Although the Christian walk is not specifically named a transcendent life in the Bible, I believe the scriptures are clear in defining what kind of life we should lead in order to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. I believe Jesus lived a transcendent life while He walked on the earth. In order to understand what this means let’s look at what the word ‘transcendent’ means.
Meaning of “transcend”.
Firstly, the word “transcend” is a verb, an action word. The word is taken from the Latin words ”trans” + “scandere”. “Trans” means “across” or “beyond” and “Scandere” means “to climb”. So, one can say to transcend is “to climb across or beyond.” It can also mean to surpass; to surmount; to overstep; to outdo; to escape inclusion in; to lie beyond the scope of something. It is a state of existence above and independent of the usual limits.
I think you can already begin to sense what kind of living we are referring to, but let’s explore this concept a little more by looking at how it connects with our walk with God?
God the Father is Transcendent
God is transcendent in that He is outside of humanity’s full experience, perception or grasp.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This verse is congruent with the concept of God’s transcendence. As humans we have limitations and boundaries, however God is outside of the boundaries of human limitations. His ways and thoughts are higher than that of humanity.
Jesus Christ is Transcendent
Jesus, God’s son is also transcendent, because he comes from God.
John 16:28 says: I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
1 Peter 2:4 refers to Jesus when it says: “Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.
There is no one in the history of mankind that can compare to the person of Jesus Christ. Although he came from God, he felt all the pain and emotions that are part of the human experience. Yet he did not sin. He came to die for our sins, to reconcile us with God, but not only that, he lived to show us an example of how to live in total obedience to God.
The idea of total obedience to God, may seem difficult for us to achieve, but God in his wisdom has made provision for our shortcomings.
Ps 103: 13-14 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him . For he knows our frame he is mindful that we are dust.
The Holy Spirit is Transcendent
The Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus ascended into heaven. The Holy Spirit is a person, separate and yet one with the Father and Jesus. The task of the Holy Spirit is our Comforter and Guide through this life. He helps us navigate this life.
John 14:26 (AMP) But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.
This suggests that with the help of the Holy Spirit we are able to live transcendently just like Jesus did when he walked the earth.
How do we live a transcendent life?
Our lives are unfolding stories and none of us can say with certainty how those stories will end. Others describe life as a tapestry of many colours that represent the events, challenges and experiences that culminate in an exquisite masterpiece in the end.
However, if this is all true, why do we tend to wish that our life stories could be void of the difficult and sometimes devastating events that life throws at us? If we had a choice could we truly say we welcome the hard times that rip at our hearts and drown us in sorrow?
I know I would choose only warm and sunny experiences for sure. And yet, this is not how life works. Life is fraught with complexities and obstacles that at times frustrate our efforts when we try to live peaceful and tranquil lives. Even as Christians we sometimes struggle to understand why certain things come our way, even though we seek God and walk in obedience with His Word.
Life, it seems, is a constant ebb and flow of challenges and victories. No one on this planet seems to be exempt from this ebb and flow, no matter where they are or how rich or poor they are.
We all experience dark days and challenges unique to us. We tend to ask: “How can we avoid these dark days?” The experts suggest we should rather ask: “What skills and tools do we need to acquire to overcome the challenges when they come?”
Although this sounds really good, it suggests that challenges are meant to be eliminated and overcome as quickly and effectively as possible, so life can be smooth sailing again.
I agree, it is good to learn new skills and grow, but this kind of thinking makes it sound asif life should be smooth sailing all the time. For the longest time I have also subscribed to this way of thinking.
I worked hard to pray for deliverance and divine interventions in my struggles and sometimes God gave a way out, but more often than not, my struggles persisted. I would feel desperate and disappointed when it seemed God was not hearing me.
Throughout the Bible we read of people who have also faced struggles and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and many times they were not delivered. Yet, God reassured them that He was with them.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
The Secret to a Transcendent Life
I think the secret to a transcendent life is knowing that God is with us no matter what.
The Apostle Paul is a prime example of a life riddled with challenges, suffering and torture for the sake of the gospel and although he accomplished tremendous things for the kingdom of God, he was not exempt from the cruelty, rejection and suffering at the hands of others. He even asked God three times to remove a thorn in his flesh. Even though we don’t know the details of this thorn and what it was, it remained. God answered him by saying:
2 Corinthians 12:9–10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul made peace with this when he said: Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Is a transcendent life devoid of struggle and obstacles?
The short answer is no!
Life on this planet involves a mix of challenges and hurtful experiences along with experiences of joy and bliss. This is life’s nature.
