Your Cart

Your cart is empty.

The Shorter Catechism's First Question: What Is the Chief End of Man?

Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.
By Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.

Ordained Minister, M.Div.

June 13, 2026

2 min read

Oil painting of a believer glorifying God and enjoying Him forever depicted as joyful worship in Westminster Reformed golden light

Q1 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: What is the chief end of man? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. These twenty words are among the most quoted in all of Christian catechetical history. They have been memorized by millions across four centuries of Presbyterian and Reformed Christianity.

Two Ends, Not One

The answer is not simply to glorify God. It is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. This conjunction is crucial. Glorifying God and enjoying God are not in tension; they are the same thing rightly understood. Enjoying God is itself a form of glorifying Him, because He is most honored when His creatures delight in what He truly is.

What Chief End Means

Chief end means primary purpose: the telos of human existence, the answer to what human life is fundamentally for. Every other human good, achievement, relationship, and pleasure finds its proper meaning when ordered toward this chief end. Wealth, knowledge, creativity, love of family: all are good, but they are sub-ends that serve the chief end rather than replacing it.

A Counter to Modern Individualism

Modern culture often treats the chief end of man as self-actualization: finding and expressing your authentic self. The Shorter Catechism insists the self finds its fulfillment not in itself but in God. Human beings are made for something outside and beyond themselves, and they are most human when they are most oriented toward their Creator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism?

The first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, 'What is the chief end of man?' and the answer is, 'Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.' Composed by the Westminster Assembly between 1647 and 1648, this question and answer have been called one of the finest sentences in the English language. It establishes that the ultimate purpose of human existence is not self-fulfillment but the glory of God, with human joy as the fruit of that God-centered orientation.

What does it mean to glorify God in everyday life?

To glorify God means to display, honor, and magnify his character and worth in all aspects of life, from worship and prayer to work, relationships, and recreation. The Westminster Larger Catechism expands this by specifying that glorifying God involves knowing, loving, fearing, trusting, and obeying him in every sphere of existence. Paul captures this comprehensively in 1 Corinthians 10:31: 'Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.'

How does 'enjoying God' relate to 'glorifying God' in the catechism answer?

John Piper famously rephrased the catechism's answer as 'the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever,' arguing that the two goals are not in tension but that our enjoyment of God is itself glorifying to him. The Shorter Catechism's 'and' connecting glorifying and enjoying reflects the Augustinian insight that humans are restless until they rest in God, so that authentic joy is found in God himself rather than in created things. This integration of duty and delight is characteristic of the best Reformed piety.

Who was the Westminster Shorter Catechism written for?

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was specifically designed for the instruction of children and new believers, distinguishing it from the more comprehensive Westminster Larger Catechism intended for theological education and public worship. It was approved by the Westminster Assembly in 1647 and became the standard catechism for Presbyterian churches in Scotland, England, and later North America. Generations of Scottish and Ulster-Scots children memorized it as their primary theological education, and it remains in active use in Presbyterian and Reformed churches today.

How does the Westminster Shorter Catechism compare to the Heidelberg Catechism?

Both the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) and the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) are masterpieces of Reformed catechetical instruction, but they differ in tone and structure. The Heidelberg Catechism is warmer and more devotional in style, organized around comfort, sin, and gratitude, and is addressed to the individual believer in the second person singular. The Westminster Shorter Catechism is more systematic and precise, organized around God, human duty, and the means of grace, making it particularly effective for doctrinal instruction.

← Back to all articles