Intro to the Westminster Shorter Catechism and Question One

HISTORY

The Westminster Assembly was called together by an act of the Long Parliament in England – An ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, for the calling of an Assembly of learned and godly Divines, and others, to be consulted with by the Parliament, for the settling of the Government and Liturgy of the Church of England, and for vindicating and clearing the doctrine of the said Church from false aspersions and interpretations (passed June 12, 1643)

An esteemed group of biblical scholars (divines) and civilians, convened in Westminster, England from July 1, 1643 to February 22, 1648.  The reason that Parliament called this session, rather than a church body, was due to the fact that the “preexisting government of the Church of England by bishops had ceased to exist.”  Thus the parliament was the only universally recognized authority which could convene such an assembly. 

 It was originally tasked with revision of the Thirty-nine Articles, the confession of faith of the Church of England. However, due to the signing of the Solemn League and Covenant (August 1643), Parliament directed the Assembly “to consider among themselves of such a discipline and government as may be most agreeable to God's holy Word.” 

There were Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Independents and Erastians.  The Presbyterians were by far the largest group after the Episcopalians pulled out.  The average attendance at the 1,163 meetings over the 4 ½ year period ranged between 60-80.  They met in Westminster Abbey, initially in the Henry VII's chapel.  After the weather grew cold, they met in the Jerusalem Chamber. 

Richard Baxter  on the Westminster Assembly - “As far as I am able to judge, the Christian world, since the days of the Apostles, had never a synod of more excellent divines than this.”

B. B. Warfield  - “The Westminster Standards … are the richest and most precise and best guarded statement ever penned of all that enters into evangelical religion, and of all that must be safeguarded if evangelical religion is to persist in the world.”

Free PresbyterianPublications  has issued a useful book containing the original WCF, Catechisms, The Westminster Directory, the National Covenant, the Solemn League and Covenant, etc.  The dust jacket reads, “The Church of Christ cannot be creedless and live.  It is her duty (especially in an age of doubt and confusion) to define and proclaim the Christian Faith to the world.  Nowhere has the Reformed Church done it so magnificently as in the Westminster Confession of Faith. Let the reader, while recognizing the supreme place of the Word of God in matters of faith and practice, turn to this Confession as his subordinate standard. Here he will find spiritual treasure; here he will find light and comfort and strength.”

The Westminster Assembly first produced a Directory of Government, Worship and Discipline.  After its completion, towards the end of 1644 a committee was formed to make preparations for the composition of a Confession of Faith. At first the committee worked on the Confession and Catechisms simultaneously.  After some progress, they decided to finish the Confession first and compose the Catechisms on that foundation.  The Assembly presented the finished Confession to Parliament on December 3, 1647.  The Shorter Catechism was finished and reported to parliament on November 5, 1647; and the Larger Catechism on April 14, 1648. (The S.C. was not composed till after the Larger one had been virtually completed. Mitchell)

The Shorter Catechism was intended to be a means by which English-speaking youth were trained in the system of truth contained in the Bible.  As such, we would say that it contains a “systematic theology”.  I.e. a logical and orderly arrangement of the doctrines found in the Bible. 

The S.C. contains 107 Questions and Answers.  It subject matter is divided up into two sections, as Q #3 indicates:

Q3: What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A3: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism

I. Doctrine (1-38)

            A. God (1-12)

                        1. Word of God

       2. Nature of God

                        3. Decrees of God

                        4. Works of God

            B. Man & Sin (13-19)

                        1. The Fall

                        2. Sin and Misery

            C. Salvation (20-38)

                        1. Covenant of Grace

                        2. Redeemer of God’s Elect

                                    a. His Nature

                                    b. His Offices

                                    c. Humiliation and Exaltation

                        3. Application of Redemption

                        4. Benefits of Redemption

                                    a. Temporal Benefits

                                    b. Eternal Benefits

                       

II. Duty (39-107)

            A. The Moral Law (39-84)

                 1. The Ten Commandments

2. Punishment of Sin

   B. Escaping God’s Wrath (85-107)

                1. Faith and Repentance

                2. The Means of Grace

                        a. The Word

                b. The Sacraments

                                    i. Baptism

                                    ii. Lord’s Supper

                        c. Prayer

                                    i. General Instructions

                           ii. Lord’s Prayer

At least 12 members of the Assembly had prepared catechisms of their own years before the assembly met. Alexander Mitchell said that the Shorter Catechism “is a thoroughly Calvinistic and Puritan Catechism, the ripest fruit of the Assembly’s thought and experience, maturing and fixing the definitions of theological terms to which Puritanism had been leading up to in its legion of catechisms.”

In the Shorter Catechism, we find the essential truths of the Christian faith.  It was intended to be something all Protestant youth could be trained with.  As soon as it passed in Parliament, it became wildly popular in England.  For more than a century it was the most widely recognized manual of instruction, not only among Presbyterians but also among Independents (in England and America).  The Baptists used it with only a few minor changes.  And even John Wesley, who was no Calvinist, allowed it to circulate among his 'societies' in modified form. 

Alexander Mitchell - “I shall never loose hope of the living orthodoxy of the Presbyterian Churches while their rising ministry and church-members are intelligently and affectionately trained in the Shorter Catechism.”

Carlyle - “The older I grow – and I now stand upon the bring of eternity – the more comes back to me the first sentence in the catechism which I learned when a child, and the fuller and deeper its meaning becomes:  What is the chief end of man?  To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

              

Question #1: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
(1 Cor. 10:31; Psa. 73:25-26)

1. Our chief end ought to be the glory of God, because it is God's chief end in creating, preserving and redeeming us. Proverbs 16:4 says, "The LORD has made all for Himself." 1Cor. 6:19, 20 "You are not your own; for you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

2. We are commanded plainly in Scripture to seek God's glory in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

3. On account of sin, we fail to give God the glory due His name. Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

4. As sinners, we begin to glorify God only when we repent and trust in Christ as our Lord and Savior. Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please him."

5. Having believed in Christ alone for eternal life, our faith "works through love." Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15) We glorify God by obeying His commands. There is no other way to do so.

6. Just as God made us for His own glory, He also created us to enjoy fellowship with Him. How do we begin to enjoy God? We enjoy Him only as we glorify Him. When we aim at His glory, we find our happiness in Him.

7. As Scottish preacher James Fisher said, we enjoy God especially "In all the ordinances of his worship, public, private and secret; such as the word read and heard, the sacraments, prayer, meditation, fasting, thanksgiving, and the like."

8. Since God is eternal and has also given eternal life to His children, we will enjoy Him forever. The best is yet to come! It is the presence of God that will be the joy of heaven. (Psalm 16:11)

* For more info and resources on the Shorter Catechism, go to http://shortercatechism.com/