Our Featured Member Article: A Christian's Highest Priority by RightIdea

[Editor]

A Christian's Highest Priority

by
Jim Schofield
GODISNOWHERE.org - Ministry of Truth & Challenge



Everyone seems to have an answer. What is the highest priority in a Christian's life, in his walk with God?

Study God's word?
Pray to God?
Worship Him?
Share the gospel?
Help the needy?
To love God?

The theories abound, but there can be only one right answer. There's only one highest calling for a Christian, only one highest priority. The Bible certainly calls us to do all of the above, but some things are more important than others. And some things may even fall under the umbrella of other things. But how do we determine what that highest calling is? By what standard?

Well, this thing must be an end, not a means. All of the other things would eventually work toward that end. If any of the above is ultimately intended to work toward some other, greater goal, then they can't be said to be that highest calling, that highest priority.

Obviously, we are called to study God's word. But to what end? That we might draw closer to our God, that we might understand His will for our lives. Ah ha, His will for our lives! What is His will? Well, studying scripture is part of His will, but it equips us to fulfill His will for us, far beyond that simple act.
Prayer? Much the same thing. Strengthening our relationship with Him, confessing our sins, releasing our burdens to Him, seeking and finding comfort, and seeking His will for our lives.

On the other hand, worship seems to be an end. Praising and worshiping Him through word and song and even dance, we express our love for Him, either individually or especially as a congregation of believers. Scripture and prayer also guide us in discerning how to worship Him rightly, as well. But is this the end all, be all? The final goal? Let's keep looking, and see what else we find.
Evangelizing to the lost is a big one. It is certainly God's will for all Christians, and both scripture and prayer equip us to do it more effectively and righteously. And it has the added benefit of being a means to increase the number of people who will spend an eternity worshiping and praising and serving our God when these brief lives are over! While we should both worship and share the gospel, the latter actually serves His will even more than the former. After all, you can worship now, and then worship for an eternity… or you can evangelize now, be a tool of God to bring others to Christ, and then the whole lot of you can worship Him for all eternity! And at the end of this life, when it comes to worship, you'll "have no less days to sing God's praise than when you first began."

But still, perhaps we can look even further. A crafty bunch of men tried to paint Jesus into a corner once, with a question somewhat similar to this. What is the greatest commandment, they asked? Could this also help us find the answer in our search for the highest calling of a Christian?

Jesus had an answer, and an addendum.

Matthew 22:37-38
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And this is not a simple thing, either. He didn't say just to love God. But to love Him with all your heart. Love Him with all your soul. Even to love Him with all your mind! Loving God with your mind… Studying God's word to understand His truth is a big part of that, indeed. Several things we've listed so far can fall under this umbrella, the greatest commandment. And of course He added…

Matthew 22:39-40
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These two things make up what James refers to as the Royal Law. Love God, and love your neighbor. Could this be it? The end goal? And yet, it occurs to me that this has an even higher goal. There is one critical thing that all of the above have in common.

That is to glorify God. To bring glory to His name. To work for the greater glory of God in the highest. At the birth of Christ, a chorus of angels appeared to the shepherds and sang, "Glory to God in the highest!"

Paul wrote in Romans 1 about the guilt of wicked men who changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Luke wrote about how God struck dead the king of Israel in Acts 12, an unprecedented event in Israel's history! Even Mannasseh didn't receive that kind of wrath, and he was the most wicked king in all of Israel's history. Struck down why? Because as king of Israel, "he did not give glory to God."

Paul in Romans 15 admonishes us to receive each other just as Christ received us. Why? To the greater glory of God. And then he adds, "To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever! Amen."

Studying God's word is a way to glorify Him.
Prayer is to His greater glory.
Worship glorifies God.
Evangelism brings more into His presence to glorify Him unto the ages of ages.
Helping the needy? What you do to the least of these, you do unto Him.
And to love God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind!

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

2 Corinthians 4:15
For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So, we've found the treasure of wisdom we seek. Haven't we? Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God! Or… can we narrow it down even further, even more specific? Is that even possible? But we know God isn't just one Person. He is three. Does this apply to God as a whole? Are the members of the Trinity (or Triunity) equal in all respects?

All are equally God, yes. All three are deity. All three were present at Creation, all three were present at the baptism of Jesus, and all three raised Christ up on the third day. But, equal in all respects?

Jesus consistently diminishes Himself in order to magnify the Father, and accedes to the will of the Father. Just as in Luke 22, this is portrayed perhaps most clearly in the garden at Gethsemane, in Matthew 26.

Matthew 26:39, 42
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

And let us not forget who truly made the sacrifice of the cross. Was it the Son? No, the Son was the sacrifice. Who made the sacrifice? The Father. He sacrificed His Son, for all our sake. Who can forget John 3:16? But that's not the only scripture that says this.

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

John 8:28
Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

By the same token, the Holy Spirit acts the same in relation to the Son. Who sent the Holy Spirit to believers after the resurrection? Did He come of His own accord? The Son sent Him.

John 14:16-17
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

But, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father, as well.

Galatians 4:6
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"

It is interesting that while there are countless examples of scripture that naturally speak of the Father as God, there are only some that can be used to prove that the Son is God. And only one or two that can truly prove the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity (or Triunity) that inspired God's word. Scripture is "God-breathed," and the Greek word used for Spirit can also be translated as wind or breath. The Holy Spirit glorified the Father the most, and the Son to a significant degree, as well. And He put in just enough evidence for His own deity to get by, leaving the spotlight for them.

The Son and the Spirit both glorify God to the greatest degree, and they lead us by example. So should we. Therefore, the highest priority, the highest calling of any Christian is to ultimately bring glory to the Father. Through studying scripture, through prayer, worship, witnessing to unbelievers, loving our neighbor as we help the needy and loving God with every part of us. It is to Him, to the Father that we pray. It is by doing not some of these things but all of them, always keeping in our minds and hearts that the Father is owed the greatest glory.

Some have said, "It's all about Jesus." Not only should we not forget to include the Father in our worship, prayer and service, but we should put Him first and foremost.

John 14:13
[Jesus said,] And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.


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[Amazing Rando]

Hi Editor! Welcome to Tweb! :hi:

[spl_cadet]

Our highest calling is to be imitators of Christ :tongue:

[bar Jonah]

That is the end of all means? No, that is something we do for a reason. And that reason is that it glorifies the Father.

Surely you don't suggest that the end of all means is to be imitators of Christ?

Is the Father's very own existence centered on making us righteous? That seems to suggest that God serves our purpose, and not the other way around. We serve Him, not vice versa. All to His greater glory.

