The Renewing Mind: The Means Justified.

There are two statements that I tend to put together.  Whenever I hear one, I think of the other. They are:

Life is a journey, not a destination
&
The ends justify the means.

I take issue with both of these statements. First, while I agree that life is a journey, that journey is all about the destination. The journey has little meaning and usefulness if there isn't a destination one wishes to reach. Wandering can be fun for a time, but a wandering life will still end in a destination, just one that the wanderer didn't choose.

The second statement is trickier. In general, I disagree with it. I do not believe that a beneficial end justifies diabolical means. In day-to-day life, you can't do dishonest, horrible things and simply argue that it was for a good outcome. However, when I think of eternity with God as the end, then suddenly I think that any means would be justified. First, that end is such a grand ending that suffering any means would be worth the cost. However, only one means leads to that end, and that means is through justification by Christ.

Life is a journey. If that journey is a justified one, then the end is a magnificent eternity.