April 26, 2023
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:13–14 esv
Taxonomists have wrongly defined the chief characteristic of human beings: according to the science books - we are Homo Sapiens - that is, “knowing man.” This is false because it states that our chief distinction among the animal world is our ability to think and reason. They come close to the mark, but because they have not considered Genesis 1-2 they fail in grasping the purpose of our God given reasoning abilities. That purpose (that thing for which we were created) is worship, as is seen here in Psalm 139. Scripture tells us that we are Homo Laudans - that is, “praising man.” This truth is quite evident at every corner of human history, but it it also present in a distilled form in the Westminster Shorter Catechism which states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Our reasoning ability is instrumental to the purpose of worship, but it is the expression of reason in and through worship of our Creator and Redeemer God that serves as humanity's defining characteristic. On this upcoming Sunday, Adult Ed. will be discussing Coram Deo’s philosophy of worship - in advance of our conversation I want to invite to consider these questions:
Do you go about your day with the understanding that worship and enjoyment of God is the reason behind your existence?
If worship is our defining characteristic - how present is the impulse to praise the Lord in my daily life?
How do the commands of scripture to praise the LORD with song instruct our daily posture before Him?
—Matt Allhands