Now, perhaps you meant that a Christian's highest purpose in this earthly life is to be an imitator of Christ. Is that what you meant? This earthly life is but a blip on the screen in God's plan, of course.

[Jezz]

I think that this was an interesting article, with lots of good points. But in the end, I agree with Cadet. The end of all means is to imitate Christ. What the Orthodox call "theosis". The article should have stopped there.

That is the end of all means? No, that is something we do for a reason. And that reason is that it glorifies the Father.
You think "glorifying the Father" is the end of all means? Do you think that the Father is so self-absorbed that his ultimate goal is to glorify Himself? That we are merely tools that He uses to achieve this selfish purpose? For that matter, do you think that the Father is so deficient in His intrinsic glory that He actually needs creatures as weak and finite as us to bolster His glory?

Surely you don't suggest that the end of all means is to be imitators of Christ?
Yes.

Is the Father's very own existence centered on making us righteous?
No. The Father's existence is not "centred" on anything. His existence is competely independent of the existence of anything else.

However, all of the Father's actions are directed at us (with the goal of theosis) - because He is self-sufficient and doesn't have any need of anything Himself. That's pure agape.

That seems to suggest that God serves our purpose, and not the other way around. We serve Him, not vice versa. All to His greater glory.
God does serve our purpose, and not the other way around. He does not need us - we need Him. When we "serve" the Father, it's not because He needs our service for something that He can't achieve on His own. Rather, it's that we need to serve Him, so that in doing so we become more like Christ. There is no deed which God asks any of us to do which He could not Himself. So when He asks us to do something, he doesn't ask us to do it for His sake, but for our own sake.

Now, perhaps you meant that a Christian's highest purpose in this earthly life is to be an imitator of Christ. Is that what you meant? This earthly life is but a blip on the screen in God's plan, of course.
I certainly agree that this earthly life is a blip on the radar. But that doesn't change the above.

Let me put it to you this way, RI: do you think that God actually becomes more glorious when you praise Him? When two people praise Him? Ten? The entire human race? The entire creation? If yes, then doesn't that mean that God is lacking something and is dependent on His creation? If no, then doesn't it mean that "glorifying God" cannot be the ultimate aim, because His glory doesn't actually change as a result?

[lucaspa]

A Christian's Highest Priority

by
Jim Schofield
GODISNOWHERE.org - Ministry of Truth & Challenge


Matthew 22:37-38
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:39-40
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These two things make up what James refers to as the Royal Law. Love God, and love your neighbor. Could this be it? The end goal? And yet, it occurs to me that this has an even higher goal. There is one critical thing that all of the above have in common.

That is to glorify God.
Schofield provides the answer: exactly what Jesus said. But then he screws up and decides what Jesus said is not really the goal. The gospel according to Schofield, not Jesus. I love how Schofield then cherry picks among verses, taking them out of context to justify his denial of what Jesus commanded.

We need to take this article out to the back forty acres and spread it around. It's only legitimate use is as the fertilizer it is.

[bar Jonah]

I think that this was an interesting article, with lots of good points. But in the end, I agree with Cadet. The end of all means is to imitate Christ. What the Orthodox call "theosis". The article should have stopped there.
What this basically means is that there is no purpose to imitating Christ. If it is the ultimate ends, then it doesn't have a purpose. How can you possibly say that? Imitating Christ has multiple purposes, including removing us from sin as we are sactified. As we are remade through that process, we are more able to worship Him purely rather than in the limited and broken way we do in this earthly life. Our imitation of Christ has a purpose, and that purpose drives ultimately toward glorifying God.

You think "glorifying the Father" is the end of all means? Do you think that the Father is so self-absorbed that his ultimate goal is to glorify Himself? That we are merely tools that He uses to achieve this selfish purpose? For that matter, do you think that the Father is so deficient in His intrinsic glory that He actually needs creatures as weak and finite as us to bolster His glory?
Self-absorbed? Jezz, who is most worthy of praise and glory? Man, or God? Your human-centrist theology is very disconcerting.

Where did I say that God is "deficient in His intrinsic glory?" Ours is a relational God! He is a dynamic and responsive God! He desires active and meaningful relationship with His creation! This is exactly why we were created. Not as automatons preprogrammed to salvation or destruction, like the Calvinist's version of the potter's wheel, but as people who have a real ability to choose one way or another. It is that relational quality that is very much at the heart of this. God doesn't "need" to be glorified by us. He desires it. He desires to relate, to love and be loved, to teach, to guide us as we grow, to enter into an eternal relationship with us in the very presence of our Father. Why?

For our benefit? Our well-being is the most important thing of all? The fulfillment of our desires is more important than the fulfillment of His? In saying this, you are putting us on the same level as God, or even treading very closely to the Process Theology version of God who is equal to His creation. My God is not dependent upon us at all. It seems to me that your God is the one that must serve our interests, rather than the other way around. You make God simply a slave to us.

You actually think that imitating Christ has no purpose?

No. The Father's existence is not "centred" on anything. His existence is competely independent of the existence of anything else.

However, all of the Father's actions are directed at us (with the goal of theosis) - because He is self-sufficient and doesn't have any need of anything Himself. That's pure agape.
Okay, so now the Father doesn't have any purpose, except to look after our well-being? Should the Father be glorified at all? If yes, then why? According to your reasoning, there would be no reason to glorify Him, since he doesn't need it. You make the Father into a Person who is strictly our servant, when actually we will be worshipping and praising Him always! Why will we be doing that?

God does serve our purpose, and not the other way around. He does not need us - we need Him. When we "serve" the Father, it's not because He needs our service for something that He can't achieve on His own. Rather, it's that we need to serve Him, so that in doing so we become more like Christ. There is no deed which God asks any of us to do which He could not Himself. So when He asks us to do something, he doesn't ask us to do it for His sake, but for our own sake.
Of course God serves us in some ways. But to say we are the ultimate end of all means is to make us as important as God, to make our well-being as high a priority as God Himself.

Let me put it to you this way, RI: do you think that God actually becomes more glorious when you praise Him? When two people praise Him? Ten? The entire human race? The entire creation? If yes, then doesn't that mean that God is lacking something and is dependent on His creation? If no, then doesn't it mean that "glorifying God" cannot be the ultimate aim, because His glory doesn't actually change as a result?
Becomes more glorious? You think "glory" is like money or score points that can be counted or tallied up like a game? Again, do we do anything that glorifies God? Do we? If so, why do it at all?

You'd have us all be ultimately selfish in our relationship with the Father, since we're supposedly in it only for ourselves, when it comes right down to it. Are you in it simply for yourself? Is that your highest priority? What you can get out of Him? Perhaps you'd fit in better with the Word of Faith folks, who treat God like a vending machine...

