This one of the most fundamental questions has both considerably plagued and challenged all human beings from generation to generation. Can we possibly answer this question? Have you ever imagined not being born as a human but an animal like a cow or a pig, and lived a life of an animal, ate animal feeds marred with dirt and filth? Had you been born as an animal, would you have ever been able to enjoy all privileges that human beings are enjoying? Did you ever find yourself being very grateful for the fact that you were born as a human, not an animal? If you did, have you found any meaning in this life? Or is the life just meaningless to end aimlessly through death? Is there any hope in this life? Is there any hope of life after death? And what is that hope? What are you going to do to realize that hope?
The world has drastically been mesmerized and intoxicated by the popular naturalistic theory of evolution that it seems impossible to find any true significance of life on this earth. Those who firmly hold this theory neither find nor have any meaning in their life. Their life is such that is exactly the same with that of an animal. Ironically however, even the animals were created to serve certain purposes. God created them for our benefits. We can ride on horses, and scavengers like birds or pigs can help us do the environmental cleaning. Nevertheless, do the animals have any knowledge of God, salvation or eternal life, and are privileged to ascend to heaven? Far from it. Human beings are God's pinnacle creation formed with capacity to acquire the knowledge of God and are capable of possessing God's image. But can we achieve this without God? Can we live even a single second without depending on God's great mercy and grace? Can we live properly without involving God? Naturalistic evolutionary theory enthusiasts have nothing to do with God and live careless life. Their life has no purpose and hopeless. They just temporarily live on this earth and end up dying without any clear concept of what is taking place after death. That kind of life is such of an animal life.
God's Purposes of Creating Us
Then, why were we born? Why did God place us on this planet earth? Does He have any special purpose of creating us? Why did He not just create plants and animals? What significance does our existence bear as human beings? If we truly believe that the Bible is our mere moral standards of judgment and regard it as the infallible, sacred inspiration from God, then we can easily trace down the answer to where we came from, and why we are here on this earth. The Bible can tell us plainly about the purpose of our existence here.
1. Establish God's family
The Scripture tells us clearly that after God completed creating plants and animals, on the sixth day, He created us.
[So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them] (Gen. 1:27).
His own image or in the image of God simply means that we resemble God not only physically but also with moral aspect quality. We simply partake in His divine nature.
[... that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust] (2 Pet 1:4).
[Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising] (Acts 17:29).
[Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth] (Gen 1:28).
God blessed us and wanted us to be fruitful and multiply. He desires to establish not a mere mortal human family having beast-like character, but an eternal God's family possessing God's image and character instrumental for sharing the blessings of His grace and entrust stewardship to us.
2. Meet God
Another purpose why we were born is to meet our Maker, our heavenly Father. Once an old wise man asked a young university student sitting beside him on a bus while reading a book. The young man is the most brilliant student in his university. He's an agnostic.
"Hi, young man, do you go to university?"
"Yes, I do."
"What are you studying at the university?"
"I'm studying political science."
"What are you gonna be after graduating from university?"
"I'm gonna be a politician, and then be a senator."
"After being a senator, what would you like to be?"
"I'd like to be a president of this country."
"After being a president, what are you gonna do next?"
"Well, I'll just retire and go fishing."
"What are you gonna do after that?"
"Well, I just get old and die."
"So you're spending your precious time and tremendous amount of tuition fee to accomplish your education in this life doing whatever you're pleased to do and then just end up dying?"
The wise man kept on explaining at greater length about the significance of life, and managed to make that young man converted into a Christian.
The wise man here presented, depicts a pious man who lives with sure purpose. He knows why he was born on this earth. We can clearly tell by the questions he probed and the ultimate conclusion he draw during the conversation that made the young brilliant student completely stupefied. The majority of people inhabiting this earth are just like that young university student who live without any clear life objective. They just live wondering around like a ship without a compass tossed away by the waves in the ocean, hanging around like vapor blown by the wind. They just don't have any clear idea why they are here on this earth. Thankfully however, due to the wise man's living testimony, the young man was converted. Who did the young man meet? He met God through the wise man.
What a blessed thing for human beings to meet God who has created them. If we don't meet God while living on this earth, then it would be far better to be born as a chicken whose meat can be eaten by people. Those who neglect God and are indifferent to Him are like animals. Since they don't have God, they live as they please without any purpose committing vicious crimes regardless of age, position, and educational background. They continue to live sinful life until they die without any hope of salvation. On the other hand, those who meet God will know for sure why they were born, they do have hope in their life, and know what to do to realize that hope. They don't consider this life as a mere mortal one to just end aimlessly like what is happening to the animal kingdom. Ours is not a mortal, perishable kingdom but an eternally indestructible family God designed and established for our eternal happiness and joy. In this life, therefore, we must seek to meet God, to know Him, to be acquainted with Him and to become one with Him.
[But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul] (Deut 4:29).
[For the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever] (1 Chr 28:9).
[Blessed are those who ... seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity] (Psa 119:2, 3). [... so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us] (Acts 17:27).
3. Keep God's Commandments
After having met God, we're endowed with new spirit to know Him more, to become friends with Him and be united with Him. If we know God aright, we also know how to please Him. To please Him is to keep His commandments. We know what He wants us to do to please Him and honor and glorify Him. By so doing we will obtain wisdom.
[The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments ... Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments] (Psa 111:10; 112:1).
[The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding] (Pro 9:10).
Keeping God's commandments is the whole duty of mankind toward God who has created us. It's our expression of gratitude for His creative power.
[Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man] (Eccl 12:13 NIV).
We're not keeping God's commandments to receive salvation, because we're all saved by His Son's grace by dying on the cross. We're keeping His commandments simply because we have been saved by His amazing grace. But those who don't keep His commandments are the ones who haven't yet responded to God's invitation of salvation through Jesus' precious sacrificial blood. Those who feel and believe that they have been saved by God's grace will automatically respond to it by obeying His commandments and live forever. That's an obvious evidence that we really love God. [If you love Me, keep My commandments] (John 14:15).
Finally, we can confidently guarantee that our life is worth living as we know where we came from, why we are here on this earth with clear purpose in mind and what we should be doing to achieve that purpose. We will then be guided continuously in our daily path of life to where we should be headed with total dependence on God and absolute submission to His perfect providence. May you, readers, make a wise choice to life worthy life walking together with God as your personal Heavenly Father who is constantly taking meticulous care of us. NM
