BigMack
Posted on 01/23/2003 5:27:50 AM PST by ksen
Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book I: The Knowledge of God the Creator
Chapter 1: THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND OF OURSELVES MUTUALLY CONNECTED. - NATURE OF THIS CONNECTION.
Section 1: Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God
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.
2.Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self
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.
3.Man before God's majesty
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.
BigMack
I do not think that is the question..man does not "universally" need to connect to God. There are men that choose to see themselves as god..
I think the question is how is it that some men have the need to connect with the God of the bible and others need to develop their own religion or have no religion? What is the difference? That is the question that interested Calvin ~I think~
Look around you.
I have, have you? You don't ever wonder why, no matter where you go or what time period you look at, there is religion. Why is that?
Every age has its pretensions towards goodness. Certainly the 20th century pretensions were as corrupted as any, centering around "the psychology of self," and the largesse of the state, and the inherent goodness of the "natural" man.
I wasn't talking about Mankind's "inherent goodness."
I don't recognize any such "need."
From the article: 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.
I believe Calvin, and Paul (Ro 1:19), may disagree with you.
You're probably right Mom. And that may be near the heart of the difference between the Calvinists and the Arminians. What is it that makes a man turn to the Living God?
Calvinists would say it is Irresistable Grace, Arminians would say it is Man's recognition of his true condition and the relief of that condition offered to them by God through Jesus Christ.
That's a bit simplistic. It would be similar if I said, "Arminians would say it is becuase of prevenient grace".
"Arminians would say it is Man's recognition of his true condition and the relief of that condition offered to them by God through Jesus Christ. "
Calvinists would say much the same thing. This brings the difference to an even deeper level: Just how does man get this 'recognition of his true condition'?
Jean
Correct..
Can I ask you something?
When you were saved did it occur to you AT THAT MOMENT to refuse?
I am not talking about hearing it and not chosing it previously..but at the moment when you were more aware of God then you thought possible?
Did you consider a NO
So you want to hear my testimony? Here, pull up a chair. ;^)
I was saved on November 29, 1992. It was first trip into a Baptist church. I had been married for a couple of years, we had a young daughter, and I decided I wanted us to start going to church. All of my life I knew God existed, but I was never sure of who He was.
Anyway, the day I was saved was the first day that I ever remember hearing a clear presentation of the Gospel. I knew it was true. At the end of the service the Pastor asked if you were not sure where you would spend eternity to go ahead and raise your hand so he could pray for you. I didn't raise my hand. He asked two more times and I wasn't going to raise my hand, but up it went the third time he asked.
Then he said that if anyone wanted to know more about Salvation, then come down and speak with him and he would put you with someone to show you from the Bible how to be saved. Again, I wasn't going to go forward, but during the second stanza(?) I went down the aisle. He put me with the Assistant Pastor and we went back to the office and he started asking me questions.
He asked who I thought God was, and I said that God was some sort of grandfatherly figure that loved everyody. The Asst. Pastor showed me the Romans Road but the one verse he showed me that sticks in my brain is John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
That verse smacked me upside the head. It brought home that if I didn't come to believe on Jesus that I had God's wrath over me right then and there. So I bowed my head and prayed to Jesus and asked Him to save me and to forgive me.
And that, my friends, is my testimony.
According to today's chapter, Man recognizes his true condition the more he contemplates God's nature.
Calvin was speaking to those in Geneva who were the most intense, rigorous reformers in Europe.
When he wrote that "no man can survey himself without turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves," Calvin was addressing these fellow reformers who had already agreed that everything flows from God to man, and not the other way around. These men believed they "sought God" because God first sought them, changed their hearts and saved their souls, like Paul.
Man seeks a god, in general, because he's afraid of thunder and lightning.
A regenerate man seeks God because he has no other choice.
"We love Him because He loved us first."
But, how does he, in his fallen state, come to the correct understanding of God's nature?
Jean
I believe (who am I??:>) that the greatest difference between Arminians and calvinists lay in the understanding of total depravity and irrestible grace..I would say to you that it was God's grace that was the difference on that day
You mean like coming to grips with your 'total depravity?'
He comes to a correct understanding of God's nature by the hearing of God's Word (Ro 10:13-17).
Does Total Depravity equal Total Inability? (I don't think it does)
At least coming to grips with the fact that we are sinners in need of a Saviour. If you define that as being Totally Depraved I'll agree with you, however, I won't go from Man being Totally Depraved to Man being Totally Inable.
While one can disagree with Mr. Bell (I certainly do), one can't really say he has any less authority than any other Calvinist, or, frankly, Calvin himself<>
THE TRUE BELIEVER FINALLY SHOWS UP
I never in my life thought I would hear ANYONE in Protestantism criticize the following people as being unregenerate:
John Murray, Ned Stonehouse, Lorraine Boettner, Thomas Chalmers, Thomas Boston, J.I. Packer, Charles Spurgeon, Horatio Bonar, Louis Berkoff, A.A. Hodge, John Reisinger, Gene Breed, and Gordon Clark.
Here is a sample of his blanket condemnation of all these "pretend Calvinists" who, according to him, are screaming in hell right now. This is the last paragraph on his condemnation of the great Charles H. Spurgeon. I wonder if Mr. Bell has led over 25,000 people in his lifetime to a profession of faith like Brother Spurgeon did?
I believe there are multitudes of men who cannot see the truths, or at least, cannot see them in the way in which we put them, who nevertheless have received Christ as their Saviour, and are as dear to the heart of the God of grace as the soundest Calvinists in or out of heaven." [unregenerate "Calvinist" Charles H. Spurgeon, from "A Defense of Calvinism" (ironically enough)]
Well, it’s at least interesting to see a "true Calvinist" tell us that Charles H. Spurgeon, that "Prince of Preachers" who spent his lifetime condemning Catholics to hell,went to hell himself as an unregenerate person. It is always nice to have the voice of God’s authority handy to speak regarding these things. Wonder if there will be a special place in heaven for Wallace Bell and his ilk so that the rest of us scruffy sinners, (who expect that if we do attain to eternal felicity, it will be by the grace of God and not doctrinal correctness) won’t bother him?<>
Someone should inform Bell that no one constituted him arbiter of anyone's final destiny.
"He comes to a correct understanding of God's nature by the hearing of God's Word (Ro 10:13-17)." ksen
Yes, when God's elect hear his word they are drawn to him, but when the non-elect hear the word it is foolishness to them.
1Cr 2:14
" But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned."
It's all there in the word ksen; you're just not receiving it.
"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9)
Where does he get his ears to hear?
How does he understand the word?
Is the unregenerate man even ABLE to understand the truth of the word?
Jean
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