Schofield provides the answer: exactly what Jesus said. But then he screws up and decides what Jesus said is not really the goal. The gospel according to Schofield, not Jesus. I love how Schofield then cherry picks among verses, taking them out of context to justify his denial of what Jesus commanded.

We need to take this article out to the back forty acres and spread it around. It's only legitimate use is as the fertilizer it is.
First of all, I am Schofield. :ripurple:

As for the rest, I would respond, but there's not much of anything to respond to, except for one point. I'll just ignore the spiteful bile.

The greatest commandment isn't synonymous with the ultimate, highest priority in the universe. How you equate the two is beyond me. I can ask you a question similar to what I posed to Jezz. Does loving God have a purpose? If it does, then it's not the ultimate end, but is rather a means to an end. That's my point. To say loving God has no purpose is ... well, it reminds me of the last line in your post, above.


Both of you should take a cue from David, a man after God's own heart.


7 On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD:

8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!
11 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

23 Sing to the LORD, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
25 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the LORD made the heavens.
27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.

28 Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
29 Give to the LORD the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.

31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
34 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
35 And say, "Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise."
36 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!

And all the people said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD.

Give thanks to the Lord. Does the Lord need our thanks? No, He desires it. Why give Him thanks? "For He is good."

The trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord? For our benefit? No, they will because He is the ultimate, righteous judge! He is the end to all means, not us.

Blessed be the Lord God? Does God need blessing, now? No, and yet He desires it!

Give Him glory and strength? Oh, is God now lacking not only in glory but in strength, as well? No and no, but He desires it! Why? Because it's right, because it is His due. Just because! But here's my favorite part.

Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
Give to the LORD glory and strength.
Give to the LORD the glory due His name.

[Amazing Rando]

Schofield provides the answer: exactly what Jesus said. But then he screws up and decides what Jesus said is not really the goal. The gospel according to Schofield, not Jesus. I love how Schofield then cherry picks among verses, taking them out of context to justify his denial of what Jesus commanded.

We need to take this article out to the back forty acres and spread it around. It's only legitimate use is as the fertilizer it is.

That's not very helpful. It's just muck-raking. If you want to offer constructive criticism to help him improve the article, then that would be much more in keeping with the spirit of Christ.

[berated]

"...The end of all means....", hhmmmm!

The end of all means , started in the right direction, but stopped short of the end. Jesus taught the followers of His ministry that they were to "...bear fruit, and so glorify the Father in heaven." But the question fairly shouts at you, "How do you bear fruit?" The fruit of the apple, pear, peach. cherry, walnut, and the pecan tree, the fruit of every plant bearing seeds after it's kind, does so for one reason only. The fruit of the vine is nothing else but the manifestation of the life of the vine. Therefore if my end is to glorify the Father in heaven, I must first have His life in me.
Aahhh, the next question in line to the end game: How do I have, or how am I assured of having His life in me, so that, that life may produce the fruit, which ultimately is to His glory?
The one word lying behind "....neverless, not my will but Thine be done....", is obedience. But then, that's only the beginning to gloification of the Father, having the life of the Son of God in me. St. Peter says the end game this way, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power had given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust...." (2Peter 1:2-4 NKJV)
Our Lord taught the Model Prayer to His disciples, which has a phrase pertinent here; "...hallowed be Thy name...." Some of the answer to how God's name is set apart as holy by you and I, can be found in the words which follow; "...Thy kingdom come- God's rule and reign- Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...." Remember the visions of the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, and how they both saw in their visions awsome and freightening creatures! Remember particularly Ezekiel's vision and how whenever there emanated a though from God, the Spirit and the creatures went forth immediately without delay or turning aside from their task.
The will of God for His creation has not changed! "...I am come that you might have life, and that more abundantly...", "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and we shall disclose ourselves to him...."
Through the synergism of the divine and human will, God is glorified when His life is shared by His creation (re:2 Peter 1); THIS IS NOT AN IMITATION OF JESUS CHRIST, but is the realization of the original purpose for us which went askew in The Garden.
God's commandments are not like your favorite cafeteria, where you pick and choose, and then don't eat all of what you selected. If God is who He has shown Himself to be throughout history (that is as we know it), then He is to be obeyed. So; Why glorify God? Because He has comanded it! When the man found the "pearl without price", he sold all that he had and purchased the field; God is either all or none, He is not partial.
There's so much more to this article than some of it's detractors have apparently fathomed, but as to our desires being met, "The Lord is near to all who call uon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and asve them. The Lord preserves all who love Him...." (Ps. 145) There are more, but I feel the point is made. The desires I have, are desires put into me when God thought of me before the foundation of the world. When those are out of kelter, we call them lusts. However, Jesus came to redeem the whole person, so therefore my desires are never the more "legit" than when I realize in my person the redemption God gives as a free gift , which again, is nought but the life of His Son.

AAhhhh, my pillow beckons.
p.s.
all grammatical errors are wholly a mistake.

[bar Jonah]

Great stuff, Berated! I do disagree with several of your points that relate to Israel and not to us today, but thank you for your support of the article's point, itself. Indeed, once we understand what the ultimate highest priority is, it certainly does beg the next question -- how do we do that? Not our will but His be done. And that begs the next question - what is His will?

To care for the needy, to pray, to study the word, to evangelize... with evangelism being at the top of that list. As you said, "God is glorified when His life is shared by His creation." God desires that loving relationship, desires that none should perish but that all should come to repentance. And He works through us, even pleads through us in the "ministry of reconciliation" Paul writes of. The result of that is that God's greatest desire is made manifest -- the reconciliation of humanity, of as many people as possible, all of which is to His glory.

[berated]

Great stuff, Berated! I do disagree with several of your points that relate to Israel and not to us today, but thank you for your support of the article's point, itself. Indeed, once we understand what the ultimate highest priority is, it certainly does beg the next question -- how do we do that? Not our will but His be done. And that begs the next question - what is His will?


I had typed out an answer , but in going back to check an avitar on a previous post, I lost my post. The more pertenent parts of which were
1. The will of God is totally knowable
a. the prophet Micah, 6:6-8
b.the Jesus quote of the prophet Isaiah
2. Knowing the will of God involves the mind
a. Jesus quoting the Shama (Mark 12:29-31)
b. the mind is renewed in redemption 2Cor.2:9-12
c. the renewed mind knows the will of God
1.Romans 12:1-3
2. Philippians 4:6-8
3. Going about daily life without pondering the Divine will
therefore should be the norm (Phil. 4:9)


a doulos

[bar Jonah]

Wait... God's will is perfectly knowable... therefore we should not ponder what the Divine will is?

