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Am I a Disciple? Purpose

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The message of salvation is wonderful. Paul writes, ‘As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive’ (1 Cor.15:22) John writes, ‘Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life’ (1 John 5:12) Jesus himself declared, ‘I came that you may have life and have it abundantly’ (John 10:10) Salvation is more than escaping eternal punishment, it is about life, abundant, full, and eternal, deliverance from sin-slavery.

If we are saved, trusting in Christ for our eternity (2 Tim.1:12), that is a good thing. More, if we are made disciples, which Jesus commanded (Mt.28:16-20) and set our face towards obedience (Mt.7:21-23), that is a fruitful thing. We have looked at a possible Christian rule for life, the question of Am I Saved?and we have looked at obedience. We will go on in future posts to look at sanctification and perseverance, but now we look at purpose.

Sinai Still Speaks

God, through Moses, explained his purposes to the children of Israel so recently brought to the foot of the mountain:

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ (Exodus 19:4-6)

A redeemed people are called to a life of covenant-keeping obedience and holiness. In Christ the old covenant is fulfilled and we enter a new covenant age. Jesus established this new covenant when he broke bread with the disciples on the night he was betrayed:

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20)

There is a new covenant, but the purposes of God don’t change. The purpose of the people of the old covenant is described by Isaiah, ‘...that they might declare my praise.’ (Is.43:21) summed up beautifully in the psalm:

‘Oh, give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of his wondrous works! (Ps.105:1/2)

The way they were to declare God’s praise was by the lives they lived, by obedience to the commandments of the old covenant, declaring his wondrous works in telling, singing, and living out their faith before the world. A life that set them apart from other nations, ‘a holy nation’ (Ex.19:6)

The people of the new covenant (Jew and Gentile) are likewise called to lives that glorify God. The covenant is new but God’s purposes have not changed one bit:

‘But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.’ (1 Peter 2:9)

Holiness

These days there an unhealthy emphasis on my being chosen, but the emphasis in this verse is the purpose of God's choosing.

Holiness describes something set apart for a special purpose. Christians are a people called to holiness, consecrated to God’s exclusive service (having no other gods), conformed in everything to God’s will (walking in obedience), regulated by divine precepts (keeping commandments), conformed increasingly to the image of their maker, thus restoring God’s original purpose in creation (Gen.1:27)

John writes:

‘See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.’ (1 John 3:1/2)

Whenever I see the world in the church I could weep because Christians are embracing the world that rejected him. They rejected him and if we are living right it should want nothing to do with us. It has been well said, and I will keep repeating it, that if the church tries to win the world by being like the world the church hasn’t won the world, the world has won the church.

The experience of God’s people throughout history is of countless voices enticing them to paths they were never intended to walk, to ways that are not God’s ways. The Bible describes time and again the great tragedy of following after foreign gods, adopting strange customs, embracing the surrounding culture.

From the worship of Baal and Molech in the Old Testament to the adopting of gnosticism, mystery religion, and legalism in the New Testament, the cords of culture, the fetters of foreign ways only serve to entrap God’s people and drag them down to destruction. These things are with us today and to be ignorant of them is folly. Maybe the church needs to spend a season in the Old Testament and learn its lessons.

If we truly understand the purposes of God in creation and salvation we are on our way to understanding our own place in those greater purposes. It’s not about me, it’s about him. The Westminster Confession states it with powerful simplicity:

What is the purpose of man?

The purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

Amen






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