The purpose of life
The Bible repeatedly points out that humanity's natural inclination is to turn away from God's will and follow their own path. This is a central part of the biblical concept of sin. This rejection is a recurring theme throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The broader narrative and specific verses illustrate this human tendency. It also provides a realistic view of human nature. It consistently acknowledges that many will choose to live for themselves, rejecting the very purpose for which they were created.
Proverbs 19:21 (NIV): "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails." This verse contrasts human plans with God's ultimate purpose, showing that God's will is the one that ultimately matters and comes to fruition. So man proposes, but God disposes. You can make many plans in your life, but in the end, God’s purpose will prevail; what the Lord says is what will happen. Thus, our destiny is guided by God. Some great men may rise and fall, even people with great wealth can sometimes become destitute, because it is God that sets out our destiny. Jeremiah 10:23 “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV): "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." This verse speaks directly to the human tendency to believe their own plans and desires are correct, even when they go against God's commands. It acknowledges the deception that comes from following one's own will. There is a way that people think is right, but it leads only to death. Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death. A real life scenario of this is that of a man who decides to enter the drug trade, believing that this is the fastest way to achieve wealth and social status. He dismisses the risks, believing he is smart enough and tough enough to avoid being caught or killed. Over time, he becomes a significant player in the drug world, but this brings him into conflict with rival gangs. One night, he is ambushed and killed by a rival, a common occurrence in the drug trade. The "way" that seemed to promise a life of prosperity and respect ended in a violent death, demonstrating the ultimate futility of the path he chose. The pursuit of illicit gain and a life of violence and crime, regardless of whether that man professes a faith, is a rejection of God's moral order. The way of violence and greed led to a life that was spiritually dead even before the life of that man physically ended. His choice was one of self-destruction that had both physical and eternal consequences. Another real life scenario is an executive at a company, facing personal debt, decides to start discreetly siphoning off company funds. The initial thefts are small, and he is able to cover his tracks. The money provides a sense of relief from his financial stress, and he is able to maintain a lavish lifestyle. The "way" seems right because it appears to be a victimless crime with little to no risk. He tells himself he'll pay it all back one day, but the temptation for more and more money proves too strong; and at some point in time, it was eventually discovered, and a full forensic audit is launched. The executive is exposed, facing public humiliation, the loss of his career, a prison sentence, and the complete destruction of his family and reputation. Unable to face the consequences of his actions, he takes his own life. The executive's choice to pursue a dishonest and greedy "way" was a clear departure from a righteous path. While his actions led to his physical death through suicide, the spiritual death was already at work. His greed and deceit led him to a point of spiritual bankruptcy where he felt there was no way out, ultimately culminating in both a physical and spiritual end.
These two types of real-life scenario from various types of crimes illustrates the universal truth of Proverbs 14:12. The "way that seems right" is often a path of self-deception that promises immediate gain but ultimately leads to a tragic end, both in the physical and spiritual sense. The word ”way of death” is referring to both physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death is not annihilation; it refers to one’s eternal destination after death – a state of separation from God, the source of all life. This is the ultimate consequence of choosing a way of life that is contrary to God's will. The Bible teaches that all humans are born with a spiritual inclination to go their own way (Isaiah 53:6), and this path, if not corrected, leads to eternal separation from God. The proverb applies to all human endeavors that are based on human wisdom or desires rather than God's will. The "way that seems right" can be anything from a seemingly harmless lie to a pursuit of wealth or power that ignores moral boundaries. The core message is that human judgment is flawed and can be deceptive. A person might think they are doing what is best for themselves, but if that path contradicts God's truth and moral laws, it is ultimately a path to ruin – a path to one’s own destruction, a ruin of one’s life both physical and spiritual death.
Romans 1:21 (NIV): "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." This New Testament verse explains why people reject God's purpose. It highlights that the rejection isn't due to ignorance of God's existence, but a deliberate choice not to honor and thank him. This leads to "futile" thinking, which is a mind-set that sees no purpose in fearing God or keeping his commandments.
