Standing at the Crossroads

A Reformation Day Assembly.

2011-11-01T22:23:00.000-04:00

I delivered my first school assembly address on Monday. The topic, of course, was Halloween. Okay, no it wasn't. It was the reformation, as October 31st commemorates the day on which Martin Luther, in 1517, nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door. But, as I argue, this was not the glorious beginning to the Reformation, this was a scholar's invitation to debate about the practices of indulgence-sellers. If you read the 95 theses, as I made my grade 9s do, you will see that he does not disagree with indulgences as such, nor the power of the pope, but with the practices that have surrounded these things. The real Reformation began, I would argue, during the Diet of Worms where Luther demanded to be proven wrong on the basis of scripture alone.

What follows is my assembly speech, which I did not deliver verbatim.

___________________________

When Martin Luther strode up to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, he did not intend to start a revolution. What he intended was to reform certain practices in the church of his time. In fact, the church door was the bulletin board of the city: if you had something you wanted people to know or to read, you didn’t e-mail them, you didn’t send it to the newspaper, you took a hammer and some nails, and you posted it on the church door. Martin Luther was simply inviting people to come and have a debate with him about these things called indulgences.

Here’s the deal. The Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, had this great big church to build in Rome: St. Peter’s Basilica. But the problem was that he was broke—he had no money left. How was he to build a beautiful new church without a penny left in his bank account? He would raise the money by selling indulgences. These were pretty pieces of paper that let a person out of purgatory early. Purgatory is that place between earth and heaven where our souls go after we die to become clean. We are purged of our sins before we can enter heaven. Depending on how often you had sinned in your life, you might have to spend many years in purgatory before you could enter heaven. An indulgence releases the soul from purgatory, and sends them merrily on their way to heaven.

Of course, we don’t believe in purgatory. But in 1517, Martin Luther did. And so did most of the people around him. They believed in it so strongly that they would pay whatever they could to buy an indulgence. Luther, however, was not convinced. Purgatory, he might believe in; Indulgences, sure; But the fact that the people had to pay for them? That was a stretch. And the fact that the people selling indulgences, people like John Tetzel, took money from people too poor to even buy bread to eat? That was too far.

On October 31^st, 1517, Luther wanted to put a stop not to indulgences, but to the corrupt practices of those selling indulgences. He did not want to start a revolution. The revolution came later, when the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church decided that Luther was a nuisance.

What happened on October 31^st was Luther saying “Something has to change!” What happened two years later, in 1520, was Luther saying, “Everything has to change!” Nailing the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg was simply the act of a scholar wanting to argue and discuss with other scholars. But when the Roman Catholic Church decided it didn’t want to play nice, Luther set the world on fire with a speech, a speech with ended this way:

Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. [Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.] God help me. Amen.

Here is where Luther set the wheels of the Reformation in motion: don’t quote pope or council to me—they are human and can be wrong, in fact, they have been wrong!—instead show me from the true, infallible, trustworthy Word of God where I am wrong. Luther denied the authority of the Pope to determine the meaning of the bible. Luther denied the authority of the Roman Catholic Church officials to tell ordinary people—people like you and me—what the Bible says. In fact, Luther felt so strongly that every person should have the responsibility to read the Bible for themselves, that he spent the next year translating the New Testament from the Greek into his own language: German. And since Luther, every Reformation that happened did the same thing: translated the Bible and put it into the hands of ordinary believers.

This is the lasting and greatest legacy of the Reformation. When we celebrate Reformation day, we do not simply remember a monk who invited other scholars to debate about the way indulgences were being sold. No, we celebrate the fact that through this very humble beginning, the Lord raised up for his church a man who would eventually say ‘No!’ to manmade rules and regulations, say ‘No!’ to hiding the Bible behind human tradition, and said ‘Yes!’ to putting the gospel of Jesus Christ in the hands of every believer. And once that happened, everything did change. Men like Zwingli, Calvin, Melanchthon, Bucer took this bible and continued Luther’s Reformation in their own countries to the end that all men, women, and children may glorify God—a God they have access to through his Word, a God they know from the Bible.

Here is the lasting legacy, the great treasure of the Reformation. Here is Christianity’s dangerous idea: we are all able and responsible to read God’s Word; to understand it; to submit to it; and to let it change our hearts and our lives.

Go home. Pick up your bible. Continue the work of the Reformation started almost 500 years ago. And do not take this simple act for granted—being free and able to read the Bible for ourselves was a hard-won victory, begun in a humble way, on October 31, 1517. Remember Luther. But remember even more to read your Bible, for there we stand. We can do no other. God help us. Amen.

Peace Be With You: Monastic Wisdom for a Terror-Filled World, by David Carlson

2011-09-30T22:57:00.000-04:00

I had the pleasure of reviewing a book which seeks a response to the events of 9/11 in the cloistered halls of American monasteries, rather than the influential halls of politics. David Carlson, a professor in Religious Studies at Franklin College, journeyed to find a deeply religious answer to 9/11 that could transcend politics, international relations, rhetoric of terror—an answer that could instead be deeply Christian. His interest in Christian monasticism led him to ask two foundational questions for his research: “First, how did monks, nuns, and retreatants respond when first learning of 9/11? And second, how have they continued to respond to our world of violence and terror, given their spiritual resources and training?” (p. 7).

I will admit that the monastic life has always held some fascination for me, even coming from a Calvinistic Reformed tradition. There is something to the idea of retreating from the world, deeply imbibing and ingesting the Word, and thereby relating to the world again on a totally different and secure footing. The contemplative life truly appeals to me.

What I noticed in this book, though, was that the monastic life is not as different in its responses to 9/11 as the ‘secular’ world is. What struck me on a positive note was how much discussion of forgiveness there was—a truly Christian and Christ-filled response (Carlson even discusses the Amish school shooting and the amazing response of forgiveness and love offered to the perpetrator’s family). What struck me on a negative note was how even some of those who ought to be more deeply Christian (as one might expect monks and nuns to be) too easily give up on the truth of the gospel in favour of a kind of inter-religious ecumenicity where Islam and Christianity are simply different paths to the same summit. Even those who retreat from the world still find the world inside.

However, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book as it forced me to respond to the issues raised, and think deeply about my own response, not only to something like 9/11, but to all the violence and pain in the world around me. Carlson succeeded in making me think deeply on these things, and so drink deeply from the unique gospel we have in Christ in order to not only find my own response to terror and violence, but also to other Christian’s response as well.

As a Canadian, this book may not have had the impact on me it might have on an American, but reading the journey of Carlson and the thoughts it provoked has given me a renewed perspective on the world around me.

Steep Learning Curve.

2011-09-05T18:38:00.000-04:00

Studying education at Redeemer didn't warn me about this. Prepared me, yes. Warned me? No. (Okay, they most likely did, but I probably forgot).

The first two days of school, even the first three, were not terribly fun days. Perhaps for the students, not for me. I was struggling to figure out how I should be teaching my students, and what would work best. I was struggling to plan, to prepare, and even to organize my day!

Now that I have had a few days to sit back, review, and organize, I think that I have learned my lesson: don't teach the students, just let them learn. Rather than trying to cram information into their heads, I should let them figure things out, giving them every opportunity and all the necessary information and skills to do the work themselves. So now, I have lesson planned with lots of hands-on work, and much less of me talking. I think everyone will be happier.

So, in sum: days 1-3, ignored. Forgotten. Day 4: starting fresh. Hopefully my students won't mind!

The Trouble with Teaching.

2011-08-13T16:39:00.000-04:00

During my time preparing for my upcoming classes, I have stumbled upon an area of weakness in myself. The content is no problem--I either already know what I am teaching or can work it out easily enough. I've been in university long enough to know how to learn quickly. No, the weakness I have discovered in myself (although one that I had known before, but now it becomes all the more important) regards presenting the material. If I could simply lecture my students with them taking notes, that would be great. But I have to present the material to them in a way that is not only understandable, but also interesting, and at the same time motivating. I need to get them involved in the subject, not just working on the subject.

Some teachers, I think, have an easier time with this. I've seen some great stuff in classrooms. I, on the other hand, do not have such a talent (perhaps due to my own love of studies in which I never really needed to be externally motivated). So now I will have to work out things for students to do which will be interesting to them, not only interesting to me...

Providence in action...

2011-08-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

While reading for my preparations to teach Hebrew poetry, I ran across this little gem in Derek Kidner's Psalms commentary, written about the parallel structure of Hebrew poems:

It is the striking fact that this type of poetry loses less than perhaps any other in the process of translation. In many literatures the appeal of a poem lies chiefly in verbal felicities and associations, or in metrical subtleties, which tend to fail of their effect even in a related language. The programme-notes of any Lieder recital are enough to prove the point! But the poetry of the Psalms has a broad simplicity of rhythm and imagery which survives transplanting into almost any soil. Above all, the fact that its parallelisms are those of sense rather than of sound allows it to reproduce its chief effects with very little loss of either force or beauty. It is well fitted by God’s providence to invite ‘all the earth’ to ‘sing the glory of his name’.
Kidner, D. (1973). Vol. 15: Psalms 1-72: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (17). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Really, what have I been doing?!?

2011-08-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

Over the last few months, I have been deciding what to do with this piece of cyberspace that I have claimed as my own. I can't sell it, so I guess I will have to use it myself.

Since my last post, a lot has happened. I am no longer a student. I now inhabit the other side of the desk, teaching Junior and Senior High (Religious Studies, English, Social Studies, and Career and Life Management). I no longer live in Ontario, but now reside in North-central Alberta.

I hope to use this space as a way of thinking through the formative and foundational aspects of teaching, and even through some of the content. If that sounds exciting, good. If not, you can pick and choose what to read.

