For the meaning and purpose of life, you would want to know at least the following:

• Nearly all Christians agree that life has a meaning and purpose.

• By ‘meaning and purpose’ we mean that God intends for humans to live a certain way.

• However, Christians DISAGREE on exactly what this meaning and purpose are.

• Here we examine three of the most common interpretations.

To glorify God

• Some Christians argue that the purpose of life is to glorify God and have a personal relationship with Him..

• They point to Jesus’s teaching ‘you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven’ (Matthew 5. 16).

• Accordingly, they try to live by Jesus’s teaching every day, so that people will understand what God is like and be moved to praise God.

To prepare for judgement

• Other Christians argue that the purpose of life is to prepare for judgement.

• They point to the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, where Jesus explains that only people who showed love for their neighbour will be allowed into the Kingdom of God (Matthew 25. 31–46).

• They argue that a person must put their faith in Jesus into action if they want to be judged worthy on the Day of Judgement.

To bring about God’s kingdom

• Still other Christians argue that the purpose of life is to bring about God’s kingdom on earth.

• They point to Jesus’s teaching that ‘God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. People will not say, “Look, here it is!” or, “There it is!” because God’s kingdom is within you’ (Luke 17. 20–21).

• They say that Christians should work to build a society based on Jesus’s teachings, thereby creating the Kingdom of God on earth.