Philosopher John Shea calls Jesus “the great questioner.” He notes that in the recorded history of philosophy, “explorations into Jesus are not only historical expeditions but the way the self asks its deepest questions.”

    I remember the rich young ruler, who asked Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” For a man like this one, who possesses great wealth but a limited number of heartbeats, the question of “what do I need to do to inherit eternal life?” is a deep and abiding one. With certain rulers of oil-rich Middle Eastern nations today, the issue isn’t poverty or a limited amount of known petroleum assets, but rather many difficult questions that can not be answered with wealth.

    One of the most profound questions every civilized culture must grapple with is: What is the purpose of human existence? As is often said, we know that we are born and we know that we die, but between the birth and the death we have trouble filling our time with purpose.

    When the question of the meaning and value of life is raised, Christianity supplies the answer. The answer is found in the unique, unfolding story of one person, Jesus, who lived, died, and was raised from death. Through this he conquered death and Satan.

    Christianity makes a considerable claim about the person of Christ, a claim that is both widely cosmic and intensely personal. It claims that somehow, through the life and death of Jesus Christ, the key to human meaning and significance can be found. And the claim becomes yet more astounding and difficult to comprehend: Jesus is the fullest revelation of God to humanity (he is fully God) and the fullest manifestation of what it means to be human (he is fully human).

    Is the meaning of life determined by coming to the one who says, “I am the Life”? Has Jesus earned the right to ask you and me questions? Scripture reports that Jesus’ death for lost mankind speaks to our purpose in life:

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. (2 Corinthians 5:15)

What legacy do you want? What is your secret spiritual yearning?

    Is man free to do anything he wants to do, live a totally self-pleasing life, ignoring his Creator and Savior, and then expect eternal life with God? The world may say, “Yes!” but Jesus says, “No, my death for you opens up eternal life with God for you. You can’t have me and also have the world, not if you truly hear me. It’s me and life in God, or you and life in slavery to your passions. You can’t love yourself as if you are God. I came from Glory to die for your sins.”

    Do you want salvation and rescue or do you want to live for sin and self? It’s time to answer his question! Time truly is running out!

    If Christ is who he said he was, then Good News has arrived: God wants to have us in his family — saved from sin and warmly welcomed into his family as a son or daughter. God has done it all for us. God invites us into this Good News and be caught up in the life of Christ as we repent of our sins, confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, and are “buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4) His blood washes our sins away. Our old life is gone, we have new resurrected life through him, empowered by his Holy Spirit!

    So let’s have our self ask us the deepest of questions: “Do I believe that Jesus not only died for my sins, but that he was raised for my salvation?” If the answer is yes, then let’s live our new life by his standards, sharing in his love, and anticipating his glory!