As a teenager in my youth group, I learned a catchy acronym for “Bible”: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

This saying was supposed to remind us that Scripture is the best resource for life. However, it also suggested leaving earth is the main point.

Too many sermons, devotionals, and worship songs likewise imply we were made for heaven, but remain stuck on earth.

During high school, my youth group knocked on doors sharing Jesus with our neighbors. Leaders trained us to ask, “If you died today, how certain are you that you would go to heaven?”

We were essentially peddling heaven insurance. This approach undersells the gospel, however. Jesus offers not only a future hope, but also a life of meaning, peace, and joy here and now.

God’s ultimate plan is a new heavens and new earth, where His dwelling and ours come together in harmony.

From beginning to end, the Bible reveals God is at work in our world even now. We are not just sitting around in a terrestrial waiting room wondering when life in heaven will finally begin. We are part of God’s plan on earth.

As N.T. Wright put it, “Heaven is important, but it’s not the end of the world!”

If I engaged in door-to-door evangelism now, I might start with a couple of different questions: “What do you think is the meaning of life? Do you want to know what the Bible teaches?”

That conversation is biblically grounded and would resonate with many who are struggling to find meaning amid life’s present difficulties.

Day of Salvation

I have spent years studying the letters of the apostle Paul. In seminary, I learned Paul was the Church’s first and greatest theologian.

Paul expounds on justification by faith, the ministry of reconciliation, the believer’s life in Christ, and the hope of glory. Yet he offers few details about heaven.

Even as Paul addresses salvation, destruction, judgment, and renewal, his hope doesn’t hinge on leaving earth behind. For Paul, Christ’s work is redemption — making right what has become wrong, restoring what is broken, and healing what is hurt.

Paul masterfully points to Christ’s redemptive plan in Romans 8:18–21:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Throughout Romans 5–8, Paul addresses God’s often mysterious and hidden work in an imperfect and broken world. Paul has much to say about hardship, explaining that present suffering does not reflect the future glory in store for believers.

Humans aren’t the only ones who are struggling in this life. With clear allusions to Genesis 1–3, Paul depicts the created order as a prisoner in distress, longing desperately for liberation.

While God is the ultimate Liberator, His children are agents of freedom for all of creation. We are still on a journey of breaking from Adam’s sinful image and being remade into Christ’s image. Creation’s anguish and travail will end when Christ’s people fully take up their original commission of bringing order, harmony, and flourishing to the world.

Paul makes clear his hope is in the resurrection. Humans are not doomed to lose again and again in their battle against sin and death. By His grace, God offers resurrection life to His image bearers. Those who have been buried with Christ will rise in Christ and reign with Christ.

Some might have imagined this resurrection power as a one-time promise meant for the far-off eschaton, but Paul insists those who die to sin and self can experience a Spirit-filled, resurrection-empowered life here and now. We can experience a “new life” (Romans 6:4), fueled by the power of Christ’s resurrection.

The upshot is that life has deep meaning right here, right now. We are not just biding our time until we get upgraded to heaven — a common and unfortunate misunderstanding of Paul’s theology of salvation.

Salvation is not merely a past or future event. Paul sees it as an ongoing, daily reality for believers, who are “being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

Paul warns against underestimating the transformative work of God’s grace in the present time: “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2, emphasis added). Salvation starts today.

Misreading Paul

During much of my Christian life, I misread Paul.

For years, I thought of Paul’s epistles as sophisticated essays containing theology (the important stuff) and mundane sections (the stuff I could skip or ignore).

For Paul, Christ’s work is redemption — making right what has become wrong, restoring what is broken, and healing what is hurt.

I scanned the text for weighty theological truths, while skimming past seemingly trivial information about money issues, work matters, travel details, relationship problems, and everyday hardships.

In seminary, conversations tended to focus on Paul’s final judgment teaching in 1 Corinthians 3; the nature of the resurrection body in 1 Corinthians 15; the divinity of Christ in Philippians 2; and the meaning of justification in Romans 3–4.

