Why Did God Create Man?

From the Scriptures, we know that God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27 for the express purpose of glorifying Him (Isaiah 43:7) including nations (Psalm 86:9). The only people (or nations) who “glorify” God are those who are “called by my name” (Isaiah 43:7). Therefore, we see that God is particular as who will glorify Him. For example, note the phrase, “residue of men” in Acts 15:17, and the word “remnant” used in both the Old and New Testament (Isaiah 10:21-22; Romans 11:5).

From the reading of Matthew 7:14; Matthew 7:21, we know that only a “few” will be willing to glorify God’s name (be obedient to His will) in order to attain Heaven’s portals. We see that God’s name is representative of His holy character which He desires all men to possess (2 Peter 1:2-4; cf. 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Corinthians 7:1). In this regard, Paul states, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

In James 2:7, the scripture indicates the rich were blaspheming, “that worthy name by the which ye are called.” This is a key phrase in our understanding of why God created man. In his commentary on James, Brother Guy N. Woods makes the following comments regarding this phrase here.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets