God’s Great Purpose for You

The previous post (“I Call It Heresy!”), reveals a troubling disconnect. It calls out those who claim to be Christians, but do not live (or even desire to live) as Christians.

For many, this disconnect is the result of ignorance. They may never have heard of God’s great purpose for them. Not just that they can be “in Christ,” but that they can be “like Christ.”

This post introduces the groundwork for God’s great purpose for each person.

For some, this is a reminder.

For many, it will be new.

For all of us, it is a life-changer.

 

A Conversation

A young person wanted to discuss the future. This could be anyone, but in his case, he was a husband, a new father, and a respected public-school teacher who had a decision to make.

An opportunity had presented itself to move to a different region and possibly advance his career. He and his wife are followers of Jesus who had prayerfully thought through the options. There were many considerations: both career positions held potential, the new region offered affordable housing, and so forth.

This is just one example of how God’s great purpose intersects with every circumstance of life.

 

What should they do?

Although it is not my place to make their decisions, I could provide context to help them better understand their options and make a wise choice. At one point, I gently asked,  

“What is God’s great purpose for you?”

They knew it was not financial prosperity, career advancement, or any other metric typically used for success in our culture. As important as these issues might be, they are not God’s great purpose for us.

So, what is God’s great purpose for you?

 

A Framework

Let me introduce three biblical texts that sketch the Triune God’s great purpose for you. This post will focus on:

• the Father in the past,
• the Son in the future, and
• the Spirit in the present.

I encourage you to read each of these texts in its broader context. You will note that in each text, believers in Christ or Christians are addressed with a view to becoming more ‘like Christ.’

I have included a link to an expanded video presentation on this subject at the end of this post.

 

Predestined in the Past

The first text is Romans 8:28-30:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Here, the term “God” is distinct from “his Son,” and as is Paul’s practice, he usually uses “God” when referring to the Father (cf., Romans 1:1-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6).

“Predestined” is another concept that is often misunderstood. The word “predestined” translates the Greek word proorizō, which is only used six times in the Bible. A broader description might be a destination or goal determined beforehand.

An illustration may help clarify the meaning. When a person boards Lufthansa flight LH4269 in Vancouver, Canada, they have entered an aircraft with a predetermined destination. That aircraft is predestined to end up in Frankfurt, Germany. 

In the same way, upon receiving or believing in Jesus Christ (i.e., John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 5:24; etc.), a person is ‘in Christ.’ For all those ‘in Christ,’ God has a destination or goal determined beforehand—they will be “conformed to the likeness of his Son.”

So, in the past,

God, the Father, has predestined or predetermined

that all those ‘in Christ’ will be ‘like Christ.’

 

Realized in the Future

As we read 1 John 3:2-3, we are given a glimpse of the future:

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

We do not see Jesus physically now. Yet a day is coming when Jesus will appear in person. John does not tell us when this will be, but he does state that “we know” it will happen. At that point, everyone who is ‘in Christ’ shall be ‘like Christ.’ 

So, in the future,

there will be an instantaneous transformation of who and what we are—

to become “like Jesus Christ” in his perfect humanity.

 

Transforming in the Present

What is God doing in the present, and what are we asked to do?

Here is what we read in 2 Corinthians 3:18,

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Once again, Paul speaks to those who are ‘in Christ.’

Here are three brief observations of this text:

• A process: In the same way that we mature in life by stages, the process of spiritual maturing is degree by degree.
• A word: “Being transformed” translates the Greek word metamorphoomai, which is the basis for our English word “metamorphosis”—the process by which a caterpillar is transformed into a butterfly. 
• Some grammar: “Being transformed” is in the Greek middle voice. This means we are called to cooperate or participate in the Spirit’s transforming work.

Paul Barnett, in his commentary on 2nd Corinthians, writes:

Paul makes it clear that we must understand our transformation to be the will of God for us and that we should actively cooperate with him in bringing to reality the eternal destiny for which we were predestined.[1]

So, in the present,

God the Spirit is active in the lives of those who are ‘in Christ,’

transforming us degree by degree to be more ‘like Christ’

as we actively cooperate with him in his transforming work.

 

Some Implications for Life

How do we participate with the Spirit to transform our minds, bodies, service, and more?

To discover some of what is involved in actively cooperating with the Spirit, here is the link to a short series, “To Make Disciples is to Transform …”   

For now, this post introduces you to the Triune God’s great purpose for you. It equips us with a radical and transformative vision for life that applies to every circumstance of life. You can also view an expanded video presentation (16:56) by clicking here. 

I look forward to your comments and questions. You can write me using this link. 

 

BACK TO I Call It Heresy!

Notes:

[1] Paul Barnett, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997), 208.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com