We have been taught that somehow the hurtful experiences are signs to affirm that we are unloved, unworthy and unimportant. that somehow there’s something wrong with us.
This is not so, and unfortunately, Christians also feel when they experience pain and go through difficult times that God has abandoned them. Yet His word reassures us in:
Hebrews 13:5 AMP “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
Paul understood this, and for him, knowing this was enough. Paul asked for the thorn to be removed from his flesh, but when God reminded him of His grace, Paul realised that God dwelling in him was sufficient grace to handle any challenge that may come his way. He wrote:
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It’s no longer I that live, but Christ who lives through me and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul did not fixate on the challenges, but rather on the fact that God is with him in the challenges. God is with him in the same way he was with David the day he conquered Goliath, and with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as the fourth man in the fire. He was with Daniel in the lion’s den and with Jonah in the belly of the whale.
Paul was well read in the scriptures and he knew about these people. And when he realised God’s grace ( His presence) was with him, it was all Paul needed to know.
In Philippians 4:11 he wrote: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
I believe this insight was transformative in Paul’s ministry when he began to understand the purpose of his suffering. He wrote:
2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
Paul knew there was purpose in his suffering and that it would work towards an eternal glory in Christ Jesus.
Transcendent in sickness and disease
Many years ago we were trusting God for my mother’s healing. She was a dedicated intercessor who taught her children to pray, to fast and intercede for others. When her diagnosis was given, we prayed, fasted and begged God to spare her life.
One evening I walked into her room and heard her say: “Even if you don’t, I will still worship you!”. When she saw me standing there, she told me she had just asked God to spare her life and heal her, but then the Holy Spirit asked her: “And what if I don’t heal your body?”
I think my Mother also knew the secret of a transcendent life.
“Even if you don’t, I will still worship you!”
God called my mother home four weeks later. He did not heal her body, but healed her in every other way and restored her back to His side. The way we all hope to be restored to Him one day.
“Even if you don’t, I will still worship you!”
The mark of a mature Christian, sold out to God, is to worship Him even if things don’t turn out the way they had hoped. They understand like Paul who wrote:
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
How do we know we can live a transcendent life?
This is an important question and the simple answer is as Paul says: “Christ IN ME, the hope of glory.”
How do we know He lives in us?
Firstly, Jesus said:
John 14:23 If anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.
Secondly, Paul confirmed this when he wrote to the Colossians from a Roman prison cell.
Colosians 1:27NCV “ God decided to let his people know this rich and glorious secret which he has for all people. This secret is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory.”
So if God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who are Transcendent, live within us, then we have the ability to live a transcendent life no matter the circumstances and no matter the outcomes. We can transcend it all.
7 Things to practice to transcend?
- Know that God is always with you.
- Know that God will never leave you or forsake you.
- Know that God has given you the strength, the power and the ability to face any problem that comes your way.
- Know that going through tough times does not mean that God doesn’t love you, but that He is showing up in the middle of the battle with you.
- Know that Jesus came so that you don’t have to do this life by yourself. You have help if only you would ask.
- Don’t look for the way out of the situation, look for God in the situation and seek His will and He will reveal Himself to you.
- Remember what God promised you about your life and everything that relates to you.
This is God’s promise to you:
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Transcending means to Seek God in everything
Colossians 3:1-3 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Dear friend, if you are in a circumstance that you can’t understand or see its purpose in your life – know that God has a plan and that He has enabled you to transcend as a result of His presence in your life.
To transcend means to see beyond what is seen and know that He works it all out in the unseen for your good.
Sometimes, God doesn’t change the circumstances, just like with Paul and the thorn in his flesh, but He changes us and brings us to the point where we can say: “Even if you don’t, I will still worship you.” It is in this posture that we rise above, surpass and transcend the obstacles of this life and they lose their grip on us.
May this word encourage you today.
Lets pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank You for giving us everything
we need to live a transcendent life.
We realise that it is Your presence in our lives
that enables us to rise above the circumstances
and know that whatever the outcomes,
You are still God.
I pray that You will touch my friend with Your peace
and that You will give Your grace
so they are able to stand firm
in You and on Your Word.
I thank you that You sent Your Son
to redeem us from the sufferings of this life.
Help us to see each challenge
as an opportunity to transcend
and set our mind on the things above
where Christ is sitting beside You.
Father, help us to say” Let Your will be done!
I thank You that our circumstances
can never destroy us,
because we have the ability
to move beyond it.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen
