Why Did God Make Mankind?
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“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14).
King David’s words celebrate the truth that God created us. We can feel his awe about being not just thrown together, but intentionally designed by his Lord. As amazing as that reality is, though, it can lead to a question - “What did He design us for?”
As humans, we have a deep need to discover our purpose and to find meaning in life. So, answering the question of why the Lord created us is important. Learning what God put us here for helps us define who we are and what we are meant to do. And when we know His plans for us, we’ll have the right compass to guide us through life.
The Bible shows us that God “fearfully and wonderfully made” us for a very special purpose. And within its pages, we’ll also find insights on how to fulfill that mission.
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Why Did God Create Us - Purpose behind Creation
Genesis, the first book of the Bible, describes God’s decision to create people. And He already had work in mind for them to do in their new home, the Garden of Eden, and the rest of the world.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground’” (Genesis 1:26-28).
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15).
“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals” (Genesis 2:19-20).
Generations later, after the Lord had brought Noah and his family through the flood (Genesis 7-8), He gave a similar charge to them as He did to Adam.
“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth’” (Genesis 9:1).
These values of work and family continue on through all of Scripture, and still apply to believers today.
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What Are We to Do on Earth?
All people have a common purpose, which is to bring glory to God. Scripture shows us several ways to do this.
By giving Him worship
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker…” (Psalm 95:6).
By obeying His commands
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
By showing His love to others
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
God then takes these general ideas about purpose and leads us to fulfill them in our own unique way. As He designed each of us - with our own gifts, talents and abilities - He intended that we would use them to build His Kingdom. The Apostle Paul puts the idea this way in Ephesians 2:10:
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
In the words of minister and author George MacDonald, “The purposes of God point to one simple end - that we should be as He is, think the same thoughts, mean the same things, possess the same blessedness.” MacDonald points to a transformation that will happen in us if we embrace the reasons why we were formed.
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What Did God Create First?
People were not the first thing God made in forming the earth. In fact, the order of God’s work in forming our world seems to indicate that He “set the stage” for mankind – His final creation – before resting.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
God began by designing the environment we would live in, setting the physical parameters for Earth.
“God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night.’ And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day” (Genesis 1:5).
“And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water’” (Genesis 1:6).
“And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:9).
Next, He added nature to provide beauty and bounty to the planet we’d walk on.
“Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:11).
Then the Lord made the other creatures we would share this place with.
“And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky’” (Genesis 1:20).
“And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so” (Genesis 1:20).
People were the last thing the Lord made to inhabit the earth, and Adam was immediately given work as a steward and protector. This anointing on Adam reflected God’s heart for the world He’d made.
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Why Did God Make Man in His Image?
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).
God created Adam from the dust of the ground by breathing life into him. So he literally carried the “breath of God” inside of him. We were given physical bodies, but the Lord also gave us spirits, the way He exists. We share this trait so that we can connect intimately with Him, and so that we can reflect some of His likeness to the world.
God meant Adam to live forever, without sickness or blemish, in perfect communion with Him and the Garden. But the Fall (Genesis 3) changed all that. Because of man’s disobedience and God’s punishment, our connection to Him was broken, and our reflection of Him became colored. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden, and mankind’s relationship with God, nature, and each other was forever marred.
But God had already planned to restore people to their original purpose. The work of Christ on the cross made a way for us to be in relationship with Him again. The awareness of what was done on our behalf should humble us, and lead to a greater desire to follow His call on our lives: to mirror His love, grace, mercy and righteousness to those around us.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
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Why Did God Create ME?
As believers, we have a God-given purpose. Stated simply, God gave us life so that we could praise Him and lead others to know Him. As clear as that sounds, though, that vision isn’t always easy to live out day-to-day.
For one thing, such a broad idea can be challenging to act on in a personal and practical way. That’s where reading Scripture can help. The book of Proverbs and passages like Matthew chapters 5-7 (The Sermon on the Mount) offer all sorts of advice we can put to use in our daily walk.
How we are made - that is, our individual personalities, talents and abilities - is another thing to consider. The Bible shows all sorts of people who lived out God’s purposes for them, from the soulful warrior David, to the humble teacher Paul. Seeing how they used their unique design to glorify the Lord can inspire us to know and show ourselves better.
Above all, though, we must first seek a relationship with our Heavenly Father. If we ask, He will direct our minds and hearts, shaping us to be more and more like Him.
So many in the world today seem confused, and even discouraged, about finding and acting on their life purpose. But as Christians, we have the blessing of knowing that we were formed by the Master Craftsman, who has always had a marvelous plan for us.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
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