Two and a half years ago I lead a "40 Days of Purpose" small group for my church. The first part of each of the 6 lessons was on DVD and was presented by Rick Warren. In the first leson he discussed that God had a purpose for our lives.....and that was about it for that lesson. At the end of the DVD part he asked this question,
"If you want this purpose for your life, why don't you accept Christ now?"
There was so mention previously of what this meant, or the why the cross was necessary (substituitonary atonement in other words), or repentance, or anything. In light of this, I thought the following was a great question. I found it at http://christianresearchnetwork.com
Did Jesus die for your sins or did he die so that you can discover your purpose?
Don't I wish every church would challenge their congregants to as to what the Biblical answer to this question is.
Steve Went Looking for Grace
2 days ago
3 comments:
Truthfully, Diane, I see the problem as one of the classic "either/or" falsehoods we love too much in some sectors of the Church. The answer to the question "Did Jesus die for your sins or did he die so that you can discover your purpose?" is yes.
Why? Because both parts of that question are wrapped up in each other. We have no purpose apart from Christ's atoning sacrifice. Because He died, we have purpose. The two parts of the question can't be unlinked. When we foolishly try to do so, we separate what God intended to be a whole.
Verses:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
---Ephesians 2:10
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
---John 12:24
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
---2 Corinthians 5:14-21
It couldn't be more clear. His death and our purpose are inextricably linked. Sorry, Diane, but the question is a bogus one because it creates a false dichotomy. The only Biblical answer to it is yes, on all accounts.
Dan,
This time I have to respectfully disagree with you. I agree up to a certain point but I see it as an outline with Christ dying for our sins as the big number I.
Then that death giving us purpose would be somewhere under that outline. But when someone ONLY tells us about the purpose part and leaves out the atonement part, I find that to be a non-gospel. And as someone who grew up in a liberal Protestant church and never hearing the gospel, I heard this stuff all day long. But I NEVER heard about the atonement. Therefore, I never got born again until I DID hear about it later.
But when someone ONLY tells us about the purpose part and leaves out the atonement part, I find that to be a non-gospel.
Well, you actually agree with me then. I said that the two parts can't be unlinked, then you give an example of the failure when we do unlink them.
Your example proves my point! ;-)
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