04/10/2026
THE MARK OF OUR HIGH CALLING
Philippians 3:7–12
No believer has an earthly call. Every believer's calling is heavenly, meaning that it is one of the things the believer should set his affection on. In our study text (Phil. 3:14), it is referred to as "The High Calling of God in Christ" which is the very purpose for which Christ apprehended or saved us. It is the end of our faith. It is what the believer should aim at, the height to attain, or the destination to arrive at. In a nutshell, the believer's high calling is to become a Christian.
A believer and a Christian do not mean the same thing in a true biblical sense. A believer is anyone who has believed in Jesus in his heart unto salvation. However, he could remain a novice or new convert without a significant growth in his walk with God. On the other hand, the word Christian simply means Christ-like, which implies that the believer has grown spiritually with a noticeable resemblance of Jesus in his way of life—thinking and acting like Him. This implies that a new convert, carnal or worldly believer is yet to be a Christian.
Becoming like Jesus is the purpose unto which we have been called and the destination towards which we must press unto. Jesus' goal is to make us look like Him, that He might become the Firstborn among many of His kind. This will occur when we do not only believe in Him but also behave like Him. Hence, the goal of Jesus and our high calling are the same: to become a Christian. We cannot make becoming like Christ optional and still claim to be pursuing our high calling in Christ. Being with Jesus and learning of Him is the means to fulfilling this call, not merely being in church. Praying, Bible reading and other spiritual disciplines are necessary for the believer, but they are not the high calling in themselves.
To fulfill our high calling we must understand what the Mark of our high calling is. It is the standard or height by which the extent to which the believer has attained his high calling is measured. Christ Himself is that Mark, not our denominational rules or creed. Christ, the beloved Son whose life was publicly acknowledged and approved by the Father at His baptism and transfiguration is the one we must look unto, follow and emulate. Christ is the measure of the true christian life. His attitude, values, character, lifestyle, beliefs, faith and devotion are the standards to pursue. Whatever does conform to His example or lead us towards becoming like Him must be discarded.
When our lives are placed beside that of Christ, our present level of conformity or deformity becomes very obvious. The clearer we see the Mark, the more clearly we see the wide gap between us and the stature of Christ to which we are called. We must never be satisfied with less than what God intends for us to be.
Therefore, the new birth experience must not be our highest spiritual experience. Rather, it should be a prerequisite encounter, and a stepping stone to attaining our high calling—attaining to Christ's resurrection by all means, and growing into Him in all things.
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