A
amandalyn
Guest
What, according to The Bible, is God’s purpose for us here on Earth?
- Status
M
MidnightSun12
Guest
To love God and to Love our neighbour with our whole hearts…
L
levinas12
Guest
But what is love?
H
Heuchler
Guest
Amen, Amen!
The love described by Christ is called agape by the greeks. It is the unconditional and unwarranted desire for good. To love God is to follow and obey him along with desiring completely to please God and to do His will. To love the neighbor is to desire the best for that person. Love has nothing to do with liking or disliking the person. Agape is an action not a feeling.
A
amandalyn
Guest
Thank you for such informative answers! Could it also be said that life is a trial of faith?
F
Franna
Guest
To love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.As Jesus stated in the bible anyone we meet is our neighbor,whether we know them or not.
T
TheTrueCentrist
Guest
It is often stated that our purpose is to love and serve God. However, God’s purpose is often also claimed to be “love.” Therefore, might it not be the case that God’s purpose for creating is to fulfill his own purpose? Could it be said, then, that we are the reason God exists?
J
jochoa
Guest
Excellent question, my friend! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the following:
According to the Bible…
…love is patience and kindness.
…the Greatest Commandment is to love God with everything.
…we are also to love others as ourselves.
Therefore, one can combine the three into: Be patient and kind and motivated for God with everything while being patient and kind to others and the self.
In order to determine what is God’s purpose for life on earth, we must determine why God wants life on earth to master these Commandments.
Patience generates peace. If one has any instance of impatience in any part of the person, s/he will experience or cause a loss of peace.
Kindness generates happiness. Without kindness, although peace can be sustained, there is no ability to experience any degree of happiness.
Motivation generates the use of energy. Without motivation, no act, feeling or thought can be willed.
God is the greatest source of motivation because He is immaterial therefore always present, He is eternal therefore non-exhaustible, His Kingdom is Heaven therefore hopeful, He is Jesus therefore personal.
So if one person (God) is perfect at being patient, kind, and motivated. This person experiences an unbreakable peace, perfect happiness, and unstoppable use of energy.
Now if two or more persons live together with perfect patience, kindness, and motivation for God towards one another, in addition to an unbreakable peace and unstoppable use of energy, the two or more can experience a limitless happiness.
Therefore God’s purpose for life on earth is to allow the life the opportunity to demonstrate whether s/he will freely choose to be as unconditionally and perfectly patient, kind, and motivated as He is, so that He can allow us to freely live in His Heavenly Kingdom of unbreakable peace and limitless joy for all eternity.
Thoughts?
L
levinas12
Guest
But how do you know what is good for others (particularly in their concrete circumstances)? This is sometimes quite complicated. Not only do we have to understand the reasons for the Church’s moral teachings, but we must be virtuous ourselves (including the virtue of prudence); and, in the last anaysis, we must ask God for assistance.
Also, agape and eros may not as separable as you might think. It might be weird to say to someone, “I love you but I don’t like you”. See Pope Benedict’s encyclical, God is Love.
H
Heuchler
Guest
Well, you know that it is going to be bad to shoot someone in the foot. This is usually based off the common notion that I do not like being shot in the foot and that I should treat others the way I want to be treated (while morality does not come completely from this and is not bound by this, it is a good guide in dealing with others). Similarly, it is good to help out the poor because that is something that I would want to be done to me if I were poor. But I do understand that we don’t always see the complete repercussions for our actions which is why we should turn to God (as you stated) and pray that we may follow His will.
And I would have to disagree with agape and eros (which I’m not sure if you meant filios because I thought eros was sexual love and more like lust) being about the same. We are told to love our neighbors and our enemies (essentially everyone). But, I don’t like all my neighbors and I certainly don’t like my enemies. However, I can certainly wish the best for both of these groups. I can pray that a murderer will stop killing and convert. Another example is that I will probably never say that I like terrorists like Osama bin Laden, however, I do wish that he had changed and repented before his death (which is what I think is the best for him). So, if love were based on emotions (like both filios and eros), then this would be an outrageous order from Christ. However I will check out the Holy Father’s encyclical (not sure I have the time right now)
Thanks,
A. Heuchler
E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
Could God love all of us as as he loves himself?
Can God love us more than he loves himself?
We are created in the image of God, and we are called to pray to God our Father, which makes us his children. Could the greatest commandments have a greatest meaning for God?
Blessings
Eric
J
johnnyjones
Guest
God said, Let US make man in OUR image. The angels already existed along with the hevenly realm. It seems there may have been eons of time before the earth and man were created. Much of our purpose is to love and serve God. Worship. We were created to worship him. The angels were not made in his image. We are body ,soul, spirit. Because “love your neighbor as yourself” is the greatest commandment, I’m not sure if it means that’s why we were created.
T
tonyrey
Guest
Your question could be taken to imply that there is no purpose for any other beings on this earth apart from the human race. Life is immensely valuable because it offers so many opportunities to other creatures as well as ourselves for development, enjoyment and fulfilment.
J
johnnyjones
Guest
I see your point. In the OT I see more of a focus on worship. I should consider the NT in which the Lord says, I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundently.
T
tonyrey
Guest
The OT should **always **be interpreted in the light of Our Lord’s teaching.
L
levinas12
Guest
Eros does not necessarily translate into lust (or even sexual attraction). It is more like a delight in the being of the other person. This delight is a form of desire (but not necessarily a sexual desire). Such a desire is, in a deep sense, cognitive in that it leads us to the truth of the other person.
By the way, I think when Christ mandated that we love our enemies, I really believe that He meant for us to like them. Of course, to do this requires assistance from the Holy Spirit. We can’t do this on our own.
Finally, I think that we need to be virtuous in order to know, in truth, what is good for the other person. Sin and vice blind us to what is good (either for ourselves or for others). And we especially need the virtue of prudence to decide what is good in a particular situation.
- Status