Why did God create humans?

1) Why do couples get married? Why do they decide to have kids? Is it for their own egos? (using the language of your original question). No, I think that when couples fall in love and marry and then decide that they want kids, it’s more of wanting to ‘share the love’ so to speak. They enjoy their time together, they love each other, and it’s kind of a ‘the more, the merrier’ principle. Now, having a baby is not the same as creating humans, but I think some of the same thinking may apply. “Honey, what do you think our baby is going to be like?” “I don’t know. Maybe he’ll have your nose and my eyes and will laugh like your dad.” And the dad dreams about playing catch with his son. The mom dreams about dressing her little girl up in pink frilly dresses and spending lazy afternoons chatting over chocolate chip cookies with her. It’s all about the relationship. That’s what good parents look forward to when they think of having kids.

 

You’ve probably heard a lot about God’s love for people. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Another place says, “And this is eternal life, that we might know [Him], the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom [He] has sent” (John 17:17). It appears that God created us for LIFE and this LIFE is to be characterized by knowing Him. Something about why/how He made us must answer to the fact that He seems to think real life comes from knowing Him. That seems like a clue.

 

2) In Genesis 1:27, it says that man is made in God’s image. It’s not saying that we are deity like God, but rather that we are made ‘in His image’ in other ways. One of those is the fact that man is relational. He needs relationship. People without deep emotional connections with other people wither away inside. Babies without physical affection aren’t as healthy. There is something ‘ingrained’ in us that requires us to need other people. (I think this is one big reason that we all tend to struggle with loneliness.) Anyway, if we are like God and we are relational, than it stands to reason that God is relational! I’ve heard this explained that God has always been in relationship within Himself…God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They’ve always been together, enjoying one another, deferring to one another, loving each other. Maybe it’s similar. Maybe God decided it would be fun to ‘share the love’, know what I mean? He looks forward to the relationship that is possible when a person becomes an actual living and breathing being. He looks forward to getting to know (not literally, since He already knows everything about us) and becoming known by us. I think God just enjoys the potential for relationship.

 

I also looked up ‘worship’ in the Bible…because of Isaiah chapter 43 which talks about how we are made for His glory.

 

Read this, especially verse 7:

 

Isaiah 43:

1 But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the Lord , your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth –

7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

 

It glorifies God when we love him and worship Him (which is what we do when we are ‘called by His name.’) One way of saying that would be ‘those who belong to Him’. Worship comes from ‘worth ship’…basically, praising someone because of their ‘worth ship’. You don’t praise and worship someone who is not worthy of that kind of affection. Another way worship is described is ‘to give glory to.’ We are precious and honored and loved by (verse 4) an amazing God. Why wouldn’t we want to thank and praise Him for this? So part of our being made has to do with the fact that we are to worship God.

 

God is worthy of this because He is all-powerful, all-knowing and good. If these things weren’t true of God, say if He were evil in some way, He would not be worthy of our worship. I think God is ‘jealous’ for our worship, because when we don’t worship Him, we tend to give our hearts to other things…things that were gifts from God and meant only to be ENJOYED but never to be worshipped.

 

Your original question was: Why did God create humans in the first place? Was it for Him (His ego) or for us?

 

Is it egotistical for an artist to create a master painting? Of course not! That’s what artists do. Who was the creation ‘for’? Well, it was for the artist. She got the joy of doing what she loves and making something beautiful. It was also for the thing that was made. In a sense, if the artist hadn’t listened to her heart and painted what she longed to, the thing would never have been expressed or created. But, it was also for all those around who would enjoy the painting.

 

So, why did God create humans? I think it was for both for Him and for us. He didn’t need to create us. God is completely self-sufficient without our help. But, He wanted to create us. We were intended to be brothers and sisters of Christ, and to be with him in this universe forever. It’s for Him, and it’s for us. He gave us the freedom to choose to know Him back, and when we do, that makes all the difference.