Much of our secularized society has come to view human beings as little more than biological machines. According to this outlook, you and all the people you know are really no more than the tissue structures of the human brain interacting with its environment. It is frequently assumed that all of our thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and personality traits are simply manifestations of the chemical processes on which biology is based. And since biology is based on chemistry, many people assume that when we have problems with our thoughts, emotions, or behaviors, that they are essentially chemical problems—with chemical solutions.

Not everyone is happy with the results of this modern worldview. In recent decades many people, calling themselves postmodernists, have not only come to question science’s ability to solve all of humanity’s problems, but also to deny that there are any ultimate truths on which we can base our lives, and thus no universal answers to our problems.

But there is a worldview that neither reduces people to machines nor leaves them in despair for answers. It comes from the Bible, which tells us that human beings are made in the spiritual image and likeness of God. It tells us that God has not left us alone, but is constantly revealing Himself both through the universe He has made and the Scriptures He has given us—and that He even came into this world and lived as one of us, in the Person of Jesus Christ. He did all this and more to bring us the answers we need, by showing us that He Himself is our ultimate answer.

God created us to enjoy a loving and trusting relationship with Him. He knows all of our needs, and when we turn away from Him we abandon the ultimate source of peace and wholeness for our lives. The ancient Christian theologian, Augustine, summed it up when he wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

And Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NIV)

By:  Ron Henzel.  Used with permission.