So this year I am studying at Bible college which includes an internship at my church. I thought it might be good to share my essays on here. This is my first essay which I'm proud to say I got an A+ on.
So enjoy the read and let me know your thoughts on the topic/question.
"I think therefore I am." (Descartes, R. 1637) These were the words written by the 17th Century Philosopher Rene Descartes. Is this what it means to be human? The simple fact that we have a higher consciousness than animals? The 18th century poet Alexander Pope also said that "to err is human; forgive, divine" (Pope, A. 1711.) almost insinuating that to be human is to have failures and errors, but also implying that we have a dual nature with which we can access the divine. But today lets probe deeper into what it means to be human and, if there is a God, does he have a purpose for mankind? We have all at some point in our lives asked 'Whats the point?' and 'Why am I here?' Or even 'What am I doing with my life?' When we find the answer to these questions we find a greater enthusiasm, passion and motivation in our lives.
At its most animalistic level Descartes was right, we are human because we have the capacity to think, we have a consciousness which guides us morally and ethically, we have feelings and emotions that wrap around our world in a way that no other animal can experience. Perhaps the more pertinent question asks whether we are merely physical and emotional beings, or whether we are also spiritual beings? If it is the former, the daunting question of the origin of our consciousness will haunt us, but if it is the latter (and I will endeavour to pursue the latter) we must then also ask what are we here for? We are left then with two questions about our existence: 'Why are we here?' and 'What are we here to do?' The famous author Leo Tolstoy once asked 'why do I live?' and the answer he got was,
"In infinite space, in infinite time, infinitely small particles change their forms in infinite complexity, and when you have understood the laws of those mutations of form you will understand why you live on earth... You are an accidentally united little lump of something... that little lump ferments...The lump will disintegrate and there will be an end of the fermenting and of all the questions."
(Tolstoy, L. 1882)
This is the answer given to us by the scientific world, that there is no meaning. Yet when you ask someone what it means to be human, this is rarely their conclusion. People seldom answer with 'there is no meaning.'
So what does it mean to be human? Rick Warren said, "The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it." (Warren, R. 2002, P20) Every creation and invention has a purpose, often the best place to discover this purpose is in the users manual, likewise if we were created by God then we need to discover why he created us and we find that in the Bible. In Genesis 1 it says this about Gods creation of mankind.
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..."
(Genesis 1:26-28)
In previous verses we see God simply saying "let there be light" (v3) now however God says "let us make man in our image" giving a sign of intentionality and also of affection and care for the final creation. Man is indeed the only creation which has this direct relationship with God, made to represent God’s own image. So why were humans created? "We humans were created to live with God, in God’s good creation, in harmony with God’s good will." (Allpress, R., & Shamy, A. 2009. P23) If we are to take our lead from Genesis about what it means to be human then we see a relationship in place: God walking among men. We see the most perfect relationship, where man loves God out of free will and God is unhindered to show mankind his heart and his character
Though this may be the one thing that defines what it means to be human, we still have to ask 'What are we here for?' Later on in Genesis 2:15 it says "The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Some preachers or theologians may take this to mean that God's purpose for man is to work, and this is true, but I believe that this work only finds its purpose in the context of this all-encompassing relationship with God. If all we are to do is work, then we still have to ask about the purpose behind our work. If we are simply working to make a living, find success and support our family, only to arrive at death to lose everything, then this is nearly as meaningless as being an "accidental little lump." So what is the purpose of our work? Since humanity had free will to not follow God, that resulted in Adam and Eve doing so. Sin entered the world and disrupted the perfection and broke the relationship between God and man. Before Jesus stepped into history man worked to make himself righteous before God, now however Jesus has made us right before God. So one could rightly ask, 'Why work at all then?' The answer lies in the aforementioned free will given to us by God. Not everyone chooses to believe in God, but God does indeed have a plan for this world and for humankind, that plan is one of redemption. Jesus has done what was needed to restore that relationship, however it is obvious that we still do not live in a perfect world and people are still not in a relationship with God. This is God’s purpose for mankind: that we work to redeem the world back to its perfection and to restore people's relationship with God. God has given us an invitation into this life and to be a part of His plan. Dallas Willard wrote, "Yet, in the gloom a light glimmers and glows. We have received an invitation. We are invited to make a pilgrimage - into the heart and life of God." (Willard, D. 1998. P17) Our work today, whether it be in school, the workplace, in the ministry or on the streets, is to tell people of this invitation. It is then their decision as to whether they accept it.
The importance of this for a follower of Jesus is that this work should define us as it did the early church and Jesus' disciples. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This was Jesus' imperative, that we go, that we disciple and that we shall ultimately see people receive salvation and be baptised. If we are to learn from Jesus about discipleship, we learn that the only prerequisite to be His disciple is to be a sinner. Furthermore we see in the gospels that His disciples did not believe He was the Son of God when they first chose to follow Him. When Jesus invited his disciples to follow Him he did not look at who they were or what they were doing wrong, Matthew was a tax collector, "the most despised person in society." (Stanley A. 'Follow') In John 13:35 Jesus informs us of the only thing that should show other people that we are his followers, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." Jesus employed this when he invited his disciples to follow him, he did not show any prejudice towards them. The relevance of this in our personal faith should also be directly represented in how we organise ourselves within church, it needs to be the very driving force of every church event we run and every system and structure we put into place. As we go about our lives we need to always be attentive to this, we need to allow this to shape how we see Jesus and how we see people (after all, the church will only be as healthy as its members). We need to represent Him well by loving one another and showing love to everyone and anyone who crosses our path regardless of who they are and what they have done.
I wholeheartedly believe that our society is looking for genuine love from the Christians in the world. They are not looking for a church service, a program or even the best atmosphere to connect with Him. They are looking for love, they are looking for us to be true representatives of who Jesus is, after all it is commonly quoted that 'people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.' I do not think that we can live a truly fulfilling life that gives us joy and peace until we know why we were created and what our purpose is. Whether we know it or not, we all have an opinion on the answer to these questions and it is the answer to these questions that influence’s every aspect of our lives, from how we behave to how we treat people. It is the driving force that steers our very being and is an utterly important question for any follower of Jesus to answer.
Bibligraphy
Descartes, R. (1637). Discourse on the Method.
Pope, A. (1711). An Essay on Criticism.
Tolstoy, L. (1882). A Confession.
Stanley A. 'Follow', Series of Podcasts.
Warren, R. (2002). P20, The purpose-driven life: what on earth am I here for?. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.
Genesis 1:26-28, All scriptures given from ESV translation unless otherwise stated
Allpress, R., & Shamy, A. (2009). P23, The insect and the buffalo: how the story of the Bible changes everything. Christchurch, N.Z.: Compass Foundation.
Willard, D. (1998). P17, The divine conspiracy: rediscovering our hidden life in God. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