Isaiah 53:6 (NIV): "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." This famous prophecy about the coming Messiah also describes the state of humanity. The phrase "each of us has turned to our own way" is a perfect summary of a life lived in disregard of God's purpose. It shows that this rejection is a universal problem.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NIV): "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." This verse explicitly foretells a time when people will reject God's truth because it doesn't align with their personal desires ("to suit their own passions"). This illustrates a direct rejection of divine instruction in favor of what feels good or convenient.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV): "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." This verse states that we are all created by God, that we are God's "handiwork" or "masterpiece," and that our very creation has a purpose: to perform "good works" that God has already planned for us. This implies that our purpose is not something we invent for ourselves, but something that God has already established and which we are called to fulfill. So if God has already established in advance what we must do, it is just proper to seek God first in order to perform God’s purpose, because we are just the creation and God is the creator, so we must give God the glory He deserve, and not traverse the path venturing on our own way; for when we walk in our own mind set thinking, it is also going against doing “good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.” It might be a path towards ruin and destruction, as what Proverbs 14:12 says: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death
Romans 12:2 (NIV): "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." The verse directly links the process of "being transformed by the renewing of your mind" with the result of being "able to test and approve what God’s will is." The verse tells believers not to live according to the world's standards (which often prioritize personal wants and desires), but to align their lives with God's "good, pleasing, and perfect will." Do not change yourself to imitate the standard set by humanity, for humanity’s standard may sometimes not be reconciled with God’s standard. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Let God change you inside with a new way of thinking, so that you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. Then you will be able to know what is good and pleasing to Him.
But how does a certain person begins his transformation so as to renew his mind, in order to know what God wants for him to do, what is God’s will for him? It is by means of reading the Bible and by means of praying, asking God to divulge by means of the Holy Spirit what is His holy will. When we are transformed by the renewing of our mind, that is the time we will know what God is telling us to do and not do just anything we want here on earth.
We are naturally "conformed to the pattern of this world." This means our default way of thinking and living is shaped by our culture, personal desires, societal norms particularly what is popular or feels good, rather than by God's truth which is based on biblical facts. Our minds are not aligned with God's standard, but are aligned with the world’s standard by default. As a result, we live according to "what we just want to do.
The process of transformation is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. The Greek word for "transformed" is metamorphoo, from which we get the English word "metamorphosis." It signifies a complete, fundamental change from the inside out, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. This transformation happens as we actively engage in "renewing our mind." This involves:
By Immersing ourselves in God's Word, the Bible is the primary tool for this renewal. By reading, studying, and meditating on scripture, we replace worldly thoughts and values with God's thoughts and values.
Prayer: We ask the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts and to help us understand and apply God's truth, likewise in asking for guidance to reveal God’s will for us.
Obedience: We make a conscious choice to follow what God has already revealed in His Word.
After our minds are renewed, we gain the spiritual discernment to "test and approve what God's will is." We stop seeing God's will as a restrictive set of rules and begin to see it as something "good, pleasing, and perfect." Our desires begin to align with His desires. Instead of being led by our own wants, we are guided by a transformed mindset that seeks to please and honor God.
A central theme throughout the Bible is that the purpose of human life is to live for God and not for oneself. Scriptures directly convey this idea. One of the most direct and well-known passage is from the Book of Ecclesiastes: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV): "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." This verse, written by king Solomon, the son of king David, who had explored every earthly pursuit for meaning and found it lacking, concludes that the ultimate purpose of life is to revere God and obey his commands. It presents this as the "whole duty" of humanity, implying that it supersedes personal desires. Even with all of his unparalleled wisdom, wealth, and fame, King Solomon was not content. This is the central, tragic, and profound message of the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Ecclesiastes is a profound exploration of this very idea. The author, King Solomon, pursued everything the world had to offer—wisdom, pleasure, wealth, power, and achievement—and concluded that it was all "meaningless, a chasing after the wind" (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Based on the biblical account, King Solomon was considered the most intelligent and the richest man on earth. The Bible is quite explicit about this in 1 Kings 3:12, after Solomon asks for wisdom instead of wealth or a long life, God tells him: "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be." This promise of unparalleled wisdom is confirmed in 1 Kings 4:30-31, which states that "Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five, He spoke about plant life, about animals and birds, reptiles and fish, all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom, He wasn’t just locally admired—his fame was international, and his intellect was sought after by rulers across the known world. Regarding wisdom and knowledge, Solomon says that with "much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief" (Ecclesiastes 1:18). He found that even his extraordinary intellect was not enough to find lasting satisfaction.
