Does anything matter? What gives our lives significance? To answer this question, I turn to the wisdom of a man named Solomon who—apart from Christ—was the wisest person who ever walked this Earth. Though he was wise, he did not always live according to his wisdom—in fact he made some very foolish decisions. But at the end of his life, reflecting on everything, he composed a book that we call Ecclesiastes, which I believe is very helpful in answering the question, ‘Does anything matter?’
Ecclesiastes:
Solomon opens his book with a series of thoughts centered around the vanity of this life. ‘Vanity of vanity, all is vanity!’ (Ecc 1). This language speaks to the fleeting and elusive nature of our lives. The word for vanity in the Hebrew has the equivalent imagery of smoke—you cannot grasp or hold on it. (If you ever try to grab on to smoke it just slips out of your hands).
Solomon wanted us to see that striving to find significance or meaning solely in ourselves, accomplishments, innovations, or glories in this world is a futile affair: ‘What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun…There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after’ (Ecc 1:9,11). If we only looked at ourselves in this world, then we must answer the question, ‘Does anything matter?’ with the negative: no, not really—in the end, nothing matters; reality is absurd (Camus was right).
But there is more to reality than a mere perspective of life ‘under the sun,’ and Ecclesiastes (along the rest of Scripture) points us to see this. Above it all is a majestic, powerful, uncreated Creator God, dwelling in unapproachable light, ruling over Creation and History. This God gives our lives a true and lasting significance, one that is received as a gift from Him. This God, ’has made everything beautiful in its time’ (Ecc 3:11).
To wisely answer the question, ‘Does anything matter?’ we must consider things of ultimate reality and significance—our lives before the one true Living God who is there. Here we find the real answer to the question, ‘Does anything matter? with the affirmative: Yes, it all matters, because God exists and cares about us and what happens in this world.
After our lives are through, we will give an account of ourselves before God: He is the just judge, seeing every work, thought, intention, and action of our lives. He will bring about perfect justice and restoration. Our actions have consequences and will reverberate in eternity: in heaven or in hell. Thus, the path of wisdom is to orient ourselves Godward, trust the significance of our lives to Him, believe in Christ the Savior, and walk by faith.
Here is the end of Ecclesiastes: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecc 12:13b-14).
