The Covenant Life: Find Your God-Given Purpose in Life

By David D. Cho

This book teaches Christians about their God-given purpose in life. Many people may not know their purpose in life even after they become believers in Jesus Christ. The Bible shows that each believer is a covenant being, meaning that he/she has a God-given spiritual purpose in life (a covenant). Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Nehemiah, Peter, John, and Paul lived covenant lives before God. It is important that each believer realizes and believes that he/she has a personal covenant with God just like these people, although his/her personal covenant is different from those of biblical figures.
The covenant life is inextricably related to our life of holiness, or sanctification. Sanctification is the way through which this covenant is actualized in our life. Thus, the covenant gives the answer to the question, "Why am I here?" And sanctification gives the answer to the question, "How should I live that life in the world?"
The covenant person lives as a steward of Jesus Christ. The stewardship is the guiding principle for this person as he relates to material things in the world. And justice is the guiding principle for the covenant person as he relates to other people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: May 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781725272576

David D. Cho

David D. Cho is Vice President and Professor of Systematic Theology at Evangelia University in California. He has taught systematic theology and sanctification for many years and has written several books on those subjects. His special interest is in the relationship between the Holy Spirit and covenant in the Christian life. As a former pastor, he endeavors to make theology as practical as possible for lay Christians.

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The Covenant Life

Find Your God-Given Purpose in Life

David D. Cho

The Covenant Life

Find Your God-Given Purpose in Life

Copyright © 2020 David D. Cho. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Resource Publications

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-7252-7255-2

hardcover isbn: 978-1-7252-7256-9

ebook isbn: 978-1-7252-7257-6

Manufactured in the U.S.A. 06/05/20

To Laura, my wife and coworker in Christ

Table of Contents

Title Page

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: The Secrets in Life

Chapter 2: Covenant in the Bible

Chapter 3: Covenant and the Holy Spirit

Chapter 4: Covenant and Sanctification

Chapter 5: Covenant and Prayer

Chapter 6: Stewardship in Covenant Life

Chapter 7: Justice in Covenant Life

Chapter 8: Living a Covenant Life

Bibliography

Preface

About twenty-five years ago, a student asked me whether I had written a book about the idea of covenant, which I was teaching in the class at the time. That student probably would have graduated from the school and have become a pastor. By now he would have twenty years of experience in ministry. But, hopefully, this book will help many students studying theology today, and many lay Christians who are struggling to find their purpose in life.

As a former pastor and current professor in theology, I have found that many Christians, not to mention non-Christians, do not know their purpose in life.

As Christians, they try to live a purposeful life doing Christian things, but they have no sense that their purpose in life is God-given and is already determined from eternity.

It is commendable that some people try to do what they can do to make the world better and find their purpose in life in the process. This is better than no purpose in life. However, if the existence of God is presupposed and if that God is an all-knowing God, the purpose of the world and the purpose of each human being are already determined in his eternal plan for the creation. Thus, man is a product of a purpose in God’s sovereign hand. Without this purpose, man is lost without self-worth and fulfillment in life.

I once heard from a soldier that the greatest weapon a soldier can take out to the battlefield is why he fights. Without the firm conviction and justification for the war, war cannot be won. Life is a battlefield with many invisible enemies such as greed, sensual pleasure, vain glory, and many others. Unless people know why they live in this life, they cannot have a sense of fulfillment in this life and are not ready to face their Maker at the end of their lives.

God-given purpose requires a sacrificial love and giving to make the world a society of love and justice. If we could stop building our own towers of Babel, we might be able to establish the paradise on earth.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank my wonderful wife, Laura—a true coworker in Christ. Without her support and encouragement, this book could not have been written. Her love for Christ and a desire to know Christ on a deeper level drive me to study the Bible with a new, fresh perspective. She is the first and perfect sounding board of any ideas I have about the Christian life.

Also I’d like to thank our dear friend, Alison English, who read and edited the first draft in the midst of her busy schedule. Her expertise in writing and thoughtful advice was very helpful in completing this work. Thank you, Alison.

Although my name is on the cover as the author of this book, it is Jesus Christ who should be honored for using a feeble man like me to spread the message of eternal love and justice for mankind. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for always being with me.

Chapter 1

The Secrets in Life

Everything that happens has a purpose, even the seemingly most trivial things in the world. It is unimaginable that everything that happens in the world has a purpose except our life. Our life must have a purpose because we, more than any other creatures, have the noblest aspirations in the world. Thus man is by nature a purpose-seeking creature. To deny it means to deny the essential nature of humanity.

We all have asked ourselves about the meaning of life. Why am I here? Philosophers and sages throughout the centuries have tried very hard to answer this question for us. But the answer given in the twenty-first century is no better than the one given in the fifth century B.C. by Socrates, who said that we should seek happiness in life. Well, that seems too general. I want to know why I am here.

Rather than trying to get the meaning of life from other people, seek God’s wisdom. In the Bible God has set forth the principles that we need to follow in order to find our purpose in this life. These secrets are available to anyone.

God, the Bible and You

People in every culture want to have a fulfilled life. In order to do this, they have to know God who put the innate desire for the fulfillment of life in them. The only way to know God is through his written word, the Bible. So knowing your purpose in life involves knowing God and the Bible. Of course, this is only done by the Holy Spirit. Knowing your purpose in life is a spiritual matter.