Regarding his wealth, 1 Kings 10:23 states: "King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth." Approximately, about the 22 metric tons of gold per year (1 Kings 10:14) and silver becoming worthless (1 Kings 10:21) are the biblical evidence for this. His immense wealth was a direct result of God's blessing, who gave him "riches and honor as well" (1 Kings 3:13). King Solomon accumulated over 22 metric tons of gold annually, and this continued for many years of his reign. Silver implies a massive quantities, though not precisely measured because silver becomes abundance and devalued due to the overwhelming presence of gold. No man has ever did this because God gave king Solomon all of these, biblically speaking, he was considered the most intelligent and the richest man on earth.
1 Kings 11:3 states that Solomon "had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines." Even with this unparalleled access to sexual pleasure and immense luxury, he was not satisfied. Solomon deliberately pursued every form of worldly pleasure. In Ecclesiastes 2:1, he writes, "I said to myself, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.' But that also proved to be meaningless." He then describes his pursuit of pleasure, which would have included his relationships with women. He mentions having many women and finding no lasting fulfillment in them. Solomon's experience with women proves that even the most intense and varied forms of physical and emotional pleasure are ultimately incapable of filling the spiritual void in his heart. His conclusion of "meaningless, a chasing after the wind" applies not only to his wealth and wisdom but also to his relationships. And even though king Solomon possesses all of these, he was not satisfied with his life. He found that even great work and accomplishments were fleeting and ultimately unsatisfying.
The biblical text presents Solomon's life not as a model to be followed, but as a cautionary tale. While the vast number of his wives and concubines was a sign of his immense power and wealth, it was also a direct violation of God's command to kings in Deuteronomy 17:17, which warns against multiplying wives, because they would "turn the king's heart away" from the Lord.
He experimented with every form of pleasure imaginable, from building massive palaces and gardens to accumulating countless servants, musicians, wives, concubines, among others. He concludes, "I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure... Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11).
The point of Ecclesiastes is that if anyone could have found lasting fulfillment and purpose in the things of this world—whether it's power, wealth, pleasure, or knowledge—it would have been Solomon. But his own experience proves that these things, when pursued as an end in themselves, are empty and "grasping for the wind." The book of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon's personal testimony, written after he had pursued every worldly pleasure, wisdom, and possession, only to find them all unsatisfying. His conclusion that life is "meaningless, a grasping for the wind" is a direct result of his own experience. He discovered that even with unparalleled riches, fame, power, and wisdom, a life lived without fearing God and keeping His commands is ultimately empty. The futility he describes is a reflection of his own discontentment.
His ultimate conclusion, as we discussed, is found in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: true contentment and purpose are not found in the created things, but in a relationship with the Creator—"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of all mankind." His life story is presented in the Bible as a powerful illustration of this truth. It is hard-won, practical conclusion drawn from the emptiness of his own life lived apart from the "whole duty of mankind” which is to fear God and keep His commands.
The tragedy of Solomon's life is that he had it all—wisdom, wealth, power, and pleasure—and he discovered that "all" of it was still not enough. His testimony serves to show that genuine contentment and purpose in life can only be found when personally connected with God, not in the endless pursuit of personal gratification.
Solomon's life serves as a living, biblical case study. He was the wealthiest, wisest, and most powerful man of his time, and he had everything the world had to offer. Yet, his final verdict on that life was that it was all for nothing. He found no lasting peace of mind or contentment until he returned to the core truth that the purpose of life is found in a relationship with God – to fear God and obey His commands. So if you want to know the purpose of your existence – why God placed you here on earth, you must seek God first and not seek the things that are here on earth. In doing so, you will know the reason why God created you and placed you here on earth. The purpose of our existence is found in relationship with our Creator, not in worldly things, not in the created things themselves.
