Top 7 Bible Verses About Purpose and Meaning

We were created for a purpose.  What was that purpose?  What is the meaning of our lives according to the Scriptures?

The Purpose of Creation

Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” What David is saying is that even creation declares the glory of God and declares, to both believers and unbelievers, that God is the Creator and is worthy of glory.  Paul understood this too which is why he wrote in Romans 1:16-23 “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”  So what is created demands a Creator.  It is “plain to them” yet they deny it and “are without excuse.”  O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens” (Psalm 8:1).  So the creation has a purpose and has meaning…and it is for His glory but what about humans?

The Duty of Mankind

Solomon understood what the purpose of man was in writing Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”  The Hebrew word that Solomon uses for “fear” is “yare” which means “to fear, revere, be afraid,” and “to stand in awe.”  God is to be feared because as Jesus said “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28).  Death is one thing to fear but even more, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31).  Why fear God?  Because He holds your eternal soul in His hands and it is one thing to die physically, but to die in eternal punishment is exceedingly worse (Rev 20:11-15).  Indeed, Jesus said “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:5).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism

The Westminster Shorter Catechism addresses the purpose for which we were created in question number one:  “What is the chief end of man?A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”  We were made to glorify God.  That is “man’s chief end” or main purpose but also “to enjoy Him forever” and that enjoyment was meant to be with God for all eternity in the coming New Jerusalem or the Kingdom of Heaven as described in Revelation 21 and 22.  We were created in the image of God (Gen 5:1-2) and for the glory of God.  We were created for God’s glory and to glorify Him.  This is found throughout the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testament as it says in 1 Chronicles 16:9-10 “Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His wondrous works and devoutly praise them! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!” That is why we should “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and in holy array” (1 Chron 16:29).  Isaiah understood our purpose which is why he wrote “Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7).

Top 7 Bible Verses About Purpose and Meaning

Here are 7 Scriptures revealing how we can glorify God which is both our purpose and the meaning for which we were created.

Psalm 50:23 “Whoever offers praise glorifies me: and to him that orders his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.” So praising God glorifies Him.

First Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.”   The way in which you live your life can glorify God…and why it says “whatsoever you do.”

Philippians 2:11 “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” When you repent and trust in Christ and confess Him as your Lord, it is “to the glory of God the Father.”

First Peter 4:14-16 “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”  If you are persecuted for Christ’s sake then God is glorified “on this behalf.”

Second Thessalonians 1:12 “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”   We can glorify God in our own lives or we can bring shame to the cause of Christ by the ungodly way in which we live.

John 15:8 “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”  If we bear godly fruit, people will understand that it is not us but God working in us to produce the good fruit and by this fruit or our good works we can glorify God.   As it says in Philippians 1:11 “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

First Peter 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”  Here we see that when we minister to others, when we speak the Word of God (oracles) and do it in “the ability which God gives” us, “in all things may [God] through Jesus Christ” be glorified.  I want that.

Conclusion

By now you see that we were created for a purpose and a special meaning and these are related to glorifying God.  If we are not giving God glory for what we have, we are robbing Him of glory.  If we are not producing godly fruits, we are not bringing glory to God. If we are not praising God, we are not giving Him His proper glory. If we are not confessing Him before others, we are not glorifying Him.  If you have never been born again, then you cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3) and neither can you glorify Him.  I beg you today to consider repenting and confessing Him as Lord for His glory and by putting your trust in Him, you’ll have the same righteousness imputed to you on His behalf (2 Cor 5:21).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon