A discipleship program in four questions

As I wrote in my last post, I am not going to go through all of John Wesley’s revision of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, but I do want to share another example of the kinds of things you would find there if you took it up for yourself or in your family.

The catechism includes a good deal of teaching about God, about sin, and about salvation. It teaches us what each of the Ten Commandments means and requires of us. It teaches us what we are praying when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. It also offers some teaching about the practices of our faith by which God works salvation in us. For instance, here are some portions of the catechism that speak of our redemption.

Q. 85. What does God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?

A. To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requires of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption.

Yes, I know. This does not sound like 21st century American Christianity. That is because it is not. It is a Christianity that understands that our most pressing spiritual need is that we are sinners in rebellion against a holy God who need to be reconciled to him else we perish. That is an unpleasant message, which, of course, is the point. If it is true that we are sinners in rebellion against God, then any message pointing out that fact is going to be unpleasant to us.

But it is not all bad news. The doorway out of this sorry state is clearly marked. It even stands open: faith, repentance, and diligence. The catechism goes on to define each of these.

Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, by which we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, by which a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.

Q. 88. What are the outward means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?

A. The outward and ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer.

You probably have some questions about what this all means, and that is okay. The language here is not only old, as the catechism was published in 1648, but also full of words that we do not commonly use in church these days. It would take more than mere memorization of these answers to build a good foundation for a child or new believer. And, actually, that is the point of the whole exercise.

The catechism was not meant merely to be a memorization game. It was meant to be a starting point for teaching. The teaching of the catechism, whether by a pastor or a father or mother in the household, would explain the wider and deeper meaning of these questions and the answers. The goal was that a person would be able to recite the answers, but the hope was that the recitation would unlock a treasure store of deeper understanding.

So here, we are given three pillars of Christian discipleship: faith in Christ, repentance that leads to life, and the ordinary means of grace that God provides us.

I commented at the end of my last post how much it would change the church if every person who goes by the name of Christian understood their purpose in life as glorifying God and enjoying him forever. I make that same observation about this section of the catechism. How much would it change the life of the church in America today if there was a broad understanding that our primary problem is that we are sinners in need of redemption and that the door to that redemption is through faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, and diligent use of the ordinary means of grace.

It would change the church quite a bit.

Even if it does not do that, it can change you and it can change the way your family understands what it means to be a Christian. It can if we lay down our arms long enough to let God redeem us.

If you want to explore this kind of resource more for yourself or your family, you can buy a copy of Wesley’s revision of the Shorter Catechism for yourself. You can also find versions of the document online.

Learning faith the old school way

The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1648 was one of the documents that the founder of Methodism, John Wesley, published and distributed to his preachers. The document Wesley produced had revisions from the original version because Wesley believed a few of the items went beyond what could be plainly proved in Scripture. For those who call themselves Methodists, it remains a good foundation for a grounding in the basic affirmations of our faith.

In times before our own, it was common for clergy to urge families to teach these questions and answers to their children. When a traveling Methodist preacher visited a home, he was instructed to speak with the children individually and discover whether they could answer the questions from the catechism. If they could not, the preacher was instructed to admonish and encourage the parents to attend to their Christian duty of teaching these things so that the children would have an understanding of the faith.

We have long set such practices aside, but the condition of the wider church in America today would not provide great reassurance that abandoning such teaching has born good fruit. The catechism of 1648 has 107 questions and answers. I doubt that on this blog I will comment on them all. I do hope that this post and a few more like might pique the interest of some in our church to revisit what has been lost, perhaps to the good of our congregations, our faith, and our families.

I will list each question and answer as they appear in the book I am using as my source. I will follow each with some reflections of my own, which I hope are in keeping with sound Christian teaching.

Question 1. What is the chief end of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Just read that again. What is your purpose as a human being? Why do you exist? Often, when we answer these questions, our answers are focused on ourselves. We live in a culture that is not merely individualistic. It is relentlessly selfish. The point of our existence is to live our own truth. It is all about me. Our two great anthems are “I Did It My Way” and “Let It Go,” depending on your age and sex.

In other cultures, of course, there are answers to these questions that are not selfish but still fail to reflect Christian teaching. History is rife with examples of brutal collectivist cultures that are equally godless as our self-obsessed one. The root problem is godlessness. The fruit of any culture — individualistic or collectivist — that springs from such soil is poisonous to true human flourishing.

As Christians, we believe the answer to the question “What is a human being for?” is rooted in God. Why did God create us in the first place, and what does he intend for our lives? If we begin here, we avoid many of the train wrecks of modern culture, but, of course, we cannot then avoid friction with the culture that has lost all meaningful reference to God in its reflections about the deepest questions.

When we say our purpose, or chief end, is to glorify God, we do not mean merely that we are meant to run around all day saying how great God is. That is not a bad thing to do, but it fails to capture the main point. Human beings, as the pinnacle of creation are themselves to reflect glory to God. The same way a brilliant painting or a genius invention gives us occasion to praise the painter or the inventor for their work, so human beings are meant to be the source of similar praise for our creator.

“Just look at those people. Wow. It must be some amazing God who could create creatures like those.”

The rub, of course, is that we are quite often not the source of any kind of praise. We humans, as Paul writes, fall short of the glory of God. To look at us and what we do does not spur us to give God glory but more often gives us cause to ask what God was possibly thinking or even to question if he exists at all.

This, of course, is not how God intended us to be and he will not leave us in this state. He will have creatures who give him glory. His plans and intentions for that will become clear as we delve more deeply into the catechism. But even in this first answer we find some indication of the way ahead.

