After having posted some thoughts about existence in my Facebook notes, and having considered my friends' responses, I posed the following as a related question: “What is the ultimate meaning of existence?” I received interesting answers—curiously weighted towards the sarcastic. The question isn’t asked often, and, certainly, it is answered even less. Yet, the question is compelling (for those who actually take the time to consider it), and the answer even more so.
A response to the question requires some thought about existence and meaning, and I’ll admit that in the fluster of our lives, it is difficult to take the time to think about such philosophical questions. Even to those that might have the time, the idea of offering any time to such concepts is, ironically, meaningless.
For whatever reason, I have been giving thought to existence and meaning. In fact, I posted an Essay on Existence in the Notes section of my Facebook, and in that essay I comment on my understanding of meaning—describing its origination and the role that it plays in our existence; however, I really never addressed the question of the ultimate meaning.
I suspect that if we truly understand the ultimate meaning, perhaps our lives would take on a bit more meaning . . . perhaps even to the point of being . . . meaningful. Thus, the more I think about it, the less meaningless it becomes to think about the ultimate meaning.
In this regard, I note, first, that if meaning drives our existence, and if meaning, itself, has its origin in the thoughts of God, then there must be, as part of the overriding purpose of God, an ultimate meaning to our existence. Further, I suspect that the ultimate meaning may truly be within our grasp of understanding.
To better understand what is likely to be the ultimate meaning of our existence, I think it is helpful to consider what the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely NOT to be. For example, I do not consider that the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely to be the demonstration of the power of God. God’s power was adequately demonstrated, at a minimum, in creation before God created man. The entire spiritual, angelic world was, doubtless, stunned at the magnificence of the created universe. I say, “at a minimum,” because the extent of God's power was likely well understood by the entire spiritual world even before creation. Thus, while the creation of man (our existence) was clearly evidence of God's power, it was not likely a means to demonstrate the scope of God's power.
Also, it is unrealistic to think that God would provide existence to man as a means to demonstrate His attributes of omniscience or omnipresence. The angelic world, not being bound by physical limitations, is placed in a much better position to witness these attributes of God. The creation of man does little, if anything, to magnify these attributes of God.
Similarly, it does not appear that the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely to be the demonstration of the righteousness, holiness, justice, goodness or truth of God. With Satan having fallen and having taken a substantial portion of the angelic world with him, these attributes of God were immediately and thereupon made more clear. The actions of Satan created the stark contrast that the entire angelic world could witness. Satan's truly evil nature made the righteousness, holiness, justice, goodness and truth of God more evident. The only way that the creation of man could add to the contrast is if man could become more evil than Satan—not a likely proposition.
However, consider what the creation of man does permit. Like the angels, man is given intelligence, personality, animation, the opportunity to interact with God, and the opportunity to make choices. However, unlike the angels, God creates in man a being that, uniquely, is subject to the physical realm of time, space, matter and energy. Further, and perhaps more curiously, man is subject to the concepts of mortality and pain. Thus, man is inferior in nature to the angels. With this new and unique creation—the existence of man—God is now able to demonstrate the magnitude of His other attributes such as love, grace, mercy. Moreover, He details the nature of His plan in words given to man in the form of Scripture.
And the nature of His plan is this: God will give man, among other attributes, the ability to make choices. (In this regard, consider that from the start God gave the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, a choice by telling them they could eat from any tree, except for one, in the Garden of Eden. With this choice, Adam and Eve became empowered to disbelieve God and pursue their own desires.) Knowing that, given choices, man would choose his own way—a way that is contrary to the way ordered by God, we should consider it very noteworthy that God's plan also includes a means to enable man to be reconciled to God, despite man's error and offense to God. And it is in this part of the plan that God demonstrates the magnitude of His love, grace and mercy. For His plan involves His willingness to leave the glory of the heavenly realms, the wonder of existence in the spiritual world and take on the nature of man, bound by the physical world and, notably, subject to the concepts of mortality and pain. More notably, He arrives at a time when justice is part of the world order, so that mankind, being fully capable of making a just decision through a world government, would make the worst decision of its own existence: condemn God to death. Further, He arrives at a time when execution by the world government is perhaps the most notorious in terms of its humiliation of and infliction of pain upon the condemned—nailing the condemned person naked and elevated for the world to see—on a cross.
On that cross, God (in the person of Jesus Christ), having been so subordinately fashioned, so nailed, so tortured, so humiliated, so publicly and so unjustly is so able in that unique state to demonstrate the wondrous magnitude of His love, His grace and His mercy—not only to man, but also to the entire spiritual world. For in so doing, He gives man—his subordinate and unrighteous, unholy, unjust, and evil creation—an opportunity to escape the consequences of his failed choices and desperate condition and be reconciled to the righteous, holy, just and good God. Even if no man ever accepted the offering of Jesus Christ as the opportunity to be reconciled to God, the very act of God in making the offer to mankind proved the ultimate demonstration of His love, grace and mercy.