The Bible teaches that God is the Creator and we are the creation. The purpose of an invention – something that is created by humans, is at first known only to its inventor, later on it will eventually be revealed. In the same way, we can only truly understand our purpose by seeking the One who made us. In order to know the purpose why God placed us here in this world, it is imperative that we must seek God our creator.
Seeking purpose in "the things that are here on earth" is inherently a self-centered pursuit. It places our own desires, success, and happiness at the center of our lives, and therefore, disregarding God. This will eventually becomes life’s problem, because the Bible teaches that this is a fundamentally flawed way to live and is a core aspect of sin. As we saw in Romans 1:21 and Isaiah 53:6, turning to "our own way" leads to "futile" thinking and being "astray," eventually leading to life’s destruction.
The verses in Ephesians 2:10 ("...created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do") and Romans 12:2 ("...be transformed... [to know] what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will") demonstrate that our purpose is not something we create or discover on our own. It is something God has already established for us. Our task is to align ourselves with that pre-established purpose by which God is the source of our pre-established purpose.
We have learned from this article through biblical facts, that the life of king Solomon serves as a lesson of the futility of worldly pursuits, why one shouldn't pursue earthly riches and pleasures as the ultimate goal in life. His conclusion in the book of Ecclesiastes, "vanity of vanities, all is vanity," is a testament to the fact that his unparalleled wisdom, wealth, power, and pleasure was proven that they cannot bring everlasting satisfaction. He had the perfect opportunity to test if earthly things could provide lasting contentment, but he had proven that it cannot bring everlasting satisfaction – it was always empty, like grasping for the wind. His life demonstrates that no amount of knowledge, wealth, power, or pleasure is enough to fill the spiritual void in the human heart. At some point in time, by disobeying God, it became the cause of his downfall, and the Bible makes it clear that Solomon's downfall was not a random event but a direct result of his disobedience. His desire for earthly pleasure led him to marry "foreign women" who worshiped pagan gods. This was a clear violation of God's command in Deuteronomy 17:17, and it had the exact consequence God warned about: his wives "turned his heart away" from serving the one true God (1 Kings 11:4). By showing the emptiness of a life devoted to worldly pursuits, the Bible uses Solomon's story to underscore its central message: true peace, purpose, and contentment are found only in a relationship with God. Solomon's final conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13—to "fear God and keep his commandments"—is the hard-won wisdom he gained after his tragic and unsatisfying experiment with worldly living. His life, therefore, serves as a timeless lesson that the pursuit of earthly desires apart from God ultimately leads to spiritual ruin and a profound sense of emptiness.
A life lived in disregard of God and focused on "earthly things" becomes ultimately "meaningless" and "futile." The treasures, customs, standards, and transient comforts of this world are temporary and cannot provide lasting purpose and peace of mind. The Bible consistently calls believers to a different way of life. As we discussed with Romans 12:2, we are to be "transformed by the renewing of our mind" and "not conform to the pattern of this world." Following the world's standard leads to spiritual and eternal death leading to eternal consequences of eternal torments in hell for those who have disregarded God. This is consistent with biblical descriptions of hell as a place of eternal punishment and separation from God (e.g., Matthew 25:46, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Revelation 20:10). The reason for this punishment is not only a matter of bad deeds, but of a fundamental rejection of God's authority and purpose for one's life.
The consequences of living for self versus living for God, both in this life and in the next life will highlight the ultimate choice and the eternal stakes involved. Living for God highlights heaven – a place of "eternal blissfulness" and "great joy and happiness." This aligns with biblical descriptions of heaven as being in the "presence of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8) where there will be "no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4) and "fullness of joy" (Psalm 16:11). The central message of the Bible for salvation and life’s purpose is to put God first in our life. The path to eternal life is not through perfect obedience, which no one can achieve, but through faith in Jesus Christ, who perfectly lived out God's standard. By placing our faith in Him, we receive forgiveness and the power to begin living a life that prioritizes God's will over our own desires and the standards of the world.
