Life as an Heir of God: A Look Into Romans 8Sample

Day 5: Your Purpose Is Assured

God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. . . . And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. (Romans 8:29-30 NLT)

God is able to work out his purposes in everything (Romans 8:28) because he sees everything in advance. With that foreknowledge, he decides in advance how to accomplish his will. He doesn’t manipulate us by pulling the strings of our lives and inflicting hardships on us—the fallen world we live in occasions those hardships quite effectively—but he does preordain his purposes for us. And his greatest purpose is for us to become like his Son, the perfect image of the Father (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3), in fulfillment of the image we were given at creation. From falling short of glory (Romans 3:23), we now hope in it (5:2), have it revealed in us (8:18), and share in it fully (8:30).

That’s our destiny as believers. We’re being restored into the divine image, birthed through the power of a new genesis, endowed with the glory God gives us to reflect him well. We may have been told that God wants us to “be like Jesus”—an impossible burden if we don’t know all it entails—but the fullness of that image is all we could have hoped for and more. It includes his presence, power, purposes, promises, and perfection. We become brothers and sisters of the King.

Re-Envision Your Destiny

Many Christians see the call to be Christlike as a behavioral issue. But acting like Jesus is a futile role to play if we aren’t inwardly becoming like him. This is not about something we do; it’s about who we are—and not who we think we are but who God says we are. We have to fully embrace the identity of Jesus within us if we’re going to grow into the image he has given us.

Children don’t try to take on the image of their parents. They just do. Neither do they obsess about behavioral outcomes. They simply act according to the nature and nurture they’re given. Our adult tendency to focus on outcomes can lead to a discipleship that is all willpower and self-discipline, but real change is a matter of input. If we enter into deep fellowship with God, cultivate our love for him, and allow ourselves to be amazed by his nature, character, and glory, we will be changed from the inside out. And we will begin to look a lot like Jesus.