The rock band The Who is famous for asking the question, Who are you?  If you are in the over 40 crowd you can probably sing at least the chorus (Who are you? Who, who, who, who ) where they ask the question over and over.  More recently on the big screen, Jason Bourne, in The Bourne Identity, is dealing with amnesia and is desperately searching for his identity as he tries to reassemble the details of his life.  The more he discovers the less he wants to know.  As he pieces together the puzzle that is his life it appears that he is a highly trained government assassin.  What other conclusion can he draw from his fantastic fighting skills, secret cache of passports (with various identities) cash, weapons and proficiency in various languages?  Is his identity found in what he was trained to do?  Is it to be found in his previous line of work?  Or is identity something more permanent, more foundational?

How should any of us answer the question, who are you?  Where is your true identity found?  Is your identity found by what you think about yourself or what others think about you?  Does it have to do with your skills and abilities and what you have accomplished in the past?  Is your identity the combination of gifts and abilities that make up your personality profile?  Can you change your identity?  Can it be taken away or stolen?  Is your identity a role you play or something that forms a bedrock foundation to your life?  Do you get your identity from others?  Is your identity genetic and inherited or can it be developed over time?  When a person loses their mind, do they lose their identity?
 

Everyone has defining moments and experiences in life.  Do those experiences form your identity or just shape your character?  Wouldn’t it be great if you weren’t defined by your past? 
 

It is helpful to think about your identity as that which is most true about you and which cannot be taken away.  If that definition works, then the question becomes, what is most true about you?  Like the rebellious teenager who disowns his parents and runs away from home, whether they like it or not, their identity is still linked to his or her parents DNA and history.  Some things can’t be changed.
 

Is your identity a spiritual issue?  Is there an immaterial part of you, a soul that contains that which is truly you?  Does God play a role in determining your identity?  What if God had thoughts about you?  Would it make a difference if he thought highly about you?  Would God’s thoughts about you be any more or less important than what others think about you or what you think about yourself?  What if God was offering you an identity that could never be changed?  What if God offered to bring you into his family and relate to you like a parent does to a child in all the best ways that relationship was meant to be?
 

Your genetic makeup and personal history are very foundational whether we like to admit it or not, but maybe your identity can be more than that.  The Bible records many occasions when Jesus Christ talked about God’s love for each of us and his desire to welcome us into his family, to be his children.  It seems that for most of us our identity is ultimately found in our family and where we have come from.  Could that be true regarding a relationship with God too?
 

When I am being really honest, I often find myself wrestling with questions related to my identity.  Sometimes, like Jason Bourne, the more I learn the less I want to know.  Being reminded of what God says is true about me makes a very practical difference in the way I live my life.  So, as those philosopher musicians in the 1970’s asked, Who are you? Who, who, who, who?

So, you might ask, what does the law of large numbers have to do with Ultimate Pursuits and asking life’s most important questions? Excellent, thank you. That is precisely the question I asked myself while listening to Gilbert’s book on my iPod while riding a stationary bike and feeling like I was going nowhere. Then it struck me, for all of the important questions in life (at least all that I can think of right now) it is crucial to apply the law of large numbers when drawing conclusions and arriving at answers. For example, it would be possible to conclude, after surveying 10 clinically depressed individuals residing at a psychiatric hospital, that there is no ultimate meaning to one’s existence. A broader survey of the population at large might yield much more optimistic and statistically accurate results.

Wouldn’t the same principles come into play with questions about such vast and important topics as say the existence of God? Granted, that is a question that can seem somewhat like eating an elephant for dinner; it is difficult to know where to start. If that is the case it may not be most important where you begin, but how far you get. For example, many an undergraduate student has been discouraged by a single university science or philosophy professor who has declared that there is no God. As a result, on the basis of one academic, that freshman has concluded that all (or most) thinking university types must have arrived at the same conclusion. Who would argue against encouraging that student to explore further, read more widely, and gather more knowledge before arriving at a conclusion on such a weighty matter?

A friend of mine who is an eminent philosopher suggests that when tackling the important questions we ought to state the question in the form of a proposition and then set out to see where all the lines of evidence converge, apply some logical tests and make a decision accordingly. My guess is that this is actually the process you use subconsciously to make decisions on a regular basis. How about deciding where to go and what to do on a vacation? Aren’t you ultimately asking what will make you happy or what is worth pursuing?

The law of large numbers does not mean that you have to have weighed every apple in a barrel to determine the average weight of the apples. It does mean that weighing seven out of ten apples will give you a more accurate average than by only weighing three. Regarding Ultimate Pursuits types of questions I think it is safe to say that you are more likely to arrive at true and satisfying answers if you ask focused questions, gather as much relevant information as you are able, and test those conclusions to see how they work.