Soon I hope to post about what I have been working through with respect to teaching Religious Studies. I will aim for Friday.

(You have Sherri to thank for this...she talked me into it!)

A New and Fun Tool:

2011-01-28T20:48:00.001-05:00

In my Technology and the Classroom class, we were directed to the website Prezi.com, which is an online presentation maker. But not simply like powerpoint and such. Prezi presentations are not linear, they are fluid. We had to play around with it. Here is what I came up with. Remember that this is my first attempt, and I made up all the content myself (albeit with 4 years of seminary training!). I was hoping to get it aligned vertically at the end, but would need to seriously restructure it, but I have decided not to. Just go with it.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

2011-01-24T19:58:00.000-05:00

In my reading of this letter, I was struck by how encouraging and positive Paul is to the Thessalonian Christians. Their faith seems to be a model for the faith of the churches around them. In chapter 1:6-10, Paul speaks of the 'loud voice' of the Thessalonians' faith:

You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with they joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. the Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath.

What a glowing commendation. If only my faith spoke with a voice so loud!

Very well said:

2011-01-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

From the Pyromaniacs blog, in an open letter to Brian McLaren:

What Jesus would really do is take the list of sins found in the Old Testament and proclaim them all from a mountainside, making all people doubt that they have any hope at all of being seen as righteous before God, and then when he had their attention and their conviction under the law of Moses, he would tell them that God saves sinners who repent. And then he would get on a cross and die for the sake of the sins of world, and raise himself from the dead to prove he wasn't kidding.

Read the letter. It is quite good. Their tone may seem a bit abrasive at first, but considering the person to whom the letter is addressed, it fits.

A Confession....

2011-01-17T16:27:00.000-05:00

So, if you hadn't noticed, I haven't kept up with my plan from the end of last year. I started with good intentions, but found that reading the Bible in that way was not enjoyable to me. I was just reading to get it done in time. So I have come up with a new plan, one that I might actually stick with. I wanted to get more depth in my reading, so I am going to study individual books to get depth and an over-view.

I have recently started with 1 Thessalonians (a letter I have not done much with in the past), and hope to blog about what I read and find. Perhaps even soon.

A Comparison:

2011-01-10T07:49:00.001-05:00

Genesis 4:26 "At that time, men began to call on the name of the LORD."

Matthew 4:19 "'Come follow me,' Jesus said."

Matthew 4:21 "Jesus called them."

I was struck by the opposite actions in these verses. In Genesis, after the fall and after Cain has killed Abel, God is apparently no longer visiting among his people, and so men feel the need to call upon his name. However, in Matthew, it is God who is doing the calling, God incarnate, come down to visit his people.

In Genesis we recognize the problem, in Matthew God does something about it.

Readings for January 1: Genesis 1, Matthew 1, Ezra 1, Acts 1.

2011-01-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today is a day of beginnings. Not only beginning a new year, but also, for me, beginning a new Bible reading plan. Today's readings mark this trend in a great way--they are all texts of beginnings:

Gen 1: obviously, the text of beginnings: "In the beginning..." God creates all things, begins all things. All that lives, moves, and breathes owes its existence to him. I owe my existence to him. I pray that this year I may live up this auspicious beginning, and do all for the glory of my Creator.
Matt 1: The text of new beginnings. God sends his Son to redeem fallen creation, and we are still seeing how far this redemption extends. Not only has God created me and set me on my course, he also keeps me on my course since I for myself continually go off-course. Without this work of new beginning, I would be lost, and this too I pray to live out much better this year and in the years to come as I continue to grow in faith, love, and understanding.
Ezra 1: A text of renewed beginnings, as Israelites are allowed to return home from exile under Cyrus the Persian. A text of beautiful forgiveness as the sins that had forced the Israelites into exile in the first place are covered, and they are brought back, albeit humbled, to live in the Promised Land. Not only does God create, and make new, he also renews so that I do not become crushed under the burden of my sin, for his burden is easy, and his yoke is light, and I wish to bear it under his strength.
Acts 1: A text of wider beginnings, as the church spreads from Israel to the whole world. Acts is the book of Christ's work through his church, and I am a beneficiary of this work--it is because God ordered his creation as he did, promising from the beginning that sin would be dealt with, that I am reading his Word, meditating on it, and using it to live my life as best as I can: based not on my wisdom, but on God's, for obviously as the Creator and the originator of all these beginnings, his vision is best.

Today is a day of beginnings, and I pray to continue from here in good faith, preserved in the love of God.

The Plan...

2010-12-29T15:34:00.003-05:00

Okay, after a long hiatus, I am going to be reviving this blog. But I am going to have a definite focus. As of January 1, I am going to be following the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan to read through the Bible in one year. So, as I am doing this reading, I hope to blog about some of the stuff that I read and do some research on (I've got to justify having Logos somehow!).

I probably won't blog every day (especially Sundays when my computer stays off), but sometimes I may, depending on how busy the rest of my life gets, but I do plan on blogging at least twice a week.

So. That's the plan. And I plan on sticking to it, especially the Bible-reading part of it--blogging it is simply a way of keeping myself accountable.

EDIT: I suppose I should point out my inspiration for this. Those familiar with D. A. Carson's devotionals, For the Love of God, may be interested to note that he has it in blog form, hopefully continuing through into the new year, hosted at the Gospel Coalition site. Here's the link: For the Love of God. He has a revision of the M'Cheyne plan, with some notes on some of the passages.

Summer Book Haul.

2010-08-27T16:43:00.004-04:00

Thanks to a Westminster Bookstore, some helpful contacts in the US, and a friend from church (complicated, I know), I got some exciting new books, for 55% of what they would have cost otherwise. Here is the list:

Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: the Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos. Edited by Richard B. Gaffin Jr. (a good theologian in his own right), this is a collection of some shorter works by Geerhardus Vos, whose Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments I read in seminary, and thoroughly enjoyed (inasmuch as you can 'enjoy' such books!).

Revelation and Reason: New Essays in Reformed Apologetics. This is a collection of essays in apologetics written by some solid Reformed thinkers from different disciplines.

Stories with Intent: a Comprehensive Guide to the Parables of Jesus. This one looks really good. It is a thorough study of parables in general and each individual parable of Jesus, written by Klyne Snodgrass. I think I may have to use it sometime to teach through the parables.

Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology. Written by K. Scott Oliphint, this book is larger than I expected. In it he attempts to place philosophy soundly within the Christian faith, showing how Christians can (and ought) to do philosophy, focusing on metaphysics and epistemology. I am looking forward to working through this one.

Foundations of Christian Education: Addresses to Christian Teachers. This is a collection of addresses and essays written by Louis Berkhof (a systematic theologian) and Cornelis Van Til (a Reformed Apologist). I am hoping to blog my way through this in the coming months, when school starts. There are 7 essays on Reformed doctrines (like and antithesis and covenant) and their impact on education.

ALSO, Callum and I were shopping last Friday, and we stopped at Big B Comics, and I picked up a couple of good graphic novels. Both were very interesting and enjoyable (and clean!). The one is a Batman comic (who is simply the coolest superhero) called The Long Halloween, and the other is a re-imagining of Superman (who is pretty cool too) as a Communist hero. I really enjoyed this last one (Superman: Red Son) as a philosophical thought-experiment--take the personality and character of Superman, and see what would have happened if he was raised differently (instead of on a farm in Smallville, on a commune in the Ukraine). Very interesting, very creative, and very enjoyable.

I will read these graphic novels again soon, and perhaps review them here, in between educational posts.

Blog-iday

2010-05-12T08:21:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's been a long time since I updated, and it will probably be a little longer before I post anything of substance. I am on the tractor all day, and then hang out with Sherri, Callum and Asher in the evenings, so I don't have a lot of computer time.

I am mentally working on ideas of the will of God and the problem of evil while I drive my tractor, so I will have something to post when I have time to sit and write things out.

It might be a while, though, since Asher likes to be held, and eats every two hours all day--meaning evenings are pretty full with Asher. But we are watching season 1 of Quantum Leap (which I got out of the library). Good, good tv.

Reason for my Absence:

2010-04-23T09:01:00.002-04:00

Okay, apart from having an almost 7-week old baby in the house and a toddler, I have been busy finishing up my school year.

Sherri and I celebrated (somewhat) the end of my first year this past Wednesday evening after my only exam. And then we laughed because this is either my fourth first year, or my second first year. The fourth first year since this is my fourth degree, or my second first year since it is the first year of my second decade of university. Some day it will be nice to be done school...

Anyways, here is what I have been working on for the last few weeks (although I started it quite some time ago). For one of my classes I had to design a curriculum unit ten lessons long. Early on I decided to try my hand at designing a unit teaching philosophy to grade eight students. I don't know how well I succeeded, but it was fun trying!

The unit I designed begins with mythology, goes to the Pre-Socratics, and then deals with issues (or disciplines) within philosophy based on a series of questions:

Logic: How do I organize my thoughts?
Epistemology: How do I know what I know?
Metaphysics: What is really out there?
Ethics (1): What is the good life?
Ethics (2): How do I live with others?
Political Philosophy: What would the perfect society look like?
Aesthetics: What is beautiful?
Worldview: So what does it all mean?

The lesson on Logic is one of my favourites, although it is a little long.

Interestingly, there are more resources out there than I thought to help people teach philosophy to young children. I ordered one of the books I used for ideas: Big Ideas for Little Kids: Teaching Philosophy Through Children's Literature by Thomas Wartenberg. I had originally intended to use books and stories to introduce each lesson, but decided against it for a more informative approach. I think it worked out well.

