CHAPTER THREE
THE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE
BEING THE MEANING OF THE UNIVERSE
The meaning of human life is the meaning of the universe. Although there are other planets in our solar system besides the earth, no human beings or organisms have been found on other planets. Scientists are still looking for life on other planets. According to the Bible, the place where God put life is earth. The earth is the center of God’s attention because man, who was created by God, is on the earth. Hence, the center, the focus, of the universe is man. If there were no human beings on earth, the earth would have absolutely no meaning. The lions and the tigers are powerful, but they are unable to accomplish anything meaningful. Everything that is meaningful on the earth is accomplished by man. Man is the meaning of the universe. The meaning of human life is the meaning of the universe. On a smaller scale let us use Taiwan as an example. Taiwan would have no meaning if no one were living on it. Taipei would have no meaning if no one were living in Taipei. A school would have no meaning if there were no students in it, and of course, a family would have no meaning if there was not even one person in the family.
THE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE—
GOD ENTERING INTO MAN
TO BE EXPRESSED THROUGH MAN
The meaning of the universe is the meaning of human life. The meaning of the universe is centered on man. This means that if human life is void of meaning, the universe is also void of meaning. For this reason we must know the meaning of human life, which is God entering into man so that He may be expressed through man. The meaning of human life is for man to express God and to represent God. If we do not express or represent God, our human life is void of meaning.
Some young people feel that as long as they study, their future is [146] secure. However, what will they do after they finish their studies? Some young people may say that they will make money. Money is not a good thing; it is an evil thing. The young people need to consider what they will do with the money they make. Will they spend it on eating, drinking, and being merry, as the rich man did in Luke 12:19? If this is their intention, they are studying in order to become slaves to eating, drinking, and being merry. They are getting a college education in order to make money so that they can eat, drink, and be merry. This means that they will become slaves to eating, drinking, and being merry.
The Higher the Education,
the Stronger the Sense of Emptiness
Within every person there is a sense of vanity and emptiness. While they are in school, they feel empty, and when they begin working, they still feel empty. I believe that every young person has had this feeling. When you were in elementary school, you studied diligently, and your parents supported you. You might have felt that entering junior high school was an achievement. Then you continued to study in order to enter high school. When you were in high school, you probably began to feel a sense of vanity. You continued to study diligently in order to finish high school and enter a university. When you entered the university, the sense of vanity within you might have deepened. Before entering the university, you thought that passing the entrance examination was something wonderful; hence, you worked hard. After you achieved this goal, you felt only vanity. From this time onward, young people experience the vanity of human life again and again. After graduating, some young people continue with graduate school and earn a master’s degree or even become a doctor of philosophy. I have met many people with a Ph.D. who told me that their degree gave them a sense of vanity, of emptiness. If they did not have their degree, they would not feel as empty. When they obtained their degree, their sense of emptiness increased. The more education a person receives, the emptier he feels. Eventually, when he graduates from the university and begins to work, the sense of emptiness within him becomes stronger.
Marriage and Careers Being Unable to Satisfy Man
Some young people look forward to getting married. They think [147] that once they are married, they will be satisfied. They do not know that every married person says that marriage is vanity of vanities. Many people wonder why they are married. What can they do when they are married? They can do nothing but taste emptiness. It is the same with those who are successful in their careers and become wealthy. The higher their position, the emptier they feel, and the more money they make, the emptier they feel.
Christ Entering into Man
to Make Human Life Meaningful
Education, marriage, and careers cannot satisfy man because the meaning of human life cannot be found in these things. The meaning of human life is Christ entering into man. When Christ enters into you, your human life will have meaning. Not only so, the universe will have meaning. If there were no saved person in Taiwan, even if there were millions of people on the island, the island would have no meaning. If no one in the city of Taipei were a Christian, the city of Taipei would have no meaning. However, praise the Lord that there are Christians in Taiwan and in the city of Taipei. As Christians, we are the meaning of human life in Taipei and in Taiwan.
SINGING JOYFULLY BECAUSE WE HAVE THE LORD
Have you ever seen pedestrians whose faces were shining and who were joyfully singing? What kind of people do you see walking on the streets? Some of the pedestrians I have seen were sorrowful, some were heavy-burdened, and some were toiling and laboring. I have not seen any who were so overcome with joy that they were singing. (Of course, we should not consider those who are drunk or who suffer from mental illness.) If there are any joyful pedestrians, they surely must be Christians. The saints who meet regularly in Taipei are joyful because they have the Lord in them, and they sing spontaneously wherever they are. This changes the atmosphere of the city. If the brothers and sisters would sing hymns on the streets, at bus stops, in buses, and even in restaurants, their singing would cause a very definite change in the atmosphere in the city of Taipei.
This should be our living. Not only so, all the saints in the church in Taipei should go out and sing on the streets every two weeks or once a month. The gospel marches should continue, but [148] our appearance should change. The gospel vests need to be changed. They need to have a new look. On Saturday or on the Lord’s Day the saints can go out in teams and sing on the streets. This will bring meaning to the city of Taipei.
CHRISTIANS BEING THE MEANING OF THE UNIVERSE
We must realize that the meaning of the universe is the same as the meaning of human life. If the earth were not in the universe, the universe would be empty. If there were no human beings on the earth, the earth would be empty, and if there were no Christians, human life would be a complete tragedy.
If there were no Christians in your family, it would be a tragedy. What was the situation before Jesus came to your family? How we thank the Lord that our families have Jesus. Not only are our parents saved, but we also are saved. This has brought meaning into our families.
Many of us come from families that used to worship idols. Have you ever seen a family that worships idols being happy after their worship? I have seen many families that worship idols, but I have never seen them in a joyful mood. Some families even have a designated room with a little shrine where they go to burn incense. However, even after burning incense, they are not joyful. They are not singing. It is hard to sing when one is filled with death. Idols represent demons, and demons belong to Satan, who is the source of death. Hence, the worship of idols annuls the meaning of their human life.