God's Original Purpose in Creating Man


In this section, we will focus on the pinnacle of God's creative work: His creation of human beings. This study will examine why God created both male and female to be more like Him than anything else in all creation.

In many ways, it seems that going from the study of God to the study of man is going from the sublime to the ridiculous. Even the Psalmist asked, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4).

Yet, mankind is very special to God.

"Then God Said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God create man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26-28).

In this lesson, we will look at two things about God's creation of mankind:

1) Why did He create humankind?
2) What is His purpose for humankind?

 I. Why Did God create humankind?

A. God did not need us.

Some have said, "After creating our world and the animal life, God found Himself lonely, so He created man!" That's a sweet and heart-warming sentiment, but it's simply not true. God is independent of mankind. God does not need the rest of creation for anything:

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else" (Acts 17:24-25).

God asks Job, "Who has preceded Me [or given to Me] that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine" (Job 41:11). No one has contributed to God anything that did not first come from the God who created all things.

B. God created us because He wanted us.

Our lives are not some meaningless creation created by a disinterested Creator. Even though God does not need us, He is still intensely interested in our lives. He deeply and tenderly loves us beyond comprehension—not because He had to (out of need), but because He chose to (out of love). Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

C. He chose to make humankind in His image, above all other created beings.

Because so many believe in the mythology of evolution, many think that humans are simply better developed animals. In our public schools, pupils are taught that man evolved from the lower animals, and that all of life developed over a vast expanse of time from a single life form that came into being from an unknown origin. Yet, this theory is being hotly challenged more and more in the scientific community. One scientist named Francis Hitchings wrote, "Charles Darwin died 100 years ago... Today his explanation of evolution is being challenged as never before, not just by Creationists, but by his fellow scientists" (Francis Hitchings, "Was Darwin Wrong?" Life [April 1982] ).

I personally think the reason so many will subscribe to the theory of evolution is not because they have honestly researched it or have become intellectually convinced. They believe it because they think that it relieves them of responsibility before a holy God.

Yet, the Bible attributes the origin of man to an act of direct creation by God: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7).


We stand apart from all of God's creation, for we have been uniquely created in the very image of God Himself (Genesis 1:26). We are the highest of all created beings. Just contrast the human race to the animal kingdom, and you will see the difference.

Regarding the Soul . . .

Humans have a moral conscience.
The Apostle Paul tells us that even nonbelievers have a sense of right and wrong: "[They] show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them" (Romans 2:15).

Animals do not have a sense of right and wrong.
Though they are capable of incredible feats and seem to have an impressive range of emotion, they do not have an innate desire to be good or moral. When we train them, they simply respond to the fear of punishment or the hope of reward.

Regarding the Mind . . .

Humans have the ability to reason and think logically.
It's been said that we only use 10% of our mental abilities. If that is indeed true, one wonders if before the fall, Adam used 100% of his God-given mind. But even in our diminished mental state, we are far beyond the animal world in intelligence. Humans continue to develop greater skills and complexity in technology, agriculture, science, and in nearly every other field of endeavor.

Animals do not have advanced reasoning skills.
Although they can sometimes exhibit remarkable behavior (such as in solving mazes), they do not engage in abstract reasoning. They also do not exhibit any mental advances. Their abilities have remained unchanged for thousands of years. Beavers still build the same kind of dams they have built for generations. Birds make the same kind of nests. Bees still build the same type of hives.

Regarding Creative Ability . . .

Humans have the God-given ability to create works of music and art, and to invent scientific wonders.
This is perhaps our most significant ability as human beings made in the image of God. Our Creator gave us a portion of His ability to create.

Animals do not possess the same creative capacity.
While animals can make nests and other forms of lodging, or make various sounds to communicate with one another, these are primarily instinct. They cannot enjoy the same creative capabilities as man because they are not made in the image of their Creator.


 II. What Is God's Purpose for humankind?

We all have a desire to rise above the ordinary to distinguish ourselves. We want our lives to count for something bigger and greater than ourselves. Yet, there is a right way and a wrong way we can pursue this goal. As Paul writes in Romans,

"God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger" (Romans 2:6–8).

God has essentially "set eternity in our hearts." He did not create us to bring glory to the created, but to the Creator.

God created us for His own glory.

• ". . .everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory. . . ." (Isaiah 43:7).
  
• "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1 :11–12). 

How Do We Live out God's Purpose for Our Lives?

Since God has created us for His glory, we are to glorify God in all that we do with our lives.

• ". . . whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
  
• "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

What are you doing with your life? Are you living for His glory or your own? Paul summed up his life with this statement: "To live is Christ, to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Some More Good News . . .

If we fulfill the primary purpose that God created us for, we will, as a by-product, find what most of us are looking for in this life: happiness, purpose, and meaning. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10; see also Psalm 16:11).

When we realize that God created us to glorify Him, and we start to act in ways that fulfill that purpose, then we will begin to experience an intensity of joy and fulfillment in the Lord that we have never known before.

Part II