Why do I exist?
Many of us would say that we exist to obey God, to honor his kingship, to declare his sovereign rule through lives of righteousness that acknowledge his reign in our hearts. This is certainly an excellent. Biblical answer. There is nothing wrong with this answer and all of it can be well defended Scripturally.
However, if we always define our calling in terms of obedience we run the risk of neglecting another equally accurate, Biblical answer to this question.
Why do I exist?
I exist to know God, to love him and enjoy his presence and admire his character. I exist to give him thanks for the overwhelming blessings of grace in my life. I exist to explore the eternal attributes that make him the One and only God and to enjoy those attributes through the privilege of communion with him. In the language of Revelation, I exist to see his face.
We cannot truly know God unless we are obeying God--since disobedience is intentionally turning away from God. We cannot truly obey God unless we know him, since it is only our knowledge of him that motivates true obedience. Most well-taught Christians would fully acknowledge the rightness of both answers. But often our functional definition of our calling is revealed through an emphasis on one answer to the neglect of the other. If we always answer by saying "I exist to obey God" or "I exist to know God" it's possible that we will be missing an important part of our calling. We exist to know. We exist to obey.
We would be wise to receive the wisdom of our spiritual forefathers. The Westminster Catechists should continue to teach us that the chief end of man is "to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."
