What’s My Purpose - Understanding God’s Ultimate Plan
Building Up The Body Of Christ
Living a life worthy of the call we have received
Two of the most common questions people ask are, “What is my purpose?” and “What does God want me to do?” But before knowing the answer to those questions, there is a greater question to ask. That is, “What is God’s plan?” Only when we understand what it is God is intending to accomplish can we fully understand our purpose. It is like being hired as an electrician for a project but not knowing what the project is. First you have to know what the project is, what the blueprints show and what the developer wants you to do before you can effectively employ your skills and experience.
Queen Elizabeth II wrote: “It is through the lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.” I suppose she meant that we should learn from the past to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. But, notwithstanding the Queen’s wisdom and intent, I would like to suggest an alternate version, that is: It is through the lens of eternity that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow. It is only with a clear understanding and focus on the intended outcome of any endeavor that we can make confident decisions today. And so it is with our purpose in God. To answer the question, “What is God’s purpose for my life?”, it is critical to know what God’s objective is. What his plan is. Then, with that clearly in mind, and once we understand how God has uniquely gifted us, we can know what our purpose is and what God wants us to do.
So, let’s start by understanding what it is God is intending to accomplish.
God’s Eternal Plan: The What, Why, When, How and Who (Ephesians 1:4-14)
First, let’s read the whole of verses 4-14, then break it down into the What, Why, When, How and Who.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Now let’s break it down.
[THE WHAT] - (verse 10) to unite all things in Christ. From the beginning of history, God’s plan has been - and continues to be - to bring all things together in Jesus.
With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment - to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ (Ephesians 1:8-10).
Also, in Romans 11 - For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Romans 11:36).
So, no matter which party is in power, who wins elections, what laws are enacted or court decisions made, all of it is working toward God’s eternal plan - to unify all things in Christ. And it is unshakable.
[THE WHY] For God’s pleasure and glory.
Verse 5 - … in accordance with his pleasure and will …
Verse 6 - … to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Verse 9 - according to his good pleasure …
Verse 12 - … for the praise of his glory.
Verse 14 - … to the praise of his glory.
The reason for everything is that it brings God pleasure and brings him glory. Do you want to know why everything exists? It’s for God’s pleasure and glory. Imagine an artist or inventor that creates something unique. They get great pleasure in their creation. And so it is with God. That’s the reason for everything - it gives God pleasure and brings him glory. Think about that. When you give your life to God and employ the gifts he has given you to serve him in his plan, it gives him pleasure. He is pleased!
[THE WHEN] - (verse 10) - when the times reach their fulfillment …When everything reaches its conclusion, the culmination of history. Again, throughout history, everything has always been headed toward, planned for and will end with all things being put under Christ. And that is what we should be working toward.
[THE HOW] - By building the Body of Christ - (verse 9) - which he purposed in Christ … When you purpose something you're giving it a specific intention or use. It’s like assigning a goal or a function to an object, idea or action. An example would be purposing a room for an office, you’re designating it for work-related activity. It’s the same with the Body of Christ. God has purposed it to fulfill his plan.
The phrase “the Body of Christ” is the Church (all those who are truly saved). The Church is called:
“one body in Christ” - …so in Christ we, though many, form one body (Romans 12:5)
“one body” - …we, who are many, are one body… (1 Corinthians 10:17)
“one body” - Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12)
“the body” - to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12)
“his body” - For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior (Ephesians 5:23)
“his body” - for the sake of his body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24).
And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:22).
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:16).
And so the How of God’s plan is to build the Body of Christ.
[THE WHO] The Elect - The Church.
Verse 4 - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world…
Verse 5 - he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ …
Verse 11 - In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will …
Verse 13 - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation …
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14)
I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me … (John 17:6)
God’s plan of Election is not without debate. But Scripture makes it clear that it is true. It is God’s plan. And it should not be taken lightly by the elect. There are responsibilities that come along with it. Our election is not a passive thing. It comes with a responsibility to do the work he has set out for us to do toward the end of fulfilling his plan - that is, building up the Body of Christ.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Now that we know what God’s ultimate plan is - to bring everything under Christ when things reach their fulfillment, for his pleasure and glory, in the Body of Christ which is you and me - the focus of our lives should be to understand how God has gifted us and to apply those gifts toward building up the Body of Christ. Everything we do should be working toward that goal. Building up the Body of Christ.
If you would like to align yourself with God and his plan, or if you have questions about God, please connect with me through my website: Jeff Hovsepian.
