Jan 24
7
Baptist Catechism 1 & 2
Q. 1. Who is the first and chiefest being?
A. God is the first and chiefest being. (Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 97:9)
Q. 2. Ought everyone to believe there is a God?
A. Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not. (Hebrews 11:6, Psalm 14:1)
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 44:6–8
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.’” (Isaiah 44:6–8, ESV)
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Introduction
You notice that we have now come full circle back to the beginning of our catechism. Our catechism provides us with a faithful summary of the core tenets of the Christian faith as they are found in the pages of Holy Scripture. It should be no surprise to find that our catechism begins with the most foundational tenets of the Christian faith. When learning to read one must start with the A-B-C’s. When learning math one must learn how to count and how to add. And when learning the great doctrines of the Christian faith one must begin with the most foundational principles of religion. And that is where our catechism begins – questions 1 through 6 deal with the first principles of the Christian religion.
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Who Is The First And Chiefest Being?
(This manuscript draws heavily on Benjamin Beddome’s, A Scriptural Exposition Of The Baptist Catechism)
Question 1 asks, who is the first and chiefest being? The answer is brief: God is the first and chiefest being.
This is a great place to start when talking about theology. All good theology starts with God.
When we say that God is the first being, what do we mean? Many things!
God is the first of all beings because he was before all others. “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6, ESV)
God is also the first cause of all other beings. All other beings were brought into existence by him and for him. “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6, ESV)
God is the first in providence. By this we mean, he is the one who upholds the world. “In him we live and move and have our being… For we are indeed his offspring.” (Acts 17:28, ESV)
God is first in the world of grace. He is the source of every blessing that is ours in Christ Jesus. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV)
God is the first to love. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, ESV)
God is the first to give. “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” (Romans 11:35, ESV)
So this little statement that God is the first being is very profound. When we think of the world and all that has been made, we must remember that there is a being who is first. He is before all others. He is the first cause of all things. He is the creator, sustainer, and redeemer of all things. He is our source.
And what about the statement that God is the chiefest being? What do we mean by that?
When we say that God is chiefest we mean that no one outranks God. “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11, ESV)
God is above all so-called gods. “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” (Psalm 95:3, ESV)
God is chief in heaven. “For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:6–8, ESV)
God is chief on earth. “For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth…” (Psalm 97:9, ESV)
God alone is chief – he shares his supremacy with no one. “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2, ESV)
God will forever maintain his supremacy. “The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O Lord, are on high forever.” (Psalm 92:6–8, ESV)
Hear again Baptist Catechism question 1. Who is the first and chiefest being? A. God is the first and chiefest being. (Isaiah 44:6; Psalm 8:1; 97:9) Those who get this simple answer correct will find themselves off to a very good start in their pursuit of true doctrine. Those who get this answer wrong will find themselves on a very dark path.
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Ought Everyone To Believe There Is A God?
Question two of our catechism then asks, ought everyone to believe there is a God? A: Everyone ought to believe there is a God; and it is their great sin and folly who do not.
Of course, our catechism, just like the Scriptures, will have a lot more to say regarding what men should believe about God. Also, our catechism will teach that men must put their faith in Jesus if they wish to know God truly, now that we have fallen into sin. But it is right that we start here with this declaration that men ought to believe that God exists. In fact, our catechism adds, “it is their great sin and folly who do not.” It is a great sin to not that God exists, and it is great folly.
The scriptures teach this very thing. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God…’” (Psalm 14:1a, ESV)
To please God it is first required to believe that he exists. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV)
Disbelief in the existence of God opens the door to all manner of immorality and sin. “They…” the fool who says in his heart, “There is no God…” “are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.” (Psalm 14:1b, ESV)
Belief in the existence of God is foundational to all practical religion. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? (Romans 10:14, ESV)
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Conclusion
It should be clear to all that these questions and answers are the most foundational questions that one can ask. What we say in response to these questions will have a tremendous impact upon the trajectory of our life here on earth. And what we say in response to these questions will have a tremendous impact on our eternal destiny.
These fundamental questions might seem like they are below those who have been in the faith for a while, but I would challenge you to think otherwise. It is good even for the seasoned believer to ask, am I living as if there is a God? Am I honoring him as the first and chiefest being?
Brothers and sisters, is the Lord first in your thoughts and first in your esteem? Have you given yourself first unto him? Is the Lord chiefly loved by you and chiefly feared?
Let us conclude with Deuteronomy 10:12: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Happy are those who worship God supremely, for he is worthy to receive all praise, and it is right.
