Day Forty - Living With Purpose
In the final chapter of his book, Mr. Warren exhorts his readers to live life “on purpose.” Doing so, he says, “is the only way to really live. Everything else is just existing.” (p. 312) And, he says, the way to keep life focused on purpose is to “develop a purpose statement for your life and then review it regularly.” (p. 313) A “purpose statement,” he explains, “…summarizes God’s purposes for your life…, points the direction of your life…, defines success…, clarifies your roles…, and…expresses your shape.” (p. 313) He urges that a formalized statement is important because, “Unfortunately, it’s easy to get distracted and forget what is most important. It’s easy to drift away from what matters most and slowly get off course.” (p. 313) But what is “most important”? Mr. Warren has presented a whole series of “most important” things. One “most important” thing easily distracts us from another “most important” thing. Since each one of the things really is not most important, therefore an idea of its supreme importance cannot possibly be fulfilled. One false ultimacy easily is distracted by another false ultimacy.
Rather than any of Mr. Warren’s conflicted “purposes,” the single most important thing in our lives is to glorify God. The Westminster Catechism of 1646 expressed this importance in a form that as yet has seen no improvement: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” (Answer 1) Of course, there are many ways in which we may glorify God. We may glorify Him in our worship; in our fellowship; in development of godly personal character; in service; and in missions. We also may glorify Him in the right and responsible handling of His Word; in competent and faithful teaching of His truth; and in keeping ourselves – and our ideas – unstained by the world. Pretending to make any one avenue of glorifying God to be the “most important” thing no longer is to glorify God, but to glorify the thing.
Even though we may be singly devoted to our one true purpose to glorify God, still we find this to be a great struggle, subject to constant distraction. But this struggle is of a markedly different nature than the struggle that Mr. Warren envisions for us. The Bible says that it is sin that “so easily entangles us.” (Heb. 12:1) The remedy for this distraction is not to “formulate a life purpose statement”; the remedy is repentance. Mr. Warren has not come to terms with sin in his overall scheme of things. Consequently, he cannot advance any truly biblical idea of repentance or redemption. Accordingly, the final outcome as Mr. Warren imagines it contrasts vividly with the true teaching of Scripture. “One day,” he warns, “God will review your answers to these life questions. Did you put Jesus at the center of your life? Did you develop his character? Did you devote your life to serving others? Did you communicate his message and fulfill his mission? Did you love and participate in his family? These are the only issues that will count.” (p. 318) In support of this view of things, he cites II Corinthians 10:13, which in reality has nothing whatsoever to do with Mr. Warren’s line of discussion.
Mr. Warren is quite correct in that there is, indeed, a day in which we all shall have to give account of ourselves to God. But that which shall occur on that day is quite contrary to Mr. Warren’s imagination. Paul warned the philosophers in Athens that God “...has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) Paul speaks of a day that elsewhere in Scripture also is known as “the day of the Lord” (Lk. 17:24, Acts 2:20, I Cor. 1:8; 5:5, II Cor. 1:14, Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16, I Thes. 5:2, II Thes. 2:2, II Pet. 3:10, 12, Rev. 16:14), or “the day of judgment” (Mat. 12:36; 10:15; 11:22, 24, II Pet. 2:9; 3:7, I Jn. 4:17), or simply “that day” (Mat. 7:21-23, I Cor. 3:13, II Thes. 1:7-10, II Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8, Heb. 10:25, Jude 1:6). There is a question of whether some of these texts may refer to the event of the Second Coming of our Lord as distinct from the final judgment of God, however, what is clear is that the day of judgment will come. On that day God will do something very different than what Mr. Warren describes, and the “only issues that will count” will be markedly different than those he has suggested.
