Think Like Jesus:
Make the Right Decision Every Time
Part 2: Developing a Biblical Worldview
Chapter 5: Questions 4: What Is the Nature and Purpose of Humanity?
In introducing this chapter, Barna tells of watching a television program about ocean fish, in which the narrator said that fish have the same value as human beings, because “all creatures that populate the earth have equal value.” Barna then asks, “Does this represent the worldview taught in the Bible? To make that determination we must explore the purpose of human life, the nature of humanity, and how God’s Church relates to all this. (Pg. 101)
Is all life of equal value according to God? Why or Why not?
THE PURPOSES OF LIFE
We might understand human life as having five grand purposes. God spelled it out for us in unambiguous terms. “What does the LORD your God require of you? He requires you to fear Him, to live according to his will, to love and worship him with all your heart, and soul, and to obey the LORD’s commands and Laws” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13.”) We can simplify even further. That command from Deuteronomy can be narrowed to two ultimate challenges: to love God and obey Him. (Pps. 101-102)
How do these five purposes compare with Rick Warren’s five purposes of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and mission?
Those two tiny words – love and obey—pack quite a wallop! Identifying those factors as the keys to life answers the question, “What does He want from us?” but also raises the question, “Why does He want that?” It appears that these behaviors are necessary in order for God to have a solid relationship with us and for us to be able to fully enjoy robust relationships with Him and others. (Pg. 102)
A Genuine Relationship With God
The Bible is the saga of God’s undiminished desire to have a relationship with us. The nature of that bond is different from the relationship we experience with people because God Himself is so different….Such love is an all-encompassing endeavor that takes a lifetime to understand and master. The magnitude of the challenge is so great that no matter how hard we try, because of our innate penchant for disobeying God we will never completely fulfill it. Thankfully, self-made perfection is not the ultimate goal, for that is far beyond our reach. Our dominant motivation is to develop the will to love Him, “with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind,” That is a sufficiently staggering objective! (Pg. 103)
How are you doing at developing a genuine relationship with God?
Developing a Desire to Love
Even this goal may seem beyond our reach. Yet, keep in mind that god wants us to succeed in such pursuits. Because He truly loves us He does not set us up for failure or require us to do things beyond our capabilities. Developing a wholehearted desire to fully love Him must therefore, be possible. But how?
Although the Bible tells us that part of loving God is to have a healthy fear of His all-powerful nature, the apostle John explained that if we truly love God to our highest capacity, we will have no personal fear because “perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.” It is the authority and presence of Jesus in our life that gives us the capacity for such “perfect love.” (Pps. 103-104)
For Moses and the Law it was “let the fear of Him keep you from sinning!” With the grace extended to us through Jesus’ sacrifice, that exhortation can now be understood as, “Let your love of Him keep you from sinning!” (Pg. 104)
How does the change from fear to love take place in our lives in practical terms?
In fact, a vital element in loving God is to have sufficient faith in Him to completely trust Him. God Himself is eager for us to grow that trust and provides the means by testing the strength of our trust in Him through the challenges and trials of daily life. (Pg. 104)
Trust and control are the ultimate realities of life. What we trust we don’t try to control. What we don’t trust we seek to control. Based on this principle how much do you trust God?
Practical Love
If loving God is to be the single-minded focus of our life, how do we do this? Again, the Bible provides clues through its narrative and through the model that Jesus provided to us. There are a handful of practices that make such love real.
Loving Humankind
First, we are called to imitate His example by loving the objects of His love: people… The reason we are to love them is not to promote “global peace” or “international unity.” It’s to honor that which is important to God. Just as we want to be loved and accepted by people, so we are to love and accept them…. We miss the boat if we attempt to love people simply by merely enduring their presence, or by intellectually acknowledging that God commands us to accept them, or even by manufacturing warm feelings toward them. God encourages us to show genuine love by blessing others through affirmation and encouragement, by meeting their physical and emotional needs, and by living and working in a faith-driven community. (Pg. 105)
What do you think of Barna’s assessment of what it means to love humankind from a practical standpoint?
Sharing God’s Love
A second reflection of true God-love is sharing His love with others, not simply as a means of service but also as a result of our excitement about participating in His life. Sharing His love could be practiced through how we raise our children, how we treat our spouse, how we care for our aged parents, or how thoughtfully and consistently we share the good news about Jesus’ life with those who are not devoted to Him. (Pg. 105-106)
Truly Communicating
A relationship isn’t worth much if it does not include honest and frequent communication. We relate to God through prayer and worship. The failure to consistently engage in dialogue weakens the connection with God and hinders our ability to stay close to Him. (Pg. 106-107)
What does our “communication link” with God say about our relationship with Him?
Enjoying the Gift of Life
Another important component of loving God is to enjoy the life He has given us. This may be the most misunderstood aspect, often emerging as a utilitarian perspective (i.e., “the world is here for my pleasure.”) Life is a gift from God, freely given to us, allowing us to make life-shaping, world-altering choices. The Bible indicates that the nature of the choices we make will determine whether we are able to experience a pleasant and fulfilling life. (Pg. 107)
How does our daily attitude about life tell others whether we are loving God?
