Why Did God Create Man?

Why did God create man? What is the purpose of mankind?
Most of the answers to the question of why did God create man can be found right at the beginning of creation in Genesis before Man’s fall in the Garden of Eden.
God’s Original Purpose For Man Before The Fall
God’s original purpose for Mankind before Man’s fall in the Garden of Eden can be seen as follows
(1) To Fellowship With God – Genesis 1:26,27 reveals that God created man in His own image and likeness. Genesis 2:7 also reveals that God breathed into the nostrils of man. This indicates that God imparted characteristics of Himself into humans. God did not perform this creation process on any animal. God would not have created us in His image and likeness if He did not intend to have personal fellowship with us.
(2) To Create & Maintain Good Relationships With One Another (Genesis 2:18-25) – God for example instituted marriage. Without a marriage, you cannot have a family; without a family you cannot have a community. In Genesis 1:28 God tells Adam & Eve to “be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it”.
All of mankind came Adam & Eve and God created us so that we may have good and sound relationships with one another.
(3) To Be Good Stewards of The Earth – Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:15,19 reveal that man’s purpose was subdue the earth, have dominion over all creatures and to tend and keep over all that God has made. A steward by definition is somebody who manages property or other affairs for someone else. The earth and all that is in the earth belong to the Lord (Psalms 24:1). However, humans were given stewardship by God to manage God’s earth.
Man’s dominion did not include dominion over each other because God sees all humans as being equal, but dominion was limited to subduing the earth and 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” (Genesis 1:26).
(4) To Serve & Glorify God – Colossians 3:17 says “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” and Colossians 3:23 says “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”.
Man was created by God so that the purpose of everything that he/she does is to serve and glorify God.
When Adam & Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), they had forgotten who they were serving. They listened to the devil instead of listening to God.
The Effects of the Fall On Mankind’s Purpose
The fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden affected every aspect of mankind’s purpose and mankind’s relationship with God. Instead of serving God and living according to God’s will and purpose, man purpose fails in practically every area of his/her life in the following ways:
(1) Fallen man fails to glorify God as originally intended, but instead he seeks to glorify himself and to glorify other people.
Colossians 3:23-25 – And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
(2) Fallen man’s fellowship with God as originally intended is broken. Instead man seeks to create and fellowship with different “gods” and has created detrimental religions & philosophies for himself in an effort to understand his purpose of life in general.
Exodus 20:3,4 – “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself a carved image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”;
(3) Fallen man’s relationship with himself and others is skewed & distorted. When we look at the following issues: wars, strife, abuse, homosexuality, gay marriage, hatred, divorces, abortions, murders and the like; all these things are just a few examples of the negative effects of the fall in regards to our relationships with each other. God originally intended that we love one another. However, if our relationship with God is poor, then our relationship with other people will be affected.
Mark 12:30-31 – And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
(4) Fallen man is no longer a good steward of what God has given him. Fallen man cannot walk in obedience as God originally intended. Instead man misuses the things that God has given him; man serves money (mammon) instead of God; man works according to his own rules instead of working according to God’s statutes; man exploits people and resources for his own selfish benefit;
Man therefore also no longer has the original dominion that God intended for him through Adam in the Garden of Eden. Part of this dominion has been given to the devil when Adam & Eve sinned. Therefore the systems of the world are under the control of the devil and therefore such worldly systems are against God.
Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
James 4:4 – Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
How Can Man Conform To God’s Purpose For Creating Him?
Only by restoring our fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ can man rediscover & experience God’s purpose for creating him.
Without Jesus Christ a person cannot know why he was created, neither can he fulfill God’s purpose for creating him.
Jesus said “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:5-6).
Have You Accepted Jesus Christ? Are You Born Again Christian?
If you are reading this article and have never given your life to Jesus Christ, it’s important to know that Jesus died for your sins. He took your punishment on the cross so that whoever accepts Him in faith will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
As mentioned above, salvation is a FREE GIFT and salvation is not received by works but it is received by FAITH in Jesus Christ. It is that simple. A person must repent & by faith accept Jesus Christ as Lord & Saviour because Jesus is the only way, the truth & the life and the only Mediator between God & man.
DO YOU WANT TO BE A CHIRSTIAN / A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST???
1. ACKNOWLEDGE: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).
You must acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you therefore need Jesus in your life.
2. REPENT: “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3), “Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19)
Repenting means: to change your mind; a sincere turning away, in heart, mind and action;
Therefore God wants you to repent of sinful values and of sinful living. God wants you to decide to
follow Him and to make Jesus the Lord of your life.
3. CONFESSION: “If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9)
God is a forgiving God. God will forgive any sin that you have done because Jesus died for ALL your sins and to set you free from the bondage of all types of sin in your life.
4. BELIEVE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting” (John 3:16). “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16)
You must believe that ONLY Jesus can save you and restore your relationship with God. You must believe that Jesus is the ONLY way by which you can have everlasting life and escape from eternal separation from God. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross for you and resurrected from the grave.
5. RECEIVE: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive him, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:11-12)
By faith, You must receive Jesus as Your Lord & Saviour and therefore; you become a child of God; you become born again; you become a Christian; you restore your broken relationship with God
Why not make your eternal decision now and pray the following prayer?
You can say this prayer below. This prayer is only an expression of your trust & belief in Jesus.
PRAY THIS PRAYER TO RECEIVE JESUS AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOUR RIGHT NOW:
“Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your love. I thank You that You died on the cross for me and resurrected so that I may have life through You.
I confess Lord that I have sinned against You and today I ask You to forgive me of all of my sins, past present and future.
I repent of all of my sins and I ask You to cleanse me Jesus.
Thank You for forgiving my sins.
From this moment, come into my life Lord Jesus & take full control of my life. I want to follow You Jesus and I want to follow Your ways. Save me and from today, make me the person You want me to be.
I receive You Lord Jesus right now by faith. I make You my Lord and Saviour
Amen”