You can judge for yourself: I will try to attach the lesson to this post in PDF format. --Okay, I can't do it. But if you want to see the result of my work, just let me know and I can send it to you...

Debate on the Trinity:

2010-04-12T14:18:00.003-04:00

Over at the blog Parchment and Pen, there is a debate going on about the Trinity. It is an organized debate, and the first two posts are up. On the one side is a Christadelphian who does not believe that the Bible teaches that neither Jesus nor the Holy Spirit are God--only the Father is God. I had always wondered what the Christadelphians believed, now I know a little more.

If you're interested, here's the blog: Parchment and Pen.

Here is more information regarding Christadelphians: Christadelphian website.

When I have a chance to read these posts, I will try to post about them myself.

What I'm Up to...

2010-04-10T14:58:00.002-04:00

With Asher in our lives, Callum home and the end of term upon me, I have not had much time to update my blog. Here is what I am doing:

Working on a learning centre with two other students that we will be presenting in class on Monday afternoon. The learning centre is designed to teach grade 5 students about chess. It's been a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well.
I am designing a 10 lesson unit teaching grade 8 students about philosophy. It too has been a lot of work but a lot of fun at the same time. Hopefully I can get it done by Friday.
Reading in some spare time a book about the Christian themes in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Makes me want to read the books again, and provides a really good perspective on the world around the events of the book.

I do have some thoughts running through my mind, but not enough time to work them out sufficiently for this venue. When I have more time, I will work them out more.

So far, that's it. Makes me rethink even having a blog at all, sometimes.

Good post on CCEF Blog by Ed Welch

2010-03-19T08:57:00.005-04:00

Ed Welch, over on the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation has a good post on how to relate with those who are suffering, specifically what not to say (this may one in a series of posts, I'm not sure). But apparently it is not useful to say 'If you need anything, give me a call.' I am guilty of using this line--perhaps I will think of something better to say. Even though the sentiment is good, the line is not helpful because either people don't know what they need, or will not call. Ed Welch suggests that it is almost a put-off.

Here is the link for his post: More of what not to say to those who are suffering.

EDIT: for those left wanting more, here is the previous article Ed Welch wrote: What not to say to those who are suffering.

Non-posting.

2010-03-13T15:20:00.003-05:00

Click the following link to see what's been keeping me busy these days: his name is Asher James.

Another New Book (and a few more).

2010-03-05T09:46:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the Redeemer Bookstore sale, I came home earlier this week with a few new books. Two of which are the first and second volumes of a series of short stories based on issues of life and faith. I am reading the first volume now. The series is called Not Safe, But Good: Short Stories Where Faith And Life Collide and is edited by Bret Lott.

I have read the first two stories, and I am very impressed. They are indeed stories of faith, but not the inspirational, shmarmy kind. In these two stories I have read of a 12 year old boy struggling to find his identity while living in the shadow of a very popular and gregarious father who runs a Christian summer camp, and of a semi-retired father who was not the greatest husband and father, but who seeks to become better. We are shown his thoughts as he drives to take his daughter and her children back home as her marriage is dissolving (but there are many complications). So far this latter has been my favourite.

The people in these stories are definitely not heroes of faith, nor do they experience dramatic conversions. They are quite simply real people attempting to live out their faith in whatever situations they find themselves in.

So far, I highly recommend this volume. I will post more as I continue reading...

I also got, for the sake of completeness, Dorothy Sayers' The Mind of the Maker, and a book about the Christian vision in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, and a book of English usage of words and phrases. All-in-all a good day.

EDIT: Sherri told me I should tell from where the title of these books comes. It is a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe specifically. Lucy is talking to Mr. Tumnus (I think) about Aslan, and he says, "He is not safe, but he is good." (or something like that.) I find it to be a good view of God and our relationship with him: not safe, but good.

New Book...

2010-02-24T11:37:00.005-05:00

I have just started reading David Adams Richard's new book God Is. I am very impressed. I have never read any of his books before, but this one seemed very interesting.

You can read Sam Martin's review of it (from which I heard about this book to begin with) at the Comment website: Review of God Is.

Sam Martin is himself a writer in his own right. You can find his web page (with updates about his forthcoming book) here: Sam Martin's page.

Self-Determination Theory.

2010-02-15T11:15:00.003-05:00

I am working on a paper and presentation for my Educational Psychology class on the larger topic of motivation. How can/does a teacher motivate his or her students to learn? During my preliminary research, I came across a reference to Self-determination theory, which focuses on motivation. It seems to be an interesting theory, based on the research I have done so far.

The basic premise is that there are three basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled for a person to be deeply intrinsically motivated to do something: the need for autonomy, the need for competence, and the need for relatedness. I have not done enough research yet to explain how this all works together, but I am very interested in seeing how it has been applied or can be applied at a teacher-student level.

For more information, you can go to the Self-determination theory website: Self-Determination Theory. There you can find articles about it, and even the questionnaires they use in their field studies.

When I know more about this theory, I hope to do some thinking of whether or how it could fit in with a Christian worldview, but this is not part of my assignment for school--just for my own interest!

A Book Review.

2010-02-05T16:36:00.003-05:00

I have submitted this to Clarion, but for those who want it earlier, here is a book review:

Bruce A. Ware, Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2009.

Urged by his two daughters, to whom this book is dedicated, Professor Bruce Ware (of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has put into book form the theology lessons he taught his daughters when they were young. Each lesson is 2 or 3 pages long, includes a couple of questions for discussion and consideration and a relevant Biblical passage for memorization.

The book is separated into ten chapters, each chapter focusing on a doctrine, with each chapter divided into smaller lessons which teach the details of the doctrine. For example, the first chapter is “God’s Word and God’s Own Life as God,” and is separated into six lessons: ‘God has made himself known,’ ‘God talks—the Bible is God’s true and lasting word,’ ‘God is God apart from us,’ God is God with us,’ ‘Some truths about God’s richness that make him God,’ and ‘Some truths about God’s kindness that make him God.’

While this is a book aimed at children (I would say mid elementary school and older), I found it useful myself as well. The lessons are explained clearly and in simple language using relevant imagery or examples that are readily understood. This is the beauty (and difficulty) in writing for children, the simplicity of language. This also benefits older readers, since many theological works use terms and language accessible to those who have studied at least a little. In my reading some issues became clearer in my mind for being explained in such simple language and clear terms.

One of the great benefits of this book is that though its audience is young hearts, Ware does not gloss over or skip the difficult issues. The problem of evil is given two lessons in this book (‘God controls all the bad things in the world’ and ‘Pain and suffering in the world God controls’), and their perspective is biblical, thorough and useful. He even enters into the discussion of whether or not it was possible for Christ to have sinned in the face of his temptations. Using plenty of Biblical references (each of which are given some lines of explanation—not just listed), Ware grounds his lesson in Scripture, and so provides a clear Biblical clarification of these issues.

There are a couple of lessons in this book which may not be so useful to a Reformed audience. One area, although debated among Reformed scholars, is the status of the modern Israelites, the Jews. Ware sees the Old Testament promises of God to the nation of Israel as still in effect. In the lesson ‘The promise-keeping God and the salvation of Israel,’ Ware teaches that the people of Israel will one day be saved, but whether this is through Jesus Christ or based on the OT promises is not made clear.

One area in which there is little or no debate among Reformed Christians is that of baptism. Ware, as a Baptist Christian, argues for credobaptism (believer’s baptism) in the lesson ‘Baptism: picturing Jesus’ death and resurrection.’ Based on the New Testament texts which describe baptism, Ware argues that baptism comes after belief and is a sign of that person partaking in the death and resurrection of Christ. Thus for Ware baptism is a sign of faith, and not a sign and seal of the covenant. He acknowledges, however, that there is another understanding of baptism (paedobaptism), and asks that as Christians we be gracious to one another in our differences, for there is much, even in the doctrine of baptism, on which we agree.

Altogether, I would highly recommend this book for families seeking to learn together or for students seeking to study these things themselves, even as evening devotions or a family activity on a long road trip. Even for those of us who have studied these things this book can be put to good use, so that we may more effectively communicate the theological doctrines. The language Ware uses is clear and simple, the lessons are deep and thorough, and the final result is commendable—even if some further clarification may have to be made on some issues.

God's Voice Mediated and Unmediated.

2010-01-29T12:15:00.004-05:00

Sherri and I are reading through Exodus now after supper, and last night we read Exodus 7. This is how the chapter begins:

Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet." (NIV)

I was struck by this verse--a verse I have definitely read and/or heard before, but never thought longer on. It struck me last night as a programmatic verse for God's interaction with his people. Here we have God revealing how he speaks to his people in the Old Testament: it is mediated through prophets, through officially (divinely) sanctioned spokespersons (mostly men, but including some very notable women). God does not speak directly to his people, he speaks through a intermediary. The only time that God speaks directly to the people of Israel is when he gives them his law at Sinai, and the people are so terrified that they ask Moses to speak to God for them, and to them for God.

I was left wondering why God chose this way to speak to his people, and I think it has to do with God leading his people to fuller knowledge of him by steps. God does not reveal himself totally and completely right away. In his wisdom he eases his people into it. He slowly leads Israel away from worshipping other gods, away from the practices of the nations, into a place where they can be his people, and he will be totally their God. Of course, we know that this did not happen because of the people's sin.

It is only much later that God reveals himself in an unmediated way: in Jesus Christ. But even this (although unmediated) is still not totally clear--Jesus Christ is God, and so is God revealing himself directly to his people, but it happens in a way that is unclear at the time (even the disciples had trouble with this until after Pentecost).