Our purpose is two-fold. We are to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Part of our healing and restoration comes along the path that makes us capable again of enjoying God, of rejoicing in God, forever. Most people I encounter struggle to enjoy God. Many give him no thought. Many view him the way they view a restaurant waiter who seems overmatched for the dinner rush hour. Some fear God. A few do have moments of true joy in God that is not manufactured from within but arises from an overflowing sense of God’s goodness, love, mercy, and grace. Even these happy few often find those moment fleeting.

The purpose, the end of our lives, is to become those whose joy is in God and who reflect glory on their creator in this life and the life to come. Knowing that might lead us to ask how we learn the way to fulfill that purpose, which leads us to question 2.

Question 2. What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

Answer: The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

The answer to the first question gives us a purpose. It answers a question of vast importance: “Why am I here?” Knowing that puts us far ahead of those who are still attempting to construct their own purpose and meaning, but the answer to this first question opens up many more, especially the question of “How do I do that?”

The good news is that God has given us a book to help us. The Bible is sacred to us because God gave it to us. It is a gift to instruct and lead us into salvation. In it we find the words of God spoken through prophets and apostles and Christ directly.

It is not always a simple book, although there is a great deal that is quite simply and plainly laid out for us. Indeed, it is the plainer parts that we often struggle the most with. It is, however, a book written for our good. It is a trustworthy guide and a wise teacher. For Christians it is the final authority on questions relating to our faith, what we believe and how we live it.

Question 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach?

Answer: The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

The Bible teaches us what to believe about God and what we are required to do. It is not answer book that has index entries for “Which career path should I walk?” or “How do I make my children obey me?” And yet it lays out the foundational principles and rules of conduct that give us the tools to work out what matters most in life.

This is not to say the Bible is just a list of rules. It is a vast treasure trove. Sometimes you learn stories that reinforce a teaching of God or highlight what happens when we ignore God. Sometimes you read prayers written in anguish or fear but also rooted ultimately in faith. Sometimes you read letters of advice scribbled out in prison cells to churches that seem just as messed up as many of our churches are today.

The Bible is all these things and more, but what it is finally for us is a guide to believing and living in ways that bring glory to God and enable us to enjoy him forever. This is why we still read it in church every Sunday. It is why you should read it.

Nothing I’ve written here is ground breaking. It does however lay two indispensable foundations for everything that follows: Our purpose is to glorify God. The Bible is the means God has given the church to learn how to do that. Think how different the life of our church would be if every member not only could recite these answers but also truly made them the cornerstones of their life. Wouldn’t that be amazing to see?

What is a Methodist?

A question that I often get, especially from visitors or new members of our church, is some version of “What is a Methodist?”

That is a good question. Unfortunately, if you search for “United Methodist Church” on Google these days, you are likely to get a lot of different answers to that question. For me, the best answer to such questions is to look back at the beginning of the movement that would become the Methodist church. It started in the 1700s in England with John and Charles Wesley and a small group of young men who were convinced the church needed renewal.

One of John Wesley’s writings that I most appreciate is a tract he wrote to answer the questions people still ask. What is a Methodist? Are we different from other Christians? What makes us different. Wesley wrote “The Character of a Methodist” to speak to his fellow Christians who were confused by this energetic new movement in the church.

His initial description of a Methodist is simple on its surface: “A Methodist is one who has ‘the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him;’ one who ‘loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength.'” Such a person is filled with the joy of God. Such people are full of thanks and hope and peace.

They take Scripture as their guide in all matters of faith and practice. They pray without ceasing. Their hearts are purified by the love of God so as to banish all envy, malice, wrath, and pride from them. They are humble and possessed of a single desire: to do the will of God in all things, to avoid all things that God has forbidden and to do all things that he has commanded. They do good to all men and women, especially by attempting to save the lost and build them up in faith.

These are the marks of a Methodist, Wesley writes. To Wesley, these marks should not be remarkable at all among Christians. Indeed, he never understood himself to be establishing a new sect or denomination within Christianity. What he preached and taught were, he thought, just plain and simple Christianity itself.

He understood Methodists to be very sharply distinguished from the unbelieving world around them. By “unbelievers” Wesley meant not only atheists but also Jews, Muslims, Hindus, pagans and all other forms of non-Christian belief. He understood there to be a clear distinction between Christians and non-Christians. Among the believers, his desire was for there to be no distinction between Methodists and all other “real” Christians, those who are inwardly and outwardly conformed to the will of God, who think, speak, and live according to the word of Jesus Christ, who are renewed in an image and righteousness of God, and who walk as Christ walked.

To be clear, Wesley believed there were a lot of people who went by the name of Christian who were not Christians in the only sense that mattered. There were many who had the outward form of Christianity but they had not the power of it. They had neither the power that declares them righteous before God nor that triumphs over sin in their own lives.

In the end, his pamphlet is an appeal for unity among the true Christians in England who shared a Savior but might differ when it comes to modes of worship or church governance or other non-essential matters.

I think all Christians, and certainly all Methodists, should be able to “amen” that. We believe there are true Christians in every expression of Christianity. We also believe that in every denomination and church there are those who bear the name of Christian but do not bear the image of Christ. The true unity of the church has less to do with formal agreements among the institutional structures of the various denominations. The true unity is when Christians recognize, pray for, pray with, and share in gospel work with other Christians regardless of what building they worship in on Sunday morning or what non-essential differences may keep them from regular fellowship.

What is a Methodist? Perhaps the best simple answer is a Methodist is a Christian who is determined to follow Jesus in all things. We Methodists don’t want to build walls between Christians who go by other names — Presbyterian, Catholic, Baptist, Pentecostal. We want to open the doors of fellowship with all who bear the unremarkable biblical marks of true Christianity.