:huh:

I'm not following you at all, Berated.

[gharfish]

Your article, RightIdea, is very interesting. There is alot of wisdom in there...very sharp. I do fear that you may be marginalizing Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but I am "getting" that indeed our HIGHEST calling, all-in-all, is to bring glory to God. He does desire our glorification of Him. He IS entirely worthy of it, without a doubt !...and in fact cannot be 'faulted' whatsoever of EXPECTING it of us !

All these things we do to serve Him -to do his work, fulfill His purposes, (they) are for the sake of...people. God's highest "work, for Him," I think, is to share the gospel with people, for He loves us all without limit. That is perhaps the most apparent 'thing' visible under the umbrella, of the overall highest calling: to glorify God.

In His present "place" in Heaven, I have to wonder if Jesus has not received a much greater share/increase (if you will) of the glory, as bestowed upon Him by the Father, than was "His" before His saving work here on earth was accomplished.

I'm not trying to tear-at your article (it's really quite insightfull), however I do have to cringe when you assert that there are "only some"..."examples of scripture" that "can be used to prove that the Son is God." This would be opposed (yes ?) to the "countless" that "naturally speak of the Father as God." --I hope I have not misquoted -or have just plain completely misunderstood, you...your meaning.

I'll close this post. Thank you for the article !

I was reading 1st John earlier tonight and this verse 'hit me' (not for the FIRST time, of course): "This is His (the Father's) command: that we are to trust in the person and power of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, and to keep loving one another, just as He commanded us. Here is how we know He remains united with us: by the Spirit whom He gave us." (3: 23 & 24)

Sincerely,
Vance.

[bar Jonah]

Very insightful, yourself, Vance. Thanks for your reply!

I definitely agree that in regardss to the glorification of God as the ultimate highest calling... that under that umbrella, God's greatest priority is loving relationship with mankind, and that since the Fall, the greatest priority under that has been the reconciliation of mankind.

On the other hand, from our perspective, under that same umbrella, our highest calling is to be conformed to Christ. Indeed, as members of the Body of Christ, we have something very unique and distinct from Israel - identification with Christ, Himself. Being baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ, which you never see for them. Being identified into His death. Christ being our identity.

And under that umbrella of conformity to Christ, our greatest priority is evangelism. More important than feeding the poor, more important than prayer, more important even than worship, for when this life is over, "we'll have no less days to sing God's praise than when we first began." After all, in Christ's mission to humanity, what is His highest calling? Remember, above? The reconciliation of mankind. So, as we conform to Him, that becomes our immediate priority. God pleading through us (I love that phrase!) that mankind be reconciled to Him! Everyone here should ask themselves ..... "How is God pleading through me to the world?"

Lifestyle evangelism? Or... a lifestyle of evangelism? The latter is the biblical model. Faith comes by... watching? Observing? Reading? No, faith comes by hearing. And that by the word of God. And how will they hear if there is not someone speaking the truth? (The word "preacher" there doesn't mean a pastor, but simply any person who is speaking the truth about God, and thus "preaching.") Every Christian should be sharing the gospel with the lost. Miracles are not for bringing people to Christ. Doing good works? Every other religion in the world does the same. What do we have that they don't have? The Truth! No one ever came to Christ without knowing the truth.

In retrospect, I think the article may be deficient in this regard -- that I didn't additionally explore all of the above, putting some focus on conformity to Christ and the God's priority of our reconciliation, under the ultimate umbrella of God's glorification. So, I'll be rewriting the article to some extent, soon, to reflect this! And not only did Vance help point this out, but also Spl_Cadet and Jezz, even though they will still disagree with my point here. But they nevertheless called attention to this lacking in the article. So, thanks to everyone!

[berated]

Wait... God's will is perfectly knowable... therefore we should not ponder what the Divine will is?

:huh:

I'm not following you at all, Berated.

In all the time that He spent walking this Earth; Jesus did one thing consistently,
He made known to a very religious people just what it was that God required of them, and what God was really like. Think back over the Holy Scriptures you've read, the quotes of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit inspired interpretation by the Apostles, of what Jesus said.
"...This is My commandment that you love oneanother....."
"...The Father does not wish that any should perish...."
"...Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...."
"...Take My yoke upon and learn of Me...."
"...For if you do not forgive others neither will your heavenly Father forgive
you. For with the judgement you mete out it will be meted unto you..."
"...My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back My soul has no
pleasure in him...."
"...In this manner pray..."
"...Do this in remembrance of Me..."
"...And this is the will of God, that you possess your own vessel in sanctifi-
cation and honor...."
"...Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself up
for her..."
"...Live with your wives in an understanding manner, so that your prayers may
not be cut off...."
"...I have not come to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me...."
"...I will request the Father, and He will send you another Comforter.
And when the Comforter is come He will glorify Me, for He SHALL TAKE OF MINE and DISCLOSE IT TO YOU."
"...He has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of love, power
and a sound mind...But just as it is written, What mind
has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not en-
tered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for
those who love. For to us, God has revealed it through
the Spirit...for who knows the mind of a man but the
spirit who is in him, but we have the mind of Christ..."
Is it any wonder then, that the Holy Apostle should write the Church at Rome, "I urge you therefore, Brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves a living sacrifice...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect." One can only prove that which is known to them, which is being questioned by those in the darkness of sin and ignorance.
There's some decisions which we do not have to ponder about, especially if in doing an action we fall into sin, compromise/dishonor the name of Jesus, or it fails to lead to a godly lifestyle. Those are things we just don't have to ponder about. This includes an unfair work situation, and persecution.
The main thing is this on the road to bringing glory to God: When He wants us to do something, He will tell us what His will is. And until we're obedient in that which He has just made known unto us, nothing else we "do" really matters (Jonah). This is evident beginning with Adam through every biblical character you can think of, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Samuel, David, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Daniel, Micah, Matthew.
When Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, and that more abundantly..." it meant that He came to loose from the curse of sin -which is death- every area of the life of man; i.e., work, family, thoughts, sex, religion, relationships, vocations.
Should we ponder the will of God, yes, that is if we don't know what it is. But which of us can claim 100% compliance in doing that which we already know God wants us to do: not bearing false witness, being patient, kind, loving, showing mercy, praying.
I know this may seem to be pretentious of me, but to me this is basic stuff; right there in black and white.

Is this any clearer Brightidea

I must sleep now.

[bar Jonah]

No, Berated, I'm afraid it's not only not clearer..... but it's muddier than ever.

You say Jesus came to Earth and did one thing consistently, which is that He made it known to us what God requires of us. Okay.... no argument there. But you make no case whatsoever for what is the highest priority among all of those things that God asks of us. You never got to the point. So, now I know less than I did before.