Certainly, these themes are worth careful study. But what of Paul’s other passages? They are not just packaging around the theology sections, mere wrappings to discard. In fact, they can help us understand how to make meaning of life in the here and now.

For example, we can learn a lot from how Paul handled a situation in Rome where some house churches were judging others over matters of religious tradition and practice.

The issue involved disputes over what foods to eat and which holidays to observe. When Paul’s letter was read aloud, the Roman Christians were probably shocked to learn that they were all acceptable in their practices but wrong in their attitudes.

As Paul explained, we can choose to consecrate certain foods unto the Lord or observe holidays as we please. After all, “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord” (Romans 14:8).

Jesus isn’t just the Lord of churches, Sundays, and Communion elements. He is Lord of all — every activity in life, everywhere, in every single moment. More than trying to get religious rituals exactly right, Paul wanted believers to consecrate all of life to the Lord.

That insight should affect how we read and apply Paul’s letters (and the rest of Scripture, for that matter). The gospel is not just heaven insurance; it is empowerment and guidance for how we conduct our daily lives right now.

It is true that we cannot experience the complete fullness of life God has in store for us until Christ returns to consummate the final age once and for all. Yet we can learn how to walk in step with the Spirit now, living the gospel in all we say and do every day.

Many Christians seem to believe that at death God will turn them into angelic beings, as if there’s something pitiable about being human. However, the Bible doesn’t say angels were made in the image of God. Only humans are described that way. It is good to be human.

Of course, humanity was corrupted by sin and therefore destined for death. Our gift in the gospel of Jesus Christ is the restoration of our full humanity. So, what is the meaning of life? To become fully human, and by God’s help we can experience that at last!

Second-century Christian theologian Irenaeus of Lyons famously wrote, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” This succinctly captures Paul’s concept of salvation — that is, people being restored to their full humanness in Christ, all to the glory of God.

But what does it mean to be human? If we look back to Genesis, as Paul would have, we can see three essential elements of God’s creative purpose for humanity. We were made to imitate God; cultivate growth; and relate to others.

You may have heard the saying, “To err is human, to forgive, divine.” That’s true after sin came into the world. If we start with this adage, however, we miss the picture Genesis 1–2 paints of how it was meant to be from the beginning.

First, God created humans in His image (Genesis 1:26–27). We are to reflect and imitate God in the world, especially His glory and righteousness.

Second, we were also made to cultivate — to grow into maturity and help all of creation grow and flourish (Genesis 1:28–30).

Finally, Genesis affirms that people are by nature social beings, made to be in relationship with others (2:18).

Made to Imitate

Paul told the Corinthians, “God made him who had no sin [Christ] to be sin for us, so that in him we [sinners] might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Greek phrase translated “righteousness of God” is dikaiosynē Theou. While this translation suggests justification by grace through faith, the same phrase is found elsewhere in Scripture in reference to God’s character and faithfulness (Daniel 9:14). Therefore, we shouldn’t limit dikaiosynē Theou to a status of justification.

In the holy exchange of 2 Corinthians 5:20, Christ chose to be wrongfully executed as a sinner so that we might become justified, as well as just, righteous and right — good with God and good like God. We were made to imitate and reflect God’s character, which is holy, good, and just.

Sadly, there is a split in Western Christianity between proponents of the “spiritual gospel” and “social gospel.” The former limit the gospel’s purpose primarily to saving souls for heaven, while the latter focus on applying the gospel to injustices throughout our world today.

For Paul, there’s only one gospel — the gospel of Jesus Christ that destroys the power of sin, frees us from bondage to death, and enables us to live each day as servants of Jesus Christ. Representatives of this gospel are to fulfill Christ’s commission and spread His righteousness and goodness across the earth. We have been made right to do right.

