Considering True Religion

It has been over a decade since I’ve read The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin.  I’ve been wanting to read it again, and I started today. 

Today I read through Book I, chapters 1-2.  Chapter 2 ends with this idea:

“Here indeed is pure and real religion: faith so joined with an earnest fear of God that this fear also embraces willing reverence and carries with it such legitimate worship as is prescribed in the law.” (I, 2, 2)

Faith is joined in fear.  We believe what God says and we hold Him in such reverence that we worship Him as He deems right.  True faith does not lead us to take God lightly; rather we take Him and His Word seriously.  How does Calvin get there?

True wisdom is comprised of knowledge of God and knowledge of ourselves.  Calvin argues that we cannot know ourselves accurately apart from knowing God.  We learn about God as we learn about ourselves.  He doesn’t go there just yet, but this is based on the fact that we are made in the image of God (imago dei).  You can’t possess true wisdom without knowing God.  You can’t possess true wisdom without knowing yourself.  This is essentially the path of the Proverbs.

“For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy- this pride is innate in all of us- unless by clear proofs we stand convinced of our own unrighteousness, foulness, folly, and impurity.  Moreover, we are not thus convinced if we look merely to ourselves and not also to the Lord, who is the sole standarnd by which this judgment must be measured.”  (I, 1, 2)

I won’t see myself as I really am until I begin to see God as He really is.  Again …

“As long as we do not look beyond the earth, being quite content with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue, we flatter ourselves more sweetly, and fancy ourselves all but demigods.”  (I, 1, 2)

He mentions how the prophets and other godly men were struck with great fear when they see God in His holiness.  If anyone should feel pretty good in the slightly unveiled glory of God, you’d think it would be Job or Elijah.  No!  Humbled, scared and a mouth full of praise.

Calvin holds to a twofold knowledge of God.  The first is as Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  It is the knowledge of God we can receive from General Revelation.  The second is as Redeemer, which is received only from Special Revelation, the Bible.  In keeping with this, Calvin points us to God as the source of all good in any and every one: common grace.  He is also the source of spiritual blessing to all the elect in Christ- saving grace.  He uses this to explain true piety.

“I call ‘piety’ that reverence joined with love of (for) God which the knowledge of his benefits induces.  … unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely in him.” (I, 2, 1)

Knowledge of His benefits => love for God => seek our happiness in Him => trust & devotion

There is no trust and devotion apart from seeking our happiness in Him.  Such happiness springs from love for God grounded in His incredible love and mercy.  Gone with the false perception of Calvin- he sought joy, in God!  The world doesn’t know what to do with “Christian hedonists” for their pursuit of joy looks so different than most people’s pursuit of joy.  But pursue it they do!

In addition to pursuing joy in Christ, the pious person submits to God’s self-revelation.  Our knowledge of God is rooted in God’s self-revelation in Scripture.  We do not sit in judgment upon that self-revelation, prefering the “god of my own understanding” but believe what He says about Himself.

“Because it is persuaded that he is good and merciful, it reposes in him with perfect trust, and doubts not that in his loving-kindness a remedy will be provided for all its ills.”  (I, 2, 2)

While Calvin says some hard things about us, His focus is on the goodness and mercy of God.  Our desperate plight, our spiritual condition, exalts His mercy, goodness and grace.  Such a God, who rescues radically lost people is worthy of our trust.