Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English - Question #1

Q. 1. What is the chief purpose for which man is made?

A. The chief purpose for which man is made is to glorify God,^[a] and to enjoy him for ever.^[b]
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Psalm 86:9

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

⁹ Lord, all folks, whichever thou madest (Lord, all the nations, which thou hast made), shall come, and worship before thee; and they shall glorify thy name.

 

Isaiah 60:21

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

²¹ Forsooth thy people, all just men, without end shall inherit the land (For thy people, all the just, or all the righteous, shall inherit the land forever), (yea,) the seed of my planting, the work of mine hand for to be glorified

 

Romans 11:36

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

³⁶ For of him, and by him, and in him be all things. To him be glory into worlds [of worlds]. Amen.

 

1 Corinthians 6:20

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

²⁰ For ye be bought with great price. Glorify ye, and bear ye God in your body

 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

³¹ Therefore whether ye eat, or drink, or do any other thing, do ye all things to the glory of God.

 

Revelation 4:11

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

¹¹ Thou, Lord our God, art worthy to take glory, and honour, and virtue; for thou madest of nought all things, and for thy will those were [and for thy will they were], and be made of nought.

 

Psalm 16:5-11

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

⁵ The Lord is [the] part of mine heritage, and of my passion; thou art, that shall restore mine heritage to me. (The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup; thou art he, who shall restore my inheritance to me.)

⁶ Cords felled to me in full clear things; for mine heritage is full clear to me. (The cords, or the boundary-lines, fell to me in pleasant places; I am well content with my inheritance.)

⁷ I shall bless the Lord, that hath given understanding to me; furthermore and my reins have blamed me unto the night. (I shall bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding; and furthermore my innards have taught me, that is, my conscience hath taught me, in the night.)

⁸ I saw before (me) ever[more] the Lord in my sight; for he is at the right half to me, that I be not moved. (I see the Lord before me forevermore; for he is at my right hand, and I shall not be moved/and I cannot be shaken.)

⁹ For this thing mine heart was glad, and my tongue joyed fully; furthermore and my flesh shall rest in hope. (For this thing my heart was glad, and my tongue full out joyed, or rejoiced; and furthermore, my flesh shall rest with trust, or with confidence.)

¹⁰ For thou shalt not leave my soul in hell; neither thou shalt give thine holy (man) to see corruption. (For thou shalt not leave my soul in Sheol, or the land of the dead; nor shalt thou allow thy holy man to see corruption, or decay.)

¹¹ Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt [full-]fill me with gladness with thy cheer; delightings be in thy right half unto the end. (Thou hast made known to me the way of life; thou shalt fill me full of gladness when I go before thee; delights be at thy right hand forever.)

 

Psalm 144:15

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

¹⁵ They said, The people is blessed, that hath these things; blessed is the people, whose Lord is the God of it. (And so we say, Happy be the people, who have things like we do; happy be the people, whose God is the Lord.)

 

Isaiah 12:2

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

² Lo! God is my saviour, I shall do faithfully, and I shall not dread. For why the Lord is my strength and my praising, and he is made to me into health. (Lo! God is my Saviour, I shall do faithfully, and I shall not fear. For the Lord is my strength and my praising, and he is my deliverance, or my salvation.)

 

Luke 2:10

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

¹⁰ And the angel said to them, Do not ye dread; for lo! I preach to you a great joy [lo! soothly I evangelize to you a great joy], that shall be to all people.

 

Philippians 4:4

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

⁴ Joy ye in the Lord evermore; again I say, joy ye.

 

Revelation 21:3-4

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

³ And I heard a great voice from the throne [And I heard a great voice of the throne], saying, Lo! the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them; and they shall be his people, and he God with them shall be their God.

⁴ And God shall wipe away each tear from the eyes of them; and death shall no more be, neither mourning, neither crying, neither sorrow, shall (all) be over; which first things went away.

 

Comment on Q. 1.

The opening question brings us at once to the subject of true religion – what it requires and what it gives. God has made us for a purpose just as everything made by man is made for a purpose. Only as we fulfil the purpose for which God made us can we be happy. Now God made us to glorify him. Of course we cannot add to God's glory because he is entirely perfect, but we can show his glory by doing everything in life as service to him. This means that God must be first in our lives; only as we know and love him can we truly please him. That is why, since sin entered the human race, we can only be brought back into God's family through Jesus Christ. Then we can have real joy in our lives, and look forward to knowing joy that never ends after this life. Looking for happiness apart from your Maker – 'doing your own thing' – is a dead end.