Life, the Universe, and Everything

The song asked, "What's it all about, Alfie?" It's a question a lot of people ask. What is the purpose ... of life, the universe, and everything? I can tell you without possibility of error that I know the answer.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen (Rom 11:36).

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Col 1:15-17).

So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God (1 Cor 3:21-23).

The earth is the LORD'S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it (Psa 24:1).

Are you detecting a pattern? Is there a consistency here that offers a clue to the answer? Or is it just too blatant to miss?

According to Scripture, Jesus made it all (e.g. John 1:1-3; Col 1:16). Beyond that, Jesus sustains it all.

"In Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17).

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings" (Heb 2:10).

Did you get that? Yes, He created it all, but it wasn't a "create and then let run" approach. It wasn't a wind-up clock that He set in motion to run down. He created and now sustains. If He was not actively sustaining the universe, nothing would currently exist.

And then there's the final point. Beyond Creator and Sustainer, He is the Purpose, the owner, the point. "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things," Paul said. He's the starting point, the One who maintains it on its course, and the endpoint of all things. What's the point? What's the purpose? Why are we here? The answer in God's Word is Christ. The End.

Here's what struck me in considering all this. Jesus owns it all. All. Now, how often do we complain about what we have? How often do we complain about how we're being treated? I'm thinking primarily about God here. How often do we complain to God about how He's treating us? We're pretty sure we deserve better. We're quite confident that a child who dies or a loved one that gets cancer or a home that burns to the ground is a bad thing. Why didn't God do something? It was ours and now it's gone. That child, that spouse, that precious possession was ours and we've lost it.

May I remind you (because I need the reminder), that's not yours. It doesn't belong to you. Nor are you the point. It's not about you. And to you brave fathers and husbands and intrepid mothers and wives, you are not the one keeping it going. You may feel like it all depends on you. It doesn't. It is our natural sin-tendency to seek to be like the Most High. It is all His, it is sustained by Him, and He is the point. You and I are not. So "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt 5:16). That would be the point.