Institutes Chapters 2 through 5

Today's (okay, Wednesday's) readings from the Institutes deal with the doctrine of the knowledge of God. As Calvin argues, we must start here so that we can properly know ourselves.

But this knowledge cannot be simply intellectual assent, there is more to it--much more. Here Calvin expresses it in the negative:

until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity.

True and proper knowledge of God has a singular result in the lives of those who have it: submission to him because of who he is and what he has done. In short:

The effect of our knowledge rather ought to be, first, to teach us reverence and fear; and, secondly, to induce us, under its guidance and teaching, to ask every good thing from him, and, when it is received, ascribe it to him.

This knowledge, however clearly it may be seen in nature, is sinfully suppressed because people do not want to know God. Knowing who God is and knowing his just nature, we wish that it weren't so:

Those whose inclinations are at variance with the justice of God, knowing that his tribunal has been erected for the punishment of transgression, earnestly wish that that tribunal were overthrown.

We want the benefits of God, without the responsibilities that come with it. We want the good without paying for it--either in humble submission or in punishment for our defiance. As Calvin adds:

Let each of us, therefore, in contemplating his own nature, remember that there is one God who governs all natures, and, in governing, wishes us to have respect to himself, to make him the object of our faith, worship, and adoration. Nothing, indeed, can be more preposterous than to enjoy those noble endowments which bespeak the divine presence within us, and to neglect him who, of his own good pleasure, bestows them upon us.

Institutes in a Nutshell:

What follows is from the introduction to the Institutes, introduced by Caspar Olevianus (or, as it is in this edition of the Institutes: Gaspar Olevian):

Such is the arrangement of the Institutes which may be thus summed up: Man being at first created upright, but afterwards being not partially but totally ruined, finds his entire salvation out of himself in Christ, to whom being united by the Holy Spirit freely given without any foresight of future works, he thereby obtains a double blessing—viz. full imputation of righteousness, which goes along with us even to the grave, and the commencement of sanctification, which daily advances till at length it is perfected in the day of regeneration or resurrection of the body, and this, in order that the great mercy of God may be celebrated in the heavenly mansions, throughout eternity.

Here we have supplied for us a basic outline and summary of what Calvin goes through in this major work of his: Creation--Fall--Redemption--Recreation, all by God's grace and his glory.

Book 1, Chapter 1: THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF OURSELVES MUTUALLY CONNECTED.—NATURE OF THE CONNECTION.

Here is the opening sentence of the body of The Institutes, in which Calvin shows where he is going:

OUR wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.

In this first section, Calvin will deal with how these two aspects of our wisdom are connected. In short, what Calvin says is that the more we truly know ourselves, the more we will search out God because in our sin and depravity, we are far from sufficient unto ourselves. BUT we cannot have any real knowledge of ourselves unless we have some knowledge of our Creator: God. In our pride we think of ourselves as excellent and worthy, and so we need to see ourselves in a proper light. Calvin uses a great illustration here:

Nay, the bodily sense may furnish a still stronger illustration of the extent to which we are deluded in estimating the powers of the mind. If, at mid-day, we either look down to the ground, or on the surrounding objects which lie open to our view, we think ourselves endued with a very strong and piercing eyesight; but when we look up to the sun, and gaze at it unveiled, the sight which did excellently well for the earth is instantly so dazzled and confounded by the refulgence, as to oblige us to confess that our acuteness in discerning terrestrial objects is mere dimness when applied to the sun.

This happens spiritually too, in a way that is similar to Plato's analogy of the Cave, and the blinding qualities of true wisdom/knowledge. And this is why, for Calvin, those in scripture who saw God or some of his glory, were in great fear for their lives--God's glory is so great that not even the sun compares to its brilliance and clarity.

Lies, Cavils and Calumny

This sensational headline is a quote taken from the “Prefatory Address to the King of France” in the 1559 edition of John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.In this address, he is trying to explain to the King of France (to no avail, as we know from history) that the reformation faith is not a new religion, and is not the evil that its opponents make it out to be. Calvin simply wants the King to hear the truth before making any rash decisions: “While a cause is unheard, it is violence to pass sanguinary sentences against it; it is fraud to charge it, contrary to its deserts, with sedition and mischief” (I don’t have page numbers here, since I am reading this in Logos 4, based on a reading plan to get it done by December 30. This is also the Henry Beveridge translation, not the Battles-McNeill translation I began with earlier this year).

In this address, he outlines the reformed faith in a nutshell, showing to the King what the reformed believers think of themselves (almost in complete contrast to the medieval era Church of Rome):

Let not a contemptuous idea of our insignificance dissuade you from the investigation of this cause. 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-scoutings 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: and before men not even this much remains, since we can glory only in our infirmity, a thing which, in the estimation of men, it is the greatest ignominy even tacitly to confess.

Calvin shows to the King that the reformed faith is not new, is not uncertain, it need not be ‘proven’ by miracles, and it follows from the teachings of the early church fathers. That is his contention throughout the Institutes, since what he writes throughout is given thorough grounding in scripture and also the church fathers—showing it clearly and unsensationally. He argues that it is unjust to hold the reformed faith to the judgments of tradition because that tradition itself lost its biblical foundation and is therefore no longer a good and just guide. In fact, the church (the True Church) existed during the medieval period in spite of the Church of Rome, Calvin argues, because while the hierarchy had become corrupt and led away from the truth of God in scripture, there were always some who held to the true faith, just as in Elijah’s day, there were 7,000 people who did not bow the knee to Baal. Even the unrest which came about after the reformed faith was beginning to be preached is evidence for it, since Satan rises to the occasion to draw people away from the truth of God and therefore from salvation.

The real argument, for Calvin, will come in the pages of the Institutes, when he outlines the true doctrines revealed on the pages of God’s revelation—the Bible. Not only is this work intended to aid reformed believers in understanding their faith and coming to truly know God, it is also an apology, a defense of the faith. In one action, Calvin serves two purposes. And the fact that this work has stood the test of time (being published in its final edition in 1559, 5 years before Calvin’s death) shows, in some way, its usefulness and its timelessness.

A good apology is always in season, as we are to be prepared at all times to give reason for the hope which we have as believers (1 Pet 3:15).

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 15: (II)

Discussion of Human Nature as Created, of the Faculties of the Soul, of the Image of God, of Free Will, and of the Original Integrity of Man's Nature.

Section 3: God's Image and Likeness in Man.

While man is created in the image of God, the proper seat of this image, Calvin says, is the soul. While this image may have some physical manifestations, its essence is spiritual.

To this end, Calvin argues against the error of Osiander who "mingles heaven and earth" by saying that God's image exists both in body and soul. Osiander would argue that Christ would have been incarnated even if Adam and Eve had not fallen, since his body "was the exemplar and type of that corporeal figure which was then formed." Thus Father, Son and Holy Spirit place their image in man, and so resemble each other. But such an argument doesn't work--how does Christ resemble the Spirit in the flesh?

Calvin then corrects the error that sees a difference between the "image" and "likeness" of Genesis 1:27. This is merely repetition, not expressing something different. This is not saying that the whole man is created in the image of God, "For, while the whole man is called mortal, the soul is not thereby subjected to death; nor does reason or intelligence belong to the body merely because man is called a 'rational animal.'" Man is God's image in the soul, spiritually, and this spiritual image-bearing extends also to his physical existence for man is not simply a soul or a body alone, but the two in unity.

Section 4: The True Nature of the Image of God is to be Derived From What the Scripture Says of its Renewal Through Christ.

The restoration of the corrupted human nature gives us an excellent picture of what it means to be created in the image of God. Adam, in his fall, was alienated from God. While the image of God which he bore was not erased in him, it was corrupted and deformed. Thus when we are 'recovered' in Christ, the beginning of this is the restoration of "true and complete integrity." We are reformed to God's image.

This renewal or reformation is of "knowledge, then pure righteousness and holiness.' "From this we infer that, to begin with, God's image was visible in the light of the mind, in the uprightness of the heart, and in the soundness of all the parts." Christ, therefore, is the most perfect image of God: "if we are conformed to it, we are so restored that with true piety, righteousness, purity, and intelligence we bear God's image." Thus "whatever has to do with spiritual and eternal life is included under 'image.'"

Section 5: Manichaean Error of the Soul's Emanation.

There are those who think that the soul which exists in man is a derivation of God's substance "as if some portion of immeasurable divinity had flowed into man." But for this to be the case, "it will follow that God's nature is subject not only to change and passions, but also to ignorance, wicked desires, infirmity, and all manner of vices." With the weakness of the soul of man, it is impossible for this to be an emanation of God's substance. "To tear apart the essence of the Creator so that everyone may possess a part of it is utter folly." Thus men, while bearing the image of God, are simply created, and created out of nothing. Thus when we conform to the image and likeness of God, we do so not because we are of his substance, but by the power and grace of the Spirit alone, obtained for us by Christ.