So the Bible teaches that the question "Why am I here?" is fundamentally a theological question, not a worldly one. The answer can only be found by going to the source – the one true God who created us and placed us here. Seeking earthly things first will only distract us and lead us away from God who holds the true answer to our existence. So knowing and doing God's will is not a matter of simply trying harder to be good. It's a fundamental change in how we think, which then leads to a change in how we live. The more we renew our minds by praying and renew our minds with God's truth by reading and meditating on the Bible, the more we will naturally desire and choose to do what He tells us to do, rather than just do what we want to do on our own. This fundamental change in thinking will produce change in our actions, and generate a spiritually minded personality, which is only produce by the aid of the Holy Spirit. A spiritually minded being will discern the purpose why God placed him in this world, and will eventually follow the dictates of his spiritual mind. Only a spiritually minded person can do this. If a person is not converted spiritually, he cannot discern the purpose why God placed him on earth, he cannot understand God’s will. His way of thinking cannot comprehend spiritual things.
The Bible makes a clear distinction between human wisdom or intelligence and the spiritual wisdom that comes from God. 1 Corinthians 1:18-20, (NIV) "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." Paul concludes by stating that God's calling is not dependent on human status or intellect; just like the original 12 apostles of Jesus (not counting Judas who became a traitor), such as Peter, Andrew, James, John, these are ordinary men, fisherman, among others, but they now excel in the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (NIV) "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." The Point here is that: The Gospel often confounds human wisdom. A person can be a brilliant academic, scientist, or philosopher, yet find the simple, faith-based message of the cross to be "foolish" because it cannot be arrived at by human reason alone. It must be spiritually discerned. They will not know and acknowledge God as what this verse indicates; their academic intelligence will not recognize God. This is true in the case of Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1). He was an expert in the Jewish law but was struggling to understand Jesus's spiritual message of salvation. Even though expert in Jewish laws, but he cannot comprehend spiritual wisdom. God is the one who gives wisdom. So it is much better if God gave you wisdom of poor IQ and in the end will inherit God’s kingdom, rather than to have outstanding intellect and loose God’s kingdom in the end. Life in this world is just temporary, and the afterlife, the next world is eternal. Loosing God’s kingdom in the afterlife in the end will have eternal consequence – it is a horrifying experience.
Paul continues this thought by explaining why the academically intelligent may not grasp God's teachings. 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit." This points to spiritual discernment verse, that understanding spiritual truth is not an intellectual exercise; it is a spiritual capacity. Without the Holy Spirit illuminating a person's mind, God's doctrines will remain opaque or foolish, regardless of that person's IQ or academic credentials. The Bible does not say that academic intelligence is bad. In fact, God gives people intellectual gifts (Daniel 1:17, Exodus 31:3-5). However, it makes a crucial distinction of human wisdom (worldly intelligence) based on observation, reason, and human experience. It is limited to the natural world and is often tainted by human pride. It can be a barrier to accepting God’s truths (Bible teachings) that require humility and faith. Spiritual wisdom (Godly Intelligence) is a gift from God that comes through the Holy Spirit. It allows a person to understand and apply spiritual truth. It is accessed through a relationship with God, characterized by faith and humility (Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom"). Therefore, a world-renowned scientist because of his pride might say within himself “I am a world renowned scientist, this biblical facts is nothing to me but rubbish”. That world renowned scientist may be unable to grasp the simple truth of salvation by grace through faith, while an uneducated person with a heart open to the Spirit can understand it deeply and live it out powerfully. The key is not intellect, but a spirit of humility and dependence on God. Although there are very few men who possess humble personality even if they have outstanding academic credentials and excellent societal standing, the common behavior of men when they rise to pedestal is to become arrogant, full of pride. Only God’s Spirit can give humbleness for those who have something to boast off, but they remain to be humble.
