.png)
There is an undue confusion in the world today about the purpose of our existence. But the God who made the heavens and their host, the earth and all its inhabitants, and who also sustains all that exists, is not a God of confusion. For, not only has God plainly revealed Himself to us, but He has also distinctively made known to us all that we ought to know, that we may do all that we ought to do and abstain from that which ought not to be done. God did not leave us in a vacuum, with the expectation that we would somehow sort things out on our own. Even the very purpose of our existence, God has made it known to us. The Holy Scriptures clearly express that all things in heaven and on earth exist for the glory of God, to “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name” (1 Chronicles 16:29a). In other words, glorifying God is the ultimate purpose for which the host of heaven, the creation itself and all the inhabitants of the earth exist. And glorifying God, as defined by John Piper, means, ‘Feeling and thinking and acting in ways that reflect His greatness, that make much of God, that give evidence of the supreme greatness of all His attributes and the all-satisfying beauty of His manifold perfections.’
The Apostle John’s vision in Revelation 4 gives us a glimpse of the heavenly host ascribing glory and honour to God. John was in the Spirit when he was taken to the throne room of heaven, where he saw the Lord God Almighty sitting on the throne. “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads” (v.4). V.6b, “On each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.” V.8-11, “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.”
Human existence is not a cosmic accident as some suppose, nor is it devoid of purpose. We were made by God for the glory of God. We do not exist for ourselves but for God our Creator. The Bible not only clearly tells us that all things, man being no exception, are created by God for His own glory, but it also bears witness that the universe is a glorious display of the Majestic Glory (God). “In the year of King Uzziah’s death [Isaiah] saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3).
These words spoken by God’s angelic ministers are a testimony that all things on earth are a glorious display of the beauty and excellencies of God. By His spoken Word, God brought into existence all creatures and assigned to each one usefulness, and to all a purpose: to glorify their Maker – each according to the ability He has given them – and to rejoice in Him alone. In other words, as creatures of God, the purpose of our lives is to glorify God and glory in Him – He is the object of our worship and the object of our joy. We are here on earth to exalt God, to display His beauty, and to delight in His person and works. The key verses that substantiate the affirmation that we exist for the glory of God are from Isaiah 43:6b-7, where God says: “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.”
We, the inhabitants of the earth, and everything else on earth exist for the glory of God, to declare His praise (v.21) and to rejoice in Him and His works – just like the angels in heaven give glory and honor to the Lord and rejoice in Him. Thus 1 Chronicles 16:28-34 enjoins the whole universe, “Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!” Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!”
Nothing and no one in all creation should exalt themselves before God, not even the angels of heaven. For the Lord alone is God, and all glory belongs to Him. Nehemiah 9:6 says of the Lord, “You are the LORD, You alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and You preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships You.”
The angels not only worship God, but they also glory in His work of creation – when the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, He asked Job in Job 38:4-7, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you know understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Apart from praising the power and wisdom of God revealed in the things He has made, the angels of the LORD also glory in His work of redemption. The Bible relates to us the great joy of God’s angels when He sent His Son into the world to save sinners. Luke tells us that on the night the Son of God was born in Bethlehem, the host of heaven rejoiced and gave glory to God. That night, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks in the night, “and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:9-14).
The angels of God also rejoice whenever a sinner is brought to saving faith – The Lord Jesus Himself says in Luke 15:10, “I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Moreover, at the consummation of all things, God’s angels will rejoice greatly when the Church is united to her Bridegroom, Christ the Lord. Revelation 19:1-9 speaks of the joy of God’s angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb; the multitudes “rejoice and exult and give Him the glory”; they sing ‘Hallelujah’ to the Lord who reigns, “for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready” (v.7).
We ourselves, like the angels, exist to ascribe glory to God – the same is true of the creation. Psalms 19:1-6 reads “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
The manifold of God’s works reveals to us who God is. Through the infinite vastness and the beauty and diversity of the creation, God reveals to us His infinite wisdom, beauty, power, goodness, uniqueness, greatness and transcendent majesty. Moreover, God has revealed Himself to us in a very special way through His incarnate Son Jesus Christ, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), so that we may know Him more and greatly glory in Him. “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross” (v.19-20).
As God’s creatures, in all things we must give glory to Him alone. That is to say, all our thoughts and actions and all the words of our mouths must always be a reflection of God’s perfection of beauty and goodness, and God must always be the only object of our worship and joy. For we exist for the glory of God and to glory in Him alone. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” Let us therefore earnestly pursue the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ and glory in Him alone, for to this we have been called. And may the Lord grant us His grace.