Now most of these choices we make are about ordinary, everyday things. Things like eating and drinking. But the principle is that even in the most common areas of life we can do things to the glory of God.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, in the very first lines, answers the question of the meaning of human life like this:

“Man’s chief end is to glory God and enjoy Him forever.”

The Hebrew word for glory is kavod, and it literally means “heavy.” So when we glorify someone or something, we give it weight. Recognition. Importance. Honor. And this is what life is all about. Indeed, as human beings this is why we were created:

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’

Bring my sons from afar

and my daughters from the ends of the earth—

everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made” (Is. 43:6-7). 

We were created for God’s glory, and our lives are meant to be spent glorifying Him. In fact, you might argue that at least one of the roots of all sin is a failure to do just that. We fail to recognize, or give weight, to God and instead give weight to other things. We prize creation or relationships or money or ourselves – and in so doing, we are failing to live up to the very reason why we were created. 

But even if we know the reason we are here, and even if we desire to glorify God, that leaves us with another question: Just how do we do that? And here is where Paul helps us with the answer in his letter to the Corinthian church. 

Now a little context will help us here. Among the many issues in the Corinthian church was an issue over meat. Corinth was a pagan city, and as such, meat was regularly sacrificed to idols. That meat was available in the marketplace and was also often served on the tables of the Corinthians. The question at hand for these new Christians was whether or not they should eat meat that had been used for this purpose. 

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