And then we read this in Hebrews 1:1-2

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 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." (NIV)

God's revelation is no longer mediated, it is direct, as long as we know Jesus Christ as he truly is. God has closed the gap, he has made sure there is no distance between him and us. In Christ, God truly is Immanuel, God with us. But it took the person of Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, for this to be made known, and to be directly revealed to us.

Of course, God always was nearby, but now we have him speaking directly to us, through his Spirit who dwells in our hearts.

Jeremiah 31:33-34

“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (NIV)

'Hiding' your Friends...

2010-01-11T10:02:00.002-05:00

Do you often wish you could hide your friends from other people? Are you ashamed of them (no, not really!)? Well, in the Facebook, you can! Well, sort of. You can hide your friends list from people who are not your friends, and stop the 'Facebook follow' dead in its tracks.

Here's how:

On your profile page, find the friends box (under your picture). Click on the little blue pencil in the corner which allows you to change settings. When the pop-up box appears, you will see a place to select whether or not you want to show your friends list to everyone. Uncheck that little box. Et voila, your friends list is only visible to your friends from now on.

Also, you can check to see what is visible to non-friends and friends when you edit your privacy settings. In the privacy settings options, you will see at the top of the page (or near it), this option: Preview my Profile. If you click on it, you see what is visible to the general public, and you can also type in one of your contacts to see what is visible to them.

Cool, eh?

First Facebook Post

2010-01-08T10:46:00.007-05:00

Okay, my first hint/advice about the Facebook is regarding the really annoying ads. And this is something I came across by accident, to be honest. Here's how I have a Facebook page with no ads. Zero. Nothing at all.

Step 1: I use Mozilla Firefox (here's the link: Firefox). I really like Firefox for a number of reasons, and this is one of them:
Step 2: Install AdBlocker Plus (link: AdBlocker Plus). It is an extension for Firefox which blocks ads, much like the name suggests. You have to set it up, but that is (if I remember correctly) easy enough. Once installed, you can even click on ads that do show up (I haven't seen any, to be honest) and block them.
Step 3: Enjoy an ad-free Facebook experience.

Perhaps you will find this as useful as I find it. I really hate ads. Especially because they are never, ever for anything useful, or anything I might like. When I opened Facebook in Google Chrome this morning, there was an ad for some 'avoiding a divorce' page thingy. Really annoying.

In addition: did you know that you can stop ads from using your name, or at least showing detials to people (on your Friends list)? Go to Settings> My Account> Facebook Adverts, and then in the drop-down list where it says "Allow ads on platform pages to show my information to" select: "No one" [the options are: "only my friends" or "no one."]

So, I think I might be caving....

2010-01-07T10:41:00.004-05:00

I am considering (again) this whole Facebook thing. I have avoided it in the past as a time-waster and not much use. But there is some good to it, too. So many of my family and friends are on the Facebook that it would be interesting to keep up with them, especially those that I do not see or talk to regularly.

The biggest reason for me to start the Facebook is to find out how to use it well. So often you hear of people simply using it because it's there. It's like most, if not all, new technologies. Too often it is simply adopted without reflection. Especially by the tech-savvy younger generations. If we have some people who can do the research, do the thinking, and then find a way of using the technology well, properly, and in a manner befitting a Christian, I think this would greatly benefit those who do not or cannot do this work.

Not, of course, that I am fully qualified for this. I do not have such illusions of myself. But I'd like to try.

So here is what I propose. I am going on the Facebook (and yes, I've been calling it the Facebook just for fun). I will look at it, figure things out, and see what all the fuss is. And I will blog about what I find, what I think, and whatever else comes up regarding this Facebook thing.

In the end, if I find that I can't use it well, then I'll just delete my account, and resume life as normal (or, rather, as it is now--Facebookless and happy).

In addition, I am rethinking how I use labels on my blog. I am playing with the idea of having a set of content about which I will post (so there is some continuity), and use the labels to identify which of this content I am posting about. I have already started an 'Adventures in Education' label (see last post), and now I will start an 'Adventures with Facebook' label. Hopefully that will help my few readers navigate my blog more effectively. For if technology does not help us, it's not worth using. Perhaps. I'll have to give that more thought.

First Post of the New Year.

2010-01-06T21:57:00.003-05:00

So, it is 2010. And no, I am not excited for the Olympics. I find them to be too much hype, too much money, and generally quite boring.

I have started a new semester at Redeemer. I did well last semester...it is nice, after seminary, to see some good high marks again! I look forward to this semester because I am settling in, I know how things work, and I did have fun last semester. Again, I only have three courses (this time, no first year courses!), but I also have a two morning a week placement in a local school. This placement is just an observation placement, so I will not do any (or very little) actual teaching.

I am of two minds about this placement. First, I look forward to it, because it is directly applicable to my (new) career choice/calling. I am eager to see how things work in a classroom, rather than reading about it. However, I am the kind of person that prefers learning from books and lectures, rather than hands-on. This is not my comfort-zone, but I know (having preached for a few years and now having taught some catechism) that I can do it. It just makes my uncomfortable at first, being thrown into totally new situations. I will try to remember to post about it now and then.

Besides school, other things have been on the go. I am done working at the new house, we are done with seasonal family things, but I am not done with reading.

I have been working my way through Big Truths for Young Hearts, and I am quite impressed. I don't want to give too much away before I am done the book totally, but I will say this: Bruce Ware does not avoid the big issues, even when teaching theology to children. He doesn't make it simplistic, he just explains simply. It is a skill I would like to learn some time. Might be good as a teacher, I think.

I am also slowly working through Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, but this has taken a back-burner to Big Truths for now.

Plus, over the holidays, I discovered Agatha Christie mystery novels, and have now read (and own) four of them. Does anyone have any that they want to get rid of? Just let me know!

Reasons for Not Posting...

2009-12-29T17:39:00.006-05:00

Okay, so you'd think that not being in school right now I would have more time to post. And you would probably be right. Except that I have other stuff on the go right now. Like lots of family functions. And working at my parents' new house tearing stuff apart so renovations can get done. And more family stuff. Especially doing things with Sherri and Callum. Valuable quality time before school starts again.

I have a few books I've read and want to talk about, so I will think about those for some posts in the near future. The books are:

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman (one of my profs gave me a few other titles of his to read, so I will have some more reading to do soon!)
When Athens Met Jerusalem by John Mark Reynolds, philosophy professor at Biola. This book explains the background of Paul's statement in Acts 17 "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious," and how this marked the end of Greek philosophy. A very good read, especially in conjunction with Plato's dialogues so that the material is good and fresh.
I am currently reading Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson, a book on spirituality from a solid biblical foundation. I am so far enjoying it.
I received in the mail recently the DVD of the debates between Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens--I am looking forward to watching it.
And I received Big Truths for Young Hearts by Bruce Ware, a theology course for young children. This will be a good read too. The chapters are short (kid-sized) with two questions for discussion at the end and a Bible verse for memorizing.

That is all.

Hope you all (my few readers) have a good New Year celebration.

Christmas Book Give-away

2009-12-15T09:07:00.005-05:00

Over at the blog Kingdom People, Trevin Wax is hosting his second annual Christmas give-away. Here is a list of the books he is generously giving out:

#1. SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 1859-2009 – Greg Wills
#2. UNFASHIONABLE – Tullian Tchividjian
#3. DEEP CHURCH – Jim Belcher
#4. THE CASE FOR LIFE – Scott Klusendorf
#5. THE GOD WHO SMOKES – Timothy Stoner
#6. ADOPTED FOR LIFE -Russell Moore
#7. MANHUNT – James Swanson
#8. COUNTERFEIT GODS – Tim Keller
#9. WHY WE LOVE THE CHURCH – Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck
#10. THE GOD I DON’T UNDERSTAND – Christopher Wright

I have heard good things about Deep Church, and Counterfeit Gods has generated a lot of buzz as well. Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck are also the authors of Why We're Not Emergent, by Two Guys Who Should Be, and the book on this list has also gained a lot of popularity. He is also giving away a copy of his own book: Holy Subversion, to be published in 2010.

This will add good books to any one's reading list!

If you would like to enter his give-away, here is his post with the details: Christmas Give-away.

Heretics in Science?

2009-12-07T20:08:00.003-05:00

I have a question....are there scientific heretics? I don't mean scientists that have aberrant views of some theological doctrine. Instead, I mean that in the scientific community, there are those who are branded heretics because of their understanding of scientific canon?

Read this and see if you get what I mean:

10. Creationism claims to be based on scientific rigour. In reality the methods employed by creationists are of three types: purely dogmatic assertions; distorted use of scientific quotations, sometimes illustrated with magnificent photographs; and backing from more or less well-known scientists, most of whom are not specialists in these matters. By these means creationists seek to appeal to non-specialists and spread doubt and confusion in their minds. [emphasis my own]

This is from a resolution from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, published in 2007. I do not know what status this document (or even the council) has, but I found the quote to be quite telling: they are accusing the religious of doing things that the religious accused heretics of doing--seeking to mislead believers. The rest of the 20 statements (theses?) are interesting as well, especially when you consider that the document is entitled The Dangers of Creationism. Sounds like a bad B-movie....

Here is the link for the document: The Dangers of Creationism.
Here is the blog post which led me to the document: Todd's Blog, The truth about Creationism.

Deleting some Posts...

2009-11-27T14:41:00.003-05:00

I am going to be deleting the posts on graphic novels and literacy. Under the advice of my professor, I have submitted that paper to a journal for publication. Therefore, during the peer-review process and depending its results, I am removing that paper from my blog.

