Do you know someone who is living an empty way of life? Maybe you find yourself living such a life.
What is an empty life? How do I know if I am living an empty life?
You are unclear as to the purpose and meaning of life. Life is so boring you find the need to be constantly entertained. There is an emptiness that nothing seems to fill. And you have tried to fill that emptiness with all sorts of things and nothing has worked so far. Possibly some of the things that you have tried to fill that emptiness have led to some type of addiction that has been harmful to you and even others.
The Bible addresses the empty way of life
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, wrote this in I Peter 1:18 in the Bible:
“For you know that it was not with perishable things like gold or silver that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish.”
The book of I Peter was actually a letter written to both religious and non-religious people. The religious people were some the Jews who had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Their religion was a matter of going through outward rituals yet their hearts were far from God.
Since the beginning of mankind, the ultimate search has been how to be made right with God. That is why so many religions have developed. Most of them are based on some system of good works, which cannot make anyone right with God. They just perpetuate an empty way of life.
The non-religious group were Gentiles who worshipped numerous idols and/or were involved in things like debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. (I Peter 4:3) Such a lifestyle is likewise empty.
It is interesting that Peter said to both groups that their empty life was handed down to them from their forefathers. If you find your life empty, it is possible that you are following the example of your parents or even grandparents. The passing down on an empty way of life can stop with you.
What is the answer to an empty way of life?
The answer is found in our verse- “to be redeemed from an empty way of life by the precious blood of Christ.” “To redeem” means to be set free by paying a ransom or a price. If people in that day were in some type of bondage, the normal price for redemption was gold or silver. But the bondage of sin that leads to an empty life was much more serious and demanded something of greater value than gold or silver, and that was the blood of Jesus, God’s own Son.
The blood of Jesus represents the fact that he died to make our forgiveness possible. If there had been another way, God would have chosen it, but the substitutionary death (he took the punishment we deserved) of his Son the Lord Jesus Christ by crucifixion* was the only way to cover our sins that separated us from God. Adam and Eve were separated from God when they disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden.

Because we inherited their sin nature, we also sin and consequently are separated from God in this life and will be in the next life.
In John 2:19, Jesus told his disciples that he would die but three days later he would rise from the dead. And that is exactly what he did. Not only did his resurrection validate that he was the promised Messiah and the Son of God, but also his teaching about God that we have in the four Gospels. Because Jesus is alive, we can have personal relationship with him. By the way, Jesus is the only world religion founder that is alive. All the others are dead.
Because the tomb is empty, you no longer have to live an empty way of life.
You can find meaning and purpose in life today
Maybe you have tried various religions or philosophies or even Mother Nature to find the only true God. Perhaps you have tried to create your own path to God or your idea of God. Maybe you are so hopeless and bored that you have tried everything from A-Z to numb the emptiness. Maybe it’s time you tried Jesus.
If you would like to begin a relationship with Jesus who is alive, here is a suggested prayer you can pray to him:
Dear Jesus,
I am tired on living an empty life, and I want to turn away from it. I am reaching out to you to redeem me from that way of life, and I ask your forgiveness for all the things I have tried to fill the emptiness. I believe that you died for my sins and that three days later you rose from the dead. There is much that I do not understand, but I am trusting you by faith to show me the way.

To receive a copy of the Gospel of John or other resources to help, visit chipwarren.org.

*Crucifixion was a form of punishment the Roman government used to punish certain criminals. That is difficult to understand because Jesus was not a criminal. He was the best person that ever lived on earth. In fact, he was perfect. He never sinned at all. (I John 3:5) Some of the religious leaders who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah sent from God despised Jesus and persuaded the Roman government to punish him as a criminal by death on a cross.