THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IN LIFE
Philosophers throughout the ages have not been able to pose any questions more discerning than these three:
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- Where am I going?
We can never rise higher than what we believe. Our beliefs shape our attitudes, motivations and behaviors.
Our existence is essentially empty and meaningless without clear beliefs arising from a careful personal investigation into the meaning and purpose of life.
SINCERITY IS GOOD, BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Everyone’s betting his life on the accuracy of what he believes. Belief alone, no matter how sincere, is not enough. A person can be very sincere, yet be sincerely wrong. We need to be right, not just sincere.
WE NEED TO THINK FOR OURSELVES
Most people are not well informed or objective in spiritual matters. Their beliefs are usually little more than blind acceptance of limited, and often erroneous, information provided by family, friends and clergymen. They usually quote each other without personal investigation or critical thought, often mistaking opinion for fact.
The big issues in life – Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? – are too crucial to ignore or to defer to the thinking and conclusions of others.
Everyone should pause at least once in a lifetime to carefully examine, independently, what life is all about and to develop reasoned personal beliefs about these issues.
A wise person will be willing to alter what he has been taught to believe – or what he is expected to believe – if the evidence from his own search leads to new and more accurate understanding.
TODAY'S RESPONSE TO GOD AFFECTS US FOREVER
A measure of a person's wisdom and maturity is how far out in time he can plan and work. Here's a question that puts things in perspective:
Will what I do today make any difference to me 100 years from now?
Nothing we can think about today could possibly be more important than thinking about what's going to happen to us after we die. Over the long run, most thoughts really don't matter very much, but how we think about God – and how we respond to him – affects us forever.
The worst tragedy of all is when a person spends his life thinking and working on things that have no lasting significance, never discovering the reason for his existence and never preparing for life beyond the grave. Then accident or illness suddenly claims his life, sealing his eternal destiny, and forever he will regret never having listened to God while there was still time.
It's dangerous to let another day slip by without accepting God’s offer of new life. It's a one-time decision that will be the difference between heaven and hell. Nothing is more important.
LOOKING GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT EMPTY INSIDE
We may be able to fool others into thinking that all is going well, but we can't fool ourselves. Even when things look good on the outside, life can be empty on the inside, as illustrated by these comments:
‘I am president of the company, but I do not know who I am.’
‘I have a PhD, but I do not know what I believe.’
‘I am famous, but I am lonely.’
‘I am a millionaire, but I am not happy.’
It’s part of the human experience to be engulfed at times with feelings of restlessness and futility. This happens when we discover, sooner or later, that power, esteem and affluence cannot satisfy the real craving of the soul.
These feelings – sometimes described as spiritual hunger – can actually be good for us if they prompt spiritual inquiry, because the inquiry can lead to new life.
IT'S TIME FOR PERSONAL INQUIRY
Nearly everyone determines that at some time he’ll make a careful investigation into spiritual matters – about the purpose of life, about God, about the Bible, about the here-after – and that he will develop a solid personal theology to be the underpinning for his life.
But for most people, this never happens because such a comprehensive inquiry is pushed forward from day to day, month to month, year to year. Usually, people die without ever doing it.
The reason most people never get to the big issue is because they don’t know where to begin. Without some help and organization, swirling spiritual thoughts can become mind-boggling and inconclusive.
That’s why this resource was written. It gives an inquirer a framework for identifying and working through the issues one-by-one, and it shows the conclusions of others who have gone through the same investigation process; plus it gives citations to the Bible as an aid for personal research.
Anyone who reads and understands the 66 Topics presented within this website will, in the process, develop a strong personal theology. He’ll know who he is in relationship to God and others, and he’ll know his eternal destiny. Everything about life will become much clearer, accompanied by a heightened sense of self worth and purpose.
SPIRITUAL DISCOVERY IS EXCITING
Some people regard the spiritual dimension of life as mysterious and even frightening, something to avoid if possible. Others regard it as an exhilarating new frontier to be explored.
Actually, there are two sides of it: the dark side and the light side. This site shows both sides, including, on the dark side, the grip of sin and the horror of hell. But emphasis here is on the light side – the good news that God will forgive our sin, empower us from within, and give us heaven rather than hell… all at no cost, right now. There’s no dark side if we truly understand and accept God's gift. It’s downright exciting!
The reader should view this website as discoveries along the way on a wonderful spiritual adventure.
Here's a sampling of what the Bible says on this subject.
Matthew 6:24-34
Food, clothes and such are not the biggest issues in life
1 Peter 1:8-10
Nothing is more important than the eternal destiny of our souls
For help, see Topic 29.
