Glorifying God is the ultimate purpose of life, and living a life of virtue before God through piety towards God and charity towards neighbours is the meaning of life. The question then is how one can do so, in living out the life in Christ during this earthly temporal life. This is a very important question because how we live this life has eternal implications. Most importantly, we are given this life that we each have, as a gift from God, to live it out to glorify Him, in a way unique to each person. Thus, each person has a calling before God. Since living a life that glorifies God by piety towards God and charity towards neighbour is the purpose and meaning of life, it is only when one has found one’s true calling before God that one can be fulfilled.
Three Conditions
There are three conditions to be fulfilled in finding one’s true calling before God. The first is knowing God. The second is knowing who one is in Christ. The third is developing the resolve to do whatever the will of God is for one’s life, in totally surrendering oneself to God. Each is a continual process as part of advancing in the spiritual life, but there is a certain point in each process where the requisite has been fulfilled and thereby that a milestone has been reached.
At each point in which each of these conditions is fulfilled, one will experience a quickening in one’s spirit and know in one’s heart when that milestone has been reached. One may be unsure at first, but in due time, one will know it with certainty because God reveals it to the person through the Holy Spirit. This characterised by receiving certain revelations that God had always intended for one to receive, and that such revelations come from God. It is often that one only realises in hindsight what God had intended all along but that one did not necessarily see formerly realise. The process of satisfying each of those conditions is often a long, drawn out process, as part of God’s molding and shaping of each of his vessels, which is each of us.
Knowing God
The first step is to know God. Without being reconciled to God and walking in communion with Him, one simply cannot live out the fullness of one’s personality and purpose because one is not walking in the ways that the Creator has created one to be. Neither can one even know how to do so, except by God’s grace in drawing a person to Christ, and knowing the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) – the true way to truth, which is the foundation of the world, and the life which is eternal and everlasting. The true Faith is a radical one, one that no human mind could comprehend, no heart could accept, and no person could live out, unless purely by the grace of God. Therefore, knowing God is itself a great blessing, the ultimate blessing for it gives one the blessings that truly matter, that which is spiritual, eternal, transcendent, and which can never be corrupted, rotten away, or stolen. As Jesus said:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21)
Knowing God is the key to the eternal, everlasting Kingdom. It does not only provide peace and joy in one’s heart, as well as strength to endure through pain and sorrow in this earthly life; it gives true, everlasting life which is what we were created for – a life with no pain, suffering, afflictions, hardships, tears, or sorrow, with everything in the earth, including oneself, restored to perfection:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:1-4)
As soon as one receives Salvation from God, one receives eternal life, even while on earth. One’s eternal life in Christ begins from that moment, whereby one’s renewal from being a person dead in sin, to becoming a person who is no longer dead in sin, but alive in the spirit, begins (Romans 6:10—11). This new life begins interiorly in the person, and is manifest exteriorly through his or her actions, deeds, and words. The transformation is a drastic one both interiorly and exteriorly and changes a person radically to the point that he is no longer recognisable. Before his conversion, Saint Paul, formerly Saul, was a zealous, militant Pharisee who aggressively persecuted Christians. He had a notorious reputation as a persecutor of Christians and was the one who approved of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:8). When Saul started proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God in the synagogues, people were absolutely baffled and could not believe their ears:
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
(Acts 9:19-22)
The Christians at Jerusalem could not believe Saul had become a Christian himself, owing to his former aggressive persecution of the Church, and were even understandably afraid of him (Acts 9:26). They must have thought he was joining them to persecute them! Barnabas had to testify on his behalf that he saw firsthand that Saul saw Jesus directly, and that he had preached at Damascus boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27). It was only when they learned that Saul preached Christ boldly against the Hellenists in Jerusalem that they came to believe that he did in fact had a true conversion, and that it was not a rumour, a lie, propaganda, or an infiltration tactic (Acts 9:28-30). Peace ensued among the church at Judea, Galilee, and Samaria as a result (Acts 9:31). As the scriptures testify:
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
(Acts 9:26-31)
While our conversion may not make us as unrecognisable to people as Saul’s was, it is one that nevertheless transforms one radically, and making one a new person: ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). The ‘new’ refers to the new life in Christ – the eternal, everlasting life that one receives as soon as one calls on the Name of the Lord Jesus, and truly believes on Him, thereby receiving eternal Salvation (Romans 10:13; Acts 16:31). The ‘old’ refers to the old life that was dead in sin, unable to seek God or draw close to Jesus, unless God the Father draws him near, owing to the fallen state of human nature. Such Salvation comes only by the grace of God.