Worshiping God
Perhaps foremost in our effort to love God is to worship Him. The Bible explains that worship is not a one-hour-per-week church event or a routine we practice out of habit, but a lifestyle that emanates from a reconditioned heart and mind. For instance, the Ten Commandments lead off with three directives that form the boundaries of loving God: Worship Him; do not worship any other god, and do not make idols
that could be worshiped. God boldly proclaims His reasoning, “I, the Lord your God am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god.” He then goes on to equate worshiping other gods with hating Him and cautions that He will punish those who do not worship Him…. Do you get the impression that worship matters—I mean really matters—to God? My sense is that worship is the deciding factor when it comes to determining the realness of your love for God. (Pps. 108-109)
How does your worship life demonstrate your love for God? Are you worshiping any other gods?
The Role of Obedience
If we completely love God, we want to make Him happy. We know that He is perfect and holy, and He exhorts us to be that way not only because it is in our best human interests but also because that enables us to connect with Him more fully and intimately. God has confirmed the importance of obedience in four ways: by stating it in His Word, by giving us the rules and commands we need to live a holy life, by providing a human role model in Jesus Christ, and by sending us the Holy Spirit to provide the power to overcome contradictory impulses and drives.
…Obedience is critical to God because it is the sign that we truly love Him….Living in obedience, however, is not something we can successfully accomplish of our own volition…We must prepare ourselves to obey by studying the Word for insight into the contours of the law, but only through God’s special empowerment, provided in response to our fervent prayer, can we become obedient lovers of God. The desire and power come from God. (Pps 110-111)
Based on your obedience to God right now, how fully is the Holy Spirit in charge of your life, and how great is your love for God?
Why Life Purpose Matters
We all respond to the things that matter. Whatever you believe provides the meaning and purpose in life motivates you to action. Unless you intentionally and tirelessly strive to see life through God’s eyes, you will see it from Satan’s vantage point, with predictable but disastrous results. Grasping a sense of God’s purpose for your life enables you to align your priorities with His. Being sensitized to the fact that Satan thirsts for your soul and will go all-out to distort your perspectives and behavior should help you to more clearly see things for what they are: choices in a continuous spiritual battle in which Satan believes that you are still accessible to him if he can just push the right buttons. How close is the evil one to seducing you to play his game? (Pg. 111)
How do you respond to Barna’s question?
THE NATURE OF HUMANITY
…continually loving and obeying God is the ultimate challenge. Why? Because of the spiritual battle for our souls that has introduced sin and evil into the human equation. Possessing free will—that is, the ability to make decisions regarding what to do—we can follow God’s way or not, depending on our deepest desires. It is the presence of Satan, wielding his worldly lures in light of his evil desires—that make obedience so difficult. Many people I have interviewed are perplexed by free will. Why didn’t God simply make us to do what He wants so that we could enjoy all the good things He has in mind for us? But logically, if He made us do what He wants, He’d be forcing us to love Him—and that wouldn’t be love at all, would it? He seeks a genuine relationship with us because we want to love Him and are willing to turn our back on the best that the world has to offer in order to receive the best that He has to offer. It must be a choice for it to be meaningful. The choices we make spring from who we are. Character always determines behavior…..The effects of sin have insinuated themselves deep into the existence of humanity. Give a choice of holiness or depravity, our natural inclination is toward the latter. Is there any hope for humankind, sinners that we are? Absolutely! Of our own strength we cannot change our nature, but the power of God is able and willing to bring about a 180-degree transformation in who we are and how we respond to Him and His creation. Through the power of God’s grace we can become people characterized by what the Bible calls the “fruit” of the Spirt… (Pps. 112-114)
How do you respond to Barna’s summary of the nature of humanity?
Why Human Nature Matters
We love to be flattered. But if you want to think like Jesus, then you have to deal with reality. Step one if for you to realize that your first tendency is likely to be to deny letting God have His way with you, in you, and through you. The more completely you own the notion that your ways are not God’s ways, the more hope there is that you will be able to abandon your free, selfish will in favor of His loving, perfect will. This is a choice you must make. It does not happen without your involvement in the process. (Pps. 114-115)
Do you agree with Barna’s perception that we have so much involvement in the process?
THE PLACE OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The entire population of followers of Jesus Christ, commonly known as the Church, plays a significant role in your understanding of the purpose of your life. Recall that in order to love God, we must love what He loves. His most cherished relationship is with people, so we, too, must be in relationship with each other, united through our common devotion to God. The Church is the family of believers who share a common heritage in Adam and Even and the nation of Israel, a common purpose in loving and obeying God, a common focus in the Bible, and a common hope in Jesus Christ….Has the role of the Church changed in the past two thousand years? Not at all. The gathering of believers retains its traditional significance as a group of people-not a meeting place-who are united by their common bond in Jesus Christ, brought together to “equip God’s people…” (Pps. 115-116)
How does the place of the church impact our love for God, and our role in the church?
Why The Christian Church Matters
As you explore how to respond appropriately to the existence of God and how to make sense of your life, consider the role of the Church in your efforts. It has become fashionable for American Christians to downplay the need to be intimately involved in Church life, but the Bible is littered with references to our responsibility to actively participate in the Church. Particular aspects of our attempts to know, love and serve God with all of our heart, mind, strength, and soul can be accomplished only through intentional and significant involvement in Church life.
Why do you suppose that it is American Christians who have downplayed the necessity to be intimately involved in Church life?
FOR NEXT WEEK: Read Chapter 8: Pages 119-132 in Think Like Jesus
Back to the study guide for Barna's Think Like Jesus.