The goal of the Christian life
What is the goal of the Christian life, and how do we help one another get there?
One old catechism says that our chief goal in life is to glorify and enjoy God forever. This is true.
Scripture says that we were created for God’s glory and to proclaim his praises (1 Corinthians 10:31;
Ephesians 1:11-12; 1 Peter 2:9). We exist to worship God, and in order to be genuine, this worship must
come from the heart. It must be a genuine expression of our real feelings. We adore God above
everything else, and we submit to his every command.
How do we help people get to this point? I think we are simply unable to achieve such a task. It is God
who changes people’s hearts; it is God who converts the soul, who leads people to repentance, who
touches people with love and grace. We can describe God’s amazing love and his astonishing grace and
we can set an example of adoration and dedication to our Savior, but after all is said and done, it is God
who changes each person’s heart.
Yet another way to describe our goal in life is to become more like Christ—and here I think we can briefly
sketch some practical ways in which we can help one another as we grow toward that goal.
It is God’s plan for each of us that we “be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). Even in
this life, we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul
labored with the Galatians “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). He told the Ephesians that our
goal is “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
In Christ, we have a new identity and a new purpose for living. The new self is “to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). What a concept! We are to be like God not just in the
resurrection, but even, to the extent possible, in this life. We are becoming like Jesus, who showed us
what God is like when living in the flesh. We are not just hoping to be like him in the next life—we are
already to be like him in this life.
Obviously, we do not need to look like him physically. We do not try to match his carpentry skills, his
language skills, his knowledge of agriculture or Roman history. Rather, we are to be like him “in true
righteousness and holiness.” In our behavior and in our devotion to God, we are to be like Jesus Christ.
Be transformed!
How is the transformation accomplished in our lives? Paul exhorts, “Be transformed by the renewing of
your mind” (Romans 12:2). Our new self “is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator”
(Colossians 3:10). Both heart and mind are involved. Behavior is, too. These three work together in
those who are being transformed by Christ.
The mind alone is not enough. If only the mind is involved, we may be like demons who know truths
about God but do not obey him. Simply knowing the truth is not enough. We must not only hear, but we
must also do (Matthew 7:24).
Behavior alone is not enough. If we go through the motions without really believing in God, we are play-
actors. And even if we believe in God and do the right actions, if our heart is far from God, our worship is
in vain. If we sing God’s praises without really feeling any affection for him, we are hypocrites.
In short, we need right beliefs, right actions, and right emotions. If the heart is right and our beliefs are
right, then right behavior will be the result. We want right behavior, but we need to remember that it is
the result of other things, and not the ultimate goal.
Now, as I asked in my introduction, how do we help one another grow toward our Christian goal? How do
we help one another become transformed to become more like Christ in righteousness and holiness?
Several steps
I see three or four steps in the process. First, there is conversion. We can preach the gospel—and woe
to us if we do not!—but God is the one who must soften the hearts and produce a response. We should
paint the gospel message as clearly as we can, in as many ways as we can, with biblical terms and with
modern terms, but we do not claim credit for the effectiveness of God’s message. We just want to be
faithful stewards, delivering the truth that God so loved the world that he sent his Son to rescue us from
our sin.
Second, there is nurture. Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples, to make more
students, to teach them the things he commanded. Paul instructed Timothy, Titus, and others to teach
the truths of the Christian faith. Doctrine is important, and this is an area that Scripture specifically
instructs us to work on. Every church leader should strive for accuracy in doctrine, as defined by
Scripture.
I wish that doctrinal orthodoxy could be easier to achieve. We all need to distinguish essential doctrines
from nonessential doctrines. We cannot make every doctrinal conclusion a test of true Christianity. Even
some of the “essential” doctrines are not essential for a person’s salvation, but they are essential for a
church to be faithful transmitters of God’s message.
Third, in addition to doctrinal nurture, there is also nurture of the heart. This is why Christian growth
should occur in community with other Christians. Social experiences, that is, the things we do together,
help us grow emotionally. These may be positive emotions such as love and forgiveness, or the negative
emotions that result from the sin that inevitably comes with interpersonal relationships. These painful
feelings probably help us grow much more than the positive feelings do as we learn to cope with them
and work through them with God’s loving support and help.
The social/emotional nurture cannot be done in a book—it is done locally, through small groups and
other informal relationships, guided and modeled by pastoral leadership. The pastor helps people grow
not by doing everything for them (even if that were possible), but by teaching and equipping members to
do it themselves, for one another. The best quality of pastoral care is found in small groups. Members
who choose to be in a small group are in effect choosing to get themselves more intimately involved in
the pastoral care of the church. Small groups help make a church healthy.
