Westminster Shorter Catechism Q/A 1
Written
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
I was recently listening to a sermon by Kevin DeYoung (clearlyreformed.org) when he mentioned this first question and answer from the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a catechism is “a summary or exposition of doctrine… [for] Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts.” (wikipedia.org).
The Westminster Shorter Catechism is one of the most popular catechisms that is still widely taught today.
But as a child of the Reformation and the Restoration (wikipedia.org), I don’t have much familiarity with formal creeds.
Despite that lack of familiarity, I have loved reading through the Westminster catechism so far, because it deals very concisely with the nature of God. I think many Christians today do not realize the importance of focusing on God and God’s nature, I know that I have often failed to realize that. I have been reading through the book Knowing God by J.I. Packer, and I think the Westminster catechism makes for great supplementary reading material.
And if reading and meditating through non-inspired (non-scriptural) writings about God makes you nervous, the Westminster catechism includes scriptural proof references for each question and answer.
So, I am going through each question and answer of the catechism to consider the nature of God more deeply and mediate on the proof texts. I don’t know how far I will go or how many days each question and answer will take me.
Question: What is the chief end of man?
The Merriam Webster Dictionary gives “an outcome worked toward, purpose” as a possible definition for the word “end” when used as a noun (merriam-webster.com).
So the question can become: what is man’s ultimate purpose in life? Or, what role does man play in life?
Even though this question is about man, it points to God because it requires us to consider why God made man. Why would God create man? What purpose does God have for his creations?
Notice the question assumes that we do have a purpose. Nihilism, or the rejection of objective meaning and purpose, has perhaps waned in recent years, but it is still very much present in our culture. Despite its popularity, I would argue that the evidence for the existence of meaning and purpose has been written into our very psyches. To very loosely paraphrase C.S. Lewis from somewhere in his book Mere Christianity: “Man has hunger, well there is such a thing as food. Man has thirst, well there is such a thing as water.”
We have a deep need for meaning and relevance in our lives, and I believe it was put there because there is true meaning to be found in life.
This first question of the catechism cuts to the very heart of existence. Every religion and nearly every philosophical movement has been an attempt at answering this question in one way or another.
Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
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.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.
The 1st Corinthians verse sums it up nicely: “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Everything we do should glorify God. Our purpose as God’s creations is to glorify him.
I like that it mentions eating or drinking specifically. Even the most mundane parts of lives can and should glorify God. If God created and sustains everything, then nothing can or should exist apart from God. So, there is nothing we can ever do that is truly separate from God.
Everything we do is either glorifying God, or dishonoring him.
I especially like the beginning of Psalms 73:28, “But for me it is good to be near God”. The “but for me” phrase makes it very personal. As if the author were saying that no matter what the rest of the world thinks, for me, it is good to be near God. That resonates with me because it describes my personal experience very well.
When I am near God, things are good for me. When I am away from God or not focusing on him each day, things are bad.
Summary
There is a beautiful flow between the nature of God and the nature of man. Considering the “chief end of man” causes me to consider God. Considering God causes me to reflect on my daily life and habits.
We are intertwined with God by design. We must be careful not to get so caught up in our secular world that we forget our true purpose.
A good life is one spent knowing, honoring, and glorifying God.
We should not define our success in life by our material possessions or other peoples’ opinions of us. My life is defined by my personal relationship with God. My life is successful and good if I know God and glorify him.