# WLC answers



## Amazing Grace (Dec 22, 2009)

A friend of mine asked me if I knew why those who penned the WLC put so many answers to the questions. I have no idea. Does anyone have any input on this? To be more clear, it seems an answer like "No sports allowed...." Would have listed 77 different sports. Did they go around a table and allow all present to say something to be included?


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## Scott1 (Dec 22, 2009)

> Westminster Larger Catechism
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> ....
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> ...



If I'm understanding your question, the question and answer format of the Westminster Catechisms is a concise way of summarizing doctrine.

The Westminster Standards (Confession, Larger and Shorter Catechisms) are set up so that each statement and each proposition within each statement represents doctrine of Scripture.

It is not written toward ambiguity, nor toward compromise between various views. It represents the agreed essentials very specifically and sticks right to them throughout.

This of course is in contrast to much writing, today and in the past where ambiguity and compromise is actually sought as a purpose for the prose.

But to approach the special revelation of God as the peculiar province of the intellectual opinion of a few men, would be great sin, and so the Standards eschew this throughout.

That's why a proposition that may be only one word is footnoted as the example from question 7 above.

Each attribute of God footnoted was agreed by the broader committee of the (Westminster) Divines to be a necessary doctrinal attribute, in light of Scripture and perhaps in light of truths historically contended for in the Christian Church.

For example, this question (7.) alone goes a long way toward establishing the sovereignty of God. It militates against modern day Arminian influence (and Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism of earlier days).

So, when we as fallen creatures, limited, creations of our God demand that God justify His ways to us (by making them sound "fair" to us) or when we require "explanation" of details as a condition of our faith, we are, in effect, making ourselves god-like. Our intellect becomes the arbitrator of all things, the measure of all things by which God must prove Himself to us. (This is sin, an offense to our Creator. It is a form of idolatry).

So, in this instance, the attributes summarize doctrine of God (sovereignty) by attributes that revealed in Scripture, "infinite in being," and "incomprehensible" and "every where present."

Were the Catechism summarizing the doctrine of Scripture regarding "sports" it likely would not be germane to itemize sports because the point of the doctrine is not the variety of sport, but in something intrinsic to it generally.


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## KaphLamedh (Dec 22, 2009)

Westminster Larger Catechism is great. It tells everything so thoroughly.


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## NaphtaliPress (Dec 22, 2009)

Here is some background on the Larger Catechism.
"The Making of the Westminster Larger Catechism" by Chad B. Van Dixhoorn

Some years back Dr. Van Dixhoorn, the author of the above, rediscovered the original two surviving manuscripts of the Larger Catechism (the tale he tells in the transcripts, see below). These were clearly the two presented to the Parliament for their review, one to the House of Commons and one to the House of Lords, each in a different "hand" and with variations. 

Chad asked me to transcribe the two MSS since he knew I was working on critical text work. After submitting a draft I worked some years to perfect it with more research and published the text this year via Westminster Letter Press.

_*The Larger Catechism of the Westminster Assembly: A Transcription of the Surviving Manuscripts with Notes.*_


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