Behavioral changes
When members are growing in doctrinal understanding, coming to know God more, and in emotional
maturity, coming to love God more, they will be growing in other ways, too. Their behavior will be
changing. They will be treating one another with more love, patience, joy, peace, humility and
forgiveness. They will be avoiding sexual immorality, greed, and dishonesty. The more we know and love
God, the more we live like him. The heart change comes before the change in behavior. The heart
change is what causes the behavior change. The heart change is what gives room for the Holy Spirit to
work in our lives.
These behavior changes are rooted in a changed heart, but the process is often slow. Pastors have a
responsibility to continually encourage behavior changes so that Christians new and old, strong and
weak, will be encouraged to live up to the new life God is creating in them. God is working in us, but he
does not do it for us. He changes our hearts and gives us what it takes to respond to him in
righteousness, but he expects us to exercise the faith to use this “freedom to obey” that he has won for
us.
People who flaunt their immorality are not members in good standing. We welcome repentant and
struggling sinners, but not unrepentant, uncaring ones. Our model is Jesus Christ, who welcomed white-
collar criminals and prostitutes, but did not welcome people who thought they had no need for
repentance.
As we strive to imitate our Savior and Teacher, Jesus Christ, we need to look especially at his
relationship with the Father, and his relationship with the people around him. His relationship with the
Father was characterized by prayer and by his thorough knowledge of and reliance on Scripture. Prayer
and study have for millennia formed the core of Christian spiritual growth. They are important! Why? Not
as another “duty” or legalism. But as the way of being with God so that we can hear his voice in our lives
and be reminded of our true condition: We are redeemed from sin, we belong to him, our salvation is
secure in him, he loves us infinitely, he is our ever-present Helper and he will never leave nor forsake us.
Jesus was committed to people—he loved the lost, and he castigated people who thought they were
religiously superior to others (a feeling that usually stems from a works-oriented approach to worship).
He was committed to a close relationship among believers—his disciples related not just individually to
him as students to their teacher, but also to one another. Jesus formed them into a group, a body, that
would in time give itself mutual support, a community that would reach out to others and invite them in.
By Joseph Tkach
What is the goal of the Christian life, and how do we help one another get there?
One old catechism says that our chief goal in life is to glorify and enjoy God forever. This is true.
Scripture says that we were created for God’s glory and to proclaim his praises (1 Corinthians 10:31;
Ephesians 1:11-12; 1 Peter 2:9). We exist to worship God, and in order to be genuine, this worship must
come from the heart. It must be a genuine expression of our real feelings. We adore God above
everything else, and we submit to his every command.
How do we help people get to this point? I think we are simply unable to achieve such a task. It is God
who changes people’s hearts; it is God who converts the soul, who leads people to repentance, who
touches people with love and grace. We can describe God’s amazing love and his astonishing grace and
we can set an example of adoration and dedication to our Savior, but after all is said and done, it is God
who changes each person’s heart.
Yet another way to describe our goal in life is to become more like Christ—and here I think we can briefly
sketch some practical ways in which we can help one another as we grow toward that goal.
It is God’s plan for each of us that we “be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). Even in
this life, we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul
labored with the Galatians “until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). He told the Ephesians that our
goal is “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
In Christ, we have a new identity and a new purpose for living. The new self is “to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). What a concept! We are to be like God not just in the
resurrection, but even, to the extent possible, in this life. We are becoming like Jesus, who showed us
what God is like when living in the flesh. We are not just hoping to be like him in the next life—we are
already to be like him in this life.
Obviously, we do not need to look like him physically. We do not try to match his carpentry skills, his
language skills, his knowledge of agriculture or Roman history. Rather, we are to be like him “in true
righteousness and holiness.” In our behavior and in our devotion to God, we are to be like Jesus Christ.
Be transformed!
How is the transformation accomplished in our lives? Paul exhorts, “Be transformed by the renewing of
your mind” (Romans 12:2). Our new self “is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator”
(Colossians 3:10). Both heart and mind are involved. Behavior is, too. These three work together in
those who are being transformed by Christ.
The mind alone is not enough. If only the mind is involved, we may be like demons who know truths
about God but do not obey him. Simply knowing the truth is not enough. We must not only hear, but we
must also do (Matthew 7:24).
Behavior alone is not enough. If we go through the motions without really believing in God, we are play-
actors. And even if we believe in God and do the right actions, if our heart is far from God, our worship is
in vain. If we sing God’s praises without really feeling any affection for him, we are hypocrites.
