According to the Apostle Paul, the purpose behind a believer’s life is the gospel. It’s a call to allow the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to sink down in you to the degree that the gospel recolors your world, transforms your views, and reshapes your motivations. God has designed for the gospel to be the sufficient reason for our lives because it is the power of God in our lives (Rom. 1:16). An actual power that’s able to redeem, reconcile, adopt, and transform!

I’ve always been cursed with a chronic question. As a child, I continually asked my father and mother, “Why do I have to go to bed at an early hour?” “Why must I brush my teeth?” “Why do I have to eat these tasteless green beans?” I’ve asked the question “Why?” for a long time. I cannot imagine how sanctifying this must have been for my parents! As a pimpled-faced teenager, my craving to know the reasons behind what I was wondering only intensified: “Why must I have a curfew?” “Why can’t I have more freedoms?” “Why should I get a summer job?”

Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author, explains a parent’s challenge with the “Why” question: “Often we don’t know the real answers to the innocent questions they ask, but even when we do, our answers don’t slow the pace of their relentless questions.” Dr. Greene thinks we misunderstand the child’s language. He goes on to say that, we “think that when they ask ‘Why?’ they mean the same thing we mean when we ask” that question. “Our cause-and-effect answers miss the mark, and so they fail to satisfy.”

We Never Graduate from the Question

There’s something very insightful about that last line, “Our cause-and-effect answers miss the mark, and so they fail to satisfy.” I’m not sure we ever graduate from asking why things are the way that they are. Even as adults, there is something within us that desires to know the motivation, purpose, and truth behind what we observe.

Dr. Greene explains a parent’s frustration when asked, “Why?” boils down to not knowing the actual answer to the child’s inquiry. Could it be with the “Why” of Christianity we often feel a colossal tension between the need to ask “Why?” and the frustration of not knowing the answer?

It’s almost like our inner child is pestering the inner parent in us with “Why?” and our inner parent just succumbs to defeat for not knowing how to respond to the question.

 Understanding the “Why” For the Christian Life

This can be a significant problem for Christians. The problem exists when men and women know and try to live out the “How” without the “Why.” This was my struggle as a Christian for many years.

Immediately after placing my trust in Christ, I was taught about praying, reading my Bible, sharing my faith, having excellent character, and making wise decisions. Each of these are rightful activities of the Christian life. What became problematic for me was my possessing a clear understanding of the “How” of Christianity, without really grasping the “Why” yet.

What then is the purpose behind the Christian life? Is the purpose to earn God’s love and approval? Is the purpose to be a good person and treat others well? Is the purpose to not disappoint your Christian parents? I don’t believe so.

Paul helps us answer this question in Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” According to the Apostle Paul, the purpose behind a believer’s life is the gospel. It’s a call to allow the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to sink down in you to the degree that the gospel recolors your world, transforms your views, and reshapes your motivations. God has designed for the gospel to be the sufficient reason for our lives because it is the power of God in our lives (Rom. 1:16). An actual power that’s able to redeem, reconcile, adopt, and transform!

When you know the gospel as the driving-purpose of the Christian life, then the means of living the Christian life becomes more obvious and natural. Far too many Christians attempt to manufacture Christian behavior through their own effort—this leads to unmet expectations and endless frustrations. This reality emphasizes the importance for us to understand the gospel as our “Why” and how it practically changes our lives.

Gospel Motivation for How the Church Lives

The gospel acting as the primary motivation behind how we live is a constant theme throughout the New Testament. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2). The book of Ephesians is concerned with who the church is now—because of the gospel—in Christ. One can sense Paul’s passionate plea that an experience of being loved by God through the gospel is unparalleled.

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