Is There a Greater Purpose to Life?

1.      Is There a Greater Purpose to Life?

The Bible claims to contain God’s revelation

The Bible repeatedly makes the claim that it holds within its writings the Words of God. Essentially what this means is that it claims to contain the revelation of God, of His will and of His purpose. We repeatedly hear phrases and words to that effect throughout its testimony. Common words and phrases in the Old Testament (OT) such as ‘The word of the LORD came to …’, ‘God said …’ etc. very clearly indicate this. These claims are supported in the New Testament (NT) scriptures, which also speak of the origin of the words of both the OT and the NT records.

It is important to remind ourselves that the Bible is speaking in the concepts defined above, and not in the terms of a neo-Platonic idealistic philosophy, which understood all knowledge to be revealed by God. For, it is self-evidently clear that some knowledge can be apprehended by the senses, as we can readily recognise in the many fields of science which explores and explains how the world works.

This fact is also clearly seen to some degree in the OT Wisdom books, for example, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. However, even accepting this reminds us that by contrast, the knowledge of God and of His will and purpose can only be through revelation, and not by study of the world via the senses.  This is what separates Christianity, i.e. the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, from all other religions and philosophies.

Some commonly known New Testament references that support this general conclusion are listed below.

Matt.4:4.  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” (Jesus is referring to Deut.8:3)

2.Tim.3:15-16.  .. and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Heb.1:1-2.  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son …

2.Pet.1:19-20.  … knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation (i.e. origin),  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.