Would you care to take another crack at it?

[berated]

A Christian's Highest Priority

by
Jim Schofield
GODISNOWHERE.org - Ministry of Truth & Challenge



We reject blind faith in favor of a reasoned faith, based on evidence, logic and reason. We believe the greatest threat to the Body of Christ today is not from without but from within –

With the realization that the article will soon be rewritten, I offer this as a post-script to my first reply.

The beasts of the visons of Ezekiel and Isaiah had four different heads, one of a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man. They had only one body, with six wings. The minds of these diverse creatures no doubt still worked; however, it only flew in one direction, and that effortlessly -for such it is when motivated by the Holy Spirit. And this is how it is with us as it concerns faith.

Holy Tradition tells us that we are to "...study to show thyself appproved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the Word of Truth.... and the holy Apostle Peter further admonishes the Believers in Asia to be able to "...give an answer to those who ask, for the faith within you, yet with gentleness and reverence...." The problem I have with your 'Mission Statement' about faith, is that it does not cover the fulness of faith, but is rather one dimensional. Sort of like the beasts lion head wanting to go in only it's direction. God says through the Apostle in the Epistle of Hebrews, "...but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back My soul has no pleasure in him...." To say this is crucial would be the understatement of eternity.
Yes, "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ...", but an important element of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God must not be forgotten here: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is foolishness to men, for God does not think/reason as either you or I. WE are not like the priest Zacharias who had to have his ability to speak taken away, because he tried to use human reasoning to understand the birth of a promised son. Rather we are the children of the Theoeokos, who though questioning, defered to the messenger saying, "...be it unto me according to Thy word..."
We can therefore see from the pages of Holy Writ that both reasoning and 'blind faith', comprise the the faith we must have, without which it is impossible to please God. There are those things which are not palatable to the human mind; concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, but they must be accepted, for the commands of God are not like the line at a cafeteria, where even then, one doesn't always eat all of what is chosen!
Our faith is a living faith, encompassing both that which we know, and that which we do not; for truly it is a gift from our Creator, who is knowable, but beyond human comprehension.

a doulos

[bar Jonah]

With the realization that the article will soon be rewritten, I offer this as a post-script to my first reply.

The beasts of the visons of Ezekiel and Isaiah had four different heads, one of a lion, an eagle, an ox, and a man. They had only one body, with six wings. The minds of these diverse creatures no doubt still worked; however, it only flew in one direction, and that effortlessly -for such it is when motivated by the Holy Spirit. And this is how it is with us as it concerns faith.

Holy Tradition tells us that we are to "...study to show thyself appproved unto God, a workman rightly dividing the Word of Truth.... and the holy Apostle Peter further admonishes the Believers in Asia to be able to "...give an answer to those who ask, for the faith within you, yet with gentleness and reverence...." The problem I have with your 'Mission Statement' about faith, is that it does not cover the fulness of faith, but is rather one dimensional. Sort of like the beasts lion head wanting to go in only it's direction. God says through the Apostle in the Epistle of Hebrews, "...but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back My soul has no pleasure in him...." To say this is crucial would be the understatement of eternity.
Yes, "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ...", but an important element of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God must not be forgotten here: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is foolishness to men, for God does not think/reason as either you or I. WE are not like the priest Zacharias who had to have his ability to speak taken away, because he tried to use human reasoning to understand the birth of a promised son. Rather we are the children of the Theoeokos, who though questioning, defered to the messenger saying, "...be it unto me according to Thy word..."
We can therefore see from the pages of Holy Writ that both reasoning and 'blind faith', comprise the the faith we must have, without which it is impossible to please God. There are those things which are not palatable to the human mind; concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, but they must be accepted, for the commands of God are not like the line at a cafeteria, where even then, one doesn't always eat all of what is chosen!
Our faith is a living faith, encompassing both that which we know, and that which we do not; for truly it is a gift from our Creator, who is knowable, but beyond human comprehension.

a doulos
I'll respond soon. I'm sick right now, and barely posting at all, currently. Thanks.

[Pursuing_Truth]

There is one critical thing that all of the above have in common.

That is to glorify God. To bring glory to His name. To work for the greater glory of God in the highest.

Cool. This is the first thing I thought of when I read the title.

[berated]

I'll respond soon. I'm sick right now, and barely posting at all, currently. Thanks.


May the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, pour out His healing mercies upon you, comfort, heal, strengthen and renew you, during the time of your affliction !

a doulos

[His child]

No, Berated, I'm afraid it's not only not clearer..... but it's muddier than ever.

You say Jesus came to Earth and did one thing consistently, which is that He made it known to us what God requires of us. Okay.... no argument there. But you make no case whatsoever for what is the highest priority among all of those things that God asks of us. You never got to the point. So, now I know less than I did before.

Would you care to take another crack at it?

Matthew 22:37-38
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And this is not a simple thing, either. He didn't say just to love God. But to love Him with all your heart. Love Him with all your soul. Even to love Him with all your mind! Loving God with your mind… Studying God's word to understand His truth is a big part of that, indeed. Several things we've listed so far can fall under this umbrella, the greatest commandment. And of course He added…

Matthew 22:39-40
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These two things make up what James refers to as the Royal Law. Love God, and love your neighbor. Could this be it? The end goal? And yet, it occurs to me that this has an even higher goal. There is one critical thing that all of the above have in common.

The following may have been stated in some of the earlier comments; I'm not sure of where some of the comments were going.

Agape. Love, not through our eyes, but the eyes of our Father. When Moses first said "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might," Deut. 6:4-5. Does this bring forth the ability to give glory to YHWH? Is this why Jesus said "This is the first and foremost commandment."

I believe so. Are you asking of results, or is there a different semantical point that I am not understanding. In my estimation, when you love the LORD with all your heart, mind and soul, that is what is bringing glory to God! Because of Jesus' prayer (quoted below, from John), this seems to be the highest calling. This appears how it is done.

Agape was perfectly demonstrated by Jesus, and was glorified for it, because He brought glory to our Father in heaven above. Only through agape can this occur. If you are not in the will of the Father, you can not have agape. He (YHWH) will do the glorifying ... or am I missing something?

Maybe it is not important, but the interesting points you brought up in your article seem to separate glorifying God with our acts being at the fulcrum. John 17:1 - These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour hass come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life."

Our Father gives us the glory for us to glorify Him ... and that all comes down from the commandment. I can appreciate your point of glorifying YHWH, but agape seems to be at the heart of all of these things. To love as God loves ... maybe that is the highest calling for any Christian?