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Reflection: The Heidelberg Catechism follows, regarding the image of God in man, this argument and conclusion of Calvin. In Lord's Day 3, Question and Answer 6, the same point is made:

Q: Did God then create man so wicked and perverse?

A: No, on the contrary, God created man good and in his image, that is in true righteousness and holiness, so that he might rightly know God his creator, heartily love him, and live with him in eternal blessedness to praise and glorify him.

The Belgic Confession says much the same:

Article 14: We believe that God created man of dust from the ground and He made and formed him after His own image and likeness, good, righteous, and holy. His will could conform to the will of God in every respect.

Much error has been spread about because of an improper understanding of what it means that humanity, men and women, have been created in the image of God. Here Calvin, and those who followed him, put the doctrine in very Biblical terms. Rather than speculate simply based on the creation account in Genesis, they go to recreation in Christ to more thoroughly understand what is at stake.

There is a lot that can be said regarding the image of God--and a lot has been said about it. I know one minister who is writing a PhD dissertation on the image of God in Calvin alone. But at the same time, we cannot ignore this teaching as too difficult. Here Calvin supplies a solid foundation by which we can come to terms with what it means that we bear the image of God.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 15: (I)

Discussion of Human Nature as Created, of the Faculties of the Soul, of the Image of God, of Free Will, and of the Original Integrity of Man's Nature.

Section 1: Man Proceeded Spotless From God's Hand; Therefore He May Not Shift the Blame for His Sins to the Creator.

Calvin now turns to the doctrine of the creation of man, for as he said earlier in the first sections, "we cannot have a clear and complete knowledge of God unless it is accompanied by a corresponding knowledge of ourselves." We must know how we were created, and what became of us after the fall into sin.

When we consider our sin, we must be careful not to single out, he says, our 'natural evils' "lest we seem to attribute them to the Author of nature." Impious people think that they have a defense against their sinfulness when they say that this is how they were created or this is how we have become and God doesn't do anything about it.

We must remember that God created us out of clay, thus giving us great reason for humility, but he also created in us an immortal soul so that we can glory in the generosity of our Creator.

Section 2: Diversity of Body and Soul.

Calvin understands 'soul' as an "immortal yet created essence," which is man's "nobler part." Often it is called 'spirit' as well (Eccl. 12:7, Luke 23:46, Acts 7:59). Evidence for the possession of a soul exists, he argues, in our consciences. How could something which has no real essence (if we are just the sum of our material parts) penetrate to the throne of God, responding to his judgment? In the soul, something divine has been granted to us. Unlike the brute beasts, human beings can rise above their nature, we can look around us past the mere material existence. We can search out the secrets of nature, we can look to the past, we can predict and plan for the future. This "clearly shoes that there lies hidden in man something separate from the body."

But this soul is not necessarily tied to the body, for on death it separates and goes to its eternal reward (Job 4:19, 2 Cor. 7:1, 1 Peter 2:25, 1 Peter 1:9, etc.). Thus it is something not material (it is spiritual), but that does not mean that it does not have its own existence, for it lives on after our bodies have breathed their last.

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I do not have much time this morning for reflection nor to continue this reading, so I will hopefully finish what I started today tomorrow.

Sorry.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (V)

Even in the Creation of the Universe and of All Things, Scripture By Unmistakable Marks Distinguishes the True God From False Gods.

Section 20: Greatness and Abundance of Creation.

While we do not know much about the creation and make-up of the spiritual order of angels and demons, "Meanwhile let us not be ashamed to take pious delight in the works of God open and manifest in this most beautiful theater," that is, physical creation. It is good, as God's creatures, to look about us at the world he created and to meditate on the work of his hands so as to know God more.

God created all things out of nothing, brought forth every kind of living thing and non-living thing, giving each its own nature, function, place and station. And each will be preserved until the Last Day.

In creating humankind, "and in adorning him with such goodly beauty, and with such great and numerous gifts, he put him forth as the most excellent example of his works."

Section 21: How Should We View God's Works?

"Indeed, if we chose to explain in a fitting manner how God's inestimable wisdom, power, justice, and goodness shine forth in the fashioning of the universe, no splendor, no ornament of speech, would be equal to an act of such great magnitude." We should ponder what he reveals of himself in his creation at length. To this end, "let all readers know that they have with true faith apprehended what it is for God to be Creator of heaven and earth, if they first of all follow the universal rule, not to pass over in ungrateful thoughtlessness those conspicuous powers which God shows forth in his creatures, and then learn so to apply it to themselves that their very hearts are touched."

The first part of this rule is to contemplate the God who has done all these wondrous works.

Section 22: The Contemplation of God's Goodness In His Creation Will Lead Us To Thankfulness and Trust.

The second part of the rule is "more closely related to faith." In this part we recognize that God, who has created all things, makes sure that they work for our good and salvation, "but at the same time to feel his power and grace in ourselves and in the great benefits he has conferred upon us, and so bestir ourselves to trust, invoke, praise, and love him."

Everything God created before he created man was "useful and salutary for him," and so dividing the work into six days, even though he could have done it in an instance, he shows his providence to us so that we might be moved to gratitude.

"To conclude once for all, whenever we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us at the same time bear in mind that the dispensation of all those things which he has made is in his own hand and power and that we are indeed his children, whom he has received into his faithful protection to nourish and educate. We are therefore to await the fullness of all good things from him alone and to trust completely that he will never leave us destitute of what we need for salvation, and to hang our hopes on one but him! We are therefore, also, to petition him for whatever we desire; and we are to recognize as a blessing from him, and thankfully to acknowledge, every benefit that falls to our share. So, invited by the great sweetness of his beneficence and goodness, let us study to love and serve him with all our heart."

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Reflection: It is interesting that Calvin says we are not passive with regards to general revelation (that which God reveals of himself in creation in general). For all those skeptics and atheists out there who say that God has not given enough evidence of his existence for us to reasonably or rationally believe in him, Calvin simply says that they are not looking properly. There is plenty of evidence, we just have to look for it in the right way: we have to appropriate what God reveals and apply it to ourselves so that our hearts are touched.

We are not simply passive recipients of God's general revelation in creation. Instead, we must take the time to understand and look at his creation properly. We cannot cloud the evidence, we cannot strive to understand creation without God, as many scientists do under the excuse of Occam's razor (the simplest explanation is the best). We are to make sure that our hearts are able and willing to receive what God shows of himself in the world around us and to use that knowledge to praise and thank God with our whole lives.

We have a great responsibility to ourselves, we have a great obligation to God, so we must prayerfully take up that task and see the great God who created all things, and so praise and thank him properly.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (IV)

Even in the Creation of the Universe and of All Things, Scripture By Unmistakable Marks Distinguishes the True God From False Gods.

Section 13: Scripture Forearms Us Against the Adversary.

Contrary to much popular contemporary belief, we do not know much about devils. "All that Scripture teaches concerning devils aims at arousing us to take precaution against their stratagems and contrivances, and also to make us equip ourselves with those weapons which are strong and powerful enough to vanquish these most powerful foes." We must rest securely in faith and trust in the power of God alone to deliver us from the attacks of our enemy.

Section 14: The Realm of Wickedness.

There is not only one enemy, but "great armies, which wage war on us." We are reminded of this so we do not relax our watch and become idle in this struggle.

Section 15: An Irreconcilable Struggle.

The fact that these are enemies of God demands of us that we oppose them as well. "For if we have God's glory at heart, as we should have, we ought with all our strength to contend against him who is trying to extinguish it." He is "in nature depraved, evil, and malicious."

Section 16: The Devil Is a Degenerate Creation of God.

The devil was not so created, but became so "from his perversion." He is so as the result of his rebellion and fall. This is so because God did not create evil. The Scriptures pass over teaching us much about these fallen devils because it does not concern us overly much. Here is Calvin's summary of the biblical teaching on the matter:

"They were when first created angels of God, but by degeneration they ruined themselves, became the instruments of ruin for others. Because this is profitable to know, it is plainly taught in Peter and Jude. God did not spare those angels who sinned and kept not their original nature, but left their abode. And Paul, in speaking of the 'elect angels,' [1 Timothy 5:21] is no doubt tacitly contrasting them with the reprobate angels."

Section 17: The Devil Stands Under God's Power.

Satan is not himself free, but is under the control of God who can use him for his service. This does not refer to Satan's will, which is always in opposition to God, but to his actions, his effects. He wills to work against God, but to do so he must do certain deeds. These deeds he does are not done of his own free will but are done within the parameters God sets out for him, being held in check by a bridle.

