"The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever."

1. The Tension in the Statement

The Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.1 teaches:

“The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”

This statement calls the church to worship, delight, and unity in Christ. Yet, in reality, churches sometimes descend into lawsuits, schisms, and harsh disputes over things like Perfect TR or KJV-onlyism.

This is a painful contradiction:

On one hand: Glorify and enjoy God.

On the other hand: Fight and sue each other over Bible versions.

Yes, it can sound cruel and ironic, almost as if we betray the very God we claim to glorify.

2. Why This Happens

Misplaced Zeal

Christians sometimes love their doctrinal systems more than they love God Himself or their fellow believers (Rom. 14:17–19).

Confusing Secondary with Primary Issues

  The gospel is central (1 Cor. 15:3–4). But when Bible version debates are elevated to the level of the gospel itself, unity is broken.

Pride and Fear

  Instead of trusting that God can preserve His Word without our battles, fear drives believers to over-defend, even against brothers in Christ. Pride makes us say: “Only we are right.”

3. The Cruel Irony

When Christians sue each other over Perfect TR/KJV, the watching world sees a divided, bitter church rather than a people who glorify and enjoy God.

Paul rebuked the Corinthians for this exact problem:

“To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” (1 Cor. 6:7).

The cruelty lies in the fact that the very Word of God—given to bring life, unity, and joy—is turned into a weapon of division.

4. How to Reconcile

If we truly want to glorify God and enjoy Him forever:

1. Keep the Gospel Central — Bible translations are important, but salvation in Christ is infinitely more important.

2. Practice Humility — admit no one has a monopoly on truth except Christ Himself (John 14:6).

3. Seek Peace, Not Lawsuits — Scripture calls lawsuits among believers a failure (1 Cor. 6).

4. Use Scripture to Build, Not Break — God’s Word was given “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16), not for church politics and lawsuits.

It does sound cruel when churches that should glorify God by enjoying Him forever instead end up dividing, suing, and fighting over Bible versions. It shows how easily human pride can hijack holy things.