Romans 11:36
36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
Reflection: A Famous First Catechism
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
Why are we here? The atheist has always struggled to answer this question. If we are just the random result of billions of years of evolutionary process… if we are kin to apes and merely upgraded animals with a heightened intellect… if we are essentially just atoms coming together of no greater value than the common frog… then what in the world is the purpose of life? If we are intrinsically only the product of natural selection, then my answer to that question is as good as yours. If evolution is true, then who am I to presume that my answer is any more authoritative than yours? If you say, “we are here to bring about a greater good,” well… I might answer, “says who?” That opinion is of no greater weight than the person who says, “we have no purpose… we should all live to make ourselves happy.” In the world of natural, evolutionary selection, there is no moral right and wrong (except merely what people in their own societies determine… and even that begs the question “says who?”).
I love that the first Catechism in the Westminster Catechism goes like this:
Question: What is the chief end of man?
Answer: To glorify God and enjoy him forever.
Why are we here? Well, know this: there is a God. He is glorious. He created us. He is big and we are small. We are created; He is Creator. We, therefore, owe him a great deal. And what is the main thing we ought to do with respect to this glorious God? We should glorify him! That is why we exist… to glorify God. He is THE REASON. His glory. The universe does not revolve around me and my whims. It is not about my opinion and my desires. Life is not about my glory, or for my self-serving purposes. God created us, for his glory’s sake. We exist to make a great name of God. To life God up. To glorify and exalt God. What a contrast to the shallow and meaninglessness of life as constructed by the atheist and non-believer. Life for them is utterly foolish… seeking an answer to life’s greatest question and never coming up with an answer that offers any value and hope. Imagine… “what is the meaning of life, my dear atheist friend?” “I don’t know but I we are trying to figure it out!” They are hopelessly in an abyss. “What, my Christian friend, do you think is the meaning of life?” “Glad you asked! It is to live in a way that makes much of the greatness and awe of God, because he is good!”
Prayer
Lord, may we make much of you, glorifying you with every fiber of our being. And may we tell others about the wondrous works of your great hand!
