Called Out

Alee, you bring out a thread of thought that has been around for a little while. In fact, the Westminster Catechism (developed in 1647) addresses this idea. There are two versions of the catechism, a shorter version and a larger version. The shorter version is by far the more read. The Westminster Catechism deals with 107 different questions of a "doctrinal" nature. You can read it by clicking here. This particular site also has links so that you can see the passages of scripture the group who wrote the Westminster Catechism believed supported their vantage point. It should be noted that this is one of the more influential writings in Christendom, but there are still many out there that disagree with many parts of what is written.

The first question asked in the catechism is, "What is the chief end of man?" The simple answer given is that "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."

John Piper wrote a book Desiring God that deals with this idea head on and actually begins to expound upon it a touch. He asserts that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. In other words, God created us in such a loving way that we can find joy and peace in life. When we engage fully in those pleasures, we bring the ultimate glory to God. It's really quite an interesting read. I don't know that I track with all of it, but I think he has some really great things to say. The one additional thought that I'll throw out here to try to clarify the book a bit is that Piper is really referring to full pleasure. His contention (and he actually quotes C.S. Lewis here) is that the problem we have as people is not that we pursue pleasure, it's that we are too easily satisfied. For instance, our problem is not that we are seeking love, but that we are willing to settle for lust and sex instead.

I think this viewpoint is one that we have to look at with a careful lens. On one hand, it's easy to distort the message of Jesus into something that is entirely selfish and about us alone. On the other hand, we can overlook the intimate love of God that is clearly displayed in several areas of scripture (see numerous parables of Jesus for examples).