"Is There A Purpose to Life?" (3 Possible Answers)
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By Joel Settecase
Do you believe there is a purpose to life? And are you living for yours?
Welcome to the Think Podcast with Joel Settecase, the show where we tackle impossible questions from a biblical perspective. This is Fast Friday.
Do you have purpose? Are you intended for anything?
There are three possible answers to this question.
Answer One: Life Has No Definite Purpose
Say there’s no objective meaning as to why we’re all here. The universe just is, and we’re all just here.
Now at first, this might sound incredibly liberating, but it’s actually very depressing.
See, don’t we feel like life ought to have purpose?
We’re searching for it. Google the phrase “purpose of life” and you’ll be greeted with 1.5 billion results.
Yet if there is no purpose, and we’re all just here for no reason, and all that searching is in vain.
This is existentially crushing. I mean, even a pop can is just a scrap of aluminum, but at least it’s got a purpose. Are you saying my life has less purpose than a pop can? Well, yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying—if life has no definite purpose.
But then you might say, Joel, the purpose of the pop can comes from people. Only people can assign purposes to things. So this brings us to:
Answer Two: We Define Our Own Purpose
Now there are myriad options we could choose:
To be good
Seeking pleasure
To love and be loved
To follow your heart
Self-improvement
Self-interest
To do the most good for the most people
Family legacy
Making authentic decisions
To be authentically you
Yet there’s a problem here too. At this point we aren’t talking about purpose but preference. We may set goals and purpose to achieve them. But that’s completely subjective. Nothing we choose could be wrong.
This would mean that, whatever anyone chooses for their purpose, that’s correct. One who serves the poor is just as valid as one who stays in bed, or one who murders the poor.
Is this satisfying? Don’t we know that not all self-chosen purposes are equally valid? If so, then we must say that life’s purpose must come from outside ourselves. This brings us to:
Answer Three: Life’s Purpose That Is Defined For Us
Here again, there are three possibilities.
Maybe it’s evolutionary biology. Over the eons of our evolution, certain structures have arisen, deeply embedded ideas within us as a species. Call them instincts, “memes,” or “archetypes.” So on this view, our purpose is to discover these ideas and live them out. But there’s a problem here too. Let’s say we did evolve from the beasts. We have these deep instincts embedded in us as a species, but… so what? This tells you what is, but not what ought to be. Where’s the intentionality needed for purpose? Atheist evolutionist Richard Dawkins infamously said that there is only “blind, pitiless indifference” behind the universe. No intention, only a void. Can a void give you meaning and purpose?
Or maybe it’s other people. If you look to another person or group for purpose, then that’s only as solid as their whims. People are fickle, and you’re entrusting them with all you’ve got. And where’d they get the authority to define your purpose? From you? But who says it’s within your purpose to grant them that authority? Did you just choose that? So now you’re back to defining it for yourself—and all the problems that come with that.
For purpose to be real, solid, and objective, it must come from God. God is outside us, above us, with both the intentionality to assign purpose, and the authority to make it real. And because he made us and knows us, his purpose alone can satisfy us.
The Bible’s picture of God is triune (three-in-one), and his purpose for us reflects all three Divine Persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is:
God-defined (Romans 9:19-24). We’re clay; God our Father in Heaven the potter. He has authority, because he’s the author of our lives.
God-glorifying. It’s to obey, bring glory to, and enjoy life with God, by the power of God the Holy Spirit (Psalm 100:1-2; Ecclesiastes 12:13; also Ephesians 1:3-14 and 2:8-9).
God-given. It’s fully realized when he re-creates us in the image of his Son, for good works (2 Corinthians 5:17, 15:49; Ephesians 2:10, 4:24).
We could summarize the Bible’s teaching by saying that our purpose is to glorify, obey and enjoy the Triune God.
The Bible says we all fall short of our purpose and fail to reflect God’s glory (Romans 3:23). And we miss the mark, because we’re so busy trying to define our own purpose and force God out of it. Left to ourselves, we would all be left stuck in that state, for eternity, under God’s wrath, having rejected his purpose for us. It’s not a pretty picture.
But our hope is that God can restore us to his glory, joy and purpose, through His Son Jesus. His purpose was to embrace death for us and conquer it on our behalf. When we trust in him, he gives us life and new purpose.
So what do you think? Do you agree with my three possible answers or did I leave something out? Let me know below. And if you like this, please subscribe to our YouTube channel—or like and share this video on Facebook.
This isn’t goodbye—this has just been a little pit stop along the way of your spiritual journey. I hope you’ve heard something helpful today, and until next time, I hope it made you think.