Institutes Book 1, Chapter 4: This Knowledge is Either Smothered or Corrupted, Partly by Ignorance, Partly By Malice.

Section 1: Superstition.

Having shown that a seed of religion exists in all men, Calvin now moves on to show why then more people do not believe in the one true God. He acknowledges that though this seed exists, "scarcely one man in a hundred is met with who fosters it, once received, in his heart, and none in whom it ripens--much less shows fruit in season." In fact, "all degenerate from the true knowledge of [God]." But, even though no piety remains in the world, no one is free from blame in not worshipping God, "for the blindness under which they labor is almost always mixed with proud vanity and obstinacy." This can be seen through the gods which men fashion for themselves: they are generally just like men themselves, but more powerful. "They do not therefore apprehend God as he offers himself, but imagine him as they have fashioned him in their own presumption." Thus no matter which way they go, they always fall into the pit of their own haughty ignorance, "wantonly bringing darkness upon themselves."

Section 2: Conscious Turning Away from God.

"We see that many, after they have become hardened in insolent and habitual sinning, furiously repel all remembrance of God, although this is freely suggested to them inwardly from the feeling of nature." What makes this more detestable, Calvin writes, is that not only altering God's holy and good nature, they make God "idle in heaven," thinking that he does not govern the world, but abandons it to fortune and chance. Part of God's judgment on people such as this is that they cease to see even that smallest bit of what exists in them concerning God. Refusing to know God, they are deepened in their ignorance by God himself.

Section 3: We Are Not to Fashion God According to Our Own Whim.

People who have become, of their own accord, ignorant of true religion and of the truth of God "think that any zeal for religion, however preposterous, is sufficient," not realizing that true religion must worship the true God according to his truth. Thus their superstitious worship "mocks God with pretenses while it tries to please him." Calvin writes, clearly showing what he thinks of such people, that "all who set up their own false rites to God worship and adore their own ravings." Unless they had made God into something other than he truly is, Calvin writes, they would not dare to abuse God in such a manner. Genuine religion is necessarily joined with the truth about God.

Section 4: Hypocrisy.

From all of this, another sin arises: that of hypocrisy. Such people "never consider God at all unless compelled to; and they do not come nigh until they are dragged their despite their resistance. And not even then are they impressed with the voluntary fear that arises out of reverence for the divine majesty, but merely with a slavish, forced fear, which God's judgment extorts from them." People who do not worship God in truth know of his judgment, but they eagerly desire it to be overthrown. But to try to escape it, "they perform some semblance of religion." They are inspired not by holy fear of a holy God, but by simple fear of judgment. They simply want to seem to approach the God from whom they flee.

Calvin here has a good paragraph concerning such 'worshippers,' and I will quote him at length:

"For where they ought to have remained consistently obedient throughout life, they boldly rebel against him in almost all their deeds, and are zealous to placate him merely with a few paltry sacrifices. Where they ought to serve him in sanctity of life and integrity of heart, they trump up frivolous trifles and worthless little observances with which to win his favor. Nay, more, with greater license they sluggishly lie in their own filth, because they are confident that they can perform their duty toward him by ridiculous acts of expiation. Then while their trust ought to have been placed in him, they neglect him and rely upon themselves, his creatures though they be. Finally they entangle themselves in such a huge mass of errors that blind wickedness stifles and finally extinguishes those sparks which once flashed forth to show them God's glory."

In the end, the seed of religion becomes so corrupt as to produce only the worst fruits. But the seed is still there, as can be seen, Calvin argues, when such people, mocking God in good times, turn to him when times get rough. Thus no person is totally ignorant of God, except by their own willful sin.

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Reflection: I am reminded through this chapter of the New Spirituality of our day. I have read a couple Paulo Coehlo novels, who seems to be the champion of this spirituality. They take snippets from all over the place, and thereby try to find their own way to God. But what God are they seeking? Most often this God is one who loves everyone, and the only reason we do not find him is because we become too attached to material things. We are to seek God, they say, in the love of people, or in nature, etc. All true, on some level, but they have made God into something they want him to be, rather than what he has revealed himself to be.

Such error is easy to fall into. There are many things about God which we do not know or do not fully understand--we are finite creatures, after all. But, as Calvin says early in this chapter, "out of curiosity they fly off into empty speculations." If we are not firmly grounded in the truth that God has revealed, then we as sinful people, easily stray from that truth and make God out to be whatever suits our fancy. And the first thing that seems to go is God's judgment on sin. No one likes judgment, so therefore God does not judge.

We can only pray to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, so that God's truth is not hidden from us by our own wilful disobedience, but is firmly implanted in our hearts and cultivated that it may grow and produces its fruit.