Why Did God Create Man? Pleasing God vs. Glorifying God

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

All too often we get our information about the character of God from depictions of Him presented to us in our secular world.

This truth is perhaps best illustrated by the classic film, “The Wizard of Oz”.

In the movie, the four major characters spend almost the entire story in a quest to fulfill the demands of the Wizard of Oz. He is presented as an All Powerful Being who only existed in the imagination of a pathetic and feckless Human Wizard.

When Dorothy’s little dog Toto exposed the Wizard’s fraudulent behavior, the Wizard could only counter with one of the most famous lines in cinematic history. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

What Is the True Character of God?

In the “Wizard of Oz”, the Wizard is a representation of God. He is depicted as being capricious, impersonal, foreboding, and even mean-spirited.

This is in direct contradiction to the merciful, kind, and loving God that is presented to us in Scripture:

“…The Lord, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Exodus 34:6

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” I Chronicles 16:34

“The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Psalm 145:8,9

All too often we as believers also acquire our own ideas about God and His Character from less than reliable human sources.

Sadly, some of these less than reliable sources are the very people to whom we turn to teach us about the true Character of God. These are our Biblical Preachers and Theologians.

The Westminster Confession and the Purpose of Man

Perhaps nowhere have these people “dropped the ball” so to speak in such a detrimental way than in their acceptance of the most famous declaration of the Westminster Confession. The declaration that teaches us that “Man’s ultimate purpose in Creation is to glorify God.”

Jesus strictly warned His followers of the dangers of placing the “edicts of men” on the same level as Biblical Doctrine.

He taught that in so doing, believers would be guaranteeing that their hearts would be separated from His. Their worship of Him would also be in vain (Matthew 15:8,9).

The Westminster Confession states:

“Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy Him forever.”

This edict is largely based upon the proclamation of Isaiah which reads:

“Even every one that is called by my name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:7

When the human writers of the Westminster Confession stated that “man’s chief and highest end was to glorify God,” they were making a significant implication. They were implying that “the ultimate purpose for which God created man was to glorify Him.”

In so doing, they were directly suggesting something about God’s Judgment of mankind. They suggested that His Judgment will primarily be based upon how well each individual person “glorified Him” while here on earth.

In other words, how well each person fulfilled this specific purpose for which all of mankind has been created.

Why Did God Create Man?

There are, however, not one but two questions that come into play when discussing why God created man. They are:

1. Why did God create man?
2. For what purpose did God create man?

The writers of the Westminster Confession stated that “the chief end of man is to glorify God,” based largely upon Isaiah 43:7. The problem with this statement is the fact that:

1. Isaiah 43:7 was written to solely answer the first question (Why did God create man?), and not the second question (For what purpose did God create man?), and
2. In so doing, they also misrepresented God’s Word by propagating an erroneous interpretation of Isaiah 43:7.

Isaiah 43:7 and the Glory of God

When we couple Paul’s explanation of why God created man in the Book of Romans with that found in the Book of Isaiah, a different interpretation emerges. This changes how Isaiah 43:7 may be understood.

In Romans Paul writes:

“And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,” (Romans 9:23).

What Paul was saying here in Romans was that God created man so that man might learn and experience the riches of His Glory. Man could thereby appreciate and enjoy those riches.

We see therefore that Isaiah wrote, “for I have created him for My glory.” When we expand upon this with what Paul taught in the Book of Romans, Isaiah 43:7 takes on a fuller meaning. Isaiah was in essence stating that, “God created man in order that man might know, experience, and forever enjoy the full riches of His glory.”

For What Purpose Did God Create Man?

This then leads us to the 2nd question: “For what purpose did God create man?” This question is quite different than question number 1. It implies a sense of duty or obligation on the part of man.

The answer to this question is found not in the Book of Isaiah, but rather in the Book of Revelation. There the Apostle John informs us that God’s ultimate purpose in creating man was simply to “Please Him”:

“Thou art worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11

Is Man’s Ultimate Purpose Pleasing God or Glorifying God?

We see then that man’s ultimate purpose in life should be that of “pleasing God”, and not of “glorifying God”, as is commonly taught by the adherents of this particular unscriptural aspect of the “Westminster Confession”.

This holds tremendous theological significance in man’s understanding of the methodology of God’s Judgments.

It also provides the follower of Christ with the proper understanding of what the primary focus of his or her own life should be. That focus is “the pleasing of God.”

This proper focus was taught by Jesus Himself. When summarizing His own life, He stated categorically, “FOR I DO ALWAYS THOSE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM” (John 8:29) (emphasis mine).

It should be noted that any time we observe a person constantly performing any action on a repeated basis, it is evidence that they are indeed “focusing” on that particular action.

(It should also be noted that this logically follows. If man had indeed been created for the purpose of “glorifying” God, Jesus would have stated, “For I do always those things that glorify Him.”)

Scripture vs. the Edicts of Men

This also demonstrates the fact that believers should pay special attention to both the words of Jesus and to the doctrines and principles found within God’s Holy Word, and be especially wary of all decrees, creeds, and edicts of men.

For when the edicts of men are not in perfect alignment with Scripture, they only serve to confuse the beautiful harmonious simplicity of God’s Holy Word. Additionally, they also separate the heart of the believer away from the Heart of the Living God (Matthew 15:8,9).

In other words, the decrees of the Church and/or its preachers and teachers must be in strict harmony with the Word of God. If they are not, then “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Related Studies from Paradigms Tossed

Continue exploring the character of God, biblical doctrine, and the importance of testing long-held Christian assumptions against Scripture through these related studies:

Faulty Christian Beliefs: Testing Our Paradigms Against Scripture
This study introduces the broader purpose of Paradigms Tossed—examining beliefs that may sound biblical but do not always withstand careful comparison with Scripture.

The Weightier Matters of the Law: Judgment, Mercy, and Faith
Explore Jesus’ teaching concerning judgment, mercy, and faith and how these principles reveal important aspects of God’s character and His expectations for believers.

Refined Like Silver: How God Uses Trials to Mature Believers
This study looks at God’s character through the biblical picture of the refiner of silver and considers how His love and care are expressed through the spiritual growth of believers.

The Pursuit of Happiness vs. Pleasing God: A Biblical Perspective
A related study examining whether the believer’s primary focus should be personal happiness or living in a way that is pleasing to God.

The Promises of God: Finding Certainty in an Uncertain World
Explore how a proper understanding of God’s character allows believers to trust His promises rather than relying on human assumptions or religious tradition.