In short, we need right beliefs, right actions, and right emotions. If the heart is right and our beliefs are
right, then right behavior will be the result. We want right behavior, but we need to remember that it is
the result of other things, and not the ultimate goal.
Now, as I asked in my introduction, how do we help one another grow toward our Christian goal? How do
we help one another become transformed to become more like Christ in righteousness and holiness?
Several steps
I see three or four steps in the process. First, there is conversion. We can preach the gospel—and woe
to us if we do not!—but God is the one who must soften the hearts and produce a response. We should
paint the gospel message as clearly as we can, in as many ways as we can, with biblical terms and with
modern terms, but we do not claim credit for the effectiveness of God’s message. We just want to be
faithful stewards, delivering the truth that God so loved the world that he sent his Son to rescue us from
our sin.
Second, there is nurture. Jesus commanded his disciples to make more disciples, to make more
students, to teach them the things he commanded. Paul instructed Timothy, Titus, and others to teach
the truths of the Christian faith. Doctrine is important, and this is an area that Scripture specifically
instructs us to work on. Every church leader should strive for accuracy in doctrine, as defined by
Scripture.
I wish that doctrinal orthodoxy could be easier to achieve. We all need to distinguish essential doctrines
from nonessential doctrines. We cannot make every doctrinal conclusion a test of true Christianity. Even
some of the “essential” doctrines are not essential for a person’s salvation, but they are essential for a
church to be faithful transmitters of God’s message.
Third, in addition to doctrinal nurture, there is also nurture of the heart. This is why Christian growth
should occur in community with other Christians. Social experiences, that is, the things we do together,
help us grow emotionally. These may be positive emotions such as love and forgiveness, or the negative
emotions that result from the sin that inevitably comes with interpersonal relationships. These painful
feelings probably help us grow much more than the positive feelings do as we learn to cope with them
and work through them with God’s loving support and help.
The social/emotional nurture cannot be done in a book—it is done locally, through small groups and
other informal relationships, guided and modeled by pastoral leadership. The pastor helps people grow
not by doing everything for them (even if that were possible), but by teaching and equipping members to
do it themselves, for one another. The best quality of pastoral care is found in small groups. Members
who choose to be in a small group are in effect choosing to get themselves more intimately involved in
the pastoral care of the church. Small groups help make a church healthy.
Behavioral changes
When members are growing in doctrinal understanding, coming to know God more, and in emotional
maturity, coming to love God more, they will be growing in other ways, too. Their behavior will be
changing. They will be treating one another with more love, patience, joy, peace, humility and
forgiveness. They will be avoiding sexual immorality, greed, and dishonesty. The more we know and love
God, the more we live like him. The heart change comes before the change in behavior. The heart
change is what causes the behavior change. The heart change is what gives room for the Holy Spirit to
work in our lives.
These behavior changes are rooted in a changed heart, but the process is often slow. Pastors have a
responsibility to continually encourage behavior changes so that Christians new and old, strong and
weak, will be encouraged to live up to the new life God is creating in them. God is working in us, but he
does not do it for us. He changes our hearts and gives us what it takes to respond to him in
righteousness, but he expects us to exercise the faith to use this “freedom to obey” that he has won for
us.
People who flaunt their immorality are not members in good standing. We welcome repentant and
struggling sinners, but not unrepentant, uncaring ones. Our model is Jesus Christ, who welcomed white-
collar criminals and prostitutes, but did not welcome people who thought they had no need for
repentance.
As we strive to imitate our Savior and Teacher, Jesus Christ, we need to look especially at his
relationship with the Father, and his relationship with the people around him. His relationship with the
Father was characterized by prayer and by his thorough knowledge of and reliance on Scripture. Prayer
and study have for millennia formed the core of Christian spiritual growth. They are important! Why? Not
as another “duty” or legalism. But as the way of being with God so that we can hear his voice in our lives
and be reminded of our true condition: We are redeemed from sin, we belong to him, our salvation is
secure in him, he loves us infinitely, he is our ever-present Helper and he will never leave nor forsake us.
Jesus was committed to people—he loved the lost, and he castigated people who thought they were
religiously superior to others (a feeling that usually stems from a works-oriented approach to worship).
He was committed to a close relationship among believers—his disciples related not just individually to
him as students to their teacher, but also to one another. Jesus formed them into a group, a body, that
would in time give itself mutual support, a community that would reach out to others and invite them in.
By Joseph Tkach
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