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Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 1 asks the most fundamental question of human existence: “What is the chief end of man?” The answer—”Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever”—provides a profound framework for understanding the entire Christian life. In this episode, we explore how these fourteen words encapsulate the complete structure of Reformed theology, dividing our purpose into two interconnected parts: right belief (glorifying God) and right practice (enjoying Him). This pattern of doctrine and duty forms the foundation for a life that finds true meaning and satisfaction in God alone, while revealing the emptiness of all alternative “chief ends” that promise fulfillment but ultimately lead to restlessness and disorder.
Key Takeaways
- The Westminster Divines’ answer to “What is man’s chief end?” perfectly summarizes the entire Christian life and the structure of the catechism itself.
- Glorifying God begins with right belief—we cannot properly glorify a God we don’t properly know.
- Enjoying God represents the duty God requires of man—a duty of delight rather than drudgery.
- Belief and duty (glorifying and enjoying God) are not two separate ends but a unified whole.
- Every person has a chief end; if it’s not God, it will be something else that will ultimately fail to satisfy.
- False “chief ends” (wealth, career, reputation, family, etc.) promise satisfaction but deliver anxiety and restlessness.
- Right belief in God drives proper duty in all areas of life—work, relationships, and even suffering.
Key Concepts
The Necessary Foundation of Right Belief
Glorifying God requires first having right thoughts about Him. The author of Hebrews makes this clear in 11:6, establishing two foundational beliefs: that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. This means acknowledging God as the bedrock of all reality and recognizing His character as one who engages with creation and is good to those who draw near. Without these fundamental beliefs, we cannot please or glorify God. This explains why Paul builds eleven chapters of systematic theology in Romans before culminating in doxology. Our worship and glorification of God must flow from sound doctrine—right beliefs about who God is and what He has done. This is why the catechism later emphasizes “what man is to believe concerning God” as the first principle of what Scripture teaches.
The Joyful Duty of Enjoying God
The second part of our chief end—enjoying God forever—transforms our understanding of Christian duty. Rather than a burdensome list of obligations, our duty becomes a participation in God’s own work, walking the path He has prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10). This enjoyment is not passive but active—a deep, soul-level satisfaction in God that shapes how we live. The Psalmist exemplifies this in Psalm 73 when he declares, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” This represents a conscious choice to find ultimate satisfaction in God alone. When we embrace this joyful duty, we find that our obedience flows not from obligation but from delight, and our practice harmonizes with our belief, creating a unified, purposeful life that glorifies God precisely because we find our highest joy in Him.
Memorable Quotes
“Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God we’ve got to first believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
“Every man has a chief end, whether he acknowledges it or not. If your chief end is not to glorify and enjoy God, it will be to glorify and enjoy something else… And here is the tragedy: every one of those things is a cruel master.”
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. To believe in Him truly, and to perform the joyful duty of delighting in Him in response. This is the pattern for the Christian life, laid out for us from the very beginning.”
Full Transcript
Welcome to the Reformed Standard. Let’s get started.
On Tuesday, we asked the most fundamental question of human existence: What is the chief end of man? Today, we turn to the catechism’s beautiful, profound, and life-altering answer.
[00:00:18] The Chief End of Man: Glorify God
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.
Now, I want you to see something remarkable about this answer. In these fourteen words, the Westminster divines have given us a perfect summary of the entire Christian life and, in fact, the entire structure of the catechism itself.
Later, the catechism will tell us that the Scriptures principally teach two things: First, what man is to believe concerning God. And second, what duty God requires of man. Belief, and duty. Doctrine, and practice. This is the fundamental pattern of Reformed theology. And that pattern is laid out for us right here, in this very first answer.
Let’s break it down.
[00:01:00] Right Belief: The Foundation of Glorifying God
The first part of our chief end is to glorify God. This, loved ones, is the summary of everything we are to believe concerning God. Glorifying God begins with right belief. It begins in the mind.
