The teaching of the Shorter Catechism on the Fourth Commandment

The following questions and answers are taken from Thomas Vincent's work 'The Shorter Catechism explained from Scripture' and cover questions fifty seven to sixty two in the Shorter Catechism. These questions deal with the fourth commandment and help us to understand what the Word of God teaches on the issue of Sabbath observance. Vincent's work may been produced over 300 years ago, yet it is still has much relevance and is helpful to our understanding of how God's Sabbath is to be sanctified.

LVII. Ques. Which is the fourth commandment?

Ans. The fourth commandment is, "Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it."

The benefit of the Shorter Catechism

The great C.H. Spurgeon had the following to say about the Shorter Catechism:

'For my part, I am more and more persuaded that the study of a good Scriptural catechism is of infinite value to our children, and I shall see that it is reprinted as cheaply as possible for your use. Even if the youngsters do not understand all the questions and answers in the “Westminster Assembly’s Catechism,” yet, abiding in their memories, it will be of infinite service when the time of understanding comes, to have those very excellent, wise, and judicious definitions of the things of God. If we would maintain orthodoxy in our midst, and see good old Calvinistic doctrines handed down from father to son, I think we must use the method of catechising, and endeavour with all our might to impregnate their minds with the things of God'

Sadly today there are many who put little value on teaching the Catechism to children. Entertainment in the church has taken over from teaching, and one place where this can be seen is in the lack of systematic catechising of children. Yet the same can be said of many adults also. They have never acquainted themselves with the contents of the Shorter Catechism, something which surely goes some way to explaining the deficiency of theological knowledge in many believers. Over the past 18 months I have managed to memorise the answer to all 107 questions in the Shorter Catechism, and can confirm from personal experience that it has been of great benefit. We would recommend that all believers seek to master it's contents, and that Sunday School teachers teach them to the children under their influence. The advantages gained from learning the Shorter Catechism are considerable.

Repentance unto life

What is repentance? We could answer the question cynically by saying that repentance is something which is rarely mentioned, for in many churches today it is no longer preached upon, the truth of the gospel being watered down so much that sin and repentance are absent from most sermons. The seeker sensitive method of preaching is employed instead, leading men to preach only upon that which the people wish to hear. The need for sinners to repent is not popular, therefore it is disregarded and left out of the message. Yet however unpopular and unpalatable the doctrine of repentance many be to sinful man, it is a necessary part of true conversion and something which needs to be repeatedly brought to the attention of those who are outside of Christ. Question number 87 of the Shorter Catechism describes repentance unto life as 'a saving grace, whereby a sinner out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience'. This statement gives a very clear description of what true repentance is, identifying five distinctive characteristics:

Are we guilty of taking the Lord's name in vain?

The words of the third commandment are well known to most believers; 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain'. The application of these words in the lives of many is however very limited. There are few Christians who would believe themselves to be guilty of breaking the third commandment for their view is that it only refers to those occasions when people will use the name of God, and that of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a swear word. As such they believe that they are not guilty of breaking this commandment. To use the Lord's name in such a manner most certainly is to break this commandment, including the popular abbreviation of 'OMG' as so often used today in text language. The scope of the third commandment is however much wider than that of simply using the Lord's name as a swear word, so much so that in truth we must confess that we are often as guilty as those who will use the name of the Lord as a swear word. Questions 54 and 55 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism give us some insight into what the Lord requires of us in obedience to the third commandment:

Man's purpose in life

The question has often been asked, what is the meaning of life? It is similarly phrased in the first question of the Westminster Short Catechism with 'What is man's chief end?' The answer given is that 'Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever'. This matter is well considered by Thomas Vincent in his book 'The Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture' where he ask the following questions, all of which with their answers, are well worth us taking our time to consider:

Q. 1. What is meant by the chief end of man?

A. The chief end of man, is that which man ought chiefly to aim at or design, to desire, seek after, and endeavour to obtain, as his chief good and happiness; unto which his life and his actions should be referred and directed; which is the glorifying of God, and the enjoying of God for ever.