An Evangelistic Perspective:

2009-11-23T16:38:00.006-05:00

My posts on Calvin's Institutes will resume once my final assignments are done for this semester. In the meantime, check out Rev. Witteveen's take on some comments made over at Reformed Academic. Jim posts his thoughts on young earth creationism and evangelism here: Rev. Witteveen's blog.

There is a lot of discussion these days regarding the Reformed Academic blog (link: here). That was the point, I guess, but its authors are taking a lot of flak. I wonder sometimes whether they would have been wiser to start with something less controversial and work their way to the creation debate, that way the tone of discussion would have been much more co-operative and brotherly than it has been during this discussion.

Or perhaps those who accept evolution (in some form or another) are just tired of keeping their views under the radar, and want to discuss them openly.

Either way, on every side of the discussion, there has been heated words and hasty words alongside the well-thought-out words and humble words. It will be interesting to see when this discussion ebbs and what the outcome will be...

EDIT: I am just waiting for the day that Reformed Academic will get over the origins debate and start to fulfill their original definition:

A moderated collaborative forum for Canadian Reformed (and other) students and academics to engage issues of Christianity and culture.

Perhaps some other and more pressing discussions can then happen.

Institutes Chapters 2 through 5

2009-11-20T10:53:00.007-05:00

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:

2009-11-16T08:26:00.004-05:00

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

2009-11-13T08:17:00.004-05:00

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).

Logos Reading Plan Function:

2009-11-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

Thanks to the stupendous customer support at Logos, I now have the option to make reading plans out of any resource in my Logos library.

I have done some tests of it, and while it is quite a simple interface with not a lot of customization available, it is enough to get the job done. And it seems like it would be a good way of using some of the resources I have that don't show up in more specific biblical searches and studies. I can now create a reading plan for something like Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism or his Work of the Holy Spirit, then set a time-frame (read it in a year, or some other period), and on which days of the week I will read it.

With some more customization of the interface I could have also set up a reading plan to keep up with Hebrew and Greek now that I don't translate them for school or work. I had hoped to set up a plan, stipulating that I translate 3 verses of each every day (or alternating days at first to get into practice again), but I do not seem to be able to be that specific. I could, however, simply tell it to organize 1 Samuel into a reading plan, and work on it that way.

Or I could just suck it up and motivate myself for it. We'll see what I can do in Logos 4 first!

I'm Impressed...

2009-11-05T20:11:00.003-05:00

Very impressed.

Logos 3 took about 4 or 5 seconds (not very long) to search my library for 'transubstantiation.'

Logos 4 took exactly (it says how long it took) 0.85 seconds for the same search.

BUT

Logos 3 came back with 39 occurrences in 9 resources, Logos 4 came back with 97 results in 69 articles. PLUS Logos 4 has a lot more resources, some which Logos 3 does not have (although only four of them came up in this search: volumes 1 and 2 of Great Doctrines of the Bible, and Exploring Church History, and two commentaries I did not previously have.

I will keep playing around with this program, and come up with a better review before too long.

Logos 4 Beginnings...

2009-11-05T14:49:00.003-05:00

Okay, so while I was at school today, I decided to have my computer download what I needed for Logos. I started at about 11:15, and by the time my classes were over at 1:45, it was done downloading.

Now it is indexing, and will be for the next 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Maybe more. Okay, it looks like more. Much more.

The purpose of this indexing is described in this post on the Logos blog: The Power of Indexing, Explained.

What it says, in brief, is that the engine indexes all of the books I have in my Logos library, even going so far as to index synonyms (which boggles my mind, to be honest), so that the searches I make will be much quicker.

Once the process is done, I will put it to the test and let you know how it does. I expect that searches will be done in a fraction of the time. I think I read on a review somewhere that searches that took 3 minutes in Logos 3 took a few seconds in Logos 4.

We'll see what I can run it through soon...

Logos 4 Update.

2009-11-04T10:33:00.002-05:00

So, Sherri let me upgrade to Logos 4 yesterday evening (when it comes to spending money, I always talk to Sherri first!).

However, I purchased the download option, but the download is considerably bigger than I was led to believe (4.2 GB instead of 1 GB--interestingly enough, my one and only beef about Logos. They are an excellent company, doing all they can for their customers). So, I don't have all my resources yet--I plan on purchasing the DVD rather than use up almost half of our monthly bandwidth (and a lot of time).

I do have the program installed, and it is a beauty. Totally different than Logos 3. In fact, the promotion video on the logos 4 web page (see last post) explains that it was totally rebuilt. They did not just upgrade Logos 3, but they started from scratch and totally rewrote and reworked the program.

So, it is no longer on the Libronix platform, as that has been discarded. As I said, rebuilt from the ground up. Which means, then, that my old resources are no longer usable (Logos 3 is not compatible with Logos 4, and vice versa). I don't lose them, of course, but I have to get all new editions of these resources (hence the large download size).

Once I have Logos 4 up and running with all my resources, I will try to write a review (which will be hard, since I have to relearn everything I know about how to use Logos!).

In Exciting News...

2009-11-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Logos Bible Software version 4 is out today. I'll have to ask Sherri if I'm allowed to upgrade....

Next Post...

2009-10-30T14:35:00.003-04:00

So, it seems I can't get away from blogging.

For my next post I am planning on blog-ifying an essay I wrote for one of my classes. The class is Introduction to Children's Literature, and the paper topic I chose dealt with graphic novels (or comic books, or sequential art) and learning literacy.

It is a relatively long paper (longer than I would want to read on a computer screen), so I may do it in parts. If so, I will make sure that the parts are numbered so you don't read the last bit first.

And perhaps I will come up with a more regular blogging schedule (or cut it out altogether...I haven't decided yet).

UPDATE: the posts discussed here were deleted as I have submitted the paper for publication.

A Birthday...

2009-10-29T08:21:00.003-04:00

Apparently, today (October 29, 2009) is the 50th anniversary of Asterix and Obelix comics.

50 years of excellent comics. I think in my family we took those comics out of the St. Marys public library more than any other book. My own collection is not quite complete, but some day I will get there and have all 33 of them (so far I think I may have just under half!).

Happy birthday, Asterix and Obelix!

From David K. Naugle:

2009-10-05T19:59:00.003-04:00

Concerning happiness:

The grand union of God, ourselves, and the whole cosmos in a sacred synthesis of rightly ordered love constitutes the deep meaning of happiness.

This from his book: Reordered Love, Reordered Lives, p. 23. I have only finished reading the first chapter, so I can't say too much about it. But so far it is quite good. David Naugle is professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University, and also wrote Worldview: the History of a Concept, which is an excellent book.

A Thought...

2009-10-05T19:54:00.004-04:00

As I was on my tractor today, with plenty of time to sit and think, I had a thought about biblical imagery. I was thinking about poems and poetic images, and got to thinking about images that are used in the Bible and how there is, in some cases, progression from one image to the next, like Schilder's idea (at least I think it was Schilder, I could be wrong) that the Bible progresses from a garden (Eden in Genesis 1-3), to a city (the New Jerusalem of Revelation 20-21).

Here is another image I noticed: in the beginning there is a tree, the Tree of Life. In the middle there is the cross which is another tree, but this one cut down and used for a purpose. At the end we see the Book of Life, which is a paper product, further processing of a tree. All bring life, all are trees (or wood products).

The only problem is that in the days when Revelation was written, books were made from reeds and called Papyrus, or from animal skin and called Vellum, or even clay or wax tablets. I should look it up to see if the imagery holds all the way through.

A Milestone...

2009-09-01T20:56:00.002-04:00

Next week, I will begin my 11th year of post-secondary education. Which will be my 25th year of schooling (including kindergarten).

I guess it's my quarticentennial schooling anniversary. Which means I get to make up words. It's in the rules.

My classes for the fall term are: Clinical and Developmental Psychology, Childrens' Literature, and History and Philosophy of Education.

I think that I am beginning to look forward to it again. And now that school is starting I may have more to post. Perhaps.

New(ish) Blog...

2009-07-03T20:12:00.002-04:00

My brother Piet, whose previous blog has since tanked, has started up a new one a while ago. It is a movie review blog. And Piet watches some good movies, some of which I have never heard. You can check it out here: Cinephilia. I will also update it in my links.

Apparently he loves movies.

From Opera to Firefox

2009-07-01T16:37:00.001-04:00

So, I've made the switch from using the Opera browser to using Firefox now that 3.5 has come out. I really liked Opera. What I really like about Opera is that it has a built in mail program. Everything is in one program, so only one program is open when I need mail and the internet. The only problem is that Opera is not a widely supported browser, since it garners a very small percentage of the internet using public.

Firefox, however, is much more widely used, and so much more widely supported. And I can do all the stuff I did with Opera in Firefox. There is a built-in mail extension (Simple Mail), and even a Speed Dial extension (which I also liked in Opera).

We'll see how long this lasts. There is a bit of a learning curve (as with changing any software), but we'll see what happens when I get the hang of it.

It Has Been a Long Time...

2009-06-22T20:54:00.003-04:00

but I have been busy in the meantime. Here is a recap:

I have been working on the sod farm again, since it's a good job and Sherri and I need the income.

I have applied and been accepted into the Bachelor of Education program at Redeemer University College in Ancaster.

But mostly, it's just work that keep me busy. After Callum goes to bed, I have about an hour and half or so to do what I need and/or want to do, and then I go to bed to be up by 6 and somewhat useful on my tractor for the day.

Sorry I haven't updated sooner. I will try to find something to update. I really will.

As Promised...

2009-05-07T20:23:00.004-04:00

Here are my thoughts on Paul Copan's article Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?

The objections he is answering come from the pens of the neo-atheists. They assert that God is a moral monster, not worthy of our respect, love, or obedience. I won't get into details, but they are quite vehement in their attitude toward God.

