Why did God create me?

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TL;DR:

God created each of us to reflect Him to the world and to have relationship with Him. Living in God’s purposes for why He created us is where fullness of life and joy is found.

from the old testament

  • God created each of us. Looking upon the goodness of creation that He just spoke into being (Genesis 1), "God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:26–27).
  • Each of us is intentionally and magnificently formed by God (Psalm 139:13–16). Like a master artist with great attention and care, in our mother's womb before we took our first breath and before we accomplished anything, God, our Maker, says we were made with a purpose.
  • God spoke this specifically of the prophet Jeremiah saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4–5). God had foreknowledge of each of us, too!
  • God has a plan and purpose for your life (Jeremiah 29:11).
  • He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7).

from the new testament

  • While Psalm 139 informs us that we are "wonderfully made" by God, Ephesians 2 tells us that we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (verse 10). We have been made by God, in His image, with great care, and we are set apart by God to do good works, revealing Him to everyone we know.
  • God created us out of love, for relationship with Him (1 John 4:19), and to glorify Him, revealing Him to the world (1 Corinthians 10:31).
  • God invites every human into fellowship with Him. Though each of us is created in God's image, we also each carry the stain of sin and the curse of separation from God. Sin brings about only death and condemnation (Romans 3:23; John 3:16–18). There is nothing we can do on our own to overcome this problem. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses" (Ephesians 2:4–5) made a way of salvation for us—Jesus Christ. Jesus, being fully God and fully human, lived a perfect life and died on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sin. He then rose back to life, proving He is who He says He is and that He is victorious over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3–7, 20–22, 54–58).
  • When we place our faith in Jesus, we are forgiven and enter into a relationship with God for eternity (Ephesians 2:1–10; John 17:3; Matthew 25:46; Mark 10:17–31). The gift of being with God is not only a future reality, but also a present one. We have fullness of life both now and for eternity (John 10:10).
  • We were made to know God. Once we are saved, as we abide in Him (John 15), we grow in knowing Him and reflecting Him. We do this primarily by reading the Bible and praying (Acts 2:42; 6:4; Colossians 1:3; Hebrews 5:7) and by living in the Spirit of God (Romans 8; Galatians 5; 2 Corinthians 3:3) in fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:24–25).
  • Colossians 1:16 pronounces God's intent, "all things were created through him and for him." The heavens and the earth, the skies and the seas, the plants and animals, and especially mankind, were all made by Jesus for the glory of God!
  • Jesus tells us the best way to respond to and reveal God's glory saying, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37–39; see also John 13:34–35; John 15:1–11). God is glorified for eternity, and now on earth, when we love Him and when we love others. This is why we were made. And "we love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19; see also John 3:16; John 16:27).

implications for today

Why did God create me? What is my place in this world? When we understand why we were created and recognize that our perfect relationship with God was ruined by sin, we understand that being in relationship with God is where we find our identity and purpose. God created us to know what it is to be loved by Him, to love Him in response, and to reflect that love to others.

God intentionally created us for His glory, and we get to enjoy being His workmanship to love the world, and in doing so, reflect who He is to anyone who sees us (John 8:12; 9:5). Every human is made in the Imago Dei, in the image of God, and, by God's grace, those who have put their faith in Jesus are being made more and more like Jesus as we are "conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29).

So, whether you ask, "why did God create me?" or "why did God make me?" or even "what am I supposed to do with my life?" the answer is the same. You are to love God and love others. We are made by God, for the glory of God, to become more and more like Jesus, and we are empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit to do good works. God gives us the freedom in Jesus to do this, and He gives us the gifts of the Holy Spirit to make this possible! We can then be confident that God's good purposes for us will be fulfilled, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit will produce good fruit that will be seen by others (Galatians 5:22–23). And God will be glorified on earth and in heaven, now and forever.

understand

  • God created us in His image to reflect His glory and to reveal His character to the world.
  • We were created to have a relationship with God and to fulfill the specific purposes He has set for us.
  • Our purpose is to love God and others, reflecting His love in our actions.

reflect

  • How does understanding that you are created in God’s image influence your view of yourself and your purpose in life?
  • How can knowing God’s purposes for creating you give you hope and encouragement when life is difficult?
  • How can you deepen your relationship with God to better fulfill the purpose for which He created you?

engage

  • Everyone has asked why they are here or what their purpose in life is. How does knowing that the God who created us did so intentionally impact the way we talk to others about this, whether they are believers or not?
  • How can we identify and pursue our passions in a way that aligns with the purpose God has for our lives?
  • Many people search for their identity and purpose through achievements, relationships, or material success. How can we compassionately engage with those who are seeking their purpose outside of a relationship with God, and what are some ways to speak the truth in love about where purpose and identity are found?