We have talked before about the importance of catechisms. I know the word catechism is a bit strange for many Christians because it is considered a Roman Catholic practice. Rome does use catechisms, but they are not the only ones that make good use of the tool. That is what a catechism is. It is a tool. It is an effective means of teaching people important information. A catechism, especially in the context of the church, is a series of questions and answers that are designed to teach the important truths of the faith. In a previous series, we walked through the Heidelberg Catechism, but it is not the only one that is worth our time. Our family regularly works through a version of the Baptist Catechism with our children to help them understand what we believe. The truths that these various catechisms teach are worth going over again and again. To quote Albert Einstein, "Once you stop learning, you start dying." Another quote emphasizes this in a different way, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" (Wil Durant, The Story of Philosophy). This is one of the greatest strengths of catechisms. They help us to repeatedly learn and relearn important truths about the Christian faith. So we dive in again to another catechism, this time, the Westminster Larger Catechism.
A Quick Note
Before we get into the questions and answers of the catechism, it is worth taking a minute to talk about the catechism in question. The Westminster Larger Catechism was created as a tool for churches and families. Unlike the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is a concise summary of the truths that are capable of being memorized by children, the Larger Catechism goes deeper and provides more detailed answers. With that being said, it is still worth memorizing the answers. Having these truths before our eyes repeatedly will lead to excellence in our understanding of the truth of scripture.
Question #1
The first question of the Larger Catechism is very similar to the first question of the Shorter Catechism. In the Larger Catechism, the question reads, "What is the chief and highest end of man?" The Shorter Catechism version reads, "What is the chief end of man?" These questions have the same point, but the Larger Catechism seeks to give a deeper understanding of what that end, or purpose, is. So it answers, "Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy him forever." Perhaps the most important addition that the Larger Catechism brings is the use of the word fully. We will come back to this in a minute. First, we need to look at the whole point of the question and why it comes as the first question. It comes as the first question because it is at the heart of everything that follows. It is the question of why we exist. Why was humanity created in the first place? What does it mean to be created in the image of God? We exist to glorify God. We were created to be his representatives and to take joy in him. Contrary to cultural teaching, we do not exist for our glory. We are not autonomous, separate people, who come into existence over millions or billions of years with no purpose. Humanity was created at a distinct point in time and we were created with a purpose. That purpose is to glorify and enjoy God.
Going A Little Deeper
The Larger Catechism, as I mentioned above, adds the important word "fully." What does it mean to fully enjoy God? The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word "fully" as "completely" and "as much as possible." Both parts of the definition are important for our understanding of what it means to glorify God and to enjoy Him. Our purpose is to embrace the joy of the Lord and the joy that only comes from the Lord. We are to do this fully, completely, with every part of our being. This is reflected in the greatest commandment. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Mark's account of the events adds "with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). This is what the catechism means by fully. Every part of our lives and being is meant to be directed toward the glory of God and the enjoyment of Him. The Catechism sets this principle as first because it is the outworking of the greatest commandment. Everything that follows deals with how we do those things. All the other 195 questions of the catechism help the Christian to understand what it means to do that.
Looking More at The Text
When we talk about the usefulness of a catechism, it is only useful inasmuch as it points back toward scripture. This is key. So let us look a little more at what the text of scripture has to say about this. The Matthew 22 and Mark 12 passages, which quote from Deuteronomy 6, are at the heart of all of this, but they are not the only passages of scripture that help us understand this truth. Romans 11:25-36 is another important passage for our understanding. In Romans, Paul is building an argument for what it means to be the people of God. In chapter 11, Paul sums up part of his argument by writing, or rather bursting out in praise;
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
All things are the Lord's. His ways are so much better than ours that we cannot even comprehend the extent of that truth. This is part of what we need to understand as it relates to why we are to do this. It is the child trusting his parents to know what is best. In the case of the Lord, we are talking about the one who is infallible. Our parents may and do fail, but the Lord never fails. This is why we can and do find full joy in the Lord. Our desire is to be that of the Psalmist who writes, "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).
Wrapping It Up For Now
This truth must always be before our eyes. As we talked about from the beginning, we are what we repeatedly do. Let us then repeatedly think about and act in a way that seeks the glory of the Lord and the joy that comes only from Him. We are to ask ourselves in every situation and every interaction, is what I am about to do or say going to glorify God? Far too often we do not do this. We do not do this because we have not made it our habit. We have not followed the command of scripture to have these truths before our eyes and to talk about them when we wake up and when we go to bed. I am as guilty of this as anyone else and for that, I need to repent. We all need to do better. We must be seeking the glory of the Lord. How do we do that? By following the simple (simple does not mean easy) commandment we are given in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. So I will leave you with the words of scripture as a challenge to you. I challenge you to make them a habitual part of your life.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Soli Deo Gloria
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