Knowing One’s True Identity
The Salvation process does not end as soon as we receive it. Most people do not enter straight into Heaven immediately after coming to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Most people are not like the Penitent Thief who believed onto the Lord Jesus just moments before His final dying breath:
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at [Jesus], saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 23:39-43)
So, what is one to do after one receives such a glorious Salvation? One is to grow closer to God in the spiritual life so that one can be used by God to do His Will. To do so, one must know who one is in Christ, in finding one’s true identity, to live out the fullness of one’s personality and purpose as God created one to be.
Identity is a core part of what it means to be human. God created us to have an identity, which is who one is. Having no identity or a lack of identity is a painful thing because one feels that part of oneself is missing. One’s sense of identity is what governs one’s expectations for oneself, one’s desires, longings, aspirations, dreams, and goals, and one’s sense of security. It is critical to have a sense of identity to function as a person and have sense of purpose in life. That is why people who have no identity, a lack of identity, or loss of identity find it painful, owing to a lack of purpose and direction in life, as well as a lack of belonging, which can lead to loneliness if not dealt with.
Identity is an often underappreciated but important issue that is not taught about enough among Christians. At most, it is often brushed over. By contrast, worldly people often speak about their identity in the world and place great emphasis on it. They define themselves by various earthly identities, be it their occupation or profession, nationality and ethnicity, as well as gender, as is most evident in the identity politics movements in today’s twenty first century western world.
Identity politics is at the forefront of the sociopolitical landscape in contemporary western society, whereby identities such race, gender, and sexual orientation are placed at the core of one’s identity. Calls for equality and diversity in the workplace, from private companies, universities, and the upper echelons of politics are constantly made, based on these identities. Identity gives a sense of security and power, drawing often deeply insecure people to the movement who aggressively and militantly push for equality and diversity.
Psychologist Dr Paul Wong has identified, after decades of clinical experience, that ‘existential issues regarding one’s own identity and destiny’ is ninth on the list of the top ten biggest life problems (first on the list are ‘marriage and family issues’, followed closely in second place by ‘work related problems’).[1] Though not at the top of the list, this demonstrates that identity is a real issue that causes psychological issues if not resolved. Identity is a fundamental part of the human condition.
We all have various earthly identities. For Saint Paul, he was Jewish and Roman citizen, born of Tarsus (Acts 21:39), as well as an Apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:15–16; 2:7–8; Romans 11:13–14). For Saint Peter, he was ethnically Jewish (Acts 10:28), a fisherman (Matthew 4:18), and an Apostle to the Jews (Galatians 2:8). These are their earthly identities, and these are real. These identities are not only based on the realities they lived in and determine how they were seen and treated by others, but also shaped their mindset, thereby determining their sense of security and purpose, which in turn determines how they lived. Earthly identity cannot be ignored, or treated as if non-existent. A lack of identity or not knowing one’s identity causes insecurity in people. It is a kind of loss that is not only difficult to understand if one has never experienced it, but difficult to comprehend as a loss.
Rooting one’s identity in Christ removes all need to become so fixated on any earthly identity such as ethnicity, nationality, culture, gender, as well as occupation, profession, socioeconomic status, educational status, or marital status. This does not mean that such earthly identities are removed or erased, but rather than these do not form the core or essence of one’s identity. Nor does it mean these identities have no reality – these are part of a person’s reality. It is that a person should not live for the sake of these identities, but only, and only, for the sake of Christ. For a person in Christ is defined by who one is in Christ, and not by any of these earthly identities. These identities merely serve as part of one’s circumstances as ordered by God to fulfil His will in their lives as He writes their story which unfolds before them.
We are all influenced by these identities – and more often that we should. We often allow our own cultures, professional, and socioeconomic backgrounds to shape our thinking more than we should, or to prioritise these above our identity in Christ. We may be indifferent to sinful aspects of our respective cultures and find it hard to accept certain spiritual truths that conflict with what we may have been enculturated with. We may be influenced by the mentality of the professional world that we are part of. We may also be influenced by the socioeconomic environment.
