I wonder if you have thought about why you exist? What is your purpose for being here on this earth?
Maybe it’s to enjoy life through the pleasures of this world.
Maybe it’s to work hard and make a difference for generations to come.
It’s not that pleasure and work aren’t good things to be enjoyed. They can be wonderful things. The problem is when they become the end goal of our life. When the things of this world get elevated to the ultimate position, they become the functional deity of our life. They become the thing that we live for. The idols of our life will always disappoint us because we are not designed to worship the things of this world.
The Bible paints a different picture.
It tells us our purpose, but it’s not what you might expect. The Bible speaks of the creator who made all things and who rules all things. This world, and everything in it is made for his glory, and that includes you and I. God’s glory is seen when we look at this vast universe and marvel at the one who created it.
People were created as the pinnacle of his creation, the ultimate expression of his genius. We were made to resemble him in some of our attributes. We function like a mirror reflecting the glory of God. 1 However the mirror is flawed. We don’t reflect as we were designed to. Something went wrong.
People are broken mirrors.
Right back in the start of the Bible, it speaks of God making people “in his own image”. Adam and Eve were created as 2 perfect people, living in a perfect paradise. They rightly reflected God’s glory. Almost immediately however, they decided that reflecting God was not enough. They were tempted by the notion of equality with God, and they chose instead to rebel against his rule. At that moment, they no longer reflected God rightly, but instead the reflection was contorted and damaged. Those looking at Adam and Eve no longer received a true picture of what God is like. As such, their testimony about God became offensive to him.2 Adam and Eve’s rebellion didn’t just affect them, but affected all of their descendants. Every other person down through human history is affected, because we have continued their rebellion. We’re not satisfied to simply reflect God’s glory. We want to be the ‘god’ of our own lives; the ultimate ruler of our own existence.
What is the cost of that rebellion?
God is protective of his own glory. He doesn’t want his name to be slandered. He’s not ok with people choosing to live in rebellion against him and giving a poor reflection of what he is like. The Bible tells us that God will act to protect his reputation by judging all people according to his standard. He has given us a moral standard, which he has inscribed on our hearts, but we’ve not lived according to that standard. We’ve chosen to live according to what we want. We’ve made ourselves out to be the ‘god’ of our own existence. We’ve lied. We’ve hated. We’ve envied. We’ve lusted.
The Bible says that God is just and will give what is deserved to those who rebel. His justice is perfect and he will not overlook our idolatry. In fact, if he failed to punish, he would be an unjust or weak judge. That’s bad news for us, because we’ve earned a severe punishment for rebellion against the creator. The Bible speaks of a place called hell where rebellion is punished and God’s honour is preserved.
But the story doesn’t end there.
God has other attributes to display. The Bible says God is merciful. He is patient. He is gracious. God wants these to be seen as well, but there is an issue. He will not neglect one attribute to show another, in particular, he will not neglect justice to show mercy. He will become unjust by ignoring our crimes.
How does God show mercy and justice without compromise?
2000 years ago, God made himself a body and he lived in this world. His name was Jesus, and he proved that he was God in the flesh by working miracles. He allowed himself to be arrested and was sentenced to execution by crucifixion. As he died, the Bible tells us that Jesus took upon himself the punishment that should fall on his enemies in hell. He satisfied justice for them by suffering in their place. As an act of mercy, Jesus died for people like you and I. In his death he paid our debt and he rose again from the dead on the third day, proving that the payment was complete.
Because Jesus died, we can be forgiven. The Bible says that we need to turn from our rebellion and acknowledge that he is God. It says that if we place our trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, he will give us the free gift of everlasting life.
So what is your purpose?
You are made to glorify God. You are made to be a testimony of his goodness.
If you receive God’s gift of forgiveness by turning and trusting in him, you will glorify him by being an object of mercy.
If you reject his gift of forgiveness because you refuse to turn and trust, you will glorify him by being an object of judgement.
So which will it be?