What I mean is that there are at least two ways to look at our life: from a physical perspective and from a spiritual perspective. One could say, “I am alive and growing, working out, eating right, and I am more alive than ever before,” even though that person is aware that one day he or she will die. Or, one could realize that in many ways each day of life is actually one step closer to death. I am not trying to be overly morbid, but physically that’s reality.

There may be another way to look at life, though, and that is from the spiritual perspective. Most religions in the world hold to the belief that there is some type of existence after physical death. For many of those religions, how we live our life here on earth plays a role in what happens after death. For those religions that believe in some type of “heaven” and “hell,” not everyone has the same destiny. Even the system of reincarnation is based upon progress and regress in coming lives. If it is true that one’s life continues after physical death, then it is also true that with every passing day each of us is progressing not only toward death, but also toward eternity.

Now, life and death take on a new perspective. Spiritual life is being present with God in eternity. Spiritual death is being separated from God in eternity. Of course, there are many different religions and many different concepts of the afterlife, but one thing that can be understood for certain is that they cannot all be correct. Something (or nothing, as some believe) is going to happen, and it will be the same “system” for all of us. It cannot be that those who believe in reincarnation will go that way while those who believe in heaven or hell will be judged that way and that the atheist will simply cease to exist.

Physically everyone is in the process of dying; spiritually it is another story. Some people may be living to die, meaning that they are currently alive physically, but are heading toward spiritual death. Others may be dying to live, meaning that while they are in the process of dying physically, they are headed toward spiritual life. The question everyone would like to know the answer to is: How can I be certain what happens after death?
Morrie Schwartz knew that he was going to die, so he used his time and life more fully and purposefully as a result. Settling the issue of spiritual life and death also has a profound effect on one’s physical life. Just imagine what it would be like if you knew for sure what would happen right after you die.

It is common today to believe that nobody can know for sure what will happen after death, but often times that is simply an excuse for not dealing with the question, which is an uncomfortable one. Is it possible that there is a way to answer the question and to be sure? Jesus Christ made a very interesting statement. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” You will have to decide for yourself, but it sounds like he is on to something.

An example of how compound interest works for you can be seen in this scenario. If a person invested $20 a week at 5% interest annually that investment would be worth $1,065 after one year; $13,486 after 10 years; $35,723 after 20 years; and  $132,828 after forty years. A small amount invested at regular intervals leads to a significant gain over time. Needless to say it is more fun to look at how investments grow using compound interest than it is to calculate the actual amount you pay for a home over the life of a typical 30 year mortgage.

As is often the case, principals in one area of life work in the same manner in another area of life. In this case C.S. Lewis, renowned philosopher and author, describes the spiritual truths of compounding interest.

Lewis writes, “Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”

Are the little decisions you make each day really of infinite importance? Are there areas of life that you have invested in over time that are beginning to pay off? Can you see areas of neglect that over time have begun to feel more like the weight of an unpaid loan that has reached its maturity date?

Every once in a while someone gets lucky and wins the lottery or hits the jackpot. On the other hand every day everyone makes decisions that will determine the outcome and destination of their life by the same principle of compound interest. Those that work the land know this as the principles of sowing and reaping. Those that work in the financial world know it as the value of compound interest. So, the next time you look at your 401k retirement account balance or are considering giving in to that familiar temptation calculate the compounding effect it will have on your life.

The first way that we can know anything is from our personal observations and experiences. Every day of our lives we see and experience a variety of people, places, and events. We learn by seeing and doing. Those personal experiences are stored in our memories and we grow in knowledge as we experience the world around us.

The second way we can know something is if someone tells us about something that is outside of our experience. For example, if a friend returns from a vacation to Italy we can learn about that place from their experience. Or, if we want to learn about how Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity, we can read his autobiography and learn from someone who lived 200 years ago.

Have you ever heard someone say, or said yourself, “I will have to see it to believe it”? That may be a good test for some incredible claims, but it is a rotten way to live life every day. Like an infant who doesn’t know better, and thus cries when a parent moves outside of his or her line of sight are those who act like nothing exists outside of what they can see. Of the two ways that we come to know things, we learn much more by far from others about things that are outside of our own experiences. Everything that happened before we were born, everything that takes place out of our sight, and most of what will happen in the future we will not experience first hand. This fact is humbling and challenging: humbling because it means that none of us knows as much as we might hope, and challenging because it means we must be careful whom we listen to and carefully investigate claims to truth. We must rely on others as we come to know things, but we must make sure that we have good reasons to believe their accounts.

There is a principle that is critical to understand in this process. The more important the fact or belief, the more credible the person sharing the knowledge must be. It is fine to ask any stranger for directions to a nearby restaurant, but it is critical that someone who claims to be able to tell us about the meaning of life, God, and eternity be a very credible and tested authority. Since we all have to rely on others, it is worth our effort to make sure that those people are worth believing. Anyone can get a dog to follow him by feeding and petting it. I like to think that humanity is more reasonable than that. We ought to test claims that people make to determine if they are true.

Not only are there two ways of knowing, but there are also two types of knowledge. Augustine called the knowledge of temporal and changeless things “scientia.” He called the knowledge of changeless guidelines for living in the changing world “sapientia” or wisdom. Knowledge of changing and temporal things is important, but wisdom is the higher and ultimate goal. So, if wisdom is your goal, then think clearly about the source of your knowledge.

A person can go through life limited by only trusting his experiences or he can learn to find credible sources of knowledge that will lead to gaining wisdom. When it comes to questions about spiritual truth, we need to ask: who exhibited the greatest wisdom, teaching, understanding, insights, and life? That person deserves a hearing. These are not new thoughts: 1,600 years ago, Augustine wrestled with these same issues and found that God seems to be very concerned about how we know and what we know. Remember, Augustine went from, “Dubito ergo sum” (I doubt therefore I am) to, “… you [God] made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”

God could even choose to speak to humanity by taking the form of a person. Maybe an illustration would help explain what this might look like. Say that you noticed an ant colony sitting directly in the path of an oncoming steam roller. Because of your concern for the ants, you decide to warn them of the approaching danger. You could try to talk to the ants, shout at them, or even use hand signals but they would not understand you. To truly communicate with the ants you would have to become like an ant (if that were somehow possible) and communicate as ants do with one another. Surely an infinite God, if he chose to, could take on the form of a human being and speak our language.

What if God actually did that? How would we know that it was truly God speaking? That person would have to do something so unique, even supernatural, so that it would give distinction to his message. The messenger would have to be just as clear as the message. What would that kind of life look like? Flawless? Perfect? His teaching would have to show greater wisdom than the world has ever known. He would have to live a perfect life in keeping with his perfect character. He would also need to demonstrate supernatural powers. I imagine that we would all like to see a miracle or two before we would be ready to believe him. Maybe he could heal people from serious illnesses. He could certainly demonstrate his authority over nature by controlling natural events like say, calming a storm. Something else that might be convincing would be if he accurately predicted specific events that would take place in the future. The ultimate demonstration would be if he could bring a dead person back to life.

What if God not only did these things for other people, but he even applied them to himself in order to distinguish himself from all other people? He would have to live a perfect life, predict what would happen to him in the future, die and then return to life in some dramatic fashion.

If God did speak to humanity in a way we could understand and made it clear that it was God who was speaking, any sane person would be compelled to listen. The big question is, has God ever done anything like that? A good place to begin answering that question is to evaluate religious leaders who have claimed to represent God and see if they measure up. One person who became convinced that God had spoken to humanity in this manner through Jesus Christ wrote, “At the beginning God expressed himself. That personal expression, that word, was with God, and was God … So the word of God became a human being and lived among us. We saw his glory (the glory like that of a father’s only son), full of grace and truth.” I welcome your thoughts regarding this topic.

Some time ago Millard Fuller, of Habitat for Humanity, was speaking to a group of pastors. He asked this group of spiritual leaders “Is it possible for a person to build a house so large that it’s sinful in the eyes of God?” Those in attendance agreed that it was possible. Then Fuller asked them what size the house would need to be to become so excessive. After a period of silence one voice said, “When it’s bigger than mine.” I am sure the response drew some laughter, but it also contains insight into how many people view what it means to be rich.

To answer the question, who is rich, requires a benchmark or baseline by which to compare. Those comparisons usually involve someone nearby (neighbors, office, celebrities) who has more. Maybe that is not the best baseline by which to evaluate? Consider that if you live in America, own a car (or two), own the place in which you live (or even if you rent), have machines like a dishwasher, washer and dryer, computers, DVD players, etc. then you are wealthier than 80% of the rest of the world. Are you rich? Most people would say that the top 20% should be considered rich.

I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with being rich. I am suggesting that the way a person answers that question will help answer other questions that surface as a result. How much is enough and what should I do with the rest? Is there a better way to make decisions than simply asking, can I afford it? Am I in anyway accountable for how I use my riches? If so, to whom?
Again, as the story goes, a wealthy man died and at his funeral one of his friends whispered to another, “how much did he leave?” The reply was, “all of it.” Who do you think is rich?

Spiritual truths and questions can be the most troublesome type to take on authority. After all, there have been so many different people throughout the centuries who have purported to have authority to speak for God. Ultimately the spiritual area is no different than any other. To decide what is true a person ought to test those who claim to be an authority and determine their level of trustworthiness. For example, Jesus Christ once told a man who was paralyzed, in the presence of his friends who had carried him to Jesus and a crowd of onlookers, that his offenses against God had been forgiven. Jesus knew that those present might not accept that statement without some outward proof so he then told the paralyzed man to, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home” which he proceeded to do (Matthew 9:6). The miracle they could see lent credibility to the statement Jesus made which they could not see.

So, when it comes to questions about spiritual truths, your faith in God or the Normandy invasion during World War II, don’t be afraid to “take it on good authority.”