THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN CREATING MAN THE PURPOSE OF GOD IN CREATING MAN By Phillip D. Mosher 2012 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27 (NASB95) WHY DID GOD CREATE MAN? Man was created to glorify God, is frequently heard in Christian circles. Mark Whorton and Hill Roberts have written: His eternal purpose has always been to glorify Himself.... Can it be shown that Gods purposes have always been to bring glory to Himself? Does the Bible teach that God created us to bring glory to Himself? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ( The Apostle Paul wrote, Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 st Corinthians 10:31) Note that Paul is not saying that God created man so that he would glorify God. In the Bible one can find several verses similar to this one. Paul was admonishing Gods people to behave in a manner that honors and exalts the Lord. The follower of Jesus should be actively displaying godly behavior before a lost world. The desire to please God and do His will motivates the believer to live a life which glorifies his Savior and Lord. This could be the sense communicated through the answer to the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism where it states, Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?, A. Mans chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. By saying: Mans chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever, the Catechism is not necessarily making a statement regarding the Lords purpose in creating man. However, it could be assumed that the Catechism is declaring that Gods purpose in creating man was so that all, the good and the bad, would glorify the Creator. What do glory and/or glorify mean? To glorify means to exalt, to praise, to honor, to esteem. A Definition In the verse from Paul, we are admonished to behave in a manner that honors and exalts the Lord. When Gods people are honest and upright before others, they are showing the world that they esteem Him and that God and His standards are important to us. When Jesus prayed, Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (John 17:5) He was seeking His original place with the Father. Becoming a man, He had assumed a very lowly position. Here glory is a position, an exalted place. When we glorify God, we lift Him up high; we honor Him; and we praise Him. Because of this, we obey Him! These race drivers have been lifted up to a place of honor, and we could say, They are being glorified. Since the Bible does not teach that Gods purpose in creating man was to bring glory to Himself, then from where does the doctrine come? For the answer, we will look into the Westminster Confession of Faith. (This 1664 Confession of Faith is the doctrinal position of the Presbyterian and Reformed churches.) Chp. 1, Par. VI, The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory.... The following are quotes from the Westminster Confession of Faith This statement is saying that all of Gods acts have one purpose His glorification. Chp. III, Par. III, By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life; and others foreordained to everlasting death. Here it says that God decreed that angels and humans were all created for the manifestation of His glory. Whether men or angels, no matter their eternal destiny, heaven or hell, the Lords purpose behind His decrees and all of His acts has been to bring glory to Himself. Chp. V, Par. 1, God the great Creator of all things does uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy. From this statement we learn that everything God does is done to exalt and bring praise for His various attributes. Chp. VI, Par. 1, Our first parents, being seduced by the subtilty (sic.) and temptations of Satan, sinned, in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin, God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory. Here we learn that even in permitting mans disobedience and sin, God did so for His own glorification. What kind of God do these statements portray? These quotes present the Creator as One who is self-centered and who acts for personal gain and pleasure. Search the Scriptures. You will not find one passage in support of these doctrines and their implications. Does the Bible tell us about the Lords purpose in creating humanity? We have found no passages that address this in a direct way, but there are indirect statements and strong implications. The Nature of God The Bible reveals a God who is unselfish, humble, all-loving, and other-centered; and One who is righteous in all His doings. Does God have two standards, one for man and another for Himself? Is God above the law? For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, Y OU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. (Galatians 5:14) Love is not selfish. True love is characterized by humility and will cause us to place others before ourselves. This is how God behaves, and He expects the same from us. Let no one seek his own good [benefit], but that of his neighbor. (1 Corinthians 10:24) We are to behave unselfishly! Why? Because God does. He is not self- centered but other-centered, and so should we be. Paul summarizes it well when he writes: 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond- servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, (Philippians 2:59) The reason the Lord humbled Himself to the point of dying to save sinners from an eternal hell was with the objective of bringing many sons into glory [an exalted position] (Hebrews 2:10). Because of what God has done for His followers, they will sing praises throughout eternity and will glorify God for His redemptive plan and actions. But, being glorified was not Gods purpose in creation, though what He has done will result in His being glorified by the redeemed. They heard the sound of the L ORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the L ORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the L ORD God called to the man, and said to him, Where are you? He said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself. ( Genesis 3:810) The Purpose of God K. A. Mathews concludes: The anthropomorphic description of God walking (mithallk) in the garden suggests the enjoyment of fellowship between him and our first parents. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:24) The only other place where this same expression occurs is Gen 6.9 in regard to Noah, who was said to be a righteous man, blameless in his generation (RSV).... this thought is well expressed by TEV, Enoch lived in fellowship with God. and GECL Enoch lived in close union with God. (quoted from A Handbook on Genesis ) Enoch enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord, and God lifted him up to glory. In the first six chapters of the Bible we learn that Adam and Eve, Enoch, and Noah walked with God. This expression speaks to a sweet communion and fellowship between God and people. Though not stated, this was what God desired back then and continues to desire of mankind today. This was and continues to be His purpose in His creation of man. Man, through his disobedience broke that fellowship. God through His Son has stretched out His hand to restore that fellowship. What are we doing? Hebrews 2:10: For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. This passage tells us the Lords purpose in sending His Son to pay the sin-debt of man. It was to bring many sons into an exalted position (they are made heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ Rom. 8:17). God did not do these things for self-glorification but to make life better for others. Fellowship was Gods purpose in creation; and restored fellowship is His purpose in salvation. The gift and work of God is to bring people back into full communion and fellowship with their Creator. It starts with believing God. As 1 st John 1:3 states, indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. God desires that fellowship with us now, and it will be fully restored in glory. Gods purpose in creating man was to have fellowship with him. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:7-8) How is your prayer-life? Are you fellowshipping with God? Are you enjoying Him?