Section 18: Assurance of Victory!

Because God is in control, no matter how hard the foe may press a believer, they will never conquer or crush him. Their only power is over the wicked "as if they were slaves for every shameful act." The devil has been conquered, Satan defeated--it has just not yet been fully manifested. "To the extent that Christ's Kingdom is upbuilt, Satan with his power falls," for God will not allow Satan to have power over believers, but only over the wicked.

Section 19: Devils Are Not Thoughts, But Actualities.

Just as obedient angels are much more than thoughts or impulses in the mind of God, so fallen devils are more than just "evil emotions or perturbations which come upon us from our flesh." Scripture clearly speaks of these devils as actual entities: Jude 6, 9, Matthew 12:43, John 8:44, 1 John 3:8, 10, Job 1:6, 2:1, etc. Such passages would be meaningless if the devil and his followers were not actual existing things but simple evil thoughts.

Thus the godly are equipped against delusions and misconceptions regarding fallen devils, and so are more ready to stand firm against them in the power of God through faith.

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Reflection: Reading these sections is quite refreshing, actually. The topic is not a nice topic, but when so many people seem to have really strange ideas about demons and devils, it is good to go back to Scripture to see what we are taught about them from the highest authority. We want to guard ourselves from making two major errors:

(1) We can think too much of these things and be lead into despair. If we ascribe to the devil and his dominion too much power and authority, we can despair of ever opposing them. If there are demons and devils behind every corner just waiting to trip us up (which there may be), and these demons are given much more power than they actually have, then we will live in constant terror of falling to their plots and traps. Here the doctrine of the perseverance (or preservation) of the saints is a great comfort. We must always consider these things in light of God's revelation of himself, and he has revealed that he is almighty, all powerful, so no opposing power can stand before him.

(2) The other error we can make is to think too little of the forces opposing God. We cannot elevate them above their place, but neither should we make light of them. They are opposition to the glory of God. They are powerful insofar as they are permitted to do things by God's control. Just because we have conquered in Christ does not mean that the devil and his dominion no longer have any power--if we are not careful we can still be lured away (albeit temporarily in the case of the elect) by their wiles. We must watch ourselves carefully and guard ourselves always.

For a good discussion of these things from a very practical perspective, Rev. Witteveen has an article on demons on Prince George Mission website (along with a lot of other good stuff). You can find the article by clicking this link.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (III)

Even in the Creation of the Universe and of All Things, Scripture By Unmistakable Marks Distinguishes the True God From False Gods.

Section 6: The Angels As Protectors and Helpers of Believers.

Scripture teaches us, for our comfort and consolation, and the strengthening of our faith, that angels are "dispensers and administrators of God's beneficence toward us." To prove this Calvin shows quite a few texts which show angels caring for people.

Section 7: Guardian Angels?

Here Calvin again shows his wisdom in interpreting Scripture: "But whether individual angels have been assigned to individual believers for their protection, I dare not affirm with confidence." There are a couple of texts which may suggest something like this (Daniel 10:13, 20, 12:1 and Matthew 18:10), but they do not clearly teach such a doctrine. Instead, "We ought to hold as a fact that the care of each one of us is not the task of one angel only, but all with one consent watch over our salvation."

Calvin then wrestles with Acts 12:15, in which Peter escapes prison and returns to the house he was staying in, and the people there think that it was Peter's angel. But "nothing prevents us from understanding this of any angel at all to whom the Lord had then given over the care of Peter; yet he would not on that account be Peter's perpetual guardian."

Calvin concludes this section by saying that people ought not derive more comfort from the thought of 'guardian angels,' "For if the fact that all the heavenly host are keeping watch for his safety will not satisfy a man, I do not see what benefit he could derive from knowing that one angel has been given to him as his especial guardian."

Section 8: The Hierarchy, Number, and Form of the Angels.

In this short section, Calvin basically says that we do not know enough about angels to say anything about how their ranks are arranged, exactly how they look, and how many there are. There are multitudes and legions of them, that is all we know. "Let us remember not to probe too curiously or talk to confidently."

Section 9: The Angels are Not Mere Ideas, But Actuality.

What we must affirm is that angels are indeed 'ministering spirits' (Hebrews 1:14), and not simply impulses or ideas of God through which he exercises his power. The Bible clearly teaches that angels are indeed "spirits having a real existence."

Section 10: The Divine Glory Does Not Belong to the Angels.

If there are people who think to low of angels, there are also many people who think too highly of angels, giving to them what is due only to God. Some people elevate angels so high that Christ almost becomes simply one of their number. This is done perhaps because God's glory, power, majesty and divinity shine through them, so that "nothing is easier for us than to fall down, stupefied, in adoration of them, and then to attribute to them everything that is owed to God alone." This even happened in Scripture (Revelation 19:10, 22:8-9), but the angel himself corrected such a mistake.

Section 11: God Makes Use of the Angels, Not For His Own Sake, But For Ours.

While God does not need to use angels to work out his plan, to realize his purposes, he does so "to comfort our weakness, that we may lack nothing at all that can raise up our minds to good hope, or confirm them in security." The Lord alone is our protector, but to give us more courage he reveals that he uses his multitude of angelic servants to carry out such protection (cf. 2 Kings 6:17).

Section 12: The Angels Must Not Divert Us From Directing Our Gaze to the Lord Alone.

Having said all this, we must realize that our gaze must travel from the angels to God--we cannot trust in angels without realizing that we trust them because they are God's servants. Angels are to lead us by the hand to God himself, and keep us in Christ, our one Mediator. "For as God does not make them ministers of his power and goodness to share his glory with them, do he does not promise us his help through their ministry in order that we should divide our trust between them and him."

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Reflection: How great a God do we have that not only protects, guards, and works things out to our benefit, but also does so in such a way that strengthens our weakness and comforts our frailty. He could do all things himself, in an instant, but in his wisdom he instead has decided to use his heavenly servants to work out his purposes in our lives. He condescends to work with out weaknesses to bring us to him, rather than harshly ignoring our weakness (which we shouldn't have anyways) and expecting us to follow him. In his grace he leads us gently, not harshly.

The caution of Calvin on the subject of angels is then something we should take to heart. With the great fascination which most ages have toward angels, we must stand firmly on the basis of scripture and look to God alone. His servants are sent to serve us for his sake--so we should not dwell on the work of the servant, but see the work of the servant and dwell on the one who commands him.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (II)

Even in the Creation of the Universe and of All Things, Scripture By Unmistakable Marks Distinguishes the True God From False Gods.

Section 3: God is Lord Over All!

In these next sections, Calvin will teach concerning the creation and nature of angels. Moses did not include these beings in his account of creation, but from the rest of Scripture we can say a little something about them. And it is necessary to learn about the angels "to refute many errors." Many people almost go so far as to attribute divinity to the angels, seeing them as far greater in status than human beings, for example. Mani and his followers took the devil and elevated him to a place equal to God, considering him the principle of Dark and God the principle of Light that are in constant battle to explain evil and suffering in the world.

But we will only speak of angels as the doctrine is profitable to us.

Section 4: Also We Should Not Indulge in Speculations Concerning the Angels, But Search Out the Witness of Scripture.

Angels are God's ministers who carry out his commands, so it goes by reason that they were created by him. To ask, however, exactly when they were created is foolish. But we should hold to "one rule of modesty and sobriety: not to speak, or guess, or even to seek to know, concerning obscure matters anything except what has been imparted to us by God's Word." Also, we should seek to meditate on those things which are edifying, not simply informative. In this regard, Calvin mentions Pseudo-Dionysius, an early theologian who wrote a work called Celestial Hierarchy, concerning the angels. But to Calvin, this work is nothing but talk, and empty talk at that, for the apostle Paul forbids people to speak about secret things (2 Cor 12:4).

Section 5: The Designation of the Angels in Scripture.

Having cautioned his readers against speculation, Calvin now turns to Scripture itself to see what is taught therein concerning the angels. In this section he shows how Scripture designates angels--what they are called. Their purpose is carry out the things which God has decreed (Ps 103:20-21), they surround God and "adorn his majesty and render it conspicuous" so they are called 'hosts' (Luke 2:13, Dan 7:10), and they are also called 'virtues' "since the Lord through them wonderfully sets forth and declares the power and strength of his hand" (Eph 1:21, 1 Cor 15:24). Sometimes they are called 'principalities' and 'powers' because the Lord exercises his authority through them (Col 1:16, Eph. 1:21, 1 Cor 15:24). They are even, to Calvin, called 'gods' "because in their ministry as in a mirror they in some respect exhibit his divinity to us" (Ps 138:1).

