Regi Addictissimus
Completely sold out to the King
I will be honest, it feels odd posting a quote from a theologian that is still alive. This may be a first for me on here. That admission would probably be a strange sentiment anywhere else besides the Puritan Board.
THE UNIQUENESS OF THE ANSWER: TO GLORIFY AND FULLY TO ENJOY GOD FOREVER
When a person begins his study of Christianity from the perspective of the first question and answer of the Westminster Larger Catechism, he has begun on the most elevated plane possible. “What is the chief and highest end of man?” is a far more comprehensive question than, and takes priority over the question, “What shall I do to be saved?” The Larger Catechism’s Question One forces us to take our eyes off of ourselves, our own comfort and salvation as our primary concern, and to fix them on the God of Glory, bidding us to seek our ultimate purpose and happiness in Him.
If we approach Christianity from the question “What shall I do to be saved?” or “How can I receive comfort and other benefits from Christianity?” we place ourselves in danger of assuming that God exists for our benefit, and that the only reason we should accept Christ and the Bible is because of the benefits we can receive from Him. The Westminster Larger Catechism removes this danger by beginning with, focusing on, and ending in the vision of God in all His glory, and by seeing the purpose of human existence, of salvation, and of all creation as glorifying that great God and enjoying Him forever. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
Joseph C. Morecraft III. Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism. Ed. Kyle Shepherd. Centreville, Alabama: Four Falls Press, Inc. 2019, vol. 1, 96-97.
THE UNIQUENESS OF THE ANSWER: TO GLORIFY AND FULLY TO ENJOY GOD FOREVER
When a person begins his study of Christianity from the perspective of the first question and answer of the Westminster Larger Catechism, he has begun on the most elevated plane possible. “What is the chief and highest end of man?” is a far more comprehensive question than, and takes priority over the question, “What shall I do to be saved?” The Larger Catechism’s Question One forces us to take our eyes off of ourselves, our own comfort and salvation as our primary concern, and to fix them on the God of Glory, bidding us to seek our ultimate purpose and happiness in Him.
If we approach Christianity from the question “What shall I do to be saved?” or “How can I receive comfort and other benefits from Christianity?” we place ourselves in danger of assuming that God exists for our benefit, and that the only reason we should accept Christ and the Bible is because of the benefits we can receive from Him. The Westminster Larger Catechism removes this danger by beginning with, focusing on, and ending in the vision of God in all His glory, and by seeing the purpose of human existence, of salvation, and of all creation as glorifying that great God and enjoying Him forever. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
Joseph C. Morecraft III. Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism. Ed. Kyle Shepherd. Centreville, Alabama: Four Falls Press, Inc. 2019, vol. 1, 96-97.