Because human wisdom, worldly intelligence is limited to the natural world and is often tainted by human pride, it can be a barrier to accepting biblical truths that require humility and faith; which will eventually lead a person to eternal separation from God after death, because a person has only human wisdom and no spiritual wisdom. This is exactly right. The following are brief biblical support for these:
Human wisdom is limited and tainted by pride producing limitation. Pride can propel a person’s downfall, just like Lucifer (literally Satan) when he declares in Isaiah 14:14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Lucifer is one of the highest ranking angel that God created. He is just a created being, but wants to be like his Creator, he wants to be like God, his thinking was based on pride – and that pride became his downfall. Pride is also the reason for the temporary downfall of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar as recorded in the Old Testament. For several years, God changed the mind of the king to that of a beast that he ate grass because he was not in his proper mind. After sometime, God restored the king’s mind and the king acknowledge God, afterwards he humbled himself before God. Lucifer and king Nebuchadnezzar are just two real life example of what pride can bring. It continues to evolve even in this present day age, that because of pride, a certain person can ruin his life and eventually will become his downfall, and possibly spiritual downfall like the case of Lucifer. 1 Corinthians 2:14 explains that the "natural person" (the person without God’s Spirit) cannot understand the things of God. They are limited to what can be observed, measured, and reasoned (scientific method, philosophy), which by definition excludes the supernatural realm of God. And because of pride, human wisdom often leads to boasting in one's own intellect (1 Corinthians 1:29-31). This pride is the direct opposite of the humility required to receive God’s grace (James 4:6). The quest for human wisdom began with the temptation in Eden: "you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Man will never learn God’s wisdom until he humbles himself before God and turn to Him like what happened to king Nebuchadnezzar.
The gospel message is a barrier to accepting truths that require humility and faith. This gospel message that Jesus is God, His death and resurrection is salvation, when He was crucified and counted as criminal (Isaiah 53:12), and that salvation is a free gift received by faith, not earned by works or intellect—is offensive and foolish to human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:23). To accept this, one must humble themselves and admit that their own reason and moral effort are insufficient to achieve righteousness before God. This is a massive stumbling block for the proud and self-reliant.
And therefore they reject this reasoning. This rejection has eternal consequence leading to eternal separation from God (Hell), which is the ultimate consequence. The reason is twofold. First is the rejection of the only remedy – faith in Jesus Christ. The core of the Gospel is that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to be reconciled to God (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). If human wisdom causes a person to reject this remedy for their sin, they are left with their sin unforgiven. God's justice requires that sin be paid for. If it is not paid for by Christ on the cross because of faithlessness that they reject Christ and did not accept Him as Lord and Savior, it must be paid for by the sinner in eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23). Second is the state of the heart which is ultimately, not just about an intellectual mistake. The preference for human wisdom over God's revelation is a symptom of a deeper heart condition which is unbelief. It is a choice to trust one's own judgment over God's. The fundamental sin that leads to separation is the refusal to acknowledge God as God and to trust Him (Romans 1:18-21).
It is important to distinguish the critical distinction of the cause and symptom and to make one subtle distinction to avoid a potential misunderstanding. That hell is not primarily caused by a lack of spiritual intelligence. A person is not sent to hell for being "bad at theology." Hell is the result of unforgiven sin and rebellion against God, a direct disobedience of God’s desire for all men to be saved through Jesus Christ. The lack of spiritual wisdom is a symptom of the core problem that causes a man’s heart to be alienated from God and thereby not having the Holy Spirit, which is the source of God’s wisdom, so a person can attain salvation. A person who relies solely on human wisdom will, by definition, reject the Gospel. In doing so, they remain in their sinful state, separated from God, which leads to eternal separation .It is theologically sound that relying solely on human wisdom, which is inherently proud and limited, prevents a person from humbly accepting the Gospel of grace through faith in Christ. This rejection leaves them in their state of spiritual death and under judgment, resulting in eternal separation from God.
John 3:5 “Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. In Mark 1:4-5, “born of water” refers to baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. People were baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan river. John's baptism being performed by immersion and submerging the person completely under the water and raising them back up. This is the same method John the Baptist did to Jesus when the Lord was baptized by John in the Jordan river. It was recorded in Matthew 3:13, 16-17 (NIV) “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John... As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, this is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”John the Baptist's ministry preached a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” People were coming to be baptized by him as a sign of their repentance and preparation for the Messiah. So, "born of water" points to the human response of repentance and faith, publicly signified through baptism. It's the turning from sin and the acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior.