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Reflection: Here we get into a topic that is of great interest to many people. This week I wrote a sermon on Lord's Day 22 of the Heidelberg Catechism which deals with the final two articles of the Apostles' Creed, concerning the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. As I was writing this sermon, and researching for it, I thought about all those people who seem to think that we become angels when we die. In heaven we are no longer human beings, but angels. I have no idea where that started, but it seems to me to have been wrought of ignorance concerning these things that Calvin is now discussing. I won't here get into the concept of 'guardian angels,' for Calvin does that himself in section 7 of this chapter.

Here we see the importance of clear thinking and right knowledge. To claim that human beings become angels upon death is to claim that we become something other than what we were created. And if we are something other than what we were created, then what we were created as is not redeemed, but is forgotten. Then God's power is either not enough, or our human existence was not worthy of redemption, both of which are wrong ideas. Too many people, while elevating the flesh in terms of lifestyle denigrate that same flesh when they consider salvation. Instead, we are to be clear and sober about these things, thinking what God has revealed to us.

The same applies, of course, to peoples' thinking about demons. Rev. Witteveen has an excellent article about demons and modern thought about them on his Prince George Mission website. The website is here: Canadian Reformed Mission in Prince George. The article is here: Demons and Demonology, a Biblical Approach.

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (I)

Even in the Creation of the Universe and of All Things, Scripture By Unmistakable Marks Distinguishes the True God From False Gods.

Section 1: We Cannot and Should Not Go Behind God's Act of Creation in Our Speculation.

Calvin starts this chapter off by saying that false believers are obtuse, not learning from the foundation of the world who the true God is. But, despite their obtuseness, we who know the true God must depict more distinctly than they do in the false religions our else, due to the "slowness and dullness of our wit," to prevent believers from deserting to the false religions or wavering in doubt. "Therefore it was his will that the history of Creation be made manifest, in order that the faith of the church, resting upon this, might seek no other God but him who was put forth by Moses as the Maker and Founder of the universe."

In the account of creation, we are shown the beginning of all things. In this, God's eternity shines forth, for he was before the universe was created. Here Calvin gets into a strange discussion of those who speculate as to why God did not create the universe sooner than he did, "but that he idly permitted an immeasurable time to pass away." He answers this charge by simply stating that such questions are "neither lawful nor expedient" since we cannot know the answer. All we can do is "remember that that invisible God, whose wisdom, power, and righteousness are incomprehensible, sets before us Moses' history as a mirror in which his living likeness glows." We should seek no higher will for creation than God alone. Nor should we try to raise questions which we cannot answer, such as questions about "immeasurable stretches of time ... and of space." "As if within six thousand years God has not shown evidences enough on which to exercise our minds in earnest meditation!"

"Therefore let us willingly remain enclosed within these bounds to which God has willed to confine us, and as it were, to pen up our minds that they may not, through their very freedom to wander, go astray."

Section 2: The Work of the Six Days Shows God's Goodness Toward Men.

God indeed created the world in six days so that "we are drawn away from all fictions to the one God who distributed his work into six days that we might not find it irksome to occupy our whole life in contemplating it." Instead, our mind (human reason) must be "subjected to the obedience of faith."

In the order in which God did indeed create all things, we see his great care and providence. For he did not create human beings on an earth which would not support them, but first created all things that we would need to live before creating us. Thus Moses "not only speaks of the bare essence of God, but also sets forth for us His eternal Wisdom and Spirit; that we may not conjure up some other gad that him who would have himself recognized in that clear image."

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Reflection: Through these sections, I have come across again and again warnings against speculation beyond what is revealed in Scripture. Here Calvin suggests the reason for such warning--our human faculty of reason is fallen along with the rest of us, and needs to submit to the obedience of faith. We are sinful, and so do not live rightly, and neither do we think rightly. Without the regenerating work of the Spirit, our reasoning is fallen and cannot be trusted to lead us to the truth. Sure, we can know certain things, reason to certain things, but without renewal, we are easily led astray. Just look at those in the world around us to see how this works out. Reason is a god unto itself, and if people cannot understand something, if they cannot submit, for example, God to their own reasoning, then they cannot and will not believe in him.

It is a frustrating thing, this deification of our own reason, but something that we so easily do. It is frustrating because at some point in any discussion with an unbeliever, you find that there is a huge chasm between you, and there is no human way to cross it.

The more I learn, the more I study and think about these things, the more Van Tillian I become. It's all a matter of presuppositions, and without the light of faith worked in us through the Holy Spirit, we will never see the truth.

P.S. I am finally getting over being sick. It really knocked me out this time...it has taken me a while just to start regaining my stamina again. Good thing I have the opportunity to get enough sleep, without having to worry too much about getting sermons done and visits in, let alone meetings at night!

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 8: In Scripture, From the Creation Onward, We Are Taught One Essence of God, Which Contains Three Persons.

In these next 9 sections, Calvin directly speaks about heresies that people have raised against the doctrine of the Trinity.

Section 21: The Ground of All Heresies: A Warning to All.

Here is the most important part of these sections, for Calvin begins with a warning against speculation. Satan, he argues, has never ceased to attack the church by attacking her doctrine, especially on the difficult doctrine of the Trinity. Christians must be prepared for such attacks.

But, at the same time, "Here, indeed, if anywhere in the secret mysteries of Scripture, we ought to play the philosopher soberly and with great moderation; let us use great caution that neither our thoughts nor our speech go beyond the limits to which the Word of God itself extends." How can we who are finite plumb the depths of he who is Infinite?

Such heresies against the Scriptural doctrines generally come from such speculation.

Section 22: Servetus' Contention Against the Trinity.

Servetus lived during Calvin's own day, and attacked the doctrine of God by calling Trinitarians 'atheists.' "This, indeed, was the sum of his speculations: God is assumed to be tripartite when three persons are said to reside in his essence; this is an imaginary triad, because it clashes with God's unity. Meanwhile, he would hold the persons to be certain external ideas which do not truly subsist in God's essence, but represent God to us in one manifestation or another."

But 'person' is more than just a 'visible manifestation,' we must say with Scripture that the Persons are God themselves, not simple 'extensions' of God.

Section 23: The Son is God Even as the Father.

Here Calvin returns to the issue of to whom the title 'God' refers. There are those, he says, who teach that the title 'God' only properly refers to the Father, who then 'infused' his deity into the Son and the Spirit. God then is the only "essence giver." Thus "no other than the Father is, properly speaking, God."

But Scripture does not speak in such ways. If we call the Father God alone, then we cast the Son down from that rank. Scripture is clear that the title 'God' applies to the Father, but also to the Son.

And if the Father is God alone, then the Spirit can only come from the Father, and not from the Son. While there is differentiation between the Persons of the Trinity, this differentiation is not in 'divine rank,' but in the Persons and tasks.

Section 24: The Name 'God' in Scripture Does Not Refer to the Father Alone.

Continuing with those who say that the Father is God alone, Calvin asks what they say when Christ himself, called 'good' says "No one is good except God" (Matt 19:17). Jesus does not deny that he is good (that would be absurd), but simply says that if he is good, then he is God--and he certainly is good!

Through this and other texts, Calvin shows that the title 'God' applies not only to the Father, but to all three Persons.

Section 25: The Divine Nature is Common to All Three Persons.

There are those, Calvin says, that say that God is made up of three individuals, "each having its own separate part of the essence." But Scripture shows that God is one in essence, "and hence that the essence both of the Son and of he Spirit is unbegotten; but inasmuch as the Father is first in order, and from himself begot his wisdom ... he is rightly deemed the beginning and fountainhead of the whole divinity." The persons are not distinguished from the essence, but are distinguished as Persons who all share in the one essence. Thus there are not three gods, but one God in Three Persons.

Section 26: The Subordination of the Incarnate Word to the Father is No Counterevidence.

Because Christ is called the Son, this does not mean that he is any less God than the Father is. He is only so 'subordinated' in his role that he fulfilled while on earth as a man to mediate between God and men, and to redeem his people. His role is Son, his essence is still divine. Equal in essence, different in Person.

Section 27: Our Adversaries Falsely Appeal to Irenaeus.

Here, and in the next sections, Calvin shows how the Church Fathers all held to this idea of the Trinity, even though there are those who argue that they didn't. Calvin shows that those who argue that Irenaeus taught that the Father is the sole and eternal God of Israel misread Irenaeus. Instead, Irenaeus "was dealing and contending with fanatics who denied that the Father of Christ was that same God who had of old spoken through Moses and the prophets, but fancied a sort of specter produced from the corruption of the world." Thus Irenaeus is not speaking particularly about the Trinity, but showing that the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament.

Section 28: The Appeal to Tertullian is of No Avail.

