Resources > Bible Studies Purpose Driving on and off the Track Posted by Rev. Jeff Dixon, Senior Equipping Minister, Covenant Community Church on Jul 3, 2004, 11:27

Purpose Driving on and off the Track

A look at the good news and bad news of the book The Purpose Driven Life!

Everyone's life is driven by something. Rick Warren, creator of Purpose Driven Church, Purpose Driven Life, and 40 Days of Purpose likes to open each chapter with a concise summary of the chapter's title! Chapter three of The Purpose Driven Life begins by stating that each person's life is driven and controlled by something.

Warren lists five of the most common driving forces. They are:

Guilt - Many people live their lives burdened by guilt. They allow this guilt to control them so that their past controls their future. God, though, loves to give them the opportunity for a fresh start. They do not need to live in guilt.

Resentment & Anger - Some people hold on to hurts from the past and never learn to let them go. Eventually this anger and resentment controls them. Warren's advice is "For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go."

Fear - Fear controls many people. By playing it safe and always fighting to maintain the status quo they may avoid God's purpose for their lives. These people need to learn to fight fear through faith in God.

Materialism - Most people in our society are driven by materialism. They are driven to acquire more and more possessions and believe that security can only be found in having more. This goes directly against Scripture which says that the most valuable things in life are not things!

Need For Approval - Many people allow their need for other people's approval to control their lives. They spend their lives worrying about what others think of them.

Though not an exhaustive list, these probably summarize most people.

Warren follows his summary of these driving forces by stating that this forty-day journey will show me how to live a life that is driven by purpose rather than by fear, guilt, resentment, materialism or the need for approval. None of these can compensate for a life with no purpose.

There are five main benefits to living a purpose-driven life. They are:

Knowing My Purpose Gives Meaning To My Life

Knowing My Purpose Simplifies My Life

Knowing My Purpose Focuses My Life

Knowing My Purpose Motivates My Life

Knowing My Purpose Prepares Me For Eternity

To finish the chapter, Warren speaks about our "final exam" as we stand before God after death. He states that God will ask us two questions. The first will be, "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" and the second will be "What did you do with what I gave you?" 

As you move through this chapter there certainly is much to think about and many sound ideas to help generate growth in your life....

NOW...Here is a WARNING...Do Not read any further if you are going to get upset or bothered by some things that might be bothersome or thought provoking....we are going to get Biblical about a few things that might make you upset..... 

One of the trends that many use today is a methodolgy of preaching and teaching that tends to "proof-text" things to teach. There are lots of reasons for this and for many the processing of information in short "sound bites" is helpful. Above I mentioned the things that Warren uses in his chapter. I agree with what he is saying and the information is helpful and informative. Follow it and you will surely discover purpose which will help you live life.

So you are thinking, "what is the problem?"

The information that he gives is built on Biblical truth and priniciple. Sadly, he does not develop the Biblical background very strongly. The end result is good information and some Scriptural mis-information. It is not intentional and there is no theological crisis here...it is simply reflective of the tendency that many embrace as being good teaching and interpretation.

Lets look and see what we find

This chapter quotes Scripture 17 times using six different translations and paraphrases. On a quick read it makes no difference, upon closer inspection there are a few passages that raise concern.

In speaking about the importance of purpose, Warren quotes Genesis 4:12 which speaks about the curse God placed on Cain as punishment for murdering his brother. It reads, "You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

Warren then states, "That describes most people today - wandering through life without a purpose."

Though the statement is true, Genesis 4:12 does not prove his point for it does not concern purpose. It concerns a punishment for sin. Now some will argue that Cain sinned because he did not have clear purpose and therefore it fits....if that is the reasoning the passage is used this way then I don't think you have to wander that far around the theological pool to make that point.

He later quotes Job 5:2 using Today's English Version which reads radically different than a more literal translation. Then in the section about purpose giving meaning to life he again quotes Job (and Isaiah) out of context. It is quite a misreading to say that Job's felt his life was hopeless because he was without purpose! A study on Job reveals far more that was happening in the life of Job. The danger here is that it takes the account the Bible gives on Job, a man of heroic endurance, and minimizes the struggle and the faithfulness of a man whose world had just fallen apart. Job was a man of purpose in his willingness to follow God....he did not feel his life was hopeless because he had suddenly lost that purpose.

Finally, in speaking about being driven by the need for approval Warren quotes Matthew 6:24. He quotes only a few words. "No one can serve two masters." Once again, I agree with what Warren says and I agree that the passage is translated correctly.

However, the passage has nothing to do with desiring approval! The passage, when read in context, is clearly about the love of money.

The complete verse reads, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

The previous passage may be the most clear example of the way The Purpose Driven Life uses Scripture. Through the first three chapters the book offers proof for the points by using tiny snippets of the Bible without giving context. Earlier I mentioned the trend for "proof texting" as the preferred method of communication and study today. 

When examined in the wider context of the verse, chapter or book we find that Warren has either stretched the meanings of the verses or given them a meaning that is altogether foreign to them. Of course we know that in Bible study context is vital. Many radical and unscriptural beliefs have arisen from using Scripture outside of its natural context. Warren, of course, has not used Scripture to prove unscriptural beliefs. He is conservative and comes from a Southern Baptist background. He is not adding to or attempting in anyway to add to Scripture. However, this does not simply allow one to stamp what he is saying as accurate. Proving something using false proof or false evidence is not wise and is not a sound method for studying the Bible. So therfore, believers must learn to read and understand Scripture and we have a responsibility to ask questions and stay on track in areas of God's Word.