Introduction
Whether life has meaning and what the meaning of all this existence is has been a question surrounding human discourse for centuries on end. This essay ascertains that, indeed, there is meaning to life, and the meaning is God. There are no technical terms in this paper that are hard to understand, as the chosen method of writing borders on simplicity.
Disagreement
The controversy surrounding the meaning of life stems from the varied lines of thought and the absurdity of human existence as a whole. Those who claim that life is meaningless look at existence as an insensible charade devoid of any sense. People are born and struggle throughout their lives to attain certain things; in some instances, they just suffer and die in the end. Other people are born with conditions that guarantee they are subjected to endless struggle their whole lives. Eventually, these people die and leave behind relatives distraught by their suffering here on Earth.
Additionally, some people have no say in what happens with their own lives, as decisions are made for them by vicious humans (King & Hicks, 2021). Such people are born into conflict-ridden countries and spend their brief time here undergoing the effects of such wars. Life appears pointless when you look at it as an existence that begins only to end, and this is the argument presented by those who argue existence is meaningless.
There are arguments that human existence is merely an occurrence of chance created by massive happenings within the solar system. People who make such arguments argue that there is nothing special about our existence here, that mere accidents occasioned by stars cannot indicate any sort of natural happenings. These views usually imply that life on Earth is the end of human existence and indicate that what follows after a person dies is endless darkness and nothingness.
Thesis Argument
God is the meaning of life, and as long as one remains in God, life will be more sensible. Many unexplainable things in life cannot be explained through human capacity, yet the Bible recognizes the centrality of God through all this. In the book of Job 38, God offers intense explanations for the things happening in the world. He talks about the origins of the universe and the power He wields in controlling various phenomena, including keeping life on Earth intact (Upenieks & Krause, 2022).
In the book of Genesis 1, God is the creator of the universe and everything within the world. He created all things within the world and declared everything was good. He then created human beings and granted them dominion over the rest of creation. He made humans in his image and likeness, setting them apart as special creations on Earth. According to God, the purpose of human beings on Earth is to take care of all creation. This gives us purpose within the world.
After creation, God granted us a perfect life and intended for it to remain that way until man sinned. This disrupted God’s plans minimally, but he still maintained his goodwill for human beings, making deliberate plans for salvation. In the New Testament, God sent his only begotten son to bring humans salvation and bring them into contact with himself again. Christ died for our sins on the cross and made us one with our God so that the forgiveness of sins brought us closer. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus reminds human beings about the purpose of human life. The purpose is to know God, as clearly stated in John 17:3, where Jesus reminds us that the knowledge of God is a supreme reason for life.
The knowledge of God reveals all things in the Bible and the purpose of our creator in our lives. The knowledge of God enables us to understand his intentions intimately from the start of life for us. It ensures we acquire a deep understanding of what God does for us and makes us take our responsibilities seriously. The knowledge of God increases appreciation for life and enables us to maintain hope despite everything happening in life (Yıldırım et al., 2021).
The knowledge of God helps people in tough times to remain hopeful that everything will eventually turn out all right. The revelation of our purpose in life comes from having a personal relationship with God and asking him for clarity. God is gracious and loving towards human beings in clarifying all our worries. Everything starts with God, who allows us to occupy a place and thrive in the middle of it all, and ends with God.
Conclusion
Suggesting that life has no meaning simply because bad things happen is not objective enough, which is why such takes do not hold. The occurrence of bad things in itself should remind us of the good that eventually comes. It should reinforce our belief in an almighty creator responsible for regulating such occurrences.
People suffer throughout life, and there is an end to it eventually, but taking life on the surface and thinking of ourselves alone erodes all meaning. The advancement of the human race by providing solutions to the challenges that make life challenging is a testament to a greater calling and meaning (Doede, 2018). Life has continually improved for those who come after us through science and medicine, which is a testament to meaning and God’s power through us.
References
Doede, R. P. (2018). Freedom all the way up: God and the Meaning of Life in a Scientific Age. Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 70(3), 211-213.
King, L. A., & Hicks, J. A. (2021). The Science of Meaning in Life. Annual Review of Psychology, 72(1), 561–584. Web.
Upenieks, L., & Krause, N. (2022). Transcendental awe of God and dimensions of well-being: exploring the mediating role of meaning in life. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 1–21. Web.
Yıldırım, M., Kızılgeçit, M., Seçer, İ., Karabulut, F., Angın, Y., Dağcı, A., Vural, M. E., Bayram, N. N., & Çinici, M. (2021). Meaning in Life, Religious Coping, and Loneliness During the Coronavirus Health Crisis in Turkey. Journal of Religion and Health. Web.