Faith Embraces the Favor - Institutes of Christian Religion Part 10

John Calvin:

"We shall now have a full definition of faith if we say that it is a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favour toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit." The Institutes of Christian Religion, 475.

Faith sees and receives God's favor for sinners in Christ. Faith is not simply understanding that the doctrines of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus happened. Demons understand that cognitively. It is embracing that what God has done in Christ is for you--for me. This kind of faith, in Calvin's words, "cannot possibly be disjoined from pious affection" (476). Faith informs the mind of the truth of what God has done in Jesus and affects the heart with the reality of God's undeserved favor and love.

The Hottest Jealousy - Part 10

It is sentences like this that make reading John Calvin so worthwhile, and, yes, it is one sentence:

"Therefore, as the purer and chaster the husband is, the more grievously he is offended when he sees his wife inclining to a rival; so the Lord, who hath betrothes us to himself in truth, declares that he burns with the hottest jealousy whenever, neglecting the purity of his holy marriage, we defile ourselves with abominable lusts, and sespecially when the worship of his Deity, which ought to have been most carefully kept unimpaired, is transferred to another, or adulterated with some superstition; since, in this way, we not only violate our plighted troth, but defile the nuptial couch, by giving access to adulterers." The Institutes of Christian Religion, 331.

Evangelicalism loves to attribute the great love of God for His people and the great love people should have for their God; often, especially in more Charismatic and Revivalistic circles, this language is couched in romance and the language of lovers. This is not unbiblical, but it can be reductionistic. God's romance toward His Bride, the church, is to be known and experienced, but the flip-side is, that God is a jealous lover. His love is not the petty love of a boyfriend just showering his girlfriend with nice compliements and constant cuddling, but the faithful love of a husband jealous for the affection of his wife who is often prone toward adultery.

God's love for His Bride should be known and experienced, and sure, say so in romantic terms, but don't take the jealousy out of the romance and strip the holiness from God. In all honesty it starts sounding a bit weird, too much like a pubescent boyfriend and unlike the faithful Husband pictured in radically holy terms in the book of Revelation, whose name is Lamb and Lion, Alpha and Omega.

Hang on to God's Lips - Calvin's Institutes 8

John Calvin:

"...it is to be observed, that the first man revolted against the authority of God, not only in allowing himself to be ensnared by the wiles of the devil, but also by despising the truth, and turning aside to lies. Assuredly, when the word of God is despised all reverence for Him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honored among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we as it were upon his lips." Institutes of Christian Religion, Book II, Chapter I, 213.

Active sinfulness comes from passiveness toward God's Word. If you are not hanging onto the lips of God sin will follow quickly. It's not enough to simply assume God's Word, one must pursue it, otherwise lies will become more attractive and the Devil will gain more power. To fight against the Devil, like Jesus showed us, is to hang onto the lips and words of God.

Human Duty under and in Providence - Calvin's Institutes 7

John Calvin:

"As regards future events, Solomon easily reconciles human deliberation with divine providence. For while he derides the stupidity of those who presume to undertake anything without God, as if they were not ruled by his hand, he elsewhere thus expresses himself: 'A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps," (Prov. 16:9); intimating that the eternal decrees of God by no means prevent us from proceeding, under his will, to provide for ourselves, and arrange all our affairs. And the reason for this is clear. For he who has fixed the boundaries of our life, has at the same time intrusted us with the care of it, provided us with the means of preserving it, forewarned us of the dangers to which we are exposed, and supplied cautions and remedies, that we may not be overwhelmed unawares. Now, our duty is clear, namely, since the Lord has comitted to us the defence of our life,--to defend it; since he offers assistance,--to use it; since he forwarns us of danger--not to rush on heedless; since he supplies remedies,--not to neglect them..." Institutes of Christian Religion, Volume I, Chapter 17, 186-187.

Calvin's Calvinism is not without human responsiblity. When you get sick--take pills. When you get cancer--pray for healing. When you lose your job--find another one. When you sin--seek God for forgiveness. When you need to get something done--plan to do it and do whatever is necesarry beforehand. When you preach--call sinners to trust in Jesus. When you have to go to work in the morning--get out of bed.

The list goes on...there is no blind fate here; there is no dry stoicism; live with all your might while you live and trust God in whom you live and move and have your very being.

Simple & Sinful - Calvin's Institutes

I believe the Institutes of the Christian Religion will find its way often into my blog this year, as I have set forth in the task of reading it.  I am not alone in this.  The prefatory address to the massive Institutes is to Francis, King of the French, and in it Calvin offers reasons why he is writing.  One of them is because of the attack of "bad men" upon the doctrines in it and the the lack of "sound doctrine" in King Francis' realm.  A particular area of disagreement I have with Calvin in this first address is that he says his work 

"is written in a simple and elementary form adapted for instruction." Institutes of Christian Religion, 3.

Simple?  Elementary?  Ha!  If this is simple and elementary then almost all in the modern church are simple and elementary.  Well, no comment.  Lord, help us.

But most agreeable to my soul is that Calvin does not disagree with the opinion of those who are against his cause and the cause of the Reformers that they are indeed sinners and insignificant.  It is hard to call a Reformer like Calvin insignificant and sinful when it is the foundation of Calvin's theology.  He writes:

"We, indeed are perfectly conscious how poor and abject we are: in the presence of God we are miserable sinners, and in the sight of men most despised--we are (if you will) the mere dregs and off-scourings of the world, or worse, if worse can be named: so that before God there remains nothing of which we can glory save only his mercy, by which, without any merit of our own, we are admitted to the hope of eternal salvation..." Ibid, 5-6.