Doxa signifies an opinion or estimation, resulting in people having a good opinion of the receiver. Again, I don't know if we're having a battle over semantics; that is definitely not my goal. God's glory (John 17:5 - And now, glorify Thou Me together with thyself, Father, with the glory I had with Thee before the world was.") is not dependent on us, but we share in the agape that He blessed Christ with, as He blesses us with.

I don't know, doxa or agape. Tough call!

[bar Jonah]

Hmmm, I submitted the update to the article almost a week ago, but it's still not posted... :shrug:

[berated]

The following may have been stated in some of the earlier comments; I'm not sure of where some of the comments were going.

Agape. Love, not through our eyes, but the eyes of our Father. When Moses first said "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might," Deut. 6:4-5. Does this bring forth the ability to give glory to YHWH? Is this why Jesus said "This is the first and foremost commandment."

I believe so. Are you asking of results, or is there a different semantical point that I am not understanding. In my estimation, when you love the LORD with all your heart, mind and soul, that is what is bringing glory to God! Because of Jesus' prayer (quoted below, from John), this seems to be the highest calling. This appears how it is done.

Agape was perfectly demonstrated by Jesus, and was glorified for it, because He brought glory to our Father in heaven above. Only through agape can this occur. If you are not in the will of the Father, you can not have agape. He (YHWH) will do the glorifying ... or am I missing something?

Maybe it is not important, but the interesting points you brought up in your article seem to separate glorifying God with our acts being at the fulcrum. John 17:1 - These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour hass come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee, even as Thou gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whom Thou hast given Him, He may give eternal life."

Our Father gives us the glory for us to glorify Him ... and that all comes down from the commandment. I can appreciate your point of glorifying YHWH, but agape seems to be at the heart of all of these things. To love as God loves ... maybe that is the highest calling for any Christian?

Doxa signifies an opinion or estimation, resulting in people having a good opinion of the receiver. Again, I don't know if we're having a battle over semantics; that is definitely not my goal. God's glory (John 17:5 - And now, glorify Thou Me together with thyself, Father, with the glory I had with Thee before the world was.") is not dependent on us, but we share in the agape that He blessed Christ with, as He blesses us with.

I don't know, doxa or agape. Tough call!

We, in the Western world have been brought up in the indoctrination that "love is greater than anything", by nearly any part of society one would care to name. The problem is that, a 'truth' of faith in Almighty God has been taken out of its context for so long that it means little more now than a 'warm fuzzy feeling'. This however, is not to say that unconditional love is not of the utmost priority in the life of a Christian.
As Christians we are aptly and truly to say, that it's of the utmost importance to walk in the truth of the Shama, which seems to me to be interpreted in the words of God through the prophet Micah, "And He has shown thee O man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God." (6:8) To jump from here to the era of the New Testament, and the Pauline Epistles, we find that to "...walk with God..." as shown by the patriarch Abraham, takes faith. "...but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back My soul has no pleasure in him." This is shattering to our psyche, to find that for the soul of god to be pleased with us, we must live by faith. This is huge! (in the words of our ad driven society, but wait there's more)
In the Garden of Eden before the Fall, there was one thing evident, Adam and Eve walked with God, i.e., they walked in 'communion', or as we're wont to understand it these days, they had fellowship. The ENTIRE POINT of the INCARNATION, WAS THE RESTORATION OF THE COMMUNION SHARED BY ADAM AND EVE/MANKIND, WITH GOD, in the Garden of Eden. Yes, Jesus came ot earth to show us what God was like; however, He also came to show man where he was meant to live ( to use the vulgarity, God, Adam and Eve were tight).
As a man, yea, even more, as a Christian, my exitence has absolutely no real meaning, no value whatsoever apart from "being in communion with God" Everything else is substrata, i.e., below that.
"Doxa" is a Greek word from dokeo, signifying an opinion; however, in the New Testament it's always used to either magnify or, to give honor, and most often, this is in connection with God.
An Eastern Orthodox Christian prayer has the line "Thou hast raised me up from sleep, that I might sing my morning hymn, and glorify Thy soveriegnity..." The answer to "How is that done?, is I glorify God by being obedient to what He has said, i.e., commanded, which entails faith, love, and worship (DOXA). This means to me then, that in order for me to do what has been commanded of me by Almighty God, I must first be in unbroken communion. It is a living faith, love, and worship. My greatest task as a Christian is to exmplify that communion in daily living, for " He has counted us worthy, and has committed to us the Word of reconciliation, therefore as ambassadors we urge all men, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

[His child]

We, in the Western world have been brought up in the indoctrination that "love is greater than anything", by nearly any part of society one would care to name. The problem is that, a 'truth' of faith in Almighty God has been taken out of its context for so long that it means little more now than a 'warm fuzzy feeling'. This however, is not to say that unconditional love is not of the utmost priority in the life of a Christian.
As Christians we are aptly and truly to say, that it's of the utmost importance to walk in the truth of the Shama, which seems to me to be interpreted in the words of God through the prophet Micah, "And He has shown thee O man what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God." (6:8) To jump from here to the era of the New Testament, and the Pauline Epistles, we find that to "...walk with God..." as shown by the patriarch Abraham, takes faith. "...but My righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back My soul has no pleasure in him." This is shattering to our psyche, to find that for the soul of god to be pleased with us, we must live by faith. This is huge! (in the words of our ad driven society, but wait there's more)
In the Garden of Eden before the Fall, there was one thing evident, Adam and Eve walked with God, i.e., they walked in 'communion', or as we're wont to understand it these days, they had fellowship. The ENTIRE POINT of the INCARNATION, WAS THE RESTORATION OF THE COMMUNION SHARED BY ADAM AND EVE/MANKIND, WITH GOD, in the Garden of Eden. Yes, Jesus came ot earth to show us what God was like; however, He also came to show man where he was meant to live ( to use the vulgarity, God, Adam and Eve were tight).
As a man, yea, even more, as a Christian, my exitence has absolutely no real meaning, no value whatsoever apart from "being in communion with God" Everything else is substrata, i.e., below that.
"Doxa" is a Greek word from dokeo, signifying an opinion; however, in the New Testament it's always used to either magnify or, to give honor, and most often, this is in connection with God.
An Eastern Orthodox Christian prayer has the line "Thou hast raised me up from sleep, that I might sing my morning hymn, and glorify Thy soveriegnity..." The answer to "How is that done?, is I glorify God by being obedient to what He has said, i.e., commanded, which entails faith, love, and worship (DOXA). This means to me then, that in order for me to do what has been commanded of me by Almighty God, I must first be in unbroken communion. It is a living faith, love, and worship. My greatest task as a Christian is to exmplify that communion in daily living, for " He has counted us worthy, and has committed to us the Word of reconciliation, therefore as ambassadors we urge all men, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

You make excellent points. I commend you! I must say, agape does not mean unconditional, from my understanding or the word. It means through the eyes of YHWH. Whether that be spanking, rebuke, nurturing, caressing, encouraging, exhorting ... agape does not, in the NT, mean unconditional, as we in this culture, are describing it now. YWHW was/is very zealous to protect the sanctity of His love ... so, do not think I view it as unconditional ... like, let's love him/her anyway. Agape will give you a swick kick in the backside, on many occasions, as Peter received from Jesus.