In responding to this objection, Copan relies heavily, and rightly so, on the idea of redemptive history. God did not give his people everything they needed to know in one moment right at the beginning, but in his wisdom he used a long process of training and revealing to get his people where he wanted them to go. God accommodated himself to our speed. This idea is a very useful tool for those who want to understand the Bible, especially the Old Testament, since there is much there that is confusing otherwise or could be wrongly understood and misapplied.

In his response, Copan organizes his answers under a few major headings. The first has to do with the difference between morality and legality. Mere keeping of the law does not make a person moral. Morality has to do with more than just laws, it has to do with all of life. And to make this point God did not simply give his people a list of commands, but showed them the lives of those who have gone before them, lives lived in relationship with God. The lives, of course, were not perfect, and so we cannot simply look at these people (like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.) and do what they did. We cannot jump from the 'is' of their lives to the 'ought' of our lives. We have to read God's revelation wisely.

The second section shows more of this. Copan argues that many contemporary discussions of the Old Testament start from the wrong point. They begin by projecting our modern, post-enlightenment morality back to pre-enlightenment times. The proper way to understand scripture, however, is to understand it in its context. This section provides a comparison of the Biblical law code and the law codes of the Ancient Near East (ANE), and shows how God used these ANE codes, but made them better. The laws in the Bible do not match up to what we want to see now, but they are far better than the laws which were contemporary with it. God was showing to the world around Israel the better way to live--not an alien way, but a better way--by redeeming their codes of law.

The third section is where Copan really gets to the heart of the matter. Instead of the God of the OT being hard and cruel, Copan shows how God, even in the OT, wanted his people not simply to obey, but to love him and respond to him out of that love. There is, Copan writes, a warm moral tone throughout the OT that cannot be represented by mere lists of laws. The laws are necessary, of course, but to stop at the laws and not see beyond them is missing the heart of the Old Testament. God was forgiving of his people time and time again. He dealt with them in compassion, he made it possible for them to have a relationship with him, sinners relating to a holy God. This is not the picture of a moral monster, this is the picture of a loving God who truly wants his people to love him. Through the OT, God is leading his people to Christ, where the true nature of God is clearly and powerfully shown. The read the OT without looking ahead to Christ is to not read the OT properly. There are not two gods, but there is only one God, who is God both of the Old and the New Testaments.

But what do we do about the less appealing bits of the OT? What about the Canaanite conquest? Copan provides a good response here as well. The war against the Canaanites was not a war against people, but a war against their religion, a false religion (see Deut 7:1-6 -- they would not be totally destroyed, but their way of life and their religion would be rendered powerless). But the most important point to remember is who God is. As the Creator and Maintainer of all creation, he has some authority over all of life, including human life. The Canaanites, practicing false religion, are not honouring God as they should, and so are to be punished (as Israel herself was when she turned away from God in disobedience).

The question is, do we hold God to our moral standards, or does God hold us to his? I prefer the latter, since God is wiser and better than myself. And if we read the Old Testament properly, this is clearly shown. Especially when it is read in light of the development of the New Testament. Then the objections of the neo-atheists come to nothing. God is no moral monster, he is instead a loving and compassionate Creator, working in history to bring his people back to him out of the pit of sin.

To see anything else is to look with closed eyes, seeing only what you want to see.

Currently Reading:

2009-04-24T23:00:00.004-04:00

In between reading Sidney Greidanus' Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, I have picked up issues of the journal Philosophia Christi, the journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society to which I subscribe.

The article I am reading presently is about the new atheism (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and the like) and Old Testament ethics. The article is written by Paul Copan (www.paulcopan.com), and is so far an enjoyable read. I will write about it when I am done, which should be soon...I'm just too tired right now to finish it. I will say this though, he takes the new atheists to task for reading the Old Testament superficially and simplistically. And he builds a very good case for his point.

I will write more later, but if you want, you can read the whole article at the EPS website: Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?

Lectures on Epistemology and a Lecture on Calvin and Pastors..

2009-04-11T21:36:00.004-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in over a month. I've been working, writing sermons, preaching, and trying to come up with a plan for the near future for us. Blogging has been pushed to the side.

Yesterday and this evening, I have had the pleasure of listening to some lectures I downloaded. I have listened to 2 out of 3 so far. The lecturer is Dr. John Mark Reynolds of Biola University in southern California. He is a Philosophy professor, and the lectures are right up my alley, since they deal with epistemology.

The first lecture (We Beheld His Glory: How A Christian Worldview Produced Science) sets the stage, arguing that science is only possible because of the incarnation. If God can work in the world, and if God became part of his creation, science can be done. Without God, science cannot be done. Therefore scientists today who deny God, still work under the framework that Christian faith built. I have to listen to it again to really summarize it well. As it is, I may not have done it justice.

The second lecture (Full of Grace and Truth: An Epistemology of Belief in a Skeptical Age) deals with our commitment to a view of the world. Dr. Reynolds argues that a pessimistic view of the world has become the norm, but as Christians we should go against the flow. He makes the point that in apologetics, it is not enough to poke holes into an opponent's argument, but we must have something to put in its place that works as well, and that is beautiful. We should build up, not just tear down. If we believe that God is all powerful and all good, then we should have a hopeful, optimistic outlook on life, even in the midst of suffering, because we trust that all is for our good.

I haven't listened to the third lecture yet (The Glory of Jesus Christ: The Way Forward in the Dialogue Between Religion and Science), but I am looking forward to it.

Dr. Reynolds is an entertaining speaker. I was listening to this lecture in the living room, and Sherri was laughing at times as well...before she tuned me out to do her stuff.

Don't let the lecture titles put you off, these are good talks, worth a listen if you have a spare hour here and there. They can be found at the Between Two Worlds blog (a good blog for finding these kinds of things), at this post here: Reynolds on Faith and Science.

While downloading that one, also download Jeff Temple's lecture at the Theological College on Calvin's view of preaching and preachers. Good stuff. It can be found here: Calvin and Pastors.

Good Advice Regarding Our Children and the Church of Christ.

2009-03-09T14:32:00.003-04:00

I frequent Rev. W. Bredenhof's blog (although now that I am using Google Reader, I don't actually visit the page itself very often, to my shame). Today he posted an excellent post called "How to Help Your Children Leave the Church." In it he brings to our attention things that we do so very easily and unconsciously (how easy it is to criticize the church, for example, and how hard it is to build it up!).

Go, read it and enjoy: How To Help Your Children Leave the Church

Pure Humourous Gold.

2009-02-24T22:21:00.005-05:00

Here is two members of the Cambridge University Footlights Revue, which was the starting point for Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson, among others.

Sherri and I watched this clip twice. I play chess like the guy playing white. But I don't win very often.

Enjoy...

A Good Story in a Poor Book.

2009-02-16T20:34:00.004-05:00

I recently borrowed a book from my father, since he and at least my brother-in-law have read it. It sounded interesting, and I needed a good novel to read (having spent my chapters gift-certificate already...on a comic book...). While at there house before we left for Denver (see Sherri's blog for pictures...) I picked up Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth. It is a book (a long book) about building a cathedral told from the perspectives of some of the main players.

It started out well.

And it continued well. By all accounts, this would be a book that I would love to sit night after night and finish. But I put it away. I put in on the table beside me, and will not pick it up again.

Not because the story is a bad story. On the contrary, the story is gripping, it flows, and the shifts in perspective work well, giving it more body.

But why oh why do authors need to give us explicitly sexual details? Why is there any sex in this book at all? Because their humans, and that is something that we do? We go to the bathroom too, so why no details?

It's because sex sells. But why does an author like Ken Follet (I think I've read more of his books) feel the need to insert something openly sexual into almost every other chapter of this otherwise excellent book?

There are more books like this too. Why do authors feel the need to let us in on details that we don't want to hear? Well, obviously we do, or the books wouldn't sell.

Now, I'm not against sexuality in books. There are good ways of dealing with intimate relations which don't transport us to the seedier side of the interweb or the magazine rack. Where is the lost art of subtlety? And where is our innocence (not naivete, but innocence!)

Thus ends my reading of what otherwise would have been a very enjoyable and interesting read.

So sad.

And...We're Back

2009-02-11T09:27:00.004-05:00

For the last 10 days, Sherri and I (sans Callum) have been in Denver, Colorado. We got to know the congregation quite well (spending a lot of time with them), and got to see a few sights of the Denver area (oh, the mountains....see Sherri's blog, she'll post our pictures soon). Callum had a good time at Gramma's house, but didn't make us miss him any less!

At the latest, next week I will begin my Calvin readings again, although not every day, since I will also be working part-time to full-time cleaning chicken barns.

Update and Whatnot.

2009-01-13T09:19:00.002-05:00

Okay, so my blog holiday is lasting longer than I intended.

It has been hard to get back into schedule since our 'holiday' in Orangeville, last week I wrote two sermons for this past Sunday, and then Callum got sick, so that's what has been going on here these days. Fortunately, Callum seems to be getting better, so Sherri and I will get more sleep (hopefully).

I still intend to continue with my Calvin readings--but there has been a lot going on the last little while, and more to come in a few weeks, so it might be done in bits for the next few weeks.

Plus, I got used to sleeping in, and that doesn't help at all. Oops. And I have some editing work I'm doing on the side, and some Voice of the Church broadcasts. Stuff that for me takes precedence over my own Calvin reading.

So while I don't have much of an online presence, I'm at least doing other things.

What Lies Beyond Fanaticism

2009-01-06T13:35:00.002-05:00

An article in the Journal First Things caught my attention recently. I think I was led to this article through the blog Between Two Worlds.