The problem is not with being influenced by such identities per se, but by allowing these to define us. Nor does the Christian Faith require people to give up their culture, except so far as it contradicts it. Rather, what is required of the follower of Christ is to allow Christ to define who one is and accept that it is Christ who does so. This requires faith, in not only allowing Christ to define who one is, but also in accepting that allowing Christ to define who one is, is fundamental and necessary to becoming who one truly was created by God to be.
Knowing that one’s true identity is found in Christ is one thing, but allowing Him to shape one’s identity in Him and grow in that identity is another. This is a long process that requires much spiritual growth, as well as knowing who God created one to be in terms of one’s intrinsic personal characteristics. These include one’s temperaments, strengths, desires of the heart, as well as goals and ambitions that come naturally to oneself born out of a desire to benefit and serve others. There is a reason God has designed one exactly the way one is, and thus one must come to know who one is as God designed. Only when one knows who truly is as God created one to be, can one live out the fullness of one’s personality and purpose, in fulfilling the mission God has called one to.
Surrendering to God Completely
The final step is to surrender to God completely. Being able to wholeheartedly surrender to God is a mark of spiritual maturity. One must wholeheartedly surrender to God before He can finally use one to fulfil the mission that He has for one, but one must first endure a process, and often a long, painful process of trials and testing to be able to fully surrender to God. Complete wholehearted surrender to God is what true obedience and love for God is.
What then does it mean to surrender to God? Surrendering to God means the complete surrendering to God, to do nothing, and nothing but the will of God alone. Incomplete or partial surrender to God is not surrendering to God. For as Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of [Him] who sent me and to accomplish [H]is work” (John 4:34). Not only is doing the will of God for one’s life the sole and ultimate aim of one’s life; it is what gives one true satisfaction to one’s heart and nourishes one’s soul. This is only possible for one to do by the grace of God and power of the Holy Spirit for the flesh cannot obey God (Romans 8:7). As St Paul taught about the process of Salvation:
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
(Romans 8:1-11)
Firstly, the Holy Spirit sets the person who is in captive to sin, free from both the condemnation and bondage of sin to which he is held to as long as he is subject to sin and its power, which is death (Romans 8:1-2). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life for He breathes life into a person who passes over from death to life (John 5:24), just as God breathed life into Adam who was before that, dust, the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). This death refers to deadness in sin, the state in which all humans are born in, rather than physical death. Passing over from death to life when one first believes onto the Lord Jesus Christ can only be made possible by the Holy Spirit. No one can believe on the Lord Jesus Christ without the move of the Holy Spirit who breaths the breath of life into the spiritually dead, just as Adam had no life in him and was nothing but dust, until God breathed the breath of life into him.
Secondly, no one can be saved without the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is not only because Jesus is sinless and can offer up the perfect sacrifice for our sins to appease the wrath for God for our sins, though this is the first reason (Romans 8:3-4). The second reason is because He is Life, and there is no life without Christ. Since Jesus is the only human who has life, only He can offer life which is Eternal Life. God the Father also has life but because He is not in human form like the Son, He cannot die as a human does. As Saint John testifies: ‘For as the Father has life in [H]imself, so [H]e has granted the Son also to have life in [H]imself’ (John 5:26). The third reason is that only Jesus has the authority to execute judgment of all of humankind: ‘And [H]e has given [H]im authority to execute judgment, because [H]e is the Son of Man’ (John 5:27). For Christ is He who will come to ‘judge the living and the dead’ (2 Timothy 4:1).
Without the resurrection of Christ, death cannot be defeated which is why the resurrection of Christ, and that Christ was resurrected by God, is absolutely central to the Faith, the miracle upon which the Faith rests (1 Corinthians 15:14-15). This is because only Christ has the power to defeat death, and resurrection is necessary to stare death in the face, defy it, and defeat it for it is the antithesis of death. Despite having died, one rises again! As Saint Paul testifies:
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15:14-20)
Thirdly, the new life in Christ which one receives, after being granted Salvation, is true life and peace for to ‘set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace’ (Romans 8:6). Once one has received Salvation from God and has a genuine love of Christ, the Holy Spirit will dwell in the person, for as Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are three persons in one, and therefore, where the God the Father and Jesus the Son dwell, there the Holy Spirit also dwells.