In Romans 6, Paul argues that even without the Law as a moral guide, believers ought not give in to sin and abuse God’s grace, because we have already been freed from sin and death (verses 15–23). By grace, Christians can obey God and live in His righteousness (verse 16).

Paul insists those who die to sin and self can experience a Spirit-filled, resurrection-empowered life 
here and now.

Paul calls readers to live as “slaves to righteousness” (verse 19). If we obey our righteous (just) God, we will reflect His own righteousness (justice).

Christians sometimes describe church as a place where sinners are forgiven. While every congregation should be a place of forgiveness, that’s not the only dimension of the gospel.

As Christ followers, God’s Spirit lives within us, Jesus draws near to us, and we conform to the dikaiosynē Theou — the righteousness of God, which also includes the justice of God.

God wants all things in the world to be restored to rightness, fairness, healthiness, wholeness, and equality. His plan all along was for humans to establish, promote, and protect that rightness.

In Romans 2, Paul calls out his fellow Jews who advocate for the Law but are blind to their own hypocrisy and sin: “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?” (verse 21).

Paul highlights sins like theft, adultery, idolatry, and overall lawbreaking. In verse 24, he quotes Isaiah 52:5: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

This is a particularly stinging accusation. As God’s holy nation, Israel was supposed to reflect God’s character and righteousness. Instead, Israel’s sin created the opposite effect, bringing disrepute to God’s name.

Paul’s critique might be paraphrased this way: “The pagans, the idolatrous nations, take one look at you and your unrighteous behavior and say, ‘If that’s how Yahweh’s people behave, Yahweh must be an awful god!’”

It’s not enough to ask forgiveness. Christians must also seek transformation through the Holy Spirit, that we might conform to Christ’s image.

As we become more like Christ, believers increasingly learn to reflect God’s character in the world — His justice, integrity, righteousness, holiness, faithfulness, and honesty.

Made to Cultivate

Thinking and acting rightly requires growth.

In Genesis 1–2, it is clear that Adam and Eve were to cultivate the earth. Creation didn’t come prefabricated. God entrusted it to His image bearers with some assembly required.

There was no step-by-step instruction manual in the Garden. To help creation flourish, Adam and Eve would have to learn and grow, cultivating their own maturity and wisdom.

Humans were always called to grow and bring harmony to creation. That mandate did not change with the introduction of sin and death in the world, but it did become more difficult.

The work of cultivation is perilous amid thorns and vipers, sickness and death. Sin is a poison in every part of our lives. It makes being human messy and painful. Thankfully, believers have a Counteragent in the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to learn, grow, serve, cultivate, and help others thrive in Christ.

Paul often applied growth and cultivation imagery to the Christian life. Perhaps the most familiar example is his teaching on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). Just as God created every tree and plant with a purpose, He designed humans to bear life-giving and satisfying fruit, like love, peace, joy, goodness, and kindness.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul further envisions the Church as Christ’s body. In Ephesians and Colossians, he makes clear this is not a static image. Rather, the Church is a moving, speaking, working community that grows in love by God’s power (Ephesians 4:15–16; Colossians 2:16–19).

God never intended the Church to be a mere structure or institution, but a living organism that promotes vitality throughout the world.

Made to Relate

Finally, God designed us for relationship. After creating the first human, God made clear that Adam needed companionship and partnership (Genesis 2:18).

Only in community can humanity fully embrace the commission of imitating God and fostering wholeness and growth in the world.

Americans often revere as virtues rugged individualism, self-sufficiency, and independence. But Scripture upholds the value of living and working together in community and interdependence (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

A communal emphasis is evident in Paul’s writings. Paul teaches that we belong to one another (Romans 12:4–5; Ephesians 4:25) and are to instruct one another (Romans 15:14). He encourages believers to eat with one another (1 Corinthians 11:33); serve one another (Galatians 5:13); support one another (Galatians 6:2); and love one another (1 Thessalonians 3:12).

