Good Morning!
This week for our confessional moment I want to talk a little bit more about how confessions and for our purposes particularly how catechisms work. We understand through the conversation we’ve had through August the reasons behind why we are to confess and what it means to confess a set of doctrines and Bible teachings, and how they are summarized for us helpfully in a neat, clean package. They are bound in a such a way so that we can use them for God’s people, and to show others what we believe and why we believe it. Not enough time though is spent in getting down to the practical question of how catechisms are constructed in order to grow us in discipleship and love for Jesus. Yesterday evening in our Wednesday night devotion as we conversed about the same kind of question concerning how corporate worship was to work for our benefit. There is often a lack of clarity outside of “we’ve always done it, and it’s part of our history”. We all agree (I hope) that this is not a sufficient answer. We need to know, and be able to articulate in our own words as to why we are to encourage families, individuals (and as we do at Bethany) and for our Sabbath School teachers to lead their students in their catechism time each Lord’s Day morning.
There is nothing new under the sun. Catechizing, or whatever it went by in the past, is a common way we teach children in several different subjects during the week. Children themselves are seemingly naturally made to learn this way. They are constantly saying “why” after we tell them something. It forces us to go deeper and more in depth than we may have started our conversation intending to go. While a parent is forced to often close the endless stream by saying, “Because I said so” as Christians we should never be willing to cut off the honest inquiry of believers and unbelievers alike with such a terse word. The cool thing about serving an infinite and eternal God is that there is never an end to His goodness, mercy, and grace. We are literally going to spend our Heavenly rest learning more and more forever and ever. Each time we learn a new fact it raises our love and joy to be a part of the good news of Jesus Christ. The same can be said for the practical benefit of a biblical catechism.
The one we know the most about is the Westminster Shorter and (and to a lesser extent) Larger. They have those monikers merely because of their length. The WSC has 107 questions, the WLC 196. But for our purposes they operate exactly the same. They begin with a statement about the meaning of life (something everyone thinks about) and then move from that to answering that question with another question until at the end of each you are working your way through understanding prayer and worship to and for the God you’ve grown to adore more and more through the process. The building of faith through the work of catechetical instruction is an act of putting together the bones of your own understanding through which when you read your Bible you can better internalize the teaching you receive through the word of God. Often we struggle with the Scriptures because we are in ourselves ignorant of the bigger picture, and in knowing who God is and how He works. It is by the effort we put into expanding our mind that we benefit more deeply from His perfect truth.
In closing, the Q&A structure of the catechism is part and parcel of the life of all churches, whether we realize it or not. We talked before about people who think all these “man-made” constructions get in the way of really meeting with God. This is not so. Thinking through the structure of faith is a key way the Lord in His grace has given us to better know Him. Jesus Himself uses this means of teaching when He is alone with His disciples. The leading questions that get the former tax collector and fishermen to think through what is happening in front of their eyes enables them when the time comes to receive the totality of the work of Christ with faith and a heart burning to be obedient to Him. It is because their Savior catechized that they were able to enjoy in the midst of persecution all the current and future blessings.
Blessings in Christ,
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church