What caught my attention in this article on Barak Obama and abortion is not the facts of Obama's pro-abortion stance, but this paragraph, which I thought sums up the position that the pro-life, anti-abortion stance is dealing with or will be dealing with. There are less and less arguments being raised, but more often it comes down to presuppositions. People have begun to assume the pro-abortion stance, not reasonably think and argue their way to it.

Here's the paragraph:

On abortion, Obama is the complete man, his support so ingrained that even his carefully controlled public speaking can't help revealing it. He's not a fanatic about abortion; he's what lies beyond fanaticism. He's the end product of hard-line support for abortion: a man for whom the very question of abortion seems unreal. The opponents of abortion are, for Obama, not to be compromised with or even fought with, in a certain sense. They are, rather, to be explained away as a sociological phenomenon—their pro-life view something that will wither away as they gradually come to understand the true causes of the economic and social bitterness they have, in their undereducated and intolerant way, attached to abortion.

Here's the whole article: Abortion After Obama.

It's me,

2009-01-04T22:13:00.002-05:00

Hee heeeeeee I posted on your blog!
Do you like your new template?

Explanation (Jan 5, 2008): This is what happens when your wife has access to your blog. She changes things. I must say, for the better. This template is Sherri's doing. The font colours are mine. If they don't match...it's my fault.

Quick Update

2008-12-31T14:08:00.002-05:00

Next Week, I hope to resume my reading through Calvin's Institutes.

Until then, I will be working on becoming familiar with Microsoft Office 2007. I have the Home and Student edition: Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. It was on for $50 instead of $150 at Futureshop on boxing day (and since I couldn't sleep for some reason, I was there at 6 am, along with about 100 other people, and back home at 6:30…hooray for being in Orangeville!).

Right now I am trying to figure out how to use OneNote efficiently for sermon preparation. Up until now I have used pen and paper for the process until coming to the outlining stage, when I jump into Word. I find that I cannot type while trying to hold a book open (especially some of these thick theological tomes!), so I just use a pad of paper and a pen.

The problem is searching through notes. I can't do it well because of its format. Another problem is legibility. My handwriting, while getting better is not great. I can read it. No one else can unless I take the time to write well.

Perhaps my next laptop will be a tablet pc, which would mean that I can use it as a pad and pen anyways, and OneNote will be that much handier. Until then, however, I will try to work it out with the keyboard.

It will take some practice, I think. But now I have the time to fiddle with my method and see what works best and most efficiently.

Are there any OneNote users out there who can give me some hints?

And, in Tigerdirect yesterday, I saw this neat little gizmo, which got me thinking as well. Perhaps a tablet mouse will do?

I just wrote and published this post from OneNote--another handy little feature! I now have a Blog OneNote workbook, which has three stages: Ideas, Intermediate posts, Finalized Posts. And I can post from there with one step in Word. Neat-o.

Blogging Holiday.

2008-12-23T09:29:00.003-05:00

Okay, it's not much of a holiday if I have blogged sporadically the last little while. Last week and the week before I was rushing to get my sermons for this week done (which I did except for a New Year's Eve sermon), and now Sherri and I (with Callum, of course) are house-sitting for the Kampens as they are out West.

I had hoped to do a bit of blogging, and I did yesterday, using Rev. Kampen's copy of the Institutes, but with everything else going on, I'd just rather not spend time on it these days. Especially because both Sherri and Callum have ended up sick, and there's other stuff to do.

So don't expect anything new until the new year.

I will leave with this link to the BBC online news. Apparently, the Pope is not allowed to speak the truth, because it offends some people. He was caught saying that saving people from themselves (in terms of gender confusion and homosexuality) is at least as important as our environmental concerns. Of course, homosexual lobby groups took offence.

The response of the homosexual lobby is simply stunning. Some say that the Pope's remarks 'justify gay-bashing,' while another says that it 'betrays a lack of openness of the complexity of creation.'

Here's the link: Gay groups angry at Pope remarks

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 15: (II)

2008-12-22T07:30:00.007-05:00

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.

_________________________________________________

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)

2008-12-18T08:32:00.003-05:00

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.

_______________________________

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.

Book Give-away.

2008-12-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

The very generous host of this website: Kingdom People, is giving away 10 books on Christmas day. They look like good books. They look like books that I ought to read (and have read in one case). I am entering. I ran across this link at the blog Between Two Worlds, which is on my sidebar. There's good stuff there as well.

Here is the link to the contest: 10 Book Giveaway.

If you enter and win, can I borrow these books?

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (V)

2008-12-15T08:25:00.005-05:00

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.

Christians and Facebook:

2008-12-12T11:34:00.002-05:00

I ran across this article on how to and how not to use Facebook as a Christian. It's been over a year since I've deleted my Facebook account, and I haven't looked back. But this article made me rethink my decision--so that I can more easily stay in touch with people I haven't seen in a long time.

Here's the link: http://www.gospelandculture.org/2008/12/redeeming-social-life-online/

Institutes, Book 1, Chapter 14: (IV)

2008-12-11T08:32:00.005-05:00

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)

2008-12-09T08:22:00.006-05:00

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)

2008-12-05T07:43:00.004-05:00

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)

2008-12-04T08:45:00.005-05:00

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.

2008-12-02T07:24:00.004-05:00

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.

We Will be Right Back...

2008-12-01T12:16:00.001-05:00

My reading through the Institutes will continue as soon as we are done being sick around here. At least it held off (or the worst of it anyways) until I was done preaching yesterday morning! And I had the afternoon off....

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

2008-11-26T07:29:00.005-05:00

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)

2008-11-25T07:41:00.005-05:00

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)

2008-11-24T08:51:00.006-05:00

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.

2008-11-21T07:49:00.005-05:00

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.

A Request:

2008-11-20T10:12:00.003-05:00

Okay, for the dozen or so of you that read this blog, I have a request to make. My sister has been asking about books for her son (age 11) to read. Like I was at his age, he is a voracious reader, reading above his age-level. I too am interested in what good books there are for kids out there. I don't have much experience with this anymore.

So, could you recommend some authors or series or books to me and my sister and anyone else who is interested?

Perhaps I should also talk to the library people at the elementary schools, but that would take some time...

Thanks.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 11 (II):

2008-11-20T07:44:00.004-05:00

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.

A Quiz:

2008-11-19T13:58:00.001-05:00

Do you know the difference between Shakespeare and the KJV? Apparently I got 3 wrong. Oh well--means I'm not perfect yet!

The Bible or The Bard?

Score: 70% (7 out of 10)

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 11: (I)

2008-11-18T07:41:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-11-17T08:00:00.006-05:00

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.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 9: Fanatics, Abandoning Scripture and Flying Over to Revelation, Cast Down All the Principles of Godliness.

2008-11-14T07:22:00.008-05:00

Section 1: The Fanatics Wrongly Appeal to the Holy Spirit.

Calvin here warns against the errors of the Libertines who reject "the dead and killing letter" for "the teaching office of the Spirit." Calvin simply asks them what spirit they are inspired by that they reject the word? If it is the Spirit which inspired the prophets and apostles, namely the Spirit of Christ, then "such assurance is utterly ridiculous." If this is the Spirit that illumined by the apostles, then why would it lead these Libertines away from the Scriptures? For the apostles, illumined by the Spirit of Christ, did not despise the word, but rather they held it in greater reverence. For the Spirit "does not bind the ancient folk to outward doctrine as if they were learning their ABC's; rather, he teaches that under the reign of Christ the new church will have this true and complete happiness: to be ruled no less by the voice of God than by the Spirit." Thus the Libertines violently tear apart the unity of Word and Spirit in their emphasis on the leading of the Spirit alone. Rather Spirit has the task "of sealing our minds with that very doctrine which is commended by the gospel."

Section 2: The Holy Spirit is Recognized in His Agreement with Scripture.

"From this we readily understand that we ought zealously to apply ourselves both to read and to hearken to Scripture if indeed we want to receive any gain and benefit from the Spirit of God." For the Spirit cannot lead us to believe anything other than what God has revealed in his Word. This is how we know we are following the Spirit. But if what we consider to be the leading of the Holy Spirit takes us away from God's Word, or makes anything in addition to it, then we know that we are being led astray by the devil masquerading as an angel of light.

It is no affront to the Spirit to be tested in this way, for he himself inspired Scripture--it was at his prompting that the sacred authors wrote what they did. Thus God himself has established this test of scripture so that we may rightly discern what is his will and what is not. God cannot contradict himself, so how could the leading of the Spirit be different than the doctrines of Scripture?

Section 3: Word and Spirit Belong Inseparably Together.

While these Libertines argue that the letter is dead, they are in one way correct. Without the Spirit, as we saw in the previous chapter, the Word of God indeed has no impact on the hearts of men. It is only through the Spirit that the Word becomes alive in our hearts, and that we see it for the truth of God. "For by a kind of mutual bond the Lord has joined together the certainty of his Word and of his Spirit so that the perfect religion of the Word may abide in our minds when the Spirit, who causes us to contemplate God's face, shines; and that we in turn may embrace the Spirit with no fear of being deceived when we recognize him in his own image, namely, in the Word." Thus Christ himself pointed to the Scriptures about himself and what was to happen. To reject the Word is to be filled with pride, elevating ourselves about God's revelation in Scripture. We know no other Spirit than he who inspired sacred Scripture--how could we then reject the Word?

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Reflection: In this short chapter, Calvin says a lot. Continuing on with his theme of the Spirit being necessary to see the truth and credibility of Scripture, he argues against those who separate the two.

