Beloved,
We are beginning our exposition of the 107 questions and answers of the Shorter Catechism today. I’m designing these weekly devotions to be read aloud and to be comprehended by children (with the goal of eventually compiling them into a family worship guide working through the entire catechism). In the Thompson home, I plan to take a break from our normal family worship on Thursday nights to focus on a new catechism question, looking at applicable proof texts and reading and discussing the devotion for that week’s question (all to be included in my weekly pastor email). We’ll then work on memorizing that question to music for the next six days (click the link on “Recite” each week for the song). In this way, our family will work through the catechism in roughly two years. Whether you have a family or not, I invite you to join us as we seek to grow in knowing God and passing on that knowledge to the coming generations.
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
Read
Revelation 4:11; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalm 16:11; 43:3-4
Reflect
“Is this drive ever going to end?”
You’ve probably asked a question like that on a long road trip. You want the drive to be over so you can get out of the car and enjoy your destination.
When the catechism talks about the “end” of humans, it isn’t referring to that kind of end (which we call death). Instead, it’s talking about the end for which we exist—our created purpose. What did God make us for?
There are many ways to answer that question, which is why the catechism gets even more specific by asking about our “chief end” or “ultimate purpose.” A hammer may have many potential uses, but it is designed for the chief end of pounding nails into objects. Similarly, there are many different goals and intentions God had in making us, but He designed us chiefly so that we might glorify and enjoy Him.
God’s glory is His greatness and goodness which He reveals through His works and words. When we glorify Him, we aren’t adding to who He is. Think of a mother praising her child after a good report card at school. When she says, “You are so smart!”, her words don’t raise the child’s IQ—they simply acknowledge what is already true. In the same way, when we glorify God, we are responding to what is already a settled fact: God is infinitely great and good.
While God calls each of us to different vocations and gives us various purposes in life, this is the ultimate purpose that gives meaning to all others. We are to do everything for God’s glory—seeking to love Him and make much of Him.
Some people say it’s boring to live for God. Worse still, others claim that glorifying God is miserable. They believe happiness is found in making much of themselves. But the catechism is right to connect glorifying God with our joy. For true joy is only found in knowing God and making Him known.
Think back to the hammer. That tool—if it had a soul—would never feel more alive than when it was being swung to knock a nail into place. What joy! But sadly, in our sin, we are like broken hammers that can no longer fulfill their purpose. Our sin has left us with broken souls and a broken relationship with God. If we would know genuine joy in living as God designed us, He must fix both.
This is exactly what Jesus Christ came to do. By His death and resurrection, Jesus restores us to God and renews our hearts so that we can fulfill the chief end for which we were created—not just for a short time, but forever. Through Him we come to enjoy God even as we make much of Him with our hearts, lips, and lives.
- What does the catechism mean by “chief end”? What is our chief end?
- How do we glorify God, and why can’t we separate God’s glory from our joy?
- Since our sin separates us from God and hardens our hearts against Him, how can we live out His ultimate purpose for us?
Yours in Christ,
Nick Thompson