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus Himself gives a general account of the events and the issues of that day: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” We see that on that day God will not “review” our answers to “life questions.” He will pronounce judgment. He will judge us not according to the nice things we have said about Him, nor even according to our actions in fulfilling what we convinced ourselves was our “purpose” to do. He will judge us according to whether or not we have done His will. His will is set out for us in His Law. Those who are sent away from the presence of the Lord are said to be those who “practice lawlessness.” (v. 23) The Apostle John declared in the most clear and emphatic terms: “sin is lawlessness” (I Jn. 3:4) Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” (Mat. 16:27) Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (II Cor. 5:10)
But is there not some other standard imposed for those whose sins are forgiven in Christ? If our sins are forgiven, then how shall we any longer be judged for them? These questions arise from a common misconception of modern Christians. Mr. Warren’s idea of the final judgment is a prime example of this misconception. Modern Evangelicalism has construed the work of Christ as making redemption “possible,” or making God “available” to Man. In this view of things the final issue becomes whether or not one has availed himself of the possibility. For example, Mr. Warren imagines that the final judgment consists of God asking us some questions: “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?” (p. 34) “Did you put Jesus at the center of your life?” (p. 318) However, what God did in Christ was not to make redemption possible, but to accomplish redemption. (Col. 2:13-14, et al) He did not make Himself available to us, but He reconciled His people to Himself. (II Cor. 5:18-19) Redemption means not only that we escape the wrath to come, but it also involves grace to walk today in newness of life. On the last day there will be much more at stake than simply the question of what did you “do with” Jesus. Numerous Scripture texts plainly indicate that the redeemed life must be characterized by righteousness. The following are representative:
“Bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance.” (Lk. 3:8) “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Jn. 14:15) “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:2) “...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts.” (Rom. 6:12) “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.” (Rom. 8:3-4) “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the Law.” (Rom. 13:10) “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (I Jn. 5:2-3) “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (II Cor. 7:1) “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” (I Cor. 3:9-15)
In Revelation 19:8 there is a beautiful image of God’s people as the bride of Christ, “and it was given her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Those who are born of God bring forth the fruit of God. Our good works do not earn us a place with God; our good works constitute evidence of the grace of God in our lives. One who practices lawlessness cannot make a credible claim to be redeemed of God; one who is redeemed of God will bring forth fruits in keeping with his repentance. On judgment day our works will be tested according to the standard of God’s Law. The justification that we have in Christ guarantees that we shall survive the fire, but not all of our works shall survive. It will be good for us if we shall be found clothed in gleaming white linen, consisting of our righteous acts.
If God presents us with the mere possibility of a “relationship” with Him, and on the last day we shall be evaluated according to whether we have actualized the possibility, then the Law of God no longer has any significance, and Christ is reduced to a role-model, whose death was meant mainly to attract our attention and to gain our sympathy. In truth, the Law of God is eternally significant. Nothing of creation has any significance except in reference to God’s Law. On the last day all men will be judged according to this Law. Left to themselves, all men are sinners, whose hearts are desperately sick with contempt for God’s Law, and whose passion is to flee their Judge. But God has not left men to themselves. By His own sovereign grace He determined in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to redeem His people from their sins. In the judgment day they shall be judged according to God’s eternal Law and found justified in Christ (“not by works of righteousness”). Their works also shall be judged according to God’s Law, and shall be burned up as wood, hay and straw, or else refined as silver and gold. Mr. Warren does no service to his readers by excusing them from this refining fire, which he effectively does by declaring that “the only issues that will count” are five questions that he invented.
Rather than any of Mr. Warren’s conflicted “purposes,” the single most important thing in our lives is to glorify God. The Westminster Catechism of 1646 expressed this importance in a form that as yet has seen no improvement: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” (Answer 1) Of course, there are many ways in which we may glorify God. We may glorify Him in our worship; in our fellowship; in development of godly personal character; in service; and in missions. We also may glorify Him in the right and responsible handling of His Word; in competent and faithful teaching of His truth; and in keeping ourselves – and our ideas – unstained by the world. Pretending to make any one avenue of glorifying God to be the “most important” thing no longer is to glorify God, but to glorify the thing.
Even though we may be singly devoted to our one true purpose to glorify God, still we find this to be a great struggle, subject to constant distraction. But this struggle is of a markedly different nature than the struggle that Mr. Warren envisions for us. The Bible says that it is sin that “so easily entangles us.” (Heb. 12:1) The remedy for this distraction is not to “formulate a life purpose statement”; the remedy is repentance. Mr. Warren has not come to terms with sin in his overall scheme of things. Consequently, he cannot advance any truly biblical idea of repentance or redemption. Accordingly, the final outcome as Mr. Warren imagines it contrasts vividly with the true teaching of Scripture. “One day,” he warns, “God will review your answers to these life questions. Did you put Jesus at the center of your life? Did you develop his character? Did you devote your life to serving others? Did you communicate his message and fulfill his mission? Did you love and participate in his family? These are the only issues that will count.” (p. 318) In support of this view of things, he cites II Corinthians 10:13, which in reality has nothing whatsoever to do with Mr. Warren’s line of discussion.