"Not a whit more truthfully do they adopt Tertullian as their advocate; for even if he is sometimes rough and thorny in his mode of speech, yet he not ambiguously hands on the sum of the doctrine we defend."

Section 29: All Acknowledged Doctors of the Church Confirm the Doctrine of the Trinity.

None of the ancient writers whom the church follows taught anything other than the doctrine of the Trinity. Even if in some small detail they were unclear, they all taught that God is one in essence, yet three in Persons.

Calvin then ends this section by speaking of speculation and curiosity again. Those who temper their curiosity will be satisfied at this Scriptural teaching, while those who delight in it will in no way be satisfied, but wish to go further than Scripture allows.

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Reflection: I am still slightly sick, and so my reflection will not be long today, nor perhaps very intelligent, but I wanted to keep going on this otherwise I might never pick it up again.

I am always struck by the humility which Calvin shows in matters of doctrine, never going beyond Scripture, while at the same time being convinced of what he does derive from Scripture. When Scripture teaches something, we cannot have excessive humility and try to make it somehow less. Scripture clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, and so we must defend that doctrine with the strength of our convictions. We cannot say more than Scripture, but neither can we say less than Scripture. If we trust in God and his truth, then that trust will express itself in a sure confidence in what God has taught us, but a humility in those matters which are not made known to us, or are not fully revealed to us.

It is a tricky balance, but one that we must always be concerned for.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 8: In Scripture, From the Creation Onward, We Are Taught One Essence of God, Which Contains Three Persons. (III)

Section 14: The Divinity of the Spirit is Demonstrated in His Work.

Having shown the divinity of the Son, Calvin now moves to showing the divinity of the Spirit. This proof begins with the work that the Spirit does, starting in Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God tends to creation, hovering over the depths. "It is the Spirit who, everywhere diffused, sustains all things, causes them to grow, and quickens them in heaven and in earth. Because he is circumscribed by no limits, he is excepted from the category of creatures; but in transfusing into all things his energy, and breathing into them essence, life, and movement, he is indeed plainly divine." The same can be said for his work of regeneration, which clearly shows his divinity as well.

Section 15: Express Testimonies for the Deity of the Spirit.

Scripture does not refrain from using the name 'God' of the Spirit. Paul, Calvin shows, "concludes that we are temples of God from the fact that the Spirit dwells in us." It is this indwelling by the Spirit which causes us to be temples of God--by his Spirit God dwells in this temple. Calvin then goes on to show that speaking of the Spirit means also speaking of God, and then returns to the creative power of the Spirit to show his divinity.

Section 16: Oneness.

Having shown that both the Son and the Spirit are true God, Calvin now proceeds to show that although there are three Persons, there is still only One God. To show this, Calvin simply looks to baptism, as Paul closely connects baptism, faith, and God. Baptism is one, so the faith into which we are baptized is one, and therefore the God in whom we have such faith is one. This is made clear when Christ commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations, "baptizing them into the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)--notice how 'name' is singular, but there are three names mentioned. "Hence it is quite clear that in God's essence reside three persons in whom one God is known."

"Therefore, since that there is one God, not more, is regarded as a settled principle, we conclude that Word and Spirit are nothing else than the very essence of God."

Section 17: Threeness.

Although God is one in essence, yet "Scripture sets forth a distinction of the Father from the Word, and of the Word from the Spirit." These words imply a real distinction, but without implying a division. Each Person has a distinct character from the other Persons, but this does in no way mean that there are three Gods, but One God. We cannot make the Father, Son and Spirit into the same Person, just as we cannot make the One God into three gods.

Section 18: Difference of Father, Son, and Spirit.

Calvin begins this section cautiously: he is not going to us an analogy because no analogy will work and he does not want to lead people astray. But there is one way in which we can understand the difference between the three Persons. "It is this: to the Father is attributed the beginning of activity, and the fountain and wellspring of all things; to the Son, wisdom, counsel, and the ordered disposition of all things; but to the Spirit is assigned the power and efficacy of that activity." But we must understand that when we speak of God, we are in the category of eternity, and so speaking of 'before' and 'after' is not perfect, but there is in a sense such an order. "For the mind of each human being is naturally inclined to contemplate God first, then the wisdom coming forth from him, and lastly the power whereby he executes the decrees of his plan."

Section 19: The Relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit.

Even this distinction does not destroy the unity of God, for in each Person the whole divine nature is understood, but in each Person there exists their own peculiar quality. This, however, is beyond us, and we should stop with simply this idea rather than "wander through many evanescent speculations."

Section 20: The Triune God.

"Therefore, let those who dearly love soberness, and who will be content with the measure of faith, receive in brief form what is useful to know: namely, that, when we profess to believe in one God, under the name of God is understood a single, simple essence, in which we comprehend three persons, or hypostases. Therefore, whenever the name of God is mentioned without particularization, there are designated no less the Son and the Spirit than the Father; but where the Son is joined to the Father, then the relation of the two enters in; and so we distinguish among the persons. But because the peculiar qualities in the persons carry an order within them, e.g., in the Father is the beginning and the source, so often as mention is made of the Father and the Son together, or the Spirit, the name of God is peculiarly applied to the Father. In this way, unity of essence is retained, and a reasoned order is kept, which yet takes nothing away from the deity of the Son and the Spirit."

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Reflection: Speaking about the Trinity is, to say the least, confusing. Previously Calvin had admitted that theological terms, like Trinity, were useful in summarizing clearly the truth of Scripture. Now we see how useful it is, since the doctrine itself is anything but simple and clear to us. This is not to say that it is not clearly understood from Scripture--Calvin has shown that it is--but that we as finite human beings cannot grasp such teachings because we have no point of comparison.

I think Calvin's closing of Section 19 is good to keep in mind: let's stop with what Scripture says about the doctrine of the Trinity, lest we wander through speculations. It would be easy to think wrong things about such a doctrine, even if we try to remain true to Scripture. Since there is no analogy that perfectly describes the Trinity, there is no way we can grasp it in our minds. We can only believe this doctrine in awe and humility, praising God (Father, Son and Spirit) for revealing such majestic mysteries to us, finite and sinful people.

In my studies in philosophy, that is one thing that made things easier, the fact that there is a limit to what we can understand. Many people in the world today do not realize this--there is around us a firm faith in our own faculty of reason. Many people reject faith, especially the Christian faith, because it doesn't fit their logic or reason. What they do not realize is that it is beyond logic and reason, not illogical and irrational. At some point we have to realize that we do not know everything, and so cannot expect to understand everything, but if we do not understand it, that does not make it any less true, it just makes it wonderful and mysterious.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 13: In Scripture, From the Creation Onward, We Are Taught One Essence of God, Which Contains Three Persons. (II)

Section 7: The Deity of the Word.

Starting here and going to section 13, Calvin gives evidence that Jesus Christ, the Son of God is God himself. In this section, Calvin speaks of the Word, showing that it is divine.

"Certainly, when God's word is set before us in Scripture it would be the height of absurdity to imagine a merely fleeting and vanishing utterance, which, cast forth into the air, projects itself outside of God; and that both the oracles announced to the patriarchs and all prophecies were of this sort. Rather, 'Word' means the everlasting Wisdom, residing with God, from which both all oracles and all prophecies go forth."

Even in creation, Calvin says, this word is shown to be something more than just simple speech, but is in fact an intermediary. This is made more certain when we take into consideration also Hebrews 1:2-3, "but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word."

"Therefore, inasmuch as all divinely uttered revelations are correctly designated by the term 'word of God,' so this substantial Word is properly placed at the highest level, as the wellspring of all oracles. Unchangeable, the Word abides everlastingly one and the same with God, and is God himself."

Section 8: The Eternity of the Word.

But even if the Word is divine, does that necessarily mean that it is also eternal? Calvin here shows that it does indeed mean this. If the Word is not eternal, then that would mean that God, in creating the Word, or uttering the Word, had changed. But God does not change, as we know from passages such as James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Therefore "the Word existed long before God said 'Let there be light.'" Even Christ himself shows his eternity when in his High Priestly prayer he says "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

"Therefore we again state that the Word, conceived beyond the beginning of time by God, has perpetually resided with him. By this, his eternity, his true essence, and his divinity are proved."

Section 9: The Deity of Christ in the Old Testament.

This, however, is not only a New Testament doctrine, but can be seen throughout the Old Testament as well. Some of the passages which Calvin brings up are rather unclear, perhaps being interpreted differently in the 16th century than they are now. Calvin points to Ps. 45:6 "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever" as proof of Christ's divinity, but that is unclear at best as to how it pertains to Christ and not God the Father.

Other texts, however, are much more clear. Calvin points to Isaiah 9:6-7 which clearly speaks not of God but of someone else who is much more than simply man, but not God the Father. Jeremiah 23:5-6 is also brought up, which speaks about someone other than God, but who cannot be a mere man.