Paul never imagined that believers could grow up in Christ by themselves. We are members of one Body. And we cannot fulfill our role of helping the world flourish if we are trying to do everything on our own.

Good News Today

Too many believers wrongly think that once they have accepted Jesus as Savior, they are just biding their time until death or Christ’s return. In this way of thinking, life on earth doesn’t matter.

Sin is a poison in every part of our lives. It makes being human messy and painful. Thankfully, believers have a Counteragent in the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to learn, grow, serve, cultivate, and help others thrive in Christ.

By contrast, Paul modeled and taught that Christians are called to fulfill a human vocation here and now. Paul’s letters address many areas of daily life, including work and friendship.

Paul didn’t look down on work, nor did he suggest final eternal rest excludes it. In fact, Paul found deep meaning in labor (2 Corinthians 6:4–5; 11:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:9).

While Paul could have earned his wages exclusively from his apostolic ministry, he chose to work as a tentmaker to avoid placing a financial burden on struggling churches (1 Corinthians 9:1–15). This doesn’t mean Paul liked toil, but he did see value in it.

Humans were made to work and contribute to society. Paul emphasized this principle to the Thessalonian church: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Being a Christian is not an excuse for laziness, burdening others, or giving up our human mission in the world. Whatever work we do, it can be holy if we devote it to the Lord and dedicate it to serving others and strengthening our communities.

Paul encountered and affirmed believers in numerous professions, including a physician (Colossians 4:14); merchant (Acts 16:14); scribe (Romans 16:22); city official (Romans 16:23); and lawyer (Titus 3:13).

Working to put food on the table is honorable. Devoting all of one’s work to serving the Lord, whatever the profession, is holy.

Paul had a lot to say about friendship as well.

At one time, I thought of Paul as a loner. After all, he had some early disputes with the twelve apostles (Galatians 2:1–14). However, a close reading of Acts and the Pauline epistles reveals that Paul was constantly with friends and colleagues.

Paul sometimes lived with friends (Acts 18:1–3), and he found great encouragement from them. Timothy was like a son or younger brother to Paul (Philippians 2:20–22). In Paul’s most lonely and desperate hour, he wanted Timothy by his side (2 Timothy 4:9).

For Paul, friendship wasn’t about advancing socially or seeking entertainment, but living according to God’s plan. Since humans are made to relate, relationships are instrumental for growing together into the image of Christ.

True friends strengthen and build up one another. They have the trust and commitment to challenge and call out one another as well.

The Greeks often described friendship as having another self to help you out. Paul seems to echo this when he tells the Philippians to share one mind, love the same thing together, act as one soul and life, and discern as one body (Philippians 2:2).

Today, there is a loneliness crisis in America. Two in 10 U.S. adults (21%) feel disconnected from friends, family, and/or the world, according to a 2024 study published by Harvard University. Of those, three-quarters report feeling little or no sense of meaning or purpose in life.

This should concern church leaders. We will struggle to grow up and become fully human without Christian friends to help us.

Heaven on Earth

Paul writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20–21).

Notice that Paul doesn’t say our eternal home will be in heaven. Rather, heaven will eventually come to earth.

Paul here was drawing from the familiar concept of imperial colonization. Rome colonized countless cities, like Philippi, with the goal of remaking each according to a Roman template.

The imperial rulers did not want everyone moving to Rome. As the empire expanded its boundaries, these leaders sought to make each conquered city a ‘Rome away from Rome.’

Unlike Rome, God’s kingdom doesn’t advance through violence and domination. Yet Paul was teaching something analogous. Wherever the gospel goes, it imparts the features of heaven — the righteousness of the Father, kingship of Christ, and peace and joy of the Spirit.

The goal of Paul’s preaching was not to transport the Philippians to Rome or to heaven, but to make Philippi a reflection of Christ’s kingdom on earth.

Instead of escape, Paul’s gospel is about transformation and renewal — humanity fully alive.

This article appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Influence magazine.