We can’t properly glorify a God we don’t properly know. Worship that isn’t grounded in truth is just empty sentiment. To glorify God is to have right thoughts about Him, as He has revealed Himself in Scripture, and then to declare and reflect that truth.
The author of Hebrews makes this starting point crystal clear. In chapter 11, verse 6, he writes: “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God we’ve got to first believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Notice the two foundational beliefs required. First, we must believe that He’s there. This is the bedrock of all reality. Before we can have any other right thought about God, we must believe the most basic truth: He exists. This is the starting line of all sound doctrine.
Second, we must believe that He’s a rewarder of those who seek Him. This tells us something crucial about His character. He’s not a distant, disinterested deity. He’s a God who engages with His creation, a God whose nature is to be good to those who draw near.
Without this foundational belief, you can’t please God, and therefore you can’t glorify Him. Right belief is the non-negotiable entry point to fulfilling our purpose.
This is why Paul, in Romans, can build eleven chapters of dense, systematic theology, and have it all culminate in that great doxology we looked at: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” His worship—his glorifying of God—flows directly from his doctrine. Right belief leads to glorifying God. That’s the first half of our purpose.
But it doesn’t stop in the realm of ideas. And that brings us to the second part.
[00:03:00] Enjoying God: The Duty of Delight
Our chief end is also to enjoy him for ever. This is the summary of the duty God requires of man. If glorifying God is about right belief, enjoying God is about the right practice that flows from that belief. It’s the duty of the Christian life, but it’s a duty of delight, not drudgery. This duty isn’t a self-generated list of tasks.
It’s a participation in God’s own work. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 2 that we are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Our duty, then, is to joyfully walk in the path that God has already laid out for us. And the way we walk that path is by finding our enjoyment in the one who designed it. This enjoyment is a deep, soul-level satisfaction in God that actively shapes how we live.
The psalmist shows us what this duty looks like in Psalm 73: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you…God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” This is the language of active duty. The psalmist makes a conscious choice to find his satisfaction in God alone. This is the joyful duty, the right practice, that God requires of us.
Now, here’s the crucial connection.
[00:04:19] The Unified Whole: Belief and Duty
Belief and duty—glorifying and enjoying—aren’t two separate ends. They are a unified whole. We most fully glorify God—we best live out our belief—when we live in joyful conformity to His law.
[00:04:32] The Consequences of a Misguided Chief End
But what happens when we get this wrong? What are the consequences of choosing a different chief end? Every man has a chief end, whether he acknowledges it or not. If your chief end is not to glorify and enjoy God, it will be to glorify and enjoy something else. Wealth. Career. Reputation. Family. Political power. Personal comfort.
And here is the tragedy: every one of those things is a cruel master. If your chief end is wealth, you’ll never have enough, and you’ll live in constant fear of losing it. If your chief end is your career, your identity’ll rise and fall with your last success or failure. If your chief end is even a good thing, like your family, you place an infinite weight on a finite thing, and you’ll crush it, and it’ll crush you.
These false gods promise satisfaction but deliver anxiety. They promise freedom but deliver slavery. Augustine was right when he said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Any chief end other than God is a recipe for a restless, disordered, and ultimately meaningless life.
This is why the catechism’s answer is such good news. It frees us from the tyranny of these lesser things.
[00:05:47] Practical Applications of Glorifying and Enjoying God
So, what does this look like, practically? It means your belief in God’s excellence drives your duty to pursue excellence in your work, without making your work an idol. It means your belief in Christ’s covenant-keeping love drives your duty to love and serve your wife, without demanding she be the source of your ultimate joy. It means that in your suffering, loved ones, your belief in God’s sovereignty drives your duty to cling to Him as your only sufficient portion, thereby glorifying His faithfulness in the midst of your pain.
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. To believe in Him truly, and to perform the joyful duty of delighting in Him in response. This is the pattern for the Christian life, laid out for us from the very beginning.
Thank you for listening. This episode was written by Tony Arsenal and the audio was produced with the assistance of an AI speaker.