I have begun (as of today) a new series of devotions. I have never found a devotional book that I liked, and so I decided to do something different. I took Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion from my shelf last night, blew off the dust, and put them on my desk. My plan is to read from these worthy tomes in the morning before I begin my regular work of reading, researching, and whatnot for sermons and the like.
This is, of course, not to say that the Bible isn't devotional enough for me. Far from it. What I hope to do with these readings is to gather the doctrine contained in Holy Scripture, rather than reading one biblical book at a time. Sherri and I read Psalms with breakfast, and go through other books with supper, so I wanted to do something different. And this reading of the Institutes will most definitely be done with a Bible right beside me, so I am not neglecting that which I am to meditate on day and night.
And so I began with John Calvin's introductory letter to the reader, which shows how Calvin approached this work and what he hopes for it. I am reading the 1559 edition of the Institutes, which is the final edition, the edition which Calvin, apparently, was the happiest with. He writes, "Although I did not regret the labor spent, I was never satisfied until the work had been arranged in the order now set forth." The 1559 edition is the fourth edition of Calvin's great work. The first edition came out in 1536, written while Calvin was in Strasbourgh working in a congregation of French refugees (I think--this is from memory, but I think I'm correct here). Apparently the 1559 edition was written while Calvin was sick: "Last winter when I thought the quartan fever was summoning me to my death, the more the disease pressed upon me the less I spared myself, until I could leave a book behind me that might, in some measure, repay the generous invitation of godly men." Fearing that his time was running short, Calvin desired to leave behind something to benefit the churches. He writes that "God has filled my mind with zeal to spread his Kingdom and to further the public good."
Reading this introductory letter, I am struck with Calvin's humility as he writes of his work being more successful than he had imagined, thus spurring him on to refine the Institutes in each edition to make it better and more beneficial, but I am also struck by the strength of his convictions. While humble, Calvin does not fall prey to self-deprecation. What he believes he believes strongly, and the work he does he attends to with strength and conviction. Near the end of this short introductory letter, he writes of his work preparing ministers for the churches. In this context he writes, "I believe I have so embraced the sum of religion in all its parts, and have arranged it in such an order, that if anyone rightly grasps it, it will not be difficult for him to determine what he ought especially to seek in Scripture, and to what end he ought to relate its contents." Further, he encourages the readers to approach scripture armed with this work as a necessary tool.
In our time, this seems kind of arrogant. We can sympathize with Calvin's humility, but the strength of his convictions is something that is not lost to us, but we do not feel right in publishing it abroad. Since spirituality and religion have become 'private endeavours' to express the strength of conviction such as Calvin does in this letter seems prideful.
It seems prideful, because Calvin says that he has 'embraced the sum of religion in all its parts.' Now we can understand this to mean that Calvin thinks he has totally understood all of what God has taught, there is no mystery left for the mind of Calvin, but that would be to misunderstand. Instead what Calvin is saying is that he has always endeavoured to be complete about religion, not ignoring one aspect and emphasizing another. Throughout his writings you see a mind that is submissive to scripture, and honestly tries to work out the doctrines contained in the Word of God, rather than making that doctrine subservient to his own understanding.
Here we see the proper balance of humility and confidence. Calvin is humble concerning himself, humble about his own talents, his own abilities, but certainly not humble when it comes to scripture. What scripture says, it says as the word of God, and therefore says with authority. To truly submit to scripture as God's revelation means that when scripture says something, we are to be convinced of it and hold that conviction with strength. For "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Hopefully, as I work through this book, I will post some quotes or thoughts about what I read. I can't promise to do it every day, or as long as this whenever I do post, but I will try to post some thing which I find interesting and useful.
This is, of course, not to say that the Bible isn't devotional enough for me. Far from it. What I hope to do with these readings is to gather the doctrine contained in Holy Scripture, rather than reading one biblical book at a time. Sherri and I read Psalms with breakfast, and go through other books with supper, so I wanted to do something different. And this reading of the Institutes will most definitely be done with a Bible right beside me, so I am not neglecting that which I am to meditate on day and night.
And so I began with John Calvin's introductory letter to the reader, which shows how Calvin approached this work and what he hopes for it. I am reading the 1559 edition of the Institutes, which is the final edition, the edition which Calvin, apparently, was the happiest with. He writes, "Although I did not regret the labor spent, I was never satisfied until the work had been arranged in the order now set forth." The 1559 edition is the fourth edition of Calvin's great work. The first edition came out in 1536, written while Calvin was in Strasbourgh working in a congregation of French refugees (I think--this is from memory, but I think I'm correct here). Apparently the 1559 edition was written while Calvin was sick: "Last winter when I thought the quartan fever was summoning me to my death, the more the disease pressed upon me the less I spared myself, until I could leave a book behind me that might, in some measure, repay the generous invitation of godly men." Fearing that his time was running short, Calvin desired to leave behind something to benefit the churches. He writes that "God has filled my mind with zeal to spread his Kingdom and to further the public good."
Reading this introductory letter, I am struck with Calvin's humility as he writes of his work being more successful than he had imagined, thus spurring him on to refine the Institutes in each edition to make it better and more beneficial, but I am also struck by the strength of his convictions. While humble, Calvin does not fall prey to self-deprecation. What he believes he believes strongly, and the work he does he attends to with strength and conviction. Near the end of this short introductory letter, he writes of his work preparing ministers for the churches. In this context he writes, "I believe I have so embraced the sum of religion in all its parts, and have arranged it in such an order, that if anyone rightly grasps it, it will not be difficult for him to determine what he ought especially to seek in Scripture, and to what end he ought to relate its contents." Further, he encourages the readers to approach scripture armed with this work as a necessary tool.
In our time, this seems kind of arrogant. We can sympathize with Calvin's humility, but the strength of his convictions is something that is not lost to us, but we do not feel right in publishing it abroad. Since spirituality and religion have become 'private endeavours' to express the strength of conviction such as Calvin does in this letter seems prideful.
It seems prideful, because Calvin says that he has 'embraced the sum of religion in all its parts.' Now we can understand this to mean that Calvin thinks he has totally understood all of what God has taught, there is no mystery left for the mind of Calvin, but that would be to misunderstand. Instead what Calvin is saying is that he has always endeavoured to be complete about religion, not ignoring one aspect and emphasizing another. Throughout his writings you see a mind that is submissive to scripture, and honestly tries to work out the doctrines contained in the Word of God, rather than making that doctrine subservient to his own understanding.
Here we see the proper balance of humility and confidence. Calvin is humble concerning himself, humble about his own talents, his own abilities, but certainly not humble when it comes to scripture. What scripture says, it says as the word of God, and therefore says with authority. To truly submit to scripture as God's revelation means that when scripture says something, we are to be convinced of it and hold that conviction with strength. For "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Hopefully, as I work through this book, I will post some quotes or thoughts about what I read. I can't promise to do it every day, or as long as this whenever I do post, but I will try to post some thing which I find interesting and useful.
2 comments:
Let me encourage you to keep at it. You'll have at least one faithful reader. Don't let me down! :-)
Thanks, Wes. It will probably help to know that someone will enjoy, or at least follow it.
I might not be able to give a brief summary of every section of each chapter (Chatper 2 has 15 sections!), but I will try to summarize the important parts.
Thanks for the encouragement!
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