Pastoral Position Paper - Virgil Hurt

What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. So goes question one of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. In these brief words a doctrine is stated that has ramifications towards all aspects of faith. Man's highest good is to enjoy the greatest good. The greatest good is God, in whom man finds his ultimate fulfillment. If man fails to expressly seek the glory of God in all that he does, he will obtain no true glory, honor, or Christian virtue.

The Shorter Catechism was written for those young or weak in the faith. It was considered a short work to be memorized in full. The fact that memorizing this short catechism is a daunting feat for most modern Christians is proof of how far we have fallen. We need to return to the documents that grew out of the Reformation. This Catechism has been the starting place for young Christians throughout the history of the reformed faith. We have drifted away from our roots and need to return.

It would seem among the faithful that glorifying God as our chief end is a given. Not so. The very first Catechism question can save us from bad doctrine. There are those who argue that God's chief end is to glorify man. They argue that God designed the universe primarily to have fellowship with man and when that fellowship was broken in sin, He was compelled to save us. There certainly is some truth here, but do you see the subtlety of the argument? God did it for us. As if, without us, He could not be fulfilled. His glory then becomes contingent upon such little men as we are. "Who are you, O man?" We seem to think that if God did something for His own glory, then he is self-seeking in the same way we are. We continually make God after our own image. But we have it all backward. God created man male and female, after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creature (Question 10). We are created in the image of God.

We cannot aim at our own glory without selfish and sinful ambition ruining the endeavor. It does not hold true for God. Since there is no one higher than Himself, it follows that for Him to seek His own glory is the highest good.

We also find in question one the answer to many questions regarding the final destination of Christians. What have we to do with God here on earth and in the hereafter? Why, simply to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We are to enjoy God. We are to rest in His presence. We are to be content, knowing that He upholds all things and that nothing is outside of His control. We are to look towards heaven, knowing that in Him is fullness of joy and in Him all things have their being and in Him we live and move and have our being.

We can answer the naysayers from this little question. What is life all about anyway? It all seems so senseless. Isn't it all chance? Well, no, not at all. Man has an end, a purpose, something grand he is aiming at. Man has a great goal and all of history is moving towards it. For him to partake of this great and lofty matter he must understand that God is, and that He is the rewarder of those with which He has to do. Man, you have meaning and purpose. It is to stand before your God and glorify Him wholly and in this to find your greatest enjoyment.

But how shall I know him? What must I do to be saved? For I have heard He is invisible and no sinful man can come unto Him?

This is true. God is a spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power holiness, justice, goodness and truth (Question 4). If anything but God's glory is our chief end, then our chief end would be liable to change. There would be competing ends. Thus, our chief end would cease to be the ultimate end. We can trust God's assessment of our end. He has given it in His Word. The Word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him (Question 2). The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man (Question 3).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism outlines all of these great biblical doctrines in the first ten questions. There are 97 to follow. School children for three hundred and fifty years have known these things. Sadly, in our day, hardly any modern evangelical Christians can articulate such fundamental biblical truth.

Thomas Vincent was a London pastor in the early 1600's. He thought so highly of the catechism that he labored many years to write an explanation of the shorter catechism with scripture proofs. His explanation is in the catechistical style asking questions and giving answers for all 107 questions. Many of the students of his congregation also memorized his explanation of the catechism. The version I have of Vincent's book is two hundred seventy six pages long. Most Christians of our day would hardly read Vincent's explanation, much less memorize it.

Memorizing the Shorter Catechism and a thorough reading of Vincent's The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture will supply a treasure of biblical doctrine. The Church is in a pitiful state and we certainly can't get out of it through continued ignorance. This catechism is one great place to start.

Catechising is a very natural way to learn. Children love it. Our kids often ask to have catechism contests, whether for chocolate chips, or steps towards dad, or good ol' greenbacks. This is a good way to teach your children about rewards. We often play games with the catechism, asking questions and giving answers. The children review during the week and I let them stand and answer on the Lord's Day. They get a small reward if they get past where they were the previous Sunday. They look forward to the time and the entire family is hearing powerful, practical, doctrine.

Richard Baxter, a notable Puritan pastor, commends this method as a great means of establishing the congregation in faith. He is right. We must get back to standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, instead of simply groveling at their feet. We must read our Bible and understand what it says. The Shorter Catechism gives clear, concise, explanations of the great doctrines of the Bible.

It is time we got over the fear of doctrine, repented of the pride of ignorance, and seriously endeavor to train up our children in the way that they should go. Note, I didn't say gravely train them up. The wonderful thing about learning hard doctrines is that when it is accompanied with faith, it produces soft hearts. Conversely, soft doctrine produces hard hearts. Humble thyself before the Lord and He will lift you up.

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard; and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Rev. 3:1-6.)

The great sin in Sardis is that they were not watchful. They had failed to hold fast to the Word of Life and they were dying. Remember therefore. This great theme of Scripture speaks to us now. We must arouse ourselves from our lethargy and strengthen the things that remain, or the Lord will come in judgment. Our modern disdain of things ancient, like, say the 1950's, is a shame and a curse. If the great saints of the ages could look down upon our generation, they would shake their heads at our immaturity.

Again, to the Church of Laodicea.

"I know thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent." (Rev: 3:15-19)

We live in a time of unparalleled access to information. We can get more books on one CD than most of the great saints before us could get access to in a lifetime. But just because we have the books on a CD, or nicely placed on our bookshelves for our friends to see, doesn't mean we are progressing in godliness. We must read them. And in this, too, there is temptation. The Pharisees read a lot of books. Modern liberal theologians read a lot of books. But knowledge, coupled with the grace of faith, does indeed produce godliness. We think we are rich, because we could read most anything that has been written in the last 500 years with the touch of a button. But we don't. And we aren't.

We must return to the old paths. The church was to be built upon the chief corner stone, the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and the saints--the living stones. We certainly cannot build the tenth floor having neglected the previous five. If we do not continue to build on this beautiful and historic building, we are missing a great blessing from our fathers in the faith. They have left us a magnificent cathedral and we are building a steel frame structure with aluminum siding walls. Long after our attempt to be useful falls by the wayside, theirs will still be standing strong.

I don't believe that memorizing the Westminster Catechism will automatically make you godly. And you may become a godly man without being well acquainted with its treasures. But I do believe that God has made the world in such a way that knowledge, and especially wisdom, is passed on from generation to generation. This is true in our homes as well as our churches. The Westminster Catechism was meant to be a synopsis of the great doctrines of the faith. It was to aid those weak in the faith, or small of understanding. As I read through it, I find just how weak in the faith and small of understanding I am. These men knew things that we have lost. If we say we are rich and have need of nothing, when we are really poor, then we don't seek and we don't get. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God (Question 14). Let us confess our shortcomings, and press forward into the past, learning new things from things old.