Q: What things are chiefly contained in the holy scriptures?

A: The holy scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man.

All men are exhorted to read, hear, and understand scripture not out of arbitrary requirement, but because of the content of the holy scriptures. The holy scriptures contain what man ought to believe concerning God. Once again the catechism brings up the moral responsibility that creatures believe certain truths about their Creator. The Bible is not a mere handbook that Christians can reference from time to time when they desire more “spirituality” in their lives. The Bible is God’s special revelation of Himself to mankind. This means that Scripture is objectively true, and all truth makes demands on us as image-bearers of God. We are obligated to believe everything that Scripture teaches about God, no more and no less. God’s character is revealed to us through His law, which has implications on our duties before Him. So the chief contents of scripture are the character of our Creator and the duties that our Creator demands of His creatures.

Scriptural Basis:

Exodus 19:4-6 (ESV) “ 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel."

Before the giving of the Ten Commandments and their application to the life of Israel, God commanded Moses to speak these words to the people of Israel. This charge involved both what Israel should believe about God as well as what God required of Israel. The Israelites were required to believe that God delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians in order to bring them to Himself. This meant that Israel could not believe that she delivered herself out of Egypt or that she was now independent from God. As a result of God’s character and what He had done for Israel, He required that Israel obey His voice and keep His covenant. Within this charge prior to the giving of God’s law-word on Mt. Sinai, we see a representation of the major contents of all scripture. 

Psalm 119:2 (ESV) “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,”

The Psalmist called those who keep God’s testimonies blessed. This idea of keeping God’s testimonies is further fleshed out by the latter half of the verse. Those who are blessed not only keep God’s testimonies but also seek Him with their whole heart. Once again we find the catechism’s summation of the contents of scripture paired together in a close relationship. Those who seek to know God through His Word (testimonies) will be faced with the responsibility of believing exactly what the Word says about God, nothing more or less. This right understanding of God will always lead the believer back to the duties that God’s character requires of him. The result of obedience to both scripture’s chief contents is a blessing from God. 

Worldview Challenge:

In our current relativistic climate, spiritual beliefs are considered a free-for-all. It is not uncommon to find individuals who pull facets from multiple different religions and philosophies in order to create their own, unique belief system. When religion is treated as a product designed for a consumer, the customer is always right. However, biblical Christianity is not a consumer religion. God’s chief end is His own glory. Therefore, man’s chief end is to glorify God (and enjoy Him forever). Scripture’s chief contents reflect this reality. God is glorified when we believe what scripture teaches about Him and when we obey Him in the duties He has required of us. God is not glorified when we approach scripture as a book of sayings from which we can pick and choose what we will or will not accept. If God is our Creator who is worthy of glory, then His Word is authoritative and worthy of our full submission.

Remember: 

Catechisms should be used as a helpful tool alongside a healthy intake of Holy Scripture. They should never replace God’s Word because their usefulness depends upon their accurate representation of God’s Word. When using these tools, always ground the answers in the scripture references provided.