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The concept of 'purpose' has become popular in religious circles. Why? Probably because people, in their anxious state, want a 'yardstick' by which to judge their own (and other's) thoughts and actions. "Am I living my life well?", or "How do I know when I'm a good Christian?" (or person); questions such as these highlight the problem that is ever-present in a lost society.
When a person doubts their goodness, they should immediately suspect their motivation(s).
Attempts to be 'good enough' derive from an alienated perspective. It's a sign that self is in charge.
Self can't be freed by way of 'doings', because those doings are systems devised by self. So long as the self is in charge it will remain lost and anxious.
The process of becoming 'free' requires a giving up of self.
Here's a passage from 2 Timothy, showing how "desires of youth" need to be left behind, in order to find "repentance leading to knowledge of the truth".
2 Timothy-
22 Flee the evil [immature] desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil [ignorance], who has taken them captive to do his will [follow a self-focused path].
If you don't believe in 'evil' or 'the devil', you needn't miss the wonderful meanings of the passages. I've added bracketed words/phrases as translations for those of the text. My translated words and phrases retain the meanings of the originals, but shifts the emphasis to those that are more meaningful to a contemporary audience (which IS the point of the text!)
Matthew
The concept of 'purpose' has become popular in religious circles. Why? Probably because people, in their anxious state, want a 'yardstick' by which to judge their own (and other's) thoughts and actions. "Am I living my life well?", or "How do I know when I'm a good Christian?" (or person); questions such as these highlight the problem that is ever-present in a lost society.
When a person doubts their goodness, they should immediately suspect their motivation(s).
Attempts to be 'good enough' derive from an alienated perspective. It's a sign that self is in charge.
Self can't be freed by way of 'doings', because those doings are systems devised by self. So long as the self is in charge it will remain lost and anxious.
The process of becoming 'free' requires a giving up of self.
Here's a passage from 2 Timothy, showing how "desires of youth" need to be left behind, in order to find "repentance leading to knowledge of the truth".
2 Timothy-
22 Flee the evil [immature] desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.
24 And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.
25 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil [ignorance], who has taken them captive to do his will [follow a self-focused path].
If you don't believe in 'evil' or 'the devil', you needn't miss the wonderful meanings of the passages. I've added bracketed words/phrases as translations for those of the text. My translated words and phrases retain the meanings of the originals, but shifts the emphasis to those that are more meaningful to a contemporary audience (which IS the point of the text!)
Matthew
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