Nor is your salvation about you. Have you ever asked why God saved us? Yes, yes--John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. So it's all about me, right?
Wrong.
Paul speaks to this in Ephesians 1:11-14. This is a long passage, so I'm going to highlight the main points. Paul says, "In him we were also chosen . . . in order that we . . . might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal . . . a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance . . . to the praise of his glory.
Asaph, one of the authors of the Psalms, understood this. Psalm 79:9 reads: Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.
We are here for the glory of God.
Our purpose to exist is to make known the glory of God. In fact, that's the purpose of all creation. Psalm 19:1 says, The heavens declare the glory of God. Romans 11:36 reads, For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. John heard this testified to in heaven in Revelation 5:13, Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
Whoever you are, wherever you are, you do not exist for your own glory. You exist to make known the glory of God Almighty. The fact that you exist brings Him glory, whether you admit that or not. Who else could have made you? No one. Who else could have created all that is created, sustained all that is sustained? No one. Refer to Romans 11:36 again. From him, through him, and to (or for) him are all things.
It's not about us. It's about Him.
We are saved to demonstrate God's glory.
Everything that is, and was, and will be--including our immortal souls--was created and is sustained to, through, and for God's glory. By saving pitiful sinners--those who were created for His glory but fell short (Romans 3:23)--God demonstrates His glory even more. Our salvation reflects that glory, just as the heavens themselves reflect the glory of the Creator.
For His glory. For His name's sake. To His praise and honor. That is why we are saved.
This life, and our eternal lives to come, are not about you and me. It's all about God.
Let's start living that way.
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