Marks of Masculine Leadership

Download MP3

Synopsis

The answer to the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism — "What is the chief end of man?" — is famous within historic Protestant Christianity: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." That certainly gives us much biblical help with the chief end of man, but what is the chief end of men?

Rich Richardson told men at the Pursuit Conference that the chief end of men was established in the Garden of Eden as they were created by God for the purpose of leadership.

This truth rings clear in the first three chapters of Scripture, Richardson said, for several reasons: God created man first, made man the head of the entire human race, gave man the task of naming the woman, called the human race "man" after Adam, held man morally responsible for eating the forbidden fruit even though Eve ate first, and provided man with a suitable helpmate. Thus, the irreducible call of men is a call to leadership.

"There is a picture emerging here of management and responsibility, one in which Adam, and us by extension, are called to function in a clear and specific way. To be able to understand what the chief end of men is, we must understand what we are created to do and to be able to attach a definition to the word man...We can actually define man in one word: leader; man is a leader. Man equals leader. Every man in here is called to lead in some way... Imprinted on our DNA is the call and direction to lead. That is how we were created."

Richardson serves as senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Gilbert, Arizona, the host congregation for The Pursuit conference.