Created for His Glory

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” (Galatians 6:14 NLT)

Why do you believe you were born? As the population of the world surpasses 8 billion people, worldwide about twice as many people are born each day than die. Of all those people, not a single one is born without God’s notice or without His image imprinted on their soul. God said in Genesis 1:26: “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”

You and I, and every other person in this world, are created for a single purpose – to be imager bearers of our heavenly Father. What does that mean? Our primary role is to brag on Jesus, to glorify Him in and through our life and living, blessing God and serving mankind to His honor.

In the Greek language, from which the New Testament was translated, there are different words that come into our English language as “glory.” The word translated “boast” in the verse above is translated in the King James Version as “glory.” What does it mean to “glorify” Jesus?

God demonstrated on three separate occasions what it means to glorify, honor, and brag on Jesus. First, when Jesus was Baptized. In Matthew 3:17 God said: “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.” Second, on the occasion of Jesus’ transfiguration, God said: “This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy. Listen to Him.” And third, in a conversation with His disciples related to His imminent sacrifice, Jesus said: “’Now My soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, “Father, save Me from this hour”? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to Your name.’ Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, ‘I have already brought glory to My name, and I will do so again.’”

Did you catch that? The very reason Jesus came to earth was to carry out the mission God had planned for Him – to lay His sinless life down as a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind – His LIFE was a source of honor, praise, and glory to the Father, just as our lives should be. But that’s not all. His death would also glorify and honor His Father! But why?

Because it’s only through His death that the shackles of sin and death are broken, enabling us to be vessels of honor who can also render praise and glory to our beloved Savior, which is the primary way we honor the Father. That’s why we’re created.

Paul writes in Colossians 1:15-16: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. EVERYTHING WAS CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM!”

God, through Jesus, created us for Himself, to be vessels of honor though whom the world may know that He alone is God, the Savior, Redeemer, Ruler, and soon coming King of all that is or ever will be. Our lives are God’s instruments through which we become the orchestra of God’s majesty to play the symphony of His eternal praise and honor.

“But,” you may be thinking, “how can a broken, sinful, worthless vessel like me ever be fit to display the beauty and majesty of Jesus?” Because we become the glory of His life and death when by grace and through faith in Him alone, our lives are transformed by the renewing of our mind and heart. And, as the ugly, worthless, “worm” breaks out of the imprisonment of its cocoon to become the beautiful, colorful, and majestic “butterfly,” so we are honored to become the sons and daughters of God! Nothing but the blood of Jesus could ever have made provision for such a miracle.

Pastor Alistair Begg wrote: “Only when we understand that we were created for His glory can we turn life’s trials and toils into acts of worship.”

HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR!

Blessings, Ed 😊