Thus, it appears that, whether we believe in God or not, whether we accept His offering or not, the ultimate meaning of our existence is to demonstrate the love, grace and mercy of God.
Mark Absher
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A response to the question requires some thought about existence and meaning, and I’ll admit that in the fluster of our lives, it is difficult to take the time to think about such philosophical questions. Even to those that might have the time, the idea of offering any time to such concepts is, ironically, meaningless.
For whatever reason, I have been giving thought to existence and meaning. In fact, I posted an Essay on Existence in the Notes section of my Facebook, and in that essay I comment on my understanding of meaning—describing its origination and the role that it plays in our existence; however, I really never addressed the question of the ultimate meaning.
I suspect that if we truly understand the ultimate meaning, perhaps our lives would take on a bit more meaning . . . perhaps even to the point of being . . . meaningful. Thus, the more I think about it, the less meaningless it becomes to think about the ultimate meaning.
In this regard, I note, first, that if meaning drives our existence, and if meaning, itself, has its origin in the thoughts of God, then there must be, as part of the overriding purpose of God, an ultimate meaning to our existence. Further, I suspect that the ultimate meaning may truly be within our grasp of understanding.
To better understand what is likely to be the ultimate meaning of our existence, I think it is helpful to consider what the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely NOT to be. For example, I do not consider that the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely to be the demonstration of the power of God. God’s power was adequately demonstrated, at a minimum, in creation before God created man. The entire spiritual, angelic world was, doubtless, stunned at the magnificence of the created universe. I say, “at a minimum,” because the extent of God's power was likely well understood by the entire spiritual world even before creation. Thus, while the creation of man (our existence) was clearly evidence of God's power, it was not likely a means to demonstrate the scope of God's power.
Also, it is unrealistic to think that God would provide existence to man as a means to demonstrate His attributes of omniscience or omnipresence. The angelic world, not being bound by physical limitations, is placed in a much better position to witness these attributes of God. The creation of man does little, if anything, to magnify these attributes of God.
Similarly, it does not appear that the ultimate meaning of our existence is likely to be the demonstration of the righteousness, holiness, justice, goodness or truth of God. With Satan having fallen and having taken a substantial portion of the angelic world with him, these attributes of God were immediately and thereupon made more clear. The actions of Satan created the stark contrast that the entire angelic world could witness. Satan's truly evil nature made the righteousness, holiness, justice, goodness and truth of God more evident. The only way that the creation of man could add to the contrast is if man could become more evil than Satan—not a likely proposition.
However, consider what the creation of man does permit. Like the angels, man is given intelligence, personality, animation, the opportunity to interact with God, and the opportunity to make choices. However, unlike the angels, God creates in man a being that, uniquely, is subject to the physical realm of time, space, matter and energy. Further, and perhaps more curiously, man is subject to the concepts of mortality and pain. Thus, man is inferior in nature to the angels. With this new and unique creation—the existence of man—God is now able to demonstrate the magnitude of His other attributes such as love, grace, mercy. Moreover, He details the nature of His plan in words given to man in the form of Scripture.
And the nature of His plan is this: God will give man, among other attributes, the ability to make choices. (In this regard, consider that from the start God gave the first created man and woman, Adam and Eve, a choice by telling them they could eat from any tree, except for one, in the Garden of Eden. With this choice, Adam and Eve became empowered to disbelieve God and pursue their own desires.) Knowing that, given choices, man would choose his own way—a way that is contrary to the way ordered by God, we should consider it very noteworthy that God's plan also includes a means to enable man to be reconciled to God, despite man's error and offense to God. And it is in this part of the plan that God demonstrates the magnitude of His love, grace and mercy. For His plan involves His willingness to leave the glory of the heavenly realms, the wonder of existence in the spiritual world and take on the nature of man, bound by the physical world and, notably, subject to the concepts of mortality and pain. More notably, He arrives at a time when justice is part of the world order, so that mankind, being fully capable of making a just decision through a world government, would make the worst decision of its own existence: condemn God to death. Further, He arrives at a time when execution by the world government is perhaps the most notorious in terms of its humiliation of and infliction of pain upon the condemned—nailing the condemned person naked and elevated for the world to see—on a cross.
On that cross, God (in the person of Jesus Christ), having been so subordinately fashioned, so nailed, so tortured, so humiliated, so publicly and so unjustly is so able in that unique state to demonstrate the wondrous magnitude of His love, His grace and His mercy—not only to man, but also to the entire spiritual world. For in so doing, He gives man—his subordinate and unrighteous, unholy, unjust, and evil creation—an opportunity to escape the consequences of his failed choices and desperate condition and be reconciled to the righteous, holy, just and good God. Even if no man ever accepted the offering of Jesus Christ as the opportunity to be reconciled to God, the very act of God in making the offer to mankind proved the ultimate demonstration of His love, grace and mercy.
Thus, it appears that, whether we believe in God or not, whether we accept His offering or not, the ultimate meaning of our existence is to demonstrate the love, grace and mercy of God.
Mark Absher
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