The Institutes Book 1, Chapter 1

Chapter 1: THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF OURSELVES MUTUALLY CONNECTED. - NATURE OF THIS CONNECTION.

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. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distil to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, (see Calvin on John 4: 10,) that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.

On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also - He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white. 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. Thus too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy will be condemned as the most miserable impotence. So far are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to the divine purity.

Hence that dread and amazement with which as Scripture uniformly relates, holy men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God. When we see those who previously stood firm and secure so quaking with terror, that the fear of death takes hold of them, nay, they are, in a manner, swallowed up and annihilated, the inference to be drawn is that men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God. Frequent examples of this consternation occur both in the Book of Judges and the Prophetical Writings; so much so, that it was a common expression among the people of God, "We shall die, for we have seen the Lord." Hence the Book of Job, also, in humbling men under a conviction of their folly, feebleness, and pollution, always derives its chief argument from descriptions of the Divine wisdom, virtue, and purity. Nor without cause: for we see Abraham the readier to acknowledge himself but dust and ashes the nearer he approaches to behold the glory of the Lord, and Elijah unable to wait with unveiled face for His approach; so dreadful is the sight. And what can man do, man who is but rottenness and a worm, when even the Cherubim themselves must veil their faces in very terror? To this, undoubtedly, the Prophet Isaiah refers, when he says, (Isaiah 24: 23,) "The moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign;" i. e., when he shall exhibit his refulgence, and give a nearer view of it, the brightest objects will, in comparison, be covered with darkness.

But though the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves are bound together by a mutual tie, due arrangement requires that we treat of the former in the first place, and then descend to the latter.

This raises an interesting question. Did the Old Testament saints have the same adoption experience which we experience? A good case can be made that they did not.

But they were regenerate. 1 Corinthians 2:14 proves that.

My point is that regeneration and the experience of adoption are not the same thing. Regeneration is secretive. The Spirit crying "Abba, Father" is not.

If John is actually making a peculiarly dispensational point associated with the First ADVENT of the Messiah, then it is not contradicting the Calvinistic Order and Causes of Salvation at all. In other words, John is not necessarily talking about regeneration, but about Christian conversion</b and the Christian experience of adoption.

This is the way I have always read the text, anyway. It works for me. This is because I read the first chapter of John as presenting what is NEW as a result of Christ's appearance among the people of God.

That does not answer who will come, does it? Why some come and others do not? It's the same cement wall the Arminians keep banging their heads against. If we are agreed that all men are fallen, then what is it that causes one person to "respond to the Light of the Gospel," and others to "choose the darkness," as FTD asked. The Arminians would have us believe some men are capable of choosing God on their own; they're not quite as "fallen" as others. Like the ruling-class pigs in "Animal Farm," some animals are "more equal" than others. But Calvin was a true egalitarian who wrote that only after we acknowledge all men to be fallen and utterly lost, can we begin to perceive the true and vast nature of God; that all salvation, like everything else, comes from He who created it.

It is not about 'equality' it is about desire.

You start with an unproved premise, total inability and then build your theology around that.

Scripture teaches that men can desire God even though they can do nothing to reach Him.

That is why He has given nature and a conscience to man

That they should seek the Lord,if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from everyone of us. (Acts.17:27)

Thus, though man is blind, he can cry out to the Lord 'Lord that I may see'.

The Calvinist notion of 'equality' is laughable and is fact the same as the 'animal house' that you depict.

For some unknown reason, (even though all deserve to be damned) some were picked and others rejected.

It is in Calvinism with its limited Atonement and Unconditional election that you find the true inequality, after all, that is why you call yourselves, the 'elect'! LOL!

All men can respond to the Light of the Gospel if they will, but they choose the Darkness instead (Jn.3:19) That does not answer who will come does it? Why some come or anothers do not This chapter of the Institutes is about the character of God and how we can not know ourselves untill we know Him..and how we can not know Him untill we know ourselves ....I think that might come under the heading of "revelation" of God to a man about who He is ...that is the whosoever..the one with eyes to see and ears to hear.. It is not a matter of who is in the right place at the right time or who is smarter or more holy...

What do you think, it is not God's will to get all men the message of the Gospel?

Does not even nature reveal God to man so that he will begin to grope towards God ( Psa.19,Rom.1,Acts 17)

Now, here is the amazing thing, you talk about the 'mystery' of God in election and yet, there can be no mystery in God calling all men to salvation?

Since you cannot understand how it would work and even though Scripture speaks of it, you reject it because you cannot understand why some would respond and some would reject the free gift.

It is not for you to understand the how only the fact that it does occur since God throughout His Scriptures says 'whosoever'.

But, you would rather make God lie in His Scriptures (and run to a 'secret will') then to accept the facts that Scriptures say that God wants all men saved and died for all men and all men are savable.

Thus, in your hubris you feign humility, while rejecting the truth revealed to you in the words of God.

It is about desire.

If, as Calvin reinterates, we all have a "religious propensity," then what causes one man to desire Christ and another man to seek the golden calf?

Is it perhaps the purer soul of the Arminian who thinks he freely chooses God while his lesser brethren wallow in self-deceit?

Or is it simply a gift from God to man?

You can slight all the Calvinists you want, but you can't get around the fact that it's YOU who thinks you're better than the Somalians and Chinese and pigmies because YOU decided in favor of God.

But it sticks in your throat to admit it. Rightly so.

God wants all men saved.

But since we agree that all men are NOT saved, God's will is thwarted by man, right?

The omnipotent force of all time and space, creator of creation, beginning and end, God is greeted by man with "Uh-uh, no thanks; I'd prefer not to."

I didn't get this principle until it was said to me about 100 times.

Where are we at with you, FTD?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.