Depending on the translation you are reading, The phrase "It is written. . ." appears nearly 100 times in Scripture, almost 30 of which are in the Old Testament and the remainder in the New Testament.

 

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”. - Philippians 2:13-14

 

 

"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." - Romans 8:30

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."--John 1:12-13

 

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God – Thomas Watson

Part 7

In how many ways may we glorify God?

9. We glorify God by walking cheerfully. It brings glory to God, when the world sees a Christian has that within him that which can make him cheerful in the worst times; that can enable him, with the nightingale, to sing with a thorn at his breast.

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God – Thomas Watson

Part 6

How shall we know wne we aim at God's Glory?

1. When we prefer God's glory above all other things; above credit, estate, relations; when the glory of God coming in competition with them, we prefer his glory before them.

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God – Thomas Watson

Part 5

In how many ways may we glorify God?

It is glorifying God when we aim purely at his glory. It is one thing to advance God's glory, another thing to aim at it.

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God – Thomas Watson

Part 4

Why must we glorify God?

1. Because he gives us our being.

Psalm 100:3, "It is he that made us." We think it a great kindness in a man to spare our life, but what kindness is it in God to give us our life! We draw our breath from him; and as life, so all the comforts of life are from him. He gives us health, which is the sauce to sweeten our life; and food, which is the oil that nourishes the lamp of life. If all we receive is from his bounty, is it not reasonable we should glorify him? Should we not live to him, seeing we live by him? Rom. 11:36, "For of him, and through him, are all things." All we have is of his fulness, all we have is through his free grace; and therefore to him should be all. It follows, therefore, "To him be glory for ever." God is not our benefactor only, but our founder, as rivers that come from the sea empty their silver streams into the sea again.

The Chief End of Man is to Glorify God – Thomas Watson

Part 3

Q. What is it to glorify God?

A. Glorifying God consists in four things: 1. Appreciation, 2. Adoration, 3. Affection, 4. Subjection. This is the yearly rent we pay to the crown of heaven.

When we speak of God’s glory, the question will be moved, What are we to understand by God’s glory?

Answer. There is a twofold glory:

1. The glory that God has in himself, his intrinsic glory.

2. The glory which is ascribed to God, or which his creatures labour to bring to him.

A military Operations Order begins with the Concept of the Operation and the Commander's Intent. Therefore, the subject of the chief end of man/the purpose of our lives can fittingly be termed our Commander's Intent for us.

This post, as well as some in the future, will largely be excerpts from a work called A Body of Divinity, by Thomas Watson  (c.1620-1686). Some of his works can be found online at The Hall of Church History. The Body of Divinity  is a collection of sermons around the questions found in the Westminster Confession, beginning with the question at hand. So without further introductory explanation, let's begin:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

    John Gill (1697-1771) comments:

both in Jerusalem, the "metropolis" of the nation, and there, in the first place, where such dwelt who had been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, many of whom were to be called by grace, and converted through their ministry:

and in all Judea; that part of...