Mr. Warren is quite correct in that there is, indeed, a day in which we all shall have to give account of ourselves to God. But that which shall occur on that day is quite contrary to Mr. Warren’s imagination. Paul warned the philosophers in Athens that God “...has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) Paul speaks of a day that elsewhere in Scripture also is known as “the day of the Lord” (Lk. 17:24, Acts 2:20, I Cor. 1:8; 5:5, II Cor. 1:14, Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16, I Thes. 5:2, II Thes. 2:2, II Pet. 3:10, 12, Rev. 16:14), or “the day of judgment” (Mat. 12:36; 10:15; 11:22, 24, II Pet. 2:9; 3:7, I Jn. 4:17), or simply “that day” (Mat. 7:21-23, I Cor. 3:13, II Thes. 1:7-10, II Tim. 1:12, 18; 4:8, Heb. 10:25, Jude 1:6). There is a question of whether some of these texts may refer to the event of the Second Coming of our Lord as distinct from the final judgment of God, however, what is clear is that the day of judgment will come. On that day God will do something very different than what Mr. Warren describes, and the “only issues that will count” will be markedly different than those he has suggested.
In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus Himself gives a general account of the events and the issues of that day: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” We see that on that day God will not “review” our answers to “life questions.” He will pronounce judgment. He will judge us not according to the nice things we have said about Him, nor even according to our actions in fulfilling what we convinced ourselves was our “purpose” to do. He will judge us according to whether or not we have done His will. His will is set out for us in His Law. Those who are sent away from the presence of the Lord are said to be those who “practice lawlessness.” (v. 23) The Apostle John declared in the most clear and emphatic terms: “sin is lawlessness” (I Jn. 3:4) Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” (Mat. 16:27) Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (II Cor. 5:10)
But is there not some other standard imposed for those whose sins are forgiven in Christ? If our sins are forgiven, then how shall we any longer be judged for them? These questions arise from a common misconception of modern Christians. Mr. Warren’s idea of the final judgment is a prime example of this misconception. Modern Evangelicalism has construed the work of Christ as making redemption “possible,” or making God “available” to Man. In this view of things the final issue becomes whether or not one has availed himself of the possibility. For example, Mr. Warren imagines that the final judgment consists of God asking us some questions: “What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?” (p. 34) “Did you put Jesus at the center of your life?” (p. 318) However, what God did in Christ was not to make redemption possible, but to accomplish redemption. (Col. 2:13-14, et al) He did not make Himself available to us, but He reconciled His people to Himself. (II Cor. 5:18-19) Redemption means not only that we escape the wrath to come, but it also involves grace to walk today in newness of life. On the last day there will be much more at stake than simply the question of what did you “do with” Jesus. Numerous Scripture texts plainly indicate that the redeemed life must be characterized by righteousness. The following are representative:
“Bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance.” (Lk. 3:8) “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (Jn. 14:15) “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:2) “...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts.” (Rom. 6:12) “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.” (Rom. 8:3-4) “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the Law.” (Rom. 13:10) “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (I Jn. 5:2-3) “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (II Cor. 7:1) “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” (I Cor. 3:9-15)
In Revelation 19:8 there is a beautiful image of God’s people as the bride of Christ, “and it was given her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Those who are born of God bring forth the fruit of God. Our good works do not earn us a place with God; our good works constitute evidence of the grace of God in our lives. One who practices lawlessness cannot make a credible claim to be redeemed of God; one who is redeemed of God will bring forth fruits in keeping with his repentance. On judgment day our works will be tested according to the standard of God’s Law. The justification that we have in Christ guarantees that we shall survive the fire, but not all of our works shall survive. It will be good for us if we shall be found clothed in gleaming white linen, consisting of our righteous acts.
If God presents us with the mere possibility of a “relationship” with Him, and on the last day we shall be evaluated according to whether we have actualized the possibility, then the Law of God no longer has any significance, and Christ is reduced to a role-model, whose death was meant mainly to attract our attention and to gain our sympathy. In truth, the Law of God is eternally significant. Nothing of creation has any significance except in reference to God’s Law. On the last day all men will be judged according to this Law. Left to themselves, all men are sinners, whose hearts are desperately sick with contempt for God’s Law, and whose passion is to flee their Judge. But God has not left men to themselves. By His own sovereign grace He determined in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to redeem His people from their sins. In the judgment day they shall be judged according to God’s eternal Law and found justified in Christ (“not by works of righteousness”). Their works also shall be judged according to God’s Law, and shall be burned up as wood, hay and straw, or else refined as silver and gold. Mr. Warren does no service to his readers by excusing them from this refining fire, which he effectively does by declaring that “the only issues that will count” are five questions that he invented.
posted by S. C. Mooney at 1:08 PM
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