Does Jesus answer our biggest questions?

Aristotle said, “All men desire to know.” He was right. We long to be rightly related to reality. We long to know the truth and to find ourselves in a story that is satisfying. I believe that we can know the truth, and when we find it, we will find answers that satisfy our soul. The answers to our perennial questions of existence, meaning, purpose, love, beauty, morality, and God are found in Jesus Christ and the religion he founded.

This past February, I was asked to speak at the University of Toronto on the question, “Does Jesus answer life’s biggest questions?” There I offered the following short list of answers to life’s perennial questions from within Christianity. I submit to you that this is a much better story that the bad story that is atheism. Not only that, I believe it is true to the way the world is and satisfies our longings for how things ought to be. 

Christianity’s answers to our Big Questions:

Is there a God? Yes, and he loves and pursues you.

What is the nature of Reality? It is enchanted, a world of rich physical, aesthetic and moral beauty.  

What is the purpose of the universe? For God to spread his joy and delight and love and you to find happiness in creaturely response.  

What is the meaning of life? Ditto.

Why am I here? Because God created me.

Does prayer work? Yes, God is ever present and involved in your life, even when you don’t know it.  

Is there a soul? Is it immortal? Yes, you are essentially a soul that has a body, you will live forever.

Is there free will? Yes, we are self-determiners of our action and our character.  

What happens when we die? We enter into eternal life, either with God in heaven or without God in hell.  

What is the difference between right and wrong, good and bad? There is objective morality, the right is what God commands and the wrong is what God prohibits; the good is that which God has created, the bad that which sin has corrupted.

Why should I be moral? Because it is good in itself and for what it brings (as Plato puts it in the Republic). 

Is abortion, euthanasia, suicide, paying taxes, foreign aid, or anything else you don’t like forbidden, permissible, or sometimes obligatory? There is a moral law, not everything is permissible, nor is everything forbidden.  

What is love, and how can I find it? Love is the one thing that can never hurt anyone, although it may cost dearly.

Does history have any meaning or purpose? Yes, there is meaning and purpose to everything.  

Does the human past have any lessons for our future? Yes, and we’d be wise to listen to them.

To watch my entire talk on this topic, see this video: