Question:
What does it mean that God created us for His glory? How does He bring glory to Himself through us?
The New Testament was written in Greek and the word glory is the Greek word doxa, which means radiance and reflection. In the Epistle to the Ephesians the word “glory” is used 6 times; three times it is used in the first chapter and three times in the third chapter. In the first chapter it says about what we, as believers in Christ, have in heaven, and namely the riches and the treasure about which many Christians are not aware.
God created us for His happiness
God created us for His happiness, for His reflection. He wants to be reflected in us, people. He wants His character, His being to be reflected through us.
Chapter 1 of the book of Genesis describes the creation of all things: the creation of heaven, of the Earth, of all living creatures and plants… On the sixth day, God created the man and about him it says the following:
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:27-28)
God made the man in His own image, male and female. We were conceived by God through creation to reflect His glory.
God wants us to reflect His character
We, people, when looking at one another, should see God. By the way we think, act, speak we should reflect His character.
This was the aim of God when He created us. If someone does not know the goal he was created for, he must know that God made us with a single purpose and namely, to reflect His character. The Gospel of Matthew describes it in a practical way how we should reflect God:
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 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.(Mathew 5:13-16)
We should constantly ask ourselves how we reflect God. How do I reflect His character and His kindness in the way I act in each situation?
We have been predestined to reflect His glory
To make us understand what a treasure we have in Christ, the apostle Paul wrote:
also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.(Ephesians 1:11-12)
So we, who first put our hope in Christ, have been predestined to be the praise of His glory. God’s plan for us is to follow Him into His Kingdom.
All people who choose to follow Lord Jesus will be able to reflect His glory and to serve Him in the Kingdom of heaven when we will be with Him.