Blogging the Institutes - Day 40

Philosophers come in all shapes and sizes these days but their message hasn't changed.

"For they, when exhorting man to know himself, state the motive to be, that he may not be ignorant of his own excellence and dignity. They wish him to see nothing in himself but what will fill him with vain confidence, and inflate him with pride."

Even men behind the pulpit exhibit this charge to their people. Blindly they lead the blind. I look forward to reading Calvin's rebuttal to the most man-centered, absolutely common, attribute of sinful men; Namely, the desire to make much of themselves.

I have been a believer for going on 8 years. By God's grace, through great influences, I was made aware of the condition of man after the fall. That we are totally depraved and void of any good. That being said, it has only been in the last two years that this truth has rightly humbled me, giving me a more correct knowledge of Grace. We have to know ourselves as utterly hopeless. Then, and only then, is grace truly grace! An undeserved favor, for if you think there is an ounce of good in you, your mind, being so wicked, will attribute God's favor on you, to your goodness. Paul warns us in his letter to Timothy that men will be lovers of themselves!

In addition Calvin says it so beautifully concerning the result of a right knowledge of self…

"It is impossible for us to think of our first original, or the end for which we were created, without being urged to meditate on immortality, and to seek the kingdom of God."

I love how Calvin teaches! He divides the knowledge man ought to have for himself into two questions.

1) What end was man created, what qualities were given to reach that divine worship and future life?

2) How is man to accomplish this?

The first question teaches what our duty is; the second makes us aware of how unable we are to perform it.

To begin to answer we must look at what exactly happened with Adam that caused such a "fearful vengeance on the whole human race". It wasn't the desire for pleasure from fruit. There were endless quantities and varieties to eat. It was Adam's pride that lead him to go beyond what God had permitted and eat of the forbidden tree. God gave this command to exercise and prove Adam's faith, and he did whatever he wanted…. Pride. But there is more to this because it was the woman who by the subtlety of the devil abandoned the command of God. So clearly her fall had it's origin in disobedience. At the same time Adam no only was ensnared by the devil, but despised the word of God and turned to the lies of satan.

"Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for him is gone. His majesty cannot be duly honored among us, nor his worship maintained in its integrity, unless we hang as it were upon his lips."

So Infidelity, or the breaking of the rules of a relationship, is the source of the fall.

"From Infidelity sprang ambition and pride, together with ingratitude; because Adam, by longing for more than was allotted him, manifested contempt for the great liberality which God had given him."

"The strongest curb to keep all his (Adam's/Man's) affections under due restraint, would have been to belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God, and that the highest possible happiness was to be loved by Him."

So there is the clear explanation of what happened to plague the whole human race with vengeance. In response the honest man will admit it was a heinous crime for man to think he needed more that all God had given him. And now, in 2009, our revolt is no different. We see this curse clearly that every person born does this exact thing by nature. We reject the perfect truth of God for our own conjured truth. Thereby stealing His Glory and rejecting his truth, we tell Him, "You are no God, I am".

Johnny Cash

Check out this post by Justin Taylor:

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2009/02/johnny-cash.html

Blogging the Institutes - Day 39

As we close Book 1, what Calvin says in Ch 18. pt 3 is very appropriate...

Paraphrase ... " I have taught what is plain and clear in scripture. Those who want to disagree ought to beware of what they say. For if under ignorance the seek the praise of modesty, they could have no greater arrogance when they say "I think otherwise".

This is so encouraging because we as believers are beaten up and condemned as ignorant and loony to believe the doctrines Book 1 has covered. They are the foundation; the nature of God, God as Creator, The Fall, Sovereign Providence, and it is all true!

“Man sometimes with a good will wishes something which God does not will, as when a good son wishes his father to live, while God wills him to die. Again, it may happen that man with a bad will wishes what God wills righteously, as when a bad son wishes his father to die, and God also wills it. The former wishes what God wills not, the latter wishes what God also wills. And yet the filial affection of the former is more consonant to the good will of God, though willing differently, than the unnatural affection of the latter, though willing the same thing; so much does approbation or condemnation depend on what it is befitting in man, and what in God to will, and to what end the will of each has respect. For the things which God rightly wills, he accomplishes by the evil wills of bad men,” - Augustine

"If I mistake not, I have already shown clearly how the same act at once betrays the guilt of man, and manifests the righteousness of God. Modest minds will always be satisfied with Augustine’s answer, “Since the Father delivered up the Son, Christ his own body, and Judas his Master, how in such a case is God just, and man guilty, but just because in the one act which they did, the reasons for which they did it are different?” (August. Ep. 48, ad Vincentium). If any are not perfectly satisfied with this explanation—viz. that there is no concurrence between God and man, when by His righteous impulse man does what he ought not to do, let them give heed to what Augustine elsewhere observes: “Who can refrain from trembling at those Judgments when God does according to his pleasure even in the hearts of the wicked, at the same time rendering to them according to their deeds?” (De Grat. et lib. Arbit. ad Valent. c. 20). And certainly, in regard to the treachery of Judas, there is just as little ground to throw the blame of the crime upon God, because He was both pleased that his Son should be delivered up to death, and did deliver him, as to ascribe to Judas the praise of our redemption. Hence Augustine, in another place, truly observes, that when God makes his scrutiny, he looks not to what men could do, or to what they did, but to what they wished to do, thus taking account of their will and purpose. Those to whom this seems harsh had better consider how far their captiousness is entitled to any toleration, while, on the ground of its exceeding their capacity, they reject a matter which is clearly taught by Scripture, and complain of the enunciation of truths, which, if they were not useful to be known, God never would have ordered his prophets and apostles to teach. Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the Holy Scriptures, have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance, a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation."

Blogging the Institutes Day 39 1.18.3 - 1.18.4

Calvin puts an appropriating ending to the first of three books with this statement,

"Those to whom this seems harsh [Providence of God, Will of God in good & evil) had better consider how far their captiousness (petty objections) is entitled to any toleration, while, on the ground of its exceeding their capacity, they reject a matter which is clearly taught by Scripture, and complain of the enunciation of truths, which, if they were not useful to be known, God never would have ordered his prophets and apostles to teach. Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility (obedience), and without reservation, whatever the holy Scriptures have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance (childish sulking), a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation."

And in everyday terms he is basically saying,

"I just laid it out for you. I backed it up with Scripture, I called names of those who object and addressed their objections. Now if you still can't understand, this may just be over your head. And if it is over your head, you might want to be careful about throwing objections at it. Because its all written in the holy Scriptures. So now, if you still object, well I really don't think anything I say will ever convince you."

Blogging the Institutes Day 38 1.17.13 - 1.18.2

Isaiah 14:27

For the Lord of hosts has purposed,

and who will annul it?

His hand is stretched out,

and who will turn it back?

The Providence of God will be executed to the exact point at which He wills it to. There is no man or creature that can change this. As a child of God I have no fear in that statement. For those who are not, there is much sorrow.

Blogging the Institutes - Day 38

Job 1 shows that satan gets his form orders from God just as the angels, yet they have different ends. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so it has been done."

From this we see God was the author of that trial of which satan was a mere instrument. Acts 4:28 shows Pilate and his soldiers indulged in fury against Jesus; yet the disciples confess in prayer that all the wicked did nothing by what the hand and counsel of God had decreed.

"The sum of all this -- since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by His Providence so that He not only exerts His power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service."

Pslam 40:16-17

"But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who
love your salvation say continually, "Great is the LORD!" As for me, I
am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help
and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!"

What great peace we have in Jesus, peace that penetrates past the mind
and to the heart. For the Lord takes thought FOR me. For he knows I
can't do it for myself.

Humbly,

Amen.