A couple of Sundays ago, during our worship service, one of our elders mentioned that his family was using a catechism during their time of family worship. A catechism is a teaching tool used to pass on the central beliefs of the faith, usually in a question and answer format. It provides a basic theological grid to help understand how the truths of Scripture fit together. The one which serves as part of the doctrinal standards for Grace Community is the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC). Over the next several months, Pastor Tom and I will be working our way through this catechism (though we reserve the right for some special programming along the way!). While we won’t be able in such a short space to deal in-depth with the topics addressed in the catechism, we hope to give you a taste of what it contains. We would be glad to have further discussions on these topics should you have questions along the way and would heartily commend the use of catechism for your own growth in grace.
The first question of WSC is perhaps the most well-known. In it, we are asked: What is the chief end of man? B.B. Warfield relates the following story which illustrates how influential this question is:
We have the following bit of personal experience from a general officer in the United States army. He was in a great western city at a time of intense excitement and violent rioting. The streets were over-run daily by a dangerous crowd. One day he observed approaching him a man of singularly combined calmness and firmness of mien, whose very demeanor inspired confidence. So impressed was he with his bearing amid the surrounding uproar that when he had passed he turned to look back at him, only to find that the stranger had done the same. On observing his turning the stranger at once came back to him, and touching his chest with his forefinger, demanded without preface: “What is the chief end of man?” On receiving the countersign, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”—“Ah!” said he, “ I knew you were a Shorter Catechism boy by your looks!” “Why, that was just what I was thinking of you,” was the rejoinder.
The chief or key word of importance in the question is, well, “chief”. When the question asks about man’s end, it is speaking of purpose. We all have many purposes in this life. We have purposes or goals related to our individual lives, to our family lives, to our work lives, to our church lives, to our community lives. The catechism is not asking us to dismiss those purposes. Instead, it is saying that all of those other purposes must be oriented to and aligned with one overarching chief purpose that will direct them.
This is what the Apostle Paul is getting at in 1 Corinthians 10:31. He writes, So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Eating and drinking, in and of themselves, are good activities that serve a good purpose, the sustaining of physical life. However, if taken as the main purpose of life, they can lead to gluttony or drunkenness. And Paul broadens that principle out to all of life (“whatever you do”). The Bible has a word for when other ends/goals are out of sync with the chief purpose or replace it and that word is idolatry.
So what is this chief end? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. At first glance, this may seem like two ends. However, this is similar to when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was and he gave two because the two commandments were so intertwined that they couldn’t be separated. Glorifying God and enjoying him forever are two sides of one coin. The motto of Desiring God Ministries (John Piper) reflects this truth when it states that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
To glorify God does not mean that we make God greater or somehow improve Him. Instead, He is glorified when we make much of Him and proclaim the greatness of His character and deeds. We do this when we worship together. We do this in prayer, which is an acknowledgement of our belief that God is the one who is willing and able to answer our prayers. We do this when we share the Gospel with others. And we do it when we pattern our lives on the truth of His word, even though it sets us apart from the world around us.
To enjoy Him means we live in light of Him as the greatest treasure and ultimate satisfaction in life. This is not to denigrate the many good gifts with which He blesses us but it acknowledges that all those gifts pale in comparison. It’s the attitude expressed by the Psalmist when he wrote, Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:25-26). It’s how Moses was able to choose mistreatment with the Israelites over the pleasures of sin in Egypt. Why? He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward (Hebrews 11:26).
And so, saints, the catechism at the very beginning calls us to a life oriented to this chief end. I believe this is why God calls us to weekly worship. He knows that in the six other days of the week, it is easy to forget about glorifying and enjoying Him. It is also easy, due to the remaining corruption of sin in us, to elevate other ends, even good ones, to be our chief end. So once a week, we are reminded in song, in prayer, in word, and in sacrament about who God is, about His mighty works, and about His grace in calling us as His children to participate in this grand purpose. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)