“Born of the Spirit” refers to regeneration by the Holy Spirit. This is the divine side of the new birth. It is God's work, not man's. The Holy Spirit supernaturally changes a person's heart, granting them spiritual life where there was none (Ezekiel 36:26-27, Titus 3:5). The mind being renewed and controlled by the Holy Spirit, resulting in a life that aligns with God's will. It is the internal transformation that the external water baptism symbolizes. In this view, the two are inseparable, namely genuine repentance and faith (born of water – baptism by water) and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (born of the Spirit), and the Spirit's work empowers a life of ongoing repentance and faith. They are two sides of the same coin of conversion.
Water baptism without repentance and faith is empty, the faith is not alive. Therefore, to enter the Kingdom of God, a person must not only have an outward ritual of water baptism but must also experience the inward transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit. The two are meant to go together, they are inseparable
and must always be together. So in short, a person can be saved by means of:
(1) Repentance to turn from Sin
(2) Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
(3) Afterwards receive the gift of the Holy Spirit because it was confirmed in Acts 2:38 “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins’ and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So it is very clear in this verse that after accomplishing (1) and (2), the Holy Spirit will indwell upon your life.
It is only by means of the Holy Spirit can a person be guided to a path towards salvation, for He will control his whole being – actions and thoughts, He changes an individual in becoming spiritually minded person. Guidance of the Holy Spirit is a continuous and ongoing process. If for instance, a person commits sin, the Holy Spirit is there for conviction giving conscience guilt and guiding the person to turn back to God. So in short, to be born of water and Spirit means to enter the kingdom of God.
A person who is genuinely guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit will indeed produce actions and a lifestyle that are agreeable to the Holy Spirit. This includes a desire for spiritual disciplines – praying and meditation on Scripture, which are essential for spiritual growth and enrichment. Praying is a direct communication with God. We ask God to help us in our life’s problem, and ask Him what we must do. Biblical principles states that the Holy Spirit changes our nature and desires. The primary work of the Holy Spirit in a believer is regeneration—giving them a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new nature has new desires that align with God's will. Ezekiel 36:26-27: "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." These are not actions we manufacture on our own; they are the natural fruit that is produced by the Holy Spirit in a life yielded to Him. He guides us into truth and closeness with God. The Holy Spirit's role is to reveal God to us and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him. The primary way He does this is through God's Word – Bible reading and meditating. John 16:13: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth." John 14:26: "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Therefore, a Spirit-controlled life will naturally have a hunger for the Bible because it is the Spirit's textbook. Reading and meditating on it is how we learn the truth He wants to teach us.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to pray. It is a vital sign of the Spirit's control is a life of communication with God. Romans 8:26-27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans... because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." Jude 1:20: "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit..." The Spirit doesn't just create a duty to pray; He creates a desire to pray and even guides the content of our prayers to align with God's will.
It's crucial to understand the relationship correctly to avoid a performance-based faith. That it is not that: if
I pray and read my Bible enough, then the Holy Spirit will control me. But it is because the Holy Spirit is controlling me, He creates in me a desire and empowers me to pray and read my Bible, which in turn leads to greater spiritual enrichment and Christ likeness. The spiritual disciplines are the effect of the Holy Spirit's work and the means through which He further enriches us. So a life guided by the Holy Spirit will be marked by a growing love for God, expressed through prayer and engagement with Scripture. This is not a burdensome law but a joyful response and a supernatural work of God within a believer, leading to true spiritual enrichment and transformation by the aid of the Holy Spirit.
A lifestyle guided by the Holy Spirit will not do his own preference but will submit to divine preference, aligning his will to God’s will, resulting in God’s desire of salvation for every person – 1 Timothy 2:4-6 “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” So it is solely by means of God’s only Mediator, God’s only begotten Son, the Man Jesus Christ that humanity was reconciled back to God. He gave His life to pay for everyone to purchase freedom for them that all mankind may be saved. A complete salvation is made possible through acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ as Lord God and Personal Savior and repentance by turning from sin.
