02/08/2021
As Christians we know that God exists, and Jesus came to redeem us from Sin and death, but before we could ever come to know these things as truth there was a more basic series of questions we needed to ask ourselves, and come to understand. First we had to ask “Is there a God?”, followed by “How did I, come to be?”... and, then a more perplexing question... “Why did God create me?”, or stated in another way... “What is my purpose for being (or living)?”
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””
Genesis 1:26 ESV
If we accept as fact that there is a God, and that the Bible is His Holy Word, then we know that God introduced Himself to man at the moment of man’s creation. We know this because he placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, told him to name the animals, interacted with Adam as Eve was being created from his rib, and walked with them there in the garden. So, we will not dig into the “Is there a God” question today. Instead, let’s assume we already believe in God, and that the Bible is His Holy Word, then, given these assumptions, let’s use the Bible to answer the remaining two questions “How did I come to be?”, and “What is my purpose for being, or in life?”
As for how we came to be, this is a very straightforward question to answer, and the Bible is very specific in answering it; listen...
“then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
Genesis 2:7-8 ESV
So how we came to be, and how all of creation was formed is answered quite succinctly in the first few chapters of Genesis... the answer to HOW is that God created us and all things.
“And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”
Genesis 1:31 ESV
Now let’s move on to the question that is asked by every man and woman as they enter adulthood, and if not at that moment, then they will ask it at some point in life... “Why did God create me?”, or stated in another way... “What is my purpose for being (or living)?”
Needing to know what our purpose in life is drives us to ask WHY, and asking that is an integral part of who we are as humans. Any parent comes to realize this from the moment their child learns to talk... “Daddy why is the sky blue?”, “well son it just is!”, “Why?”, “Why?”, “Why?” Then as adults we continue to ask... “Lord, why did my loved one have to die?”, “Why must I suffer?”, “Why have you not answered me?”... “Why?”, “Why?”. We are always asking, and have always asked. Listen to David...
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
Psalm 10:1 ESV
We like to think that everything is about us, but in reality our lives are not all about us; as a matter of fact, they are all about God. There are four very basic reasons WHY we were created, and they are spelled out clearly in scripture.
First and foremost we were created to glorify God, and he doesn’t beat around the bush in telling us so. Listen to these two verses and make your own judgement...
“everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.””
Isaiah 43:7 ESV
And...
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
So, we are meant to glorify God... that is WHY!
Next, God created us to praise Him. We are meant to praise, and worship Him. We might like to hear others praise us for what we do in our lives, but if we are living good and righteous lives, then we realize that not only does all glory go to God, but the praise as well. God tells us without a doubt that he created us to declare His praise...
“The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”
Isaiah 43:20-21 ESV
So, we are meant to praise Him... that is WHY!
Thirdly, God created us to demonstrate His wisdom before all creation, and in heavenly places. Teachers need students, parents need children, and God needs mankind to impart His wisdom, and knowledge to, so that His wisdom will become apparent.
“and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 3:9-10 ESV
So, we are meant to show God’s wisdom... that is WHY!
Finally today, God created us to love, and to be loved by us. He is love, and nothing else exists without our knowing this. Without love we have no purpose... we have no WHY.
““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 ESV
And...
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV
So, we are meant to Love God, and be loved by Him... that is WHY!
Today we have seen that HOW God created us was a pretty quick question to answer, but that WHY He created us was much harder... and we didn’t even answer that question as fully as we could have. But if we are hung up on trying to determine the meaning of life, and why we exist... this is the root answer... Glorify, Praise, demonstrate God’s wisdom, and to love Him.
Prayer:
Father thank you for answering our questions regarding who you are, who we are, and WHY you have created us. We thank you for allowing us to glorify you, praise you, and reveal your wisdom, but most of all to love you, and to feel your love for us. You created us with the word WHY on our lips, and we thank you for providing the answer to our every question, but especially WHY we are, and your purpose for us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who has a plan for all mankind, and every individual man, woman, and child that this is comprised of. We praise you for the purpose you have for us, glorify you in our lives, demonstrate your wisdom to all heaven and earth, and show the power of your love throughout eternity. You are merciful Father, and we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who you sent in love to redeem us, and to defeat death that had overcome us. Wash us clean in his blood Father, and show us our WHY for all eternity.
Rich Forbes