Living in Ultimate Reality Through the Lens of Jesus Christ

"For in Him we live and move and have our being." — Acts 17:28 NIV

There Is More to Reality Than We First Perceive

For thousands of years, people became sick without knowing why. They watched diseases spread through families and entire communities. They observed fevers, infections, and epidemics, but the underlying cause remained invisible. Physicians worked diligently with the knowledge available to them. Some treatments helped by chance. Others, such as bloodletting with leeches, often made matters worse. The problem was not a lack of sincerity or effort. An essential part of reality had simply not yet been discovered.

Then came one of the greatest revolutions in human history. Scientists uncovered the hidden world of bacteria and other microorganisms. Suddenly, countless mysteries began to make sense. Diseases that had seemed random now had understandable causes. Simple practices such as washing hands, sterilizing instruments, and treating infections transformed medicine and dramatically reduced suffering.

The discovery of bacteria did not create a new reality. Bacteria had always existed. They had always influenced human life whether people believed in them or not. The discovery simply brought human understanding into closer alignment with reality. Once people understood what had always been true, they could begin living in ways that fit the world as it actually is.

This pattern reaches far beyond medicine. Many of life's most significant realities are not immediately visible, yet they quietly shape everything around us. We experience their effects long before we understand them. As our understanding grows, our lives increasingly align with reality, and we flourish accordingly.

This raises one of humanity's greatest questions: What is ultimate reality?

Every Person Lives from an Answer

Whether consciously or not, every person builds life upon an answer to that question. Some conclude that reality consists only of matter, energy, and natural processes. Atheistic naturalism sees no Creator, no ultimate purpose built into human existence, and no divine story into which humanity is invited. Meaning, morality, and purpose must ultimately be constructed by human beings themselves. Other worldviews acknowledge a spiritual reality but understand it in different ways. 

The Christian faith makes a profoundly different claim. Ultimate reality is not merely that God exists. Ultimate reality is that the living God has made Himself known in Jesus Christ and desires to be known. This changes everything.

Jesus Reveals Ultimate Reality

Jesus did not merely come to teach spiritual principles. He came to reveal Reality Himself:

• "...Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father..." — John 14:9 NIV

• "The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."  —  Colossians 1:15-20 NIV

• " The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs." — Hebrews 1:3-4 NIV

In Jesus, we do not simply discover another religious idea. We encounter the living Creator. The discovery of bacteria revealed an invisible biological reality. Jesus reveals the deepest personal reality. Ultimate reality is not an abstract force, an impersonal law, or merely a collection of spiritual truths. Ultimate reality is the living God, revealed in Jesus Christ, who desires to be known.

This is the greatest discovery a human being can ever make—not because it adds another fact to our understanding, but because it reveals the very foundation of all that exists.

We Were Created by Him and for Him

If Jesus truly reveals the Creator, then our existence is not accidental. We are not simply highly evolved organisms creating our own purpose as we go. We were intentionally created. More than that, we were created for Him. Design always implies intention. The One who designed us knows why we exist, what leads to genuine flourishing, and what kind of life fulfills the purpose for which we were made. Our lives, therefore, possess objective meaning because they originate in an intentional Creator rather than in chance alone. This means our deepest questions—Who am I? Why am I here? What is worth living for?—cannot ultimately be answered apart from the One who created us.

The God Who Wants to Be Known

Yet the Christian story goes even further. God did not create humanity merely to acknowledge His existence or submit to His authority from a distance. He created us for relationship—A love relationship. From the garden of Eden to the coming of Christ, from Pentecost to the promise of a new creation, Scripture tells the story of a God who desires to dwell with His people.

• He speaks.

• He calls.

• He teaches.

• He corrects.

• He comforts.

• He leads.

• He invites.

• He desires to be known.

This means our highest responsibility is not merely to believe that God exists. It is to know Him. Not only what He does. But who He is. His character. His ways. His heart. His purposes. His kingdom. His love.

Why Beholding Matters

If the living God desires to be known, then our greatest calling is to behold Him. We behold not simply to gain information but to know the One who made us. As we come to know Him, our perception is renewed, our loves are reordered, our motives are purified, and our lives increasingly align with the reality for which we were designed.

This is why beholding stands at the heart of Christian discipleship. God is not simply giving us information about Himself. Through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, He is inviting us into an ever-deepening relationship in which we increasingly see reality through His eyes, love what He loves, and participate in His purposes.

Living in Ultimate Reality

If Jesus truly reveals ultimate reality, then every area of life must eventually be understood in relation to Him:

• Our identity.

• Our marriages.

• Our families.

• Our work.

• Our money.

• Our ambitions.

• Our ministry.

• Our suffering.

• Our hopes.

Nothing lies outside His loving reign.

This is why Jesus repeatedly called people to seek first the kingdom of God. He was not asking them to add religion to an already full life. He was inviting them to reorder their entire lives around the deepest reality in the universe. To live outside that reality is not merely to make poor decisions. It is to misunderstand life itself.

Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13–21). The man successfully planned for the future, expanded his barns, and secured his wealth. Yet God called him a fool—not because prosperity was evil, but because he had organized his entire life around temporary realities while neglecting the One who gives life its ultimate meaning.

• He understood economics. He misunderstood reality.

• He prepared for retirement. He neglected eternity.

• He became rich in possessions. He failed to become rich toward God.

The Greatest Human Responsibility

To be human is to live with responsibility. We steward our bodies. Our relationships. Our work. Our influence. Yet beneath every other responsibility lies one that gives meaning to them all. Our greatest responsibility is to know the God who created us, joyfully live under His loving reign, and increasingly align every area of life with His purposes. This is not cold duty. It is the joyful privilege of living according to reality. It is discovering the life for which we were created. It is entering the abundant life Jesus promised.

Looking Ahead

Recognizing that ultimate reality exists does not automatically mean we perceive it accurately. Human beings interpret life through their minds, bodies, and emotions. Their experiences, cultures, and histories can either clarify or distort what is true. This is why Jesus not only reveals reality—He also restores our capacity to perceive it.

In the next article, "Perception Through the Lens of Jesus Christ", we will explore how Jesus renews our minds, heals our distorted ways of seeing, and teaches us to increasingly perceive reality through His eyes. For ultimately, the Christian life is not merely about believing certain truths. It is about coming to know the living Christ, seeing reality as it truly is, and joyfully living under His loving reign. For ultimate reality is not merely a doctrine to be understood. Ultimate reality is the living God, revealed in Jesus Christ, who desires to be known.