Does The Meaning Of Life Elude You?

Every person who has ever lived has pondered this question: What is the meaning of life? This question was the catalyst for my journey that ultimately led me to believe in Jesus. Last November, I announced my intention to write a series of articles on the wills of God. Through these articles, I aim to convince some and encourage others that the true meaning of life is found in the will of a holy God.

Here is November 2024's article (click here) if you need to catch up on the first section on God's wills. In this piece, I explain why we can trust God's decision-making ability.

I want to take you back to October 2024, when I discussed the three categories for leading a meaningful life (click here) : one, God's wills; two, God's causes; and three, God's creation, where His wills and causes are worked out in history. This article laid the groundwork for answering the question, "What is the meaning of life?"

You might have noticed in reading or listening to the previous articles that I use the plural "wills" instead of the singular "will." This is to help you understand the different categories of God's wills. In November 2024, I wrote about God's decretive will, and this month, I'll help you understand God's preceptive will. There are different categories of God's wills that help us understand both God and humanity. The word "precept" refers to God's law, rule, principle, or command.

God's Preceptive Will

 As R.C. Sproul explains God's preceptive will is as follows: "Here God reveals His will through His holy law. For example, it is the will of God that we do not steal, that we love our enemies, that we repent, and that we are holy."

The best way to understand God's preceptive will is through the golden rule:

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

These two verses summarize God's rules (precepts) for our lives, which bring great blessings. Living out these two rules allows us to live holy lives as God requires:

"Since it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:16)

The First Central Preceptive Will: Understanding How to Love God

To briefly review, if you want to understand the meaning of life, you need to grasp God's wills. These wills are found in His eternal decisions and in the rules He gives us for life. Those rules are epitomized in two commandments: loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. When we live these out, we lead holy lives as required. This is where the true meaning of life is found. Let's briefly discuss the concept of loving God.

How do we love God? To truly love God, we must submit to the decisions He has made and the rules He has given. These are not found in the Qur'an, Mormon writings, Jehovah's Witnesses' literature, Hindu Vedas, or Buddha's eightfold path. God revealed Himself to mankind and provided rules to follow, found in the Holy Bible. It is in the Holy Bible that we understand God and how we should live our lives.

In summary, growing in love for God means submitting to His decisions and rules. Some of these rules include having no other gods, no idols, no stealing, no murder, no adultery, no lying, etc. However, though these rules are beautiful, every one of us has failed to obey them, a trend that started with Adam:

"Then the LORD God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—'" (Genesis 3:22)

This verse reveals humanity's attempt to become like God, but in doing so, Adam chose autonomy over obedience, leading to unholiness. God knows evil not because He commits it but because He is omniscient. Adam's rebellion introduced hate and blame towards God and others.

The Ten Commandments offer a summary of these rules, divided into two categories: our relationship with God and with others. If we could obey the first four, we would love God properly, giving us hope to obey the other six.

The Second Central Preceptive Will: Loving Your Neighbor

What does loving your neighbor look like? Due to time constraints, I won't cover all six, but let's consider a few. First, honor your father and mother; they gave you life, and you should respect and care for them. Second, do not murder; Jesus extended this to include anger. Lastly, do not commit adultery, which extends to all forms of fornication outside marriage. How well are you doing in loving God and your fellow man perfectly?

The meaning of life eludes many in this world, but knowing is half the battle. Understanding that holiness is not a bad requirement but one we cannot achieve alone is crucial. There is an answer that allows us to live meaningfully, but we must accept that God's knowledge is supreme. He decreed the fall (humanity's self-will) before the foundation of the earth and gave us precepts to reveal His goodness and our sinfulness.

In summary, the initial steps to understanding life's meaning are steep but necessary. Remember the three categories and the points covered:

Meaning in life is not elusive; it's found in God's will.

Understand God's will by accepting His decisions on how human history unfolds.

Recognize that His rules reveal our brokenness and His goodness.

Principles to Apply Until Next Month:

1.      How will accepting God's decision to allow sin into the human race change the way you interact with your fellow man this month?

2.      What practical steps can you take to love God more this month? Suggestions include finding and rooting out sinful habits with accountability, reading God's Word with an intent to apply it (one verse applied can be more powerful than an entire chapter read).

3.      How can you love those in your life who reveal your sinful nature? Serve them rather than allowing selfishness or anger to take control.

Until next month, go out and share the Gospel in any way you can to see lives transformed because the truth shared is the truth that transforms.