The new life in Christ is governed by the Spirit, and no longer by the flesh. One’s mind is no longer set on the things of the flesh, and death no longer resides in the person, nor has power over the person (Romans 8:5). Whereas formerly one’s mind was set on the flesh and hostile to God because of original sin dwelling in one, one not only does not, but cannot submit to God’s law (Romans 8:7-8). Those who are ‘in the flesh cannot please God’ (Romans 8:9) because the flesh is nothing but rebellious, in striving for independence from God.
Fourthly, those who are in the Spirit are not in the flesh (Romans 8:9). The Spirit and the flesh cannot co-exist. One is either living in the Spirit and in accordance with the Spirit, or in the flesh and in accordance with the flesh. Such is the power of Christ that even if the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit gives life, which is true life because of righteousness. It is this righteousness before God that the Spirit imparts to one that gives one life. Righteousness here refers two senses of the term. The first sense is a newly regenerated heart that seeks to please God (Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26; Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10) that cannot be received but by the grace of God, and is of no merit to oneself. The second sense refers to works of righteousness that one does after regeneration and are meritorious on one’s part. These include practising charity, seeking justice, and exercising mercy, born out of a love for God.
Fifthly, receiving the Holy Spirit does not mean that one will never fall into sin. If one receives the Holy Spirit and falls into sin, it is not because the He is not effective or powerful to prevent one from sinning. Nor does He ever tempt people to sin, for as Saint James exhorts:
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and [H]e [H]imself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
(James 1:13-15)
If one falls into sin after having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in one, it is because one yields to the flesh, and succumbs to its temptations. This is why Saint Paul exhorts believers to not live in accordance with the old ways of the flesh, but to mortify the flesh and its works (Romans 8:13):
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
(Romans 8:12-17)
Even though true converts have received Salvation and the Holy Spirit dwells in them, the flesh is still alive and can and will rear its ugly head from time and time. There is a constant battle between the flesh of the person and the Holy Spirit indwelling in the person. One does not receive the Holy Spirit for one to fall back into bondage to sin. Mortification of the flesh is a process, and part of the process of Salvation. It is the process of destroying the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life in oneself (1 John 2:16).
One must wrestle with the flesh and the works of the flesh to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, for it is only when one does so that one attains true holiness, for flesh and its works can only but sin, and lead to bondage to sin. This process is one that requires one to endure much agony, for Jesus Himself exhorts: “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). The Greek word for ‘strive’ in this particular verse is ‘agōnizesthe’ which means to ‘contend for a prize’ or ‘struggle’.[2]
The flesh will struggle with fully surrendering to doing the will of God, but if one truly desires to reach this stage of the spiritual life, one will eventually reach the stage of being able to do so. The path leading up to being able to do so, however, is a long, painful, and agonising one, but once reached, it is truly liberating. One is truly liberated from the pains that come with pursuing the things of this world and bondage to the desires of the flesh. One is truly liberated from all fear about the consequence of one’s past, one’s future, one’s circumstances, and indeed, one’s very life itself. One is truly liberated from all guilt and shame, which is all wiped away as a result of being forgiven by God, the ultimate God, by fully accepting His forgiveness in one’s total surrender to Him.
Fulfilling One’s Mission
To fulfil the mission God wills for one, one must endure a process of much sanctification before one is ready. This process will be a long and painful one, with many trials, tribulations, and temptations, to purify, cleanse, and sanctify one before God can use one greatly for His ultimate purpose which is the Salvation of all of humankind. Each person who God uses will be used by Him in a way unique to him or her, but the ultimate purpose is to save souls. Some may be called to be evangelists or pastors, while others may be counsellors. Some may be writers and intellectuals, while others may be artists. Whatever one’s calling is, one must have a heart that is humble before God and wholeheartedly and completely surrendered to God, to be whoever He has made one to be, to do whatever His will for one is, and to be where God wants one to be.
One must first receive Salvation to be reconciled with God and be communion with God as He created one to be. Secondly, one must then come to know who one is in Christ and have total confidence in that new identity in Christ. Finally, one must learn to fully surrender oneself to God, fully and completely, trusting that whatever plans and purpose He has for one, is the best for one, in being ordered towards serving both God and others.
[1] Dr Paul Wong, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/paul-tp-wong-phd-c-psych-3ba2a04_based-on-my-decades-of-clinical-experience-activity-7095453158595850240–zOS. His website can be found at http://www.drpaulwong.com/.
[2] Strong’s Concordance Dictionary.
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