Section 10: The "Angel of the Eternal God."

Here Calvin gets into a discussion of the "Angel of the Lord" passages in the Old Testament. That this angel is actually the second Person of the Trinity before he became man was the common interpretation in the Reformation. However this can be argued otherwise since we have come to understand more about the Ancient Near Eastern world and how things worked.

However, Calvin points to the fact that this "Angel of the Lord" allows sacrifices to be made to him, and in other places takes on the name of the Eternal God. In this way, Calvin says, the Second Person of the Divine Trinity already began to work as a Mediator, just not in his full capacity as he did as a true man.

Section 11: The Divinity of Christ in the New Testament: Witness of the Apostles.

Once we get into the New Testament, the proofs for the Divinity of Christ are more numerous and more clear. The apostles take Old Testament texts and apply them to Christ, even those texts that were speaking of God himself.

Section 12: The Divinity of Christ is Demonstrated in His Works.

When we look at the works which Jesus Christ performed, we see this even clearly. Jesus claims for himself the authority and power to forgive sins, which is the work of God alone. He governs the universe, and even makes himself equal with God. Jesus Christ himself clearly states that he is eternal God.

Section 13: The Divinity of Christ is Demonstrated By His Miracles.

Jesus Christ showed his own Divine power in his miracles, and even by giving such power to his disciples he shows that it was his to command. He is so much more than a mere creature.

"Moreover, if apart from God there is no salvation, no righteousness, no life, yet Christ contains all these in himself, God is certainly revealed. And let no one object to me that life and salvation have been infused into Christ by God, for Christ is not said to have received salvation, but to be salvation itself. And if no one but God is good, how could a mere man be--I do not say good and just--but goodness and justice itself?"

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Reflection: Here Calvin gets into some abstract and heady stuff. What is quite interesting is how often in these sections he refers to people who would object to such a doctrine, that the Son of God is eternal God. He shows how such passages as he brings up could be twisted to say something else or could be objected to and interpreted differently. This, of course, ties in with his earlier point that without the Spirit of God, we cannot see the truth which God reveals, either in his creation or in his revealed word.

But this section also shows how difficult it is to understand such a doctrine as the Trinity. We cannot really speak about it without realizing the limitations of our words and our thoughts. We are too small to comprehend something so vast. It is easy, then, to see how people can misunderstand. However, we cannot then ignore such a teaching or deny it, but we must in all things submit to Scripture and understand it as best as we can. To say that God must submit to our understanding and our reasoning is the utmost in impiety.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 13: In Scripture, From the Creation Onward, We Are Taught One Essence of God, Which Contains Three Persons. (I)

Section 1: God's Nature is Immeasurable and Spiritual.

We cannot say, Calvin writes, that God is the world and the world is God because we are taught that God is both immeasurable and spiritual. How can we measure what is immeasurable, and how can we see what is spiritual? But God uses certain images and figures of speech about himself in scripture so that we who are sluggish and finite are thus drawn up to him by his revelation. "Such forms of speaking do not so much express clearly what God is like as accommodate the knowledge of him to our slight capacity. To do this he must descend far beneath his loftiness."

Section 2: The Three "Persons" in God.

God distinguishes himself further from idols by "proclaiming himself the sole God as to offer himself to be contemplated clearly in three persons." If we do not grasp these persons, then we do not have in mind true knowledge of God.

This, however, is a difficult teaching, and needs to be understood properly. The Persons are not to be identified with each other, as if they were all the same, nor are they so separate as to form three 'gods.' But they are together God, but also distinguished from each other in person (or as Calvin says: hypostasis).

Section 3: The Expressions "Trinity" and "Person" Aid the Interpretation of Scripture and Are Therefore Admissible.

There are those, Calvin writes, who argue against using such 'unscriptural' language to speak of God. These words are not used in God's revelation, therefore we ought not to use them when speaking of God. But these people, Calvin argues, miss the point. These words, even though of human origin, repeat the truths which God has revealed to us in a clear manner. If these words imposed our understanding on God, then they would have a valid point. But because these words simply make clearer for us what God teaches in his word, then we can use such words with profit.

"We ought to seek from Scripture a sure rule for both thinking and speaking, to which both the thoughts of our minds and the words of our mouths should be conformed. But what prevents us from explaining in clearer words those matters in Scripture which perplex and hinder our understanding, yet which conscientiously and faithfully serve the truth of Scripture itself, and are made use of sparingly and modestly and on due occasion?"

Section 4: The Church Has Regarded Expressions Like "Trinity," "Person," etc., as Necessary to Unmask False Teachers.

Here Calvin points to one use of such words: they make the doctrines of Scripture so clear so that heretics who try to evade censure by their "verbiage" are shown for what they are. Calvin points to Arius, who said that Christ was God and the Son of God, but who did not say that they were God in the same way, instead teaching that Christ was made the Son of God. But when the Church Fathers used the term homoousios (of the same essence), then Arius' heresy was brought to light. Calvin also does the same with the error of the Sabellians, who said that the words Father, Son and Spirit were simply ways of designating different attributes of God, not persons. Thus such theological words, although not used in scripture, are useful for the church.

Section 5: Limits and Necessity of Theological Terms.

However, Calvin urges, we must beware not to put too much weight on such terms. They are useful for us, but cannot be thought to contain the essence of God or the whole truth of him. Such words ought not to be a cause for dissension and division in the church, but we must be able to look past the words used to see the truth being expressed. So what if we use different words to speak the same truth--it is the truth of God that matters for Christian unity, not the words of men.

Section 6: The Meaning of the Most Important Conception.

Here Calvin gets into a discussion of the Trinity. "'Person,' therefore, I call a 'subsistence' in God's essence, which, while related to the others, is distinguished by an incommunicable quality." Thus where "simple and indefinite mention is made of God, this name pertains no less to the Son and the Spirit than to the Father." But each is also distinguished since they have attributes which are proper only to that Person, and thus incommunicable to the other Persons of the Trinity--but without breaking the unity of God.

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Reflection: Here we get into some issues of semantics: thinking about definitions of words and how they are used. It is important in any discussion to make sure that we are using words in the same way. As Calvin points out when he discusses the prevarications of the Arians and the Sabellians, among others, we could seem like we are saying the same thing, but mean something totally different by it. So we need to have some clarity about the content of our thoughts, and there are theological terms that are useful for this.

However, we cannot then 'idolize' such terms so that if people do not use them they are wrong. Such terms, although expressing Scriptural truth, are still human constructions, and so are not perfectly thorough. We can use different words to say the same things, so we cannot make simple terms the judge of heresy or orthodoxy.

If only it were that easy, however. To do this demands that we delve deeper into our ideas and thoughts about God and his revelation in our discussions with others than we generally want to. It's not easy to do this, but is it absolutely necessary. It is easier, it seems, for us to do this when people use a different language, but when we deal with other Christians who use the same language, but different words it often becomes an issue. Then we are not discussing God's truth, but our own expressions of it.

We must always get back to the truth of God, and not be slavishly tied to the wording that we use to express it.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 12: How God is to Be So Distinguished from Idols that Perfect Honor May Be Given to Him Alone.

Section 1: True Religion Binds Us to God as the One and Only God.

Calvin repeats what he said earlier, that "the knowledge of God does not rest in cold speculation, but carries with it the honoring of him." Knowledge of God without fear and reverence is not true knowledge of God, but is something else. Thus when scripture says that there is only one God, it is not simply stating a bare fact (which it does), but it also shows that all reverence and honor are rightly shown only to this one God, that "nothing belonging to his divinity is to be transferred to another." Thus true godliness keeps itself within its proper limits. This is the purpose of God's law, which shows us how to worship him properly and rightly--"by it a bridle has been imposed upon men, to prevent their sinking into vicious rites." Even if we were to think of God as the 'highest god' surrounded by a host of other 'lesser gods,' this robs God of the honor due to him, since they will be honored as well as in some way being involved in the government of heaven and earth, an honor which is due to the one true God alone. This is one way in which we can deceive ourselves and dishonor God.

Section 2: A Distinction Without a Difference.

Here Calvin returns to the issue which the Roman Catholic Church of his day raised about images: they are served without being worshipped, they are given δυλια without λατρεια. But this is a distinction created to ease the conscience, for the distinction in truth does not exist. How can one serve an image or the saints to whom they pray without honoring it or them, and how can one honor God without serving him? "Thus it would be unequal dealing to assign to the saints what is greater and leave to God what is lesser."

Section 3: Honoring Images is Dishonoring to God.

