Meaning of life, the universe, and everything

So, for the Christian, what is the answer to this question? I only seek to look at it and try to enable my readers to draw the answers out on their own. I apologize if I come across too biased.

I once believed that when one became saved, there really was not anything beyond that salvation except to helplessly fall into sin over and over again, and then come to alter on Sundays to repent, leave, repeat, return, ad nauseam.

Eventually, one will come to realize that such living is really quite pointless. After all, if we cannot keep the righteous requirements of God's law ourselves, what was the point of remaining here on earth after salvation? Shouldn't we just be zapped up directly to heaven after 'we get it'? "But what about the others?" one might ask. After all, don't we remain here so that we can convert others? The problem with this view is that it opens the "floodgates of heaven" to gnosticism.

What is gnosticism? Early Gnosticism is really a bi-product of Platonism, now don't get me wrong, Plato is one of my favorite philosophers, however, many of his conclusions I cannot live with. But essentially gnosticism took the platonic idea of forms (the purer substance) and matter (that are mere imitations of the forms) and spiritualized it. An idea popularized by Simon Magnus is that all humankind originate from the spiritual world and are essentially spiritual beings. An evil demi-urge created an imitation realm (the material world) and enslaved these spiritual beings by encasing them in material flesh. So one attains enlightenment by escaping from this fleshly prison and finds freedom when they are finally delivered from the flesh in death.

For the gnostic, death returns one to their natural state, free from the material world. Salvation is obtained through a fleshly death. Unfortunately, most Christians align themselves with this very thinking, or at least a belief that looks very similar. Is this not the same notion we get when salvation becomes the central and sole focus of our purpose here on earth? It was the realization that this is not what God promotes in Scripture, that set me free from gnostic Christianity.

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.I Cor 15:12-19 NKJV

What would be the purpose of a physical resurrection (read getting re-entrapped into evil flesh) if becoming free from the material world were our purpose? (Gnostic Christians in the second century A.D. deny that Christ resurrected physically.)

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Rom 8:20-25 NKJV

What sort of redemption for creation is Paul speaking about?

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,
“Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

But isn't that what Christ's resurrection was for? Not to destroy creation but to restore it? How oft, we as Christians forget this central truth of the gospel! But then what becomes the purpose of our lives? This does not seem to be an easy question to answer, but I submit to you, it is an easy answer, its just that if you said it out loud, your gnostic mind will reject it as rubbish! Yet to find the answer, you just need to review all the Christian'ese gibberish and find what matches Paul's doctrine.
Just look at to what the purpose of Christ's death was for. It was not to save you from hell, as important as that is to us at face value, and many of us bought into the gospel out of fear of hell. But it is now time, more than ever, to get beyond the cliches of Johnathon Edwards famous sermon ( Sinners in the hand of an Angry God). Salvation from hell is a residual effect of salvation, and yes, God intended to save people from hell, but I submit to you that that is merely prima facie. God created man to be in perfect union with Him, sin drove us away from Him, so we can say that Christ's sacrifice was to restore that relationship that was broken. That is the purpose of salvation.

So then the purpose of evangelizing is for us to attempt to restore God's relationship with those who have rejected Him. But how does this fit into the overall plan? How does this define our ultimate purpose? Simple, God began with a garden and commanded Adam and Eve to build beyond it (Gen 1:28), and in the end, God builds a city. But it is not just God doing this, He has blessed us in choosing us to help Him do it. That is the purpose of your salvation, to spread it to the world!

1 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And peoples shall flow to it.
2 Many nations shall come and say,

“ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion the law shall go forth,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 He shall judge between many peoples,
And rebuke strong nations afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid;
For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
5 For all people walk each in the name of his god,
But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God
Forever and ever. Micah 4:1-5 NKJV

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