God’s Purpose For Creation
Why did He create the universe? Why did God create man? The more we understand God’s reasons for creating the universe and man, the better we will comprehend His purpose and desires for His people today. Conversely, if we do not know God’s motivations for creating us, our perception of what He desires to do in and through us will be distorted. The Bible says that God created us for His pleasure. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11 KJV). After God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the perfect Garden of Eden, was His pleasure fully satisfied? In their initial sinless state, could Adam and Eve fully appreciate and know God the way He had intended? Were their hearts overflowing with joy from being in His presence and were they full of gratitude like those pictured in the book of Revelation who continually fall down and worship Him? Though He said that His finished work was “good,” did it bring Him the ultimate glory He had in mind before He began? Only as we read past the three opening chapters of the Bible do we realize that even though His work was perfect, it could not fully reveal His glory or communicate many attributes of His being. The work completed during the first six days of creation demonstrated God’s creative power but it had no ability to reveal His mercy and redemptive love. Prior to beginning it all, God planned to reveal much more of Himself than what could be seen in the initial creation. According to the Bible, God decided before the foundation of the world to reveal many aspects of His glory through the redemption of sinful man. This is why Jesus was said to be the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). Even angels long to look into these things (I Peter 1:12) because these attributes of God previously had never been on display.
It is critical to see that God did not create Adam and Eve in order to have fellowship with them in the Garden of Eden. He created them in their sinless state fully knowing that they would quickly choose to disobey Him. God set the stage in the Garden of Eden, a perfect environment, for sinless Adam and Eve to demonstrate their desire to rebel. They could not blame God or their environment for their sin. Adam had only himself to blame. When he sinned, God’s plan for man was not foiled. Rather, His plan for redemption was now ready to unfold. It was this plan of redemption that God had in mind before He created man. Redemption of sinful man dominates God’s purpose for creating him. Only as we recognize this can we understand the cross and God’s purposes for our lives today. It helps to consider the end of the story while trying to make sense of the main plot line. If we turn to the book of Revelation, we see all things culminating in the union of Jesus, the Lamb, to His bride. The emphasis is on Christ getting what the Father had planned from the beginning, a people for His own possession that would love Him and serve Him, not out of duty, but with joyful hearts forever. “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God”(Revelation 21:3). Here, God’s desires and purposes for creating us become apparent. He is calling out a people from the domain of darkness that are washed in the blood of the Lamb, raising them to new life and setting them apart as His holy possession.
This understanding of God’s ultimate purpose for creating us enables us to make more sense of the Great Commission that Jesusgave to the church. Once these things are clear, it is obvious that God’s main purpose for this present age is the preparation of the Bride for His Son’s wedding that is soon to take place. Until the Bride has been made ready, Jesus’ wedding will not take place. He has instructed us to long for (II Timothy 4:8), anticipate (Titus 2:13) and speed His return (II Peter 3:12) and this can only be accomplished as the Great Commission is fulfilled. So, God’s purpose for creating us is all wrapped up in the mission that He gave to His church to go and make disciples of all nations. Thus, until it is completed, His glory will not be fully revealed and all creation will continue to groan, waiting in anticipation of it (Romans 8:19-22).
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples.
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him. Speak of all His wonders. Let the Heart of those who seek the Lord be glad” (Psalm 105:2&3).