makes one wonder if this is working. They seem to have the same struggles and issues the rest of us have but many times seem to use their baptism into Jesus as a source of denial. Some seem to be "wolves in sheep's clothing" and are clearly abusing people in the name of religion. What seems to be a reality however is no "new humanity" has been born in the Church since the temptations ranging from self centered self righteousness to lawlessness can be observed. Few seem to have a stable "Spirit filled" life or demonstrate a new reality based on their spiritual regeneration. This is what seems to really be behind the complaint that Christianity is rejected because of the hypocricy of those who claim to be followers of Christ. The reality is that most everyone wishes the "new birth" did "work" and create "little Christs" out of each person who experienced it. But reality shows us that this rarely happens.
Now the answers to this are two fold. One is that just because someone claims to be "born again" that does not mean they are. In fact Jesus said we would know those who truly had experienced this new birth by the fruits it had in their lives. No fruit then no birth. A transformation of life is the sign of the spiritual birth in the same way as the cry of a new born baby is the sign of physical birth. We would just have to conclude that many more claim to have this new birth than actually possess it.
Secondly, we can also see that birth is just the beginning in a growth cycle of life. Physically we have few expectation of new born children. But we know that for the potential of a child to be developed they must be nurtured, trained, educated, and disciplined. Maturity only comes through a process and does not evolve naturally from simply being born. Without proper nurturing, training, education, and discipline then every child would grow up to just be a savage and demonstrate very little of the more noble aspects of human nature. The same would be true of Christians who are not nurtured, trained, educated, and disciplined. They would never live up to the potential of their new birth as well.
Now this provides for Christianity a reasonable defense against this attack upon its truthfulness. But we should be concerned at a practical level that the Church has fallen into such a state that such a defense has to be given. We were suppose to be the salt and light of the earth which encouraged people to give praise to our heavenly Father because of our good deeds. Yet, now people blaspheme Him because of us. We must care about this public and real lack of reality in the church. Lord have mercy upon us and help us be truly born again.
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