23But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's."

I wouldn't consider that unconditional, but I would call it agape. If I had the pure knowledge of Christ, as I were righting my posts, I would use the same power the Jesus used, when dealing with error. Instead, as did the Bereans, I must search Scripture, and work at reasoning with people.

:offtopic: I understand al Shama means mark of beauty in Arabic (thanks, Google), but I have not heard of it before except as a melodious songbird. If you would care to educate me in another thread (just tell me where), I am interested in what it means, represents, etc., to you.

In His service I am,

His child

[JoLonda]

A Christian's Highest Priority

by
Jim Schofield
GODISNOWHERE.org - Ministry of Truth & Challenge



Everyone seems to have an answer. What is the highest priority in a Christian's life, in his walk with God?

Study God's word?
Pray to God?
Worship Him?
Share the gospel?
Help the needy?
To love God?

The theories abound, but there can be only one right answer. There's only one highest calling for a Christian, only one highest priority. The Bible certainly calls us to do all of the above, but some things are more important than others. And some things may even fall under the umbrella of other things. But how do we determine what that highest calling is? By what standard?

Well, this thing must be an end, not a means. All of the other things would eventually work toward that end. If any of the above is ultimately intended to work toward some other, greater goal, then they can't be said to be that highest calling, that highest priority.

Obviously, we are called to study God's word. But to what end? That we might draw closer to our God, that we might understand His will for our lives. Ah ha, His will for our lives! What is His will? Well, studying scripture is part of His will, but it equips us to fulfill His will for us, far beyond that simple act.
Prayer? Much the same thing. Strengthening our relationship with Him, confessing our sins, releasing our burdens to Him, seeking and finding comfort, and seeking His will for our lives.

On the other hand, worship seems to be an end. Praising and worshiping Him through word and song and even dance, we express our love for Him, either individually or especially as a congregation of believers. Scripture and prayer also guide us in discerning how to worship Him rightly, as well. But is this the end all, be all? The final goal? Let's keep looking, and see what else we find.
Evangelizing to the lost is a big one. It is certainly God's will for all Christians, and both scripture and prayer equip us to do it more effectively and righteously. And it has the added benefit of being a means to increase the number of people who will spend an eternity worshiping and praising and serving our God when these brief lives are over! While we should both worship and share the gospel, the latter actually serves His will even more than the former. After all, you can worship now, and then worship for an eternity… or you can evangelize now, be a tool of God to bring others to Christ, and then the whole lot of you can worship Him for all eternity! And at the end of this life, when it comes to worship, you'll "have no less days to sing God's praise than when you first began."

But still, perhaps we can look even further. A crafty bunch of men tried to paint Jesus into a corner once, with a question somewhat similar to this. What is the greatest commandment, they asked? Could this also help us find the answer in our search for the highest calling of a Christian?

Jesus had an answer, and an addendum.

Matthew 22:37-38
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And this is not a simple thing, either. He didn't say just to love God. But to love Him with all your heart. Love Him with all your soul. Even to love Him with all your mind! Loving God with your mind… Studying God's word to understand His truth is a big part of that, indeed. Several things we've listed so far can fall under this umbrella, the greatest commandment. And of course He added…

Matthew 22:39-40
And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

These two things make up what James refers to as the Royal Law. Love God, and love your neighbor. Could this be it? The end goal? And yet, it occurs to me that this has an even higher goal. There is one critical thing that all of the above have in common.

That is to glorify God. To bring glory to His name. To work for the greater glory of God in the highest. At the birth of Christ, a chorus of angels appeared to the shepherds and sang, "Glory to God in the highest!"

Paul wrote in Romans 1 about the guilt of wicked men who changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Luke wrote about how God struck dead the king of Israel in Acts 12, an unprecedented event in Israel's history! Even Mannasseh didn't receive that kind of wrath, and he was the most wicked king in all of Israel's history. Struck down why? Because as king of Israel, "he did not give glory to God."

Paul in Romans 15 admonishes us to receive each other just as Christ received us. Why? To the greater glory of God. And then he adds, "To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever! Amen."

Studying God's word is a way to glorify Him.
Prayer is to His greater glory.
Worship glorifies God.
Evangelism brings more into His presence to glorify Him unto the ages of ages.
Helping the needy? What you do to the least of these, you do unto Him.
And to love God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind!

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

2 Corinthians 4:15
For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So, we've found the treasure of wisdom we seek. Haven't we? Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God! Or… can we narrow it down even further, even more specific? Is that even possible? But we know God isn't just one Person. He is three. Does this apply to God as a whole? Are the members of the Trinity (or Triunity) equal in all respects?

All are equally God, yes. All three are deity. All three were present at Creation, all three were present at the baptism of Jesus, and all three raised Christ up on the third day. But, equal in all respects?

Jesus consistently diminishes Himself in order to magnify the Father, and accedes to the will of the Father. Just as in Luke 22, this is portrayed perhaps most clearly in the garden at Gethsemane, in Matthew 26.

Matthew 26:39, 42
He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."

And let us not forget who truly made the sacrifice of the cross. Was it the Son? No, the Son was the sacrifice. Who made the sacrifice? The Father. He sacrificed His Son, for all our sake. Who can forget John 3:16? But that's not the only scripture that says this.

John 5:19
Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

John 8:28
Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.

By the same token, the Holy Spirit acts the same in relation to the Son. Who sent the Holy Spirit to believers after the resurrection? Did He come of His own accord? The Son sent Him.

John 14:16-17
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

But, the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father, as well.

Galatians 4:6
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"

It is interesting that while there are countless examples of scripture that naturally speak of the Father as God, there are only some that can be used to prove that the Son is God. And only one or two that can truly prove the Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity (or Triunity) that inspired God's word. Scripture is "God-breathed," and the Greek word used for Spirit can also be translated as wind or breath. The Holy Spirit glorified the Father the most, and the Son to a significant degree, as well. And He put in just enough evidence for His own deity to get by, leaving the spotlight for them.

