Why does the Westminster Shorter Catechism ask the question, "What is God?" instead of, "Who is God?"

I've had family members press me on this when I started memorizing the catechism, and I didn't have a satisfying answer. If someone could point me towards an answer, it would be much appreciated!

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Joel Weyrick
Member, Sharon RPC (RPCNA)
Middletown, Iowa

Here's what I found googling:

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

If I may offer one correction (and I know this came from a second hand source), Athanasius was not a participant at the Council of Nicaea. I have seen this assumption repeated many times. But he played no part in the deliberations of this council. He was there as an assistant to Alexander of Alexandria (a personal aid of sorts), and did succeed Alexander as bishop of Alexandria in 327 A.D (the year Alexander died), probably largely due to Alexander's commendation of him. What is true is that Athanasius was a staunch defender of the Nicene Creed in the years to come following that council. But he did not play a part in the deliberations and formulations of the Council of Nicaea.

DTK

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Sola Scriptura est norma normans non normata
David T. King, pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Elkton, Maryland
Augustine (354-430): Therefore what He [i.e., Christ] has deigned to speak to us, we ought to believe that He meant us to understand. But if we do not understand He, being asked, gives understanding, who gave His Word unasked. NPNF1: Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate XXII, §1.

Thanks for the correction.

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The question should be changed to "Who is God?". Such subtleties do not have place in the shorter catechism, in my opinion. I think it is misleading.

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David Cronkhite, Elder
Pasadena United Reformed Church

"I count myself one of the number of those
who write as they learn, and learn as they write."

I did a little (unscientific, incomplete) survey of catechisms on this point and found some that say "What is God?" and some that say "Who is God?"

What is God?
William Gouge's Brief Method of Catechising
Ezekiel Rogers' Chief Grounds of Christian Religion
Samuel Rutherford's Catechism: "Quhot is God in his nature?"
Thomas Wyllie's Catechism: "Quhot is God in himself?"
James Ussher's Principles of the Christian Religion
Abraham Hellenbroek, A Specimen Of Divine Truths

Who is God?
John Cotton's Milk for Babes
L.G.C. Ledeboer's Simple Catechism Questions for Children
Catechism for Young Children: "Q. Who made you? A. God."

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

The answer to the question "Who is God" would be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the persons of the Trinity. In distinguishing between essence, and persons, the Westminster Assembly rightly IMHO asks "What is God" (Q. 4)before asking "Who is God" (Q. 6). This maintains the distinction between how God is one and three.

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Jeff Bartel
Mechanical Engineer
Member - Trinity Reformed Church - RPCNA

"To believe in the power of man in the work of regeneration is the great heresy of Rome, and from that error has come the ruin of the Church. Conversion proceeds from the grace of God alone, and the system which ascribes it partly to man and partly to God is worse than Pelagianism" (The Reformation in England (London, 1962), Vol. 1, p. 98)

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Since Q.4 is concerned with the attributes of God, then "What is God" seems entirely appropriate in the context.

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
Member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (Covenanter)

The Logic of developing the confession would have changed with "who" is God. God is a Person. Then the next logical question is "Tell me about this Person. What's he like"

So in my view, they skipped a superfluous question and got to the meat quicker by, as Daniel says, getting to the attributes.

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Bryan Wiley
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Reformed Baptist Church
Louisville, Kentucky

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I guess the concern had been that it made God sound like an object or distant deity.

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Joel Weyrick
Member, Sharon RPC (RPCNA)
Middletown, Iowa