Why Am I Here on Earth?

In other words, why are we even born if we are only to die some 70 or 80 years later? Isn’t there more to life than to say, “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die?” Probably not if you believe the earth was created from a “Big Bang,” that man evolved from amoebas millions of years ago, or that there is no Creator. Science is even discovering that the universe is getting old. It’s dying, just like man, and it’s not going to last forever. Something makes us wonder, “Why am I here?” That something is God.

In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, the humans, and the amoebas. The Bible tells us that God specifically created man and woman in his image and that he desired to have “fellowship” (companionship or friendship) with his creation. He “blessed them” and gave them “rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:1-28CloseGenesis 1:1-28 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.* The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness "night."  And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day. Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth." And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space "sky."  And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day. Then God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear." And that is what happened. God called the dry ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day. Then God said, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth." And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day. Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth." And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day. Then God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals." And that is what happened. God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make human beings* in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground." So God created human beings* in his own image.  In the image of God he created them;  male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). We are here to tend the earth. We are also here for God’s pleasure, which ends up being pleasurable for us—if we know him personally.

There is more to just living and dying. Each person is born in God’s image, which is personable, able to love, to laugh, to feel, and to think. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9Close2 Peter 3:9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). What is repentance and why do we need it? When the first man Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone (Romans 5:12CloseRomans 5:12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). Without recognizing that we inherited that sin status and trusting that God made a way through Jesus Christ to change our status through repentance, we can never have a relationship with God; for he is holy and we are sinful. We are here on earth to honor God, to know God, and to share the benefits of this experience with others while on earth so we can ultimately spend eternity in a place called Heaven. We can only do that if we know Jesus as our Savior.

Copyright Sharon Houk. Used by permission.