God’s Gracious Revelation of the Purpose of Your Life

God has already revealed the purpose of your life. It is in the Bible. The Bible teaches about many things such as love, mercy, knowledge, wisdom, and so forth. These are very important qualities we should have in our life. But without knowing the purpose of your own life, these qualities, as excellent as they are, do not make much impact in your life.

Humble Heart to Receive from God

We should never blame God for our problems. A problem always occurs from human side, never from God’s. God wanted to transplant the Israelites from Egypt to the land of Canaan in a short time, not in forty years. It was because of their rebellious heart that it took forty years to get to the promised land. God was ready to give it to them when they got out of Egypt, but they were not ready to receive it. You cannot receive from God if you remain as the master of your own life. If you come with a humble heart, you will receive the secrets to your life which will open the new world for you.

The Purpose in Life

Our purpose as stated in the Bible is to know God and glorify him in our lives. This is for everyone. But we also want to know our own purpose in life.

Many books and sages tell us the purpose of life in general. But nobody tells us my purpose in life except the Bible. To be honest, the Bible does not exactly call my name and state the purpose of my life specifically in some passage. However, it does contain God’s secrets for people’s lives, which are the powerful tool for us to use for finding my purpose in this life. The goal of this book is to help you to find your purpose in life by revealing these mysterious secrets God teaches about life in the Bible.

Finding the Purpose in Life Is a Personal Matter

Nobody can find the purpose of your life for you. You must do it yourself because it involves your innermost subjective qualities such as faith and conviction. It will involve who you are, what you have, and what you own: the totality of your being. Finding your purpose in life is a deeply personal and most subjective endeavor you will ever have in your life. It is not an intellectual exercise though it involves the knowledge. Nor is it some kind of epiphany though it sometimes transcends a human reason.

One thing you must be is that you must be true to yourself. You must be honest in this endeavor because you have to be in a relationship with your Maker, God, throughout the process. Without knowing God the Maker, you cannot even begin this endeavor. The deeper relationship you have with your Maker, the clearer the purpose of your life becomes to you. You should not think of this endeavor as an objective fact finding, but rather an intimate secret revealed in a relationship. You and God are together in this journey called life.

Finding the Purpose in Life Requires a Commitment

Live a life that is revealed to you. You cannot do it half-heartedly. You cannot be an objective observer as if to see the unfolding life of somebody else. Relate your current activities to your purpose in life.

It may not be easy to gauge how committed you are in seeking your purpose in life. A good test is: Ask yourself whether you are willing to give up money and fame in order to pursue the life with a purpose. It does not mean that you have to be poor and be without recognition in order to live a purposeful life. But it does mean that you have to be truly committed to live whatever purposeful life revealed to you from your Maker. That’s why it requires faith in the God of love and mercy.

Don’t think that your purpose in life is somewhere in the universe or is written in somebody’s book. It is in you. You and your purpose in life cannot be separated. But how can you find it? You need someone who can come into your life and reveal it to you. That person is Jesus Christ. He will guide you. Ask him to be your Savior and Lord, and he will come into your heart and start this mysterious process with you. He will be with you until the end of life, revealing more and more about your purpose in this life.

Finding the Purpose in Life Requires Patience

Finding your purpose is a lifelong process, though it becomes clearer as you progress in life. I said earlier your purpose in life is in you. You and your purpose in life cannot be separated. The purpose in life is not only a goal. The process itself is part of the purpose in life. You came into this world to be the person God intended for you to be, which was planned by God from eternity. You and your mission in life cannot be separated.

Your purpose in life and the historical environment you live in are vitally related in the plan of God. The reason you came into this world in a certain historical time frame is that your purpose in life is directly and vitally related with the expansion of the kingdom of God during that period in the plan of God. The time it takes for us to fulfill the purpose of life is different from person to person because each one of us has a different life span. However, for all of us it takes time to know our purpose in life because the history has to unfold to create specific situations, in which our purpose of life is revealed and is subsequently fulfilled. Thus it requires patience and endurance from us. Patience is needed because sometimes we have to wait on God’s timing, and endurance is essential because it is a spiritual marathon rather than a sprint.

Expect Hostile Opposition in the Process

Finding your purpose in life is not complicated, but it is not easy. Since it is a spiritual endeavor, there will always be spiritual opposition that will try to frustrate you to give up altogether. If you know your purpose of life and act to fulfill it, this will inflict significant damage on the dark kingdom which rules the world. So you should be aware that the enemy will try to derail you from this endeavor and make you satisfied just as a nominal, ordinary Christian. You will hear statements like It’s too hard or Nobody is doing it. When you hear statements like this, it’s your choice whether to keep going or give up.

Life with Three Prongs

Life has three prongs. Each prong represents a relationship in life. The first prong is a vertical relationship, and the other two are horizontal relationships. It is imperative that we have a biblical and sound foundation in all three relationships in order to live a life with a purpose. These three relationships are uniquely different from each other, but they are vitally and inextricably related to each other.

First Prong of Life

The first prong of life is a vertical relationship, which represents a relationship with God, who is the source of everything. This is not just a relationship that you have with God as a believer. You’ll have to go into a much deeper relationship with God in order to know your identity and purpose in life. This is also a Creator-creature relationship, in which you discover who you are and why you exist. You come face to face with yourself in the presence your Maker.

Second Prong of Life

The second prong of life is a horizontal relationship, which represents a relationship you have with the materials in the world, the inanimate beings. You cannot live without materials in the world. But how you use the material can either flourish or ruin your life. You have to understand the purpose of materials completely different from the way the world understands. The material is given to you not to make you rich,