An Egocentric God?

"Humans exist merely to glorify God."

Perhaps you have heard this statement before. I don't know who first said it nor do I care. In my opinion it is at the heart of religion and legalism.

Let me just say that this statement is false. Not true.

But really, this statement diminishes every personal relationship with God to a meaningless, zombie state of mind. It is as if God needs to be worshipped or else He will become sad and angry.

Here is the problem with this statement: it contradicts the whole New Testament and really the whole Bible.

We know it says in 1 John 4:8 that "God is Love" and in 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away our sins."

Hmm.

If God is love, His nature is not to be self-seeking or egocentric. His nature is to be life giving. Paul shows us the nature of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 - ⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸Love never fails.
I know you have heard this a million times at weddings but it really has more to do with the character of God. He is love. Look at it this way.
⁴ God is patient, God is kind. God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud. ⁵God is not rude, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
⁸God never fails.
That is the nature of God. And it changes the meaning of our existence drastically.
I know people have different experiences in life but your experiences do not define who God is. Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God (Heb 1:3). If you read the Bible you see Jesus healing, forgiving, and preaching the Good News. If you recall Mark 10:45 he said that he "didn't come to be served, but to serve..."
Religion just got flipped on it's head.
How about this...
"Humans exist to be in perfect relationship with God through Jesus Christ, having their needs met by Him alone."
You can quote me on that.