With some Biblical texts, Calvin now shows that worshipping, serving, or honoring anything other than God robs God of what is due to him. Calvin points to Galatians 4:8, Matthew 4:10, Revelation 19:10 and 22:8-9 and Acts 10:25, showing that this distinction between 'service' and 'honor' is a false distinction. For when people knelt before messengers of God, the messengers forbade them from doing so, because such reverence belongs rightly to God alone, not his servants. "Thus, if we wish to have one God, we should remember that we must not pluck away even a particle of his glory, and that he must retain what is his own." But this error is so easy for us to fall into, "that what God rigorously reserves for himself alone we distribute among a great throng."

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Reflection: While Calvin here specifically talks about service and honour due to God which we often give to others, I think it would be fair also to include the idea of trust--implicit in Calvin's discussion here. In our lives, it is far too easy to say we trust in God, to worship him as we ought formally, but then to trust in our own abilities to see us through difficult situations, or even the thought of difficult situations. Here in Canada we live in a land of plenty, a land in which there is little that we lack. In such a situation it is easy to look to what we have for the hope of the future and not so easy to look past it to the God who has given it all to us. Perhaps there are those who are much better at it than others, trusting in God alone, but it seems that it is a common human failing to want some, what we might call 'guarantees' that we will be okay.

If we look around us in these troubled financial times, we see this more and more. People want it to be taken care of so that they don't lose money. Money is what will see us through whatever life throws our way. And as Christians living in the midst of all of this, it is difficult not to be swept up in this line of thinking.

It is hard to give God all that is due to him, for we more often than not want to trust in something we can see. God is invisible, and easy to leave that way. But with the eyes of faith we can see God in all things, and through the Holy Spirit we can give God all the worship, service, trust and reverence that is due to him as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and the Redeemer of his people.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 11 (II):

It Is Unlawful to Attribute a Visible Form to God, and Generally Whoever Sets Up Idols Revolts Against the True God.

Section 8: The Origin of Images: Man's Desire for a Tangible Deity.

Here Calvin discusses why we have images and idols at all. He sums it up in one short sentence after going through the biblical history of such things: "From this we may gather that man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols." Our flesh is so weak that it wants something like itself (material, physical) which to see so that it may worship and trust.

Section 9: Any Use of Images Leads to Idolatry.

No matter how one uses images in worship, Calvin argues, it will always lead to idolatry--human nature can do nothing else. It may happen in slow degrees, but it will happen nonetheless. Those who venerate images will argue that these images are not regarded as gods, but history shows that they will become so regarded soon enough, and people will attach God to these images in their minds.

Section 10: Image Worship in the Church.

To prove his point, Calvin looks to the images used in the church for worship. He asks why people, then, go on lengthy pilgrimages to see images the likes of which they have at home? Images used in worship cannot be defended by saying that we do not call them 'gods,' but the truth is that "they carnally venerate God in wood and stone."

Section 11: Foolish Evasions of the Papists.

Calvin now turns attention to one of the arguments used by the Roman Catholic Church of his day, saying that the church serves the images with dulia, the Greek word for service or slavehood, while not wronging God by worshipping them. "As if, indeed, it were not something slighter to worship than to serve!" But this argument does not stand, since they are in effect saying 'we worship the images but without worship.' They try to make one thing into two things and so convince people that they are not doing wrong. "For just as an adulterer or a homicide cannot escape guilt by dubbing his crime with some other name, so it is absurd for them to be absolved by the subtle device of a name if they differ in no respect from idolater whom they themselves are compelled to condemn."

Section 12: The Functions and Limits of Art.

Speaking of images, Calvin feels it necessary to turn to art in general. Art (he speaks of sculpture and painting) is a gift of God, then it has a legitimate purpose. If God cannot be represented, then "it remains that only those things are to be sculptured or painted which the eyes are capable of seeing: let not God's majesty, which is far above the perception of the eyes, be debased through unseemly representations." However, even if these paintings and sculptures are done in this way, depicting nothing evil, they still have no value, Calvin says, for teaching. I am assuming here that he means for religious instruction, teaching about God and not teaching in general.

Section 13: As Long As Doctrine Was Pure and Strong, the Church Rejected Images.

In the first few centuries of the Christian church, Calvin says, the churches were empty of images. It was only when the purity of the ministry had deteriorated that images came into the churches and were tolerated there. The Apostles and early Church Fathers had spoken out against images, "for men's folly cannot restrain itself from falling headlong into superstitious rites." And how could these images be better than the 'images' which God gives us in Baptism and the Lord's Supper?

Section 14: Childish Arguments for Images at the Council of Nicaea (787).

Calvin now turns to that council at which this discussion was first formally enjoined, the third (I think) council of Nicaea, called together by the Empress Irene. Here at this council it was decreed that images belong in churches, and that they are to be worshipped. Those who defend images in Calvin's day turned to this council for support. But Calvin argues that this was by no means the general opinion--other writings from the same time argue against images.

Those who defend images use scripture in a twisted and absurd way. Calvin supplies here a list of some of the texts that are used to support images. One of them is Song of Solomon 2:14, "Show my thy face, for it is beautiful." There are others, but this will suffice to show the nature of their 'proofs.'

Section 15: Ridiculous Misuse of Scripture Texts.

The title of this section says it all. Here is another set of texts which were commonly used to support the worship of images. "If anyone in mockery wished to attribute a ridiculous character to the patrons of images, could he enumerate greater and grosser follies?"

Section 16: Blasphemous and Shocking Claims for Images.

Here Calvin deals with those leaders and theologians in the church who pronounce anathemas on those who do not worship images, calling them worse than Samaritans, cursed by God, and worse than any heretic in the church. "Indeed, John, the legate of the Easterns, moved by even greater heat, warned that it would be better to admit all brothels into the city than to deny the worship of images."

What more can be said?

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Reflection: While Calvin, in the heat of iconoclasm and the debates that surrounded it, deals with images and idols, I think that for us today--while still admitting that images and idols are still a problem--have slightly less tangible images and idols that we need to be aware of. Last night at Men's Society the discussion turned to the fact that in many cases Christians think that they have the doctrine of Scripture all neatly tied up. We have it right, and anyone who disagrees is therefore wrong.

This is a very real danger, and an outworking of pride. To think that we understand God and what he teaches perfectly shows that we have an image of God in our minds that does not fit with the truth of God. God is far too vast for us to comprehend--only his Spirit searches his depths. We must be content with what we have in his revelation, and constantly submit our ideas and thoughts to the rule of Scripture.

This, of course, is not to say that there is therefore no real truth that we can point to, or that therefore anything goes in theology. No, we have the revealed word of God, we have what he has told us of his truth, but to think that from here we can plumb the depths of God is intellectual idolatry such that the philosophers were guilty of.

We can only continue to read and meditate on Scripture, and submit all of our thoughts to its correcting guidance, and so worship God truly and rightly. For what we see in these sections, especially when Calvin shows the 'proofs' supplied, is that the human heart and mind, when begun down the path of error, does all it can to remain there. Even the most ridiculous arguments are seen as valid and strong, the most unrelated texts are used to prove the point. I can only pray to be spared from such error, and constantly search God's truth and submit to it.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 11: (I)

It Is Unlawful to Attribute a Visible Form to God, and Generally Whoever Sets Up Idols Revolts Against the True God.

Section 1: We Are Forbidden Every Pictorial Representation of God.

Calvin opens this section stating that Scripture, distinguishing the true God from false gods, "particularly contrasts him with idols." Thus the Lord better exposes the foolishness of the world "in searching for God when all the while each one clings to his own speculation." Instead, "God himself is the sole and proper witness of himself," so whenever idols are made to represent him, "God's glory is corrupted by an impious falsehood."

Section 2: Every Figurative Representation of God Contradicts His Being.

God forbids images because he has presented no image of himself to his people. Instead, as we read in Deuteronomy 4:12, 15-16, the people saw no form, but only heard his voice. "We see how openly God speaks against all images, that we may know that all who seek visible forms of God depart from him." For how could we take measure of our immeasurable God in order to fit some piece of material to him? It was not only the Jews who were prone to such idolatry, but all peoples--we are all inclined toward such superstition.

Section 3: Even Direct Signs of the Divine Presence Give No Justification For Images.

Here Calvin speaks about those instances in Scripture where it is recorded that God himself came to earth in one form or another. He appeared to his people at Sinai in clouds, smoke and fire so that the minds of men might be restrained--how do you make an image of such things? But even when he appeared as more physical forms (the Spirit as a dove, God as a man to Abraham, etc.), these appearances do not give us permission to make images of God. Such appearances were transitory simply for the purpose of showing that God cannot be made into any form. Even the mercy seat on the ark, Calvin argues, cannot be used to show that God can be represented by a form, for this seat was shrouded in cloud, and represented the fact that God's glory was covered up for our protection.

