What is Our Purpose? Ephesians 5

We All Have a Purpose

What is God's purpose for my life? I hear this question many times. I even ask this question myself sometimes. We have a purpose on this earth and it seems to me that we want to make the answer to this question much more difficult than it really is.

What is Our Purpose? Good Works

What does the Bible say that our purpose is on this Earth? In Ephesians 2:10, Paul states our purpose plainly. We are created for good works.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Walking in Love: A Call to Imitate God

Paul goes into more detail about the good works that we should walk in. In Ephesians 5:1-7, Paul first tells us to walk in love.

We are told to imitate God "as dear children." This is love in action. Are children perfect imitators? No, of course not, but they love to try to copy their parents and, more importantly, they learn by imitating them. This is what I must do as a Christian so I can learn to be more like Jesus. Christ showed love, so since we say we are His, we should also show love. Paul immediately explains what walking in love does not look like.

Sexual sin was everywhere in Paul's time just as it is today. Christians are not to be like the world. We are told not to be fornicators, covetous, or to talk foolishly. Why are these particular sins pointed out? Because if we truly walk in love, we won't do them. They harm others as well as ourself. These sins reveal a completely different understanding of love than the one Christ demonstrated.

These are examples of the way the world views love. There was a song years ago that said it this way, "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right." This is how the world thinks. The world doesn't care if it's wrong. The world just wants to do what it wants to do, regardless of the harm it does. But God's love is sacrificial. God's love is faithful. One of those attitudes deserves special attention because Paul mentions it alongside sexual immorality.

Covetousness means longing for other people's things or maybe even other people. It means never being satisfied with what you have. In Psalm 107:8-9 David tells us,

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Why should we covet when our God "satisfies the longing soul"? Our actions are not the only evidence of love. Paul also points to the way we speak.

Social media seems to promote foolish talk and idle words. It's everywhere. Using words carelessly, especially things like joking about sex, can quickly lead to people being hurt and feeling unloved. Don't be "that guy" who goes along with other people's inappropriate jokes.

Avoiding Darkness and Walking in the Light

Paul then shifts from walking in love to telling us that we should walk in the light (Ephesians 5:8-14). If we walk with Christ, then we should walk in His light. The light of Christ exposes the darkness and evil that is in the world. These things need to be avoided. We should not participate in the evil works that are in the world. The light of Christ has "awakened us from the dead." As Paul says in Ephesians 2:5, Jesus "made us alive together with Christ."

Are we awake or are we still sleeping? Are we indifferent to the needs of those around us? Are we carelessly waiting on Sunday service to end so we can simply eat lunch? Do we miss opportunities to share Christ's love with others?

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus tells us why we should walk in the light. He says,

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Our good works don't glorify us! They are not done so people can say, "Look at that person, how holy and good they are." No, our good works are seen so that they may bring glory to God!

Isaiah also emphasizes the importance of our actions in showing God's light to the world. In Isaiah 58:10, he says,

"If you extend your soul to the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted soul,

Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,

And your darkness shall be as the noonday."

Walking in Wisdom and Redeeming the Time

Finally, Paul tells us to walk in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-21). Paul says we should "redeem the time" because the "days are evil." Redeem the time means that we need to make the most of the time we have to serve God. Who knows when, or even if, we will ever get the opportunity again? But making the most of our opportunities requires wisdom.

Paul tells us that to become wise we should understand what the will of the Lord is. We learn this from studying His Word. Knowing God's will is more than gaining knowledge. It changes the way we live.

Paul goes on to say that instead of being drunk (filled with alcohol), like the unwise do, we should spend our time filled with the Holy Spirit of God, praising, singing, and thanking God for all He has blessed us with. The contrast could not be more fitting. Alcohol impairs our judgment, but the Holy Spirit produces wisdom, self-control, and thankful worship. It is God who should be in control of us, not alcohol or some other drug. A life controlled by the Holy Spirit also changes the way we treat other people.

Finally, Paul tells us to be wise by submitting "to one another in the fear of God." If we respect Jesus, if we respect God, we will not be concerned only with our individual needs, but with the needs of the body of Christ. We will not demand our own way.

Finding True Purpose in Imitating God

When we walk in God's love, His light, and His wisdom, then and only then, we will find our true purpose. That purpose is to imitate God. And we can do this wherever we find ourselves.

Walk in the light! so shalt thou know That fellowship of love His Spirit only can bestow, Who reigns in light above.

Walk in the light! and thou shalt find Thy heart made truly His, Who dwells in cloudless light enshrined, In whom no darkness is.

Walk in the light! and thou shalt own Thy darkness passed away, Because that light hath on thee shone, In which is perfect day.

Walk in the light! and thine shall be A path, though thorny, bright: For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee, And God Himself is light.

-- hymn by Bernard Barton

Our Purpose is to Imitate God