The Son and the Spirit both glorify God to the greatest degree, and they lead us by example. So should we. Therefore, the highest priority, the highest calling of any Christian is to ultimately bring glory to the Father. Through studying scripture, through prayer, worship, witnessing to unbelievers, loving our neighbor as we help the needy and loving God with every part of us. It is to Him, to the Father that we pray. It is by doing not some of these things but all of them, always keeping in our minds and hearts that the Father is owed the greatest glory.

Some have said, "It's all about Jesus." Not only should we not forget to include the Father in our worship, prayer and service, but we should put Him first and foremost.

John 14:13
[Jesus said,] And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.


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1 Peter 3:15
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We reject “lifestyle evangelism.” We reject blind faith in favor of a reasoned faith, based on evidence, logic and reason. We believe the greatest threat to the Body of Christ today is not from without but from within – the insidious enemy of postmodernism and relativism in our churches and members. It is in every denomination, in every city. It is worldly, it is evil, and it is highly organized.

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Jim,

Your promotion explaining your opinion that giving glory to God is the highest pursuit for believers is not really useful in any way.

Consider the following before you attenpt to convince anyone else:

1.) "High calling" as such is mentioned only one time in NT Scripture, Phil. 3:14, apparently relating to Paul's race analogy. The other mentioned NT "calls" are buried in Paul's monologues with no specific identification of the "call," mentioned once in Hebrews as a "call" from Heaven, and twice by Peter, once as a "call" to Heavenly existence and another as a nonspecific "call."

There is no mention or allusion to a "Highest Calling."

Given the unelaborated mentions of the concept of "call" in the NT, how is it that you think a "Highest Calling" even exists outside of your imagination? Is the notion of a "Highest Calling" a nice little theoretical issue upon which religious eggheads spend their time speculating?

2.) If you have successfully identified your "Highest Calling" to be the issuance and conveyance of "Glory to God," what do you personally do in your life to accomplish this, such that "Glory to God" may be obviously seen?

If you are able to tell me the direct answer to this question with an example of how you give "Glory to God" as your "Highest Calling," then the authenticity and value of your example should be clearly identified in Scripture, rather than through any notion or wishful thinking of your own.

3.) Have you ever considered getting a real job somewhere, in which you would be doing a specific service to people, and would have to take the day to day heat of life in the real world, rather than the cushy little life in some churchy or academic environment? Are you a professional religious talker by means of your background?

I do hope you are religious, according to James 1:27. Otherwise, your life in Christ is doing nothing.

Looking forward to your best reply.

JoLonda.

[Elvey]

The purpose for the salvation of the Christian is found in Rom. 8:28-29. To be conformed to the image of the Son is the highest calling of the believer.
Rom 8:28-29 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. NIV

This was the ulimate purpose for which the Apostle Paul was aiming.
He also states that the ultimate purpose of the church to educate believers into that purpose. Study of the word, prayer, praise and worship are all part of attaining to this purpose. It is the ultimate fullfillment of this purpose that brings glory to God.

Phil 3:7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. NIV
Eph 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. NIV

[JoLonda]

The purpose for the salvation of the Christian is found in Rom. 8:28-29. To be conformed to the image of the Son is the highest calling of the believer.
Rom 8:28-29 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. NIV

This was the ulimate purpose for which the Apostle Paul was aiming.
He also states that the ultimate purpose of the church to educate believers into that purpose. Study of the word, prayer, praise and worship are all part of attaining to this purpose. It is the ultimate fullfillment of this purpose that brings glory to God.

Phil 3:7-11 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. NIV
Eph 4:11-13 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. NIV



Jim,

Once again, it is not wise to insert personal ideas and opinions into the framework of God's Word. Please remember, that is what Satan does, as exemplified in the Garden account of original sin (Review Genesis 3:1-5 to help yourself on this.).

You attempted to explain how a Christian's "Greatest Pride is his salvation."
And then used various Scriptures to verify this idea.

Please note that "Pride" is dealt with very clearly throughout Scripture as a character deficit and sin before God. Nowhere is it associated with the work of salvation in any way.

This being so, what would be the source of your idea that "Pride" is to be taken in Chrits's salvation in us? Would that source be your imagination?


Looking forward to a marvelous reply from you.

Thanks.

Jolonda.

[Elvey]

The Christians highest priority is to be "Conformed to the image of His Son"
(Rom. 8:28 & 29). This purpose is confirmed in the Old Testament " Be ye Holy as I am Holy" which is repeated as the goal of the Christian by the Apostle Peter. (1 Pet. 1:15). This objective is a process which begins at salvation and continues until we shall see Him. ( 1 John 3:2-3) It is unfortunate that many Christians cannot articulate the purpose of their salvation, as to have a clear focus of the objective is essential for running the race.
The purpose of the leadership of the church is to bring believers to full maturity in Christ. (Eph. 4:11-16) and Jesus Christ is to be the focus of the race to righteousness. (Heb. 12:1-3)
The Christian is to prove salvation by showing the righteousness and holiness of God through right attitudes, and showing the compassion and forgiveness of Christ to a fallen world.

Elvey

[JoLonda]

The Christians highest priority is to be "Conformed to the image of His Son"
(Rom. 8:28 & 29). This purpose is confirmed in the Old Testament " Be ye Holy as I am Holy" which is repeated as the goal of the Christian by the Apostle Peter. (1 Pet. 1:15). This objective is a process which begins at salvation and continues until we shall see Him. ( 1 John 3:2-3) It is unfortunate that many Christians cannot articulate the purpose of their salvation, as to have a clear focus of the objective is essential for running the race.
The purpose of the leadership of the church is to bring believers to full maturity in Christ. (Eph. 4:11-16) and Jesus Christ is to be the focus of the race to righteousness. (Heb. 12:1-3)
The Christian is to prove salvation by showing the righteousness and holiness of God through right attitudes, and showing the compassion and forgiveness of Christ to a fallen world.

Elvey
Elvey,

Are you a Christian leader?

[Elvey]

A Christians highest calling is to be conformed to-not imitate- His Image.(Rom. 8:29)
It is for this purpose that He died and was resurrected.

1 Pet 1:15 Be Holy because I am Holy.
1 Cor. 1:2 To the church in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be Holy ----
Eph 1:4 For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Eph. 5:25-27 Husbands love your wifes , just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless
Col 1:22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation
1 Thess. 3:13 May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God when our Lord Jesus comes with His holy ones.
Heb. 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men: without holiness no one will see the Lord.
2 Tim. 1:9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life-----

The Lord Jesus was the physical representation of God on Earth. He revealed the glory of God in both His teachings and His character. He was the epitome of Holiness.

That is why we are told that we are to be conformed to His image.

All other aspects, Bible study, prayer, faith are the means to the end of making the believer holy.