Section 4: Images and Pictures Contrary to Scripture.

Any visible form of Gods, and indeed "all we conceive concerning God in our own minds is an insipid fiction." The very fact of idols is itself ridiculous. Weak and transient men form God out of dead materials which are otherwise used for different purposes, think of Isaiah 44:12-17. All of this are the works of men's hands--not God's. "For surely there is nothing less fitting than to wish to reduce God, who is immeasurable and incomprehensible, to a five-foot measure!" But God does not simply forbid idols, but even pictures are forbidden as representations of himself. Here Calvin specifically mentions the Greek Orthodox tradition, which has many icons as part of its worship.

Section 5: Scripture Judges Otherwise.

Pope Gregory had declared images to be the "books of the uneducated." But the testimony of Scripture declares that "whatever men learn of God from images is futile, indeed false." Even though the prophets in the Old Testament spoke out against those who put idols to impious use, they spoke of them as entirely sinful, not just the use to which they are put.

Section 6: The Doctors of the Church, Too, Partly Judged Otherwise.

The early Church Fathers also spoke out against images. Calvin mentions Lactantius, Eusebius and Augustine on this matter, each teaching that images are forbidden. Images, it is argued, do not aid in worship, but in fact diminish the fear of God in men, for they make God more material, more like his creatures, and less majestic and Divine. While idols were not the cause of man's error, once idols were introduced, such errors multiplied greatly. "Whoever, therefore, desires to be rightly taught must learn what he should know of God from some other source than images."

Section 7a: The Images of the Papists Are Entirely Inappropriate.

Even though the Roman Catholic Church uses images as 'books for the uneducated,' the images they use are inappropriate for such a purpose, as they are not always 'virtuously and modestly clad.'

Section 7b: There Would Be No 'Uneducated' At All If the Church Had Done Its Duty.

Here Calvin gets to the crux of the matter of education and images: "those in authority in the church turned over to idols the office of teaching for no other reason than that they themselves were mute." Instead, all are to be educated by God's revelation alone. Those whom the Papists call 'uneducated' are those "whom the Lord recognizes as his disciples, whom he honors by the revelation of his heavenly philosophy, whom he wills to be instructed in the saving mysteries of his Kingdom." Calvin argues against such 'books for the uneducated' by pointing to the ministry of teaching of the Church:

"What purpose did it serve for so many crosses--of wood, stone, silver, and gold--to be erected here and there in churches, if this fact had been duly and faithfully taught: that Christ died on the cross to bear our curse, to expiate our sins by the sacrifice of his body, to wash them by his blood, in short, to reconcile us to God the Father? From this one fact they could have learned more than from a thousand crosses of wood or stone. For perhaps the covetous fix their minds and eyes more tenaciously upon gold and silver than upon any word of God."

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Reflection: This last section, in which Calvin blames the church itself for the 'necessity' of idols, is a very interesting section. While throughout the rest he speaks of material idols and the falseness of images to teach about God, here he hits on something entirely universal: the church is charged with teaching the doctrine of God, revealed in his Word, and if the church fails in her duty in the matter, errors will abound, not least from the church herself. This means that it is a great responsibility to have a role of leadership in the church, for not only is one then charged with teaching properly and effectively about God from his Word alone, but also that therefore one must have the proper understanding of God firmly fixed in his or her mind so that he or she does not even unwittingly propagate errors about God. Positions of authority (I include not only pastors and elders, but even teachers, parents, etc.) are positions of great responsibility.

While Calvin speaks of these things in more of a formal, official sense, I also think of it in an informal sense--the task that I have as a father to teach my son the truth of God. Not only do I have to have my theology right, and my doctrine straight from Scripture itself, but I must also be able to communicate it well to a child. Now, of course, there are some things that he will necessarily learn later, but when it comes to the doctrine of God I must be able to give my son the proper foundation upon which his relationship with God will be planted. What a great responsibility, but also what a great privilege.

I only pray that in any capacity, I may represent God as he has revealed himself to his people, not as I might want him to be. I pray to be guarded from the errors which as a sinful human being I am prone to commit.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 10: Scritpure, To Correct All Superstition, Has Set the True God Alone Over Against All the Gods of the Heathen.

Section 1: The Scriptural Doctrine of God the Creator.

In this section, Calvin sets forth what he wants to do in this short chapter: "now it is worthwhile to ponder whether the Lord represents himself to us in Scripture as we previously saw him delineate himself in his works." But he is not going to do a thorough job of it, but simply point out the fact that this is indeed the case: "I shall be content to have provided godly minds with a sort of index to what they should particularly look for in Scripture concerning God, and to direct their search to a sure goal." He will point to the nature of God, and not yet speak about God's more special relations to people through his covenant. In this chapter, he will deal quickly with God's character or nature by which he "governs the universe founded by him."

Section 2: The Attributes of God According to Scripture Agree With Those Known in His Creatures.

Calvin now turns to a couple of passages which clearly show the character of God in his dealings with the world. The first passage is Exodus 34:6-7. This is what Calvin has to say about this passage: "Here let us observe that his eternity and his self-existence are announced by that wonderful name twice repeated. Thereupon his powers are mentioned, by which he is shown to us not as he is in himself, but as he is toward us: so that this recognition of him consists more in living experience than in vain and high-flown speculation. Now we hear the same powers enumerated there that we have noted as shining in heaven and earth: kindness, goodness, mercy, justice, judgment, and truth. For power and might are contained under the title Elohim." [Elohim being the plural of the Hebrew word for God, El. This does not mean that God is more than one, but is a plural denoting the highest degree of intensity: God is the greatest of gods--the only God--it is an abstract plural.]

The next passage Calvin writes about is Psalm 145, and Calvin simply says that this Psalm 'precisely reckons' the sum of all God's powers, "and yet nothing is set down there that cannot be beheld in his creatures."

Calvin then turns to Jeremiah 9:24 which identifies God as "the Lord who exercise mercy, judgment, and justice in the earth." "Certainly these three things are especially necessary for us to know: mercy, on which alone the salvation of us all rests; judgment, which is daily exercised against wrongdoers, and in even greater severity awaits them to their everlasting ruin; justice, whereby believers are preserved, and are most tenderly nourished." And these attributes point also to their origin in God's truth, power, holiness and goodness.

"Indeed, the knowledge of God set forth for us in Scripture is destined for the very same goal as the knowledge whose imprint shines in his creatures, in that it invites us first to fear God, then to trust in him. By this we can learn to worship him both with perfect innocence of life and with unfeigned obedience, then to depend wholly upon his goodness."

Section 3: Because the Unity of God Was Also no Unknown to the Heathen, the Worshippers of Idols are the More Inexcusable.

Scripture, Calvin writes, excludes and rejects all the gods of the heathen in their adulterated religions. But men all along knew that God is one, "for men who worshiped a swarm of gods, whenever speaking from a real feeling of nature, as if content wit ha single God, simply used the name 'God.'" Justin Martyr and Tertullian both caught onto this and used it in their arguments against the heathen. This knowledge is not saving knowledge, of course, but simply serves to provide the unbeliever with no excuse for his or her unbelief. We are all called to worship the One True God. "For this reason, Habakkuk, when he condemned all idols, bade men seek God 'in his temple' [Habakkuk 2:20] lest believers admit someone other than him who revealed himself by his Word."

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Reflection: For such a short chapter, there is a lot of content here. What struck me here is the fact that God's revelation shows God not as he is simply in and of himself, but in his powers as he relates to his creation, "so that this recognition of his consists more in living experience than in vain and high-flown speculation." Believers, it seems Calvin is saying, are not to be 'arm-chair' theologians, just sitting and thinking about God intellectually. Instead, our knowledge of God is to be from living experience. But not, I will add (even though Calvin does not do so here) in the sense that we receive special revelation from God himself to ourselves concerning his nature and character. Rather, we are to experience the character and relation to us in our lives as we live them.

We can directly experience God's power when we look at the world around us. We can see God's mercy in our own lives, his goodness, his truth, etc. We cannot divorce these attributes from his relation to his creation and speak about them abstractly. God gives ample evidence of his attributes in our lives and in the world around us. To speak of these things in an abstract sense would be to rob them of life. Perhaps this is why Calvin uses, as his first text, that passage in which God appears to Moses on Mt. Sinai and announces his name. What Moses receives there is very special, but it is special because of its quantity, we could say, not its quality. What Moses receives is revelation of God that is available in creation, but God compresses it into one experience to encourage Moses as he leads the stubborn people of Israel through the wilderness. We receive the same revelation, but scattered throughout our life experience, not in one experience as Moses. I would love to receive such revelation, but am content with looking at God through the world around me.