What is the meaning of life? Man has pondered this question throughout the
ages and has arrived at many answers.
Some have said that the meaning of life is to do good. Others say it is to be happy. Still others say it is to advance the
knowledge and wellbeing of man and to contribute positively to society. There are many who say that life is
meaningless because they believe man is nothing but a highly evolved animal and
the product of chance, random, natural processes. All answers such as these, which are derived
from the wisdom and philosophy of man, are unsatisfying and inadequate.
To children of God, the meaning of life
has been made clear and simple. In
Isaiah 43:6-7, God spoke of His sons and daughters and described them as "everyone
who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have
formed, even whom I have made." From
these words, we see that those who wear the name of God have been created for
the express purpose of bringing glory to Him.
They are not the results of random, natural processes, but instead they
are the purposeful creation of an infinitely wise Creator. He fearfully and wonderfully made them (Ps.
139:14) with the intent that they would bring glory to Him.
Let us consider carefully what it means
to bring glory to God. The word "glory" in
the New Testament comes from the Greek word doxa(δόξα), which is from the root word dokeō(δοκέω). Dokeō is a verb that means "I think." Thus, to bring glory to God is to cause
people to think about Him. When we
glorify God, we are bringing attention to Him and enhancing His reputation
among men. God is glorified when we
cause men to think highly of Him with honor, fear, awe, wonder, affection,
thanksgiving, faith, hope, trust, and any other quality that exalts Him in
their hearts.
With
this understanding of what it means to bring glory to God, we who are children
of God in Christ must make it our goal to do those things that will cause
others to think positively and correctly of our God. The Lord Jesus instructed us, saying, "Let
your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Notice that we shine our light by doing good
works. Truly, God created us in Christ
Jesus for good works (Eph. 2:10) so that by doing them we will bring glory to
Him. Not only should our works glorify
God, but our words should bring Him glory as well. Our lips should speak unceasing words of
praise as indicated by Psalm 35:28 ("And my tongue shall declare Your
righteousness and Your praise all day long") and Psalm 146:2 ("I will praise
the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being"). Our words should always be in harmony with the
"doxology" (lit. "glory words") of Jude 24-25:
Now to Him who
is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of
His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and
now and forever. Amen.
Indeed, the glorification of God is
life's purpose for the children of God, but what about those who are not called
by His name? Their purpose is the same,
for it is God's will that they should become His children as well. God "desires all men to be saved and to come
to the knowledge of the truth" (1Tim. 2:4).
He is "not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance"
(2Pet. 3:9). When any man or woman comes
to the knowledge of the truth and comes to repentance, he or she will be "born
again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the
living and enduring word of God" (1Pet. 1:23).
As newborn children of God, such persons will be adopted "as sons
through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to
the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the
Beloved" (Eph. 1:5-6). Thus, all people
have the God-given purpose of becoming His children, putting on His name, and
bringing glory to Him. He has made this
possible for all of us through Christ Jesus.
Therefore, let us make it our ambition
to bring glory to God. Let us do good
works as God has prescribed so that the minds of men will be directed toward
God. Even if evil men will not turn to
God in this life, we are assured that our good deeds will cause them to "glorify
God in the day of visitation" (1Pet. 2:12).
Let us also speak in such a way that will constantly remind others of
God. Rather than avoiding the mention of
God's name for fear of offending unbelievers, it is Christians' responsibility
to bring God to the attention of all men, whether they believe in Him or not. In both words and deeds, we may fulfill our
purpose in life, and we may have the privilege of being able to say, "And they
were glorifying God because of me" (Gal. 1:24).
Truly, nothing better could be said of anyone.