It is interesting reading this chapter right now, as I am also in the middle of a book on the will of God by J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom called Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions. This book has a similar theme to another I've read, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? by Bruce Waltke. Both of these books deal with how we are to find the will of God for our lives, and whether or not we can. Waltke's book is shorter and more to the point, saying that we already know the will of God--his revealed will concerning how we are to live before him. When it comes to the secret will of God, well, it's just that: secret. We cannot attempt to divine in some way where God wants us to be, who he wants us to be with, etc. We have to judge these things using what God has revealed to us: his Word.

Both of these books were written recently (Packer's in 2008 and Waltke's in 1995), suggesting that this idea of trying to find God's will for our lives has become a bit of an issue. Listening every so often to Christian radio, I think I can see this. There are people who pray over everything (which in itself is not a bad thing!), trying to hear the Lord's prompting in their heart about it. Basically, in my estimation, also by reading Calvin this morning on this topic, it seems that they are trying to get the benefit without doing any of the work. Packer says it best when he says that such revelations from God were always given in situations in which the people were new to the faith or did not have his full revealed Word. With spiritual maturity such revelations are given less and less. To rely on such revelation then means that we are deciding to remain spiritually immature. To grow in faith and knowledge means that we become more and more responsible that our decisions and actions line up with God's revealed will by becoming knowledgeable about his will as contained in his revealed Word.

But this Word is only open to us through the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The more I study these things, the more I ponder over Scripture, the richer I feel.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 8: So Far as Human Reason Goes, Sufficiently Firm Proofs Are At Hand to Establish the Credibility of Scripture.

2008-11-13T07:54:00.002-05:00

Section 1: Scripture is Superior to All Human Wisdom.

Unless the testimony of the Spirit is established in a person's heart, all of the proofs we can think of for the superiority and truthfulness of scripture are useless. However, if that testimony is there, these 'proofs' "become very useful aids." Once we have that testimony, we can wonder in amazement that "that the sublime mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven came to be expressed largely in mean and lowly words, lest, if they had been adorned with more shining eloquence, the impious would scoffingly have claimed that its power is in the realm of eloquence alone." But this is not the case. Instead faith is not founded human wisdom, but God's power alone. "For truth is cleared of all doubt when, not sustained by external props, it serves as its own support."

Calvin then goes on to say that even the most eloquent of the human authors cannot move us in the way that the holy Scriptures move us, for the Scriptures penetrate so deeply into our hearts, that mere eloquence is as nothing compared to it. "Consequently, "it is easy to see that the Sacred Scriptures, which so far surpass all gifts and graces of human endeavor, breathe something divine."

Section 2: Not Style But Content is Decisive.

In the Scriptures themselves there exists great difference in styles and eloquence. But what is not different is content. All of Scripture shows the majesty of the Spirit who inspired it.

Section 3: The Great Antiquity of Scripture.

Here Calvin argues that "the very antiquity of Scripture has no slight weight." For no other religious writings come from such an early time as do the writings of Moses--and Moses did not make up anything new, but passed down the truth of God which he had from previous generations.

Section 4: The Truthfulness of Scripture Show by Moses' Example.

Here Calvin uses the argument that Moses (among other authors of Scripture) does not elevate himself above others, but simply states the truth no matter how poorly it may reflect on him or on his family. He is of the tribe of Levi, and he records the infamies that Levi commits and how Levi an Simeon are not well-blessed by their father Jacob. Moses does not try to make things better for himself or his family, but simply states the truth he is given.

Section 5: Miracles Strengthen the Authority of God's Messengers.

Continuing to stick with Moses, Calvin speaks of the many miracles which were performed by him to support his authority and words. These miracles, Calvin argues, cannot be denied as fabrications, since Moses is writing his words for the people of Israel, who were with him at the time. These people could easily have denied that the miracles ever happened if Moses was making them up, but they don't. Moses is speaking to eye-witnesses, how could he make it up?

Section 6: Moses' Miracles are Uncontestable.

Here Calvin continues the same line of reasoning. Not only could the people have denied any fabrication of these miracle-stories, but Moses himself could never have performed such miracles by the "magic arts." First of all, such a thing was forbidden (Ex. 7:11, 9:11), punished by stoning to death (Lev. 20:6). Second, how could Moses have actually performed such magic as the manna from heaven, which was exactly enough for everyone and spoiled if too much was taken, except on the Sabbath? And how could he have escaped the fury of those people who rose up against him i by how own power? "The outcome plainly bears out that in this way his doctrine was sanctioned for all time."

Section 7: Prophecies That Are Fulfilled Contrary to All Human Expectation.

And what do we do with those prophecies that, humanly speaking, we cannot see being fulfilled? Calvin points to the fact that in Jacob's blessing of Judah he mentions the scepter. 400 years after this blessing, there is no mention of a scepter, as the people become slaves in Egypt. And when a king finally does come, he is from Benjamin (Saul). And when the king comes from Judah, who could expect him to arise from a lowly shepherding family, the youngest of 7 brothers (David)? From this example and others, it is clear, Calvin writes, that Moses "spoke by divine inspiration."

Section 8: God Has Confirmed the Prophetic Word.

This carries through, Calvin argues, in the rest of the prophets. He focuses on Isaiah's prophecy concerning Cyrus, who would defeat the Babylonian empire and allow the Jews to return to the Promised Land, prophesying 100 years before Cyrus was born. Calvin also points to Jeremiah and Daniel in the same way.

Section 9: The Transmission of the Law Is To Be Trusted.

"The law of Moses was wonderfully preserved by heavenly providence rather than by human effort." If it was to be preserved by human effort, it would have been lost many times over. Even in the time of Josiah when the book of the Law was found in the Temple, it was not totally forgotten, but memories of it remained. For the sacred writings were passed down from generation to generation, from hand to hand.

Section 10: God Has Marvellously Preserved the Law and the Prophets.

Even when God's enemy desires to destroy Scripture, it is not lost. Calvin points to the time of the Maccabees, when a king ruled who oppressed the Jews. This king demanded that all copies of the scriptures be destroyed, but at least some were preserved, for "in what workshop could they have been fabricated so quickly?" For as soon as these persecutions were over, the books reappeared. Thus the Lord himself has taken great care that his Word is preserved. Even when knowledge of the Hebrew language was rare, he caused the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament to be published, thus preserving it for more generations.

Section 11: Simplicity and Heavenly Character and Authority of the New Testament.

When we come to the New Testament, we notice the difference between the gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke have a very different style than does John. But this does not mean that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not know what they are talking about, but, Calvin argues, "they are discussing heavenly mysteries above human capacity." Even when we consider that men like Matthew, a tax collector, Peter and John, fishermen, and Paul, a great persecutor of Christians, are now included in the Scriptures by their writings must have been led by the Spirit. Calvin writes: "The truth cries out openly that these men who, previously contemptible among common folk, suddenly began to discourse so gloriously of the heavenly mysteries must have been instructed by the Spirit."

Section 12: Unvarying Testimony of the Church to the Scripture.

Another proof of the Scripture's credibility, Calvin argues, lies in the fact that "age after age agreed to obey it steadfastly and harmoniously." And this even in oppression and attacks from Satan. "Indeed, there has scarcely ever been either a sophist or rhetorician of superior ability who did not try his power against it; yet all were unsuccessful." By this very fact it is proved divine, since no human power can work against it.

Section 13: Martyrs Died Firmly for Scripture Doctrine.

We can also, Calvin says here, point to the blood of godly men who have died because of the Scriptures. Having received it, they did not shrink back from death rather than deny its truth.

There are other reasons and arguments for the credibility of Scripture, Calvin concludes, but none of these are strong enough to prove Scripture true if it is not founded upon the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. "Augustine therefore justly warns that godliness and peace of mind ought to come first if a man is to understand anything of such great matters."

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Reflection: It is telling that Calvin begins and ends this chapter by stating that the truth of Scripture can only be known by the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Without such testimony, no argument will succeed in proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Scriptures are God's Holy Word. You can argue with an unbeliever as long as you want, but if the Holy Spirit does not turn his heart, your words will have no effect but to turn him further away.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a classmate early on in my university days. She could not understand why I was a Christian, following the words in some old book written by men a long time ago. When I tried to convince her that, while it may have been written by men, it was inspired by God, she could not understand it. She was thoroughly convinced that it must have errors in it, because men wrote it. Nothing I said could convince her, nothing she said could convince me. We were coming at it from two totally different perspectives: one of belief and one of unbelief, and the divide between them is far too wide for us to cross ourselves.

How thankful I am that the Spirit has so worked in me that I can see the truth of Scripture, stand firm in the doctrine of God, and submit myself to the Lord's will, following his path. Otherwise I would be like a wave tossed about by the winds.

Institutes Chapter 1, Book 7:

2008-11-11T07:43:00.005-05:00

The title of this Chapter is too long for above, so here it is: Scripture Must be Confirmed by the Witness of the Spirit. Thus May Its Authority be Established as Certain; and It Is a Wicked Falsehood That Its Credibility Depends on the Judgment of the Church.

Section 1: Scripture Has Its Authority from God, Not From the Church.

Calvin argues that since it has pleased God to have his revealed truth recorded in holy Scripture, they have their authority "only when men regard them as having sprung from heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard." It is, then, a "pernicious error" that the authority of scripture is given by the church herself, as if the church could set herself above scripture to give it such authority over herself.

Section 2: The Church Is Itself Grounded Upon Scripture.

In Ephesians 2:20, the Apostle Paul teaches that it is the other way around, that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Therefore they must have had authority before the church began, and their writings could not have received authority from the church. "But because the church recognizes Scripture to be the truth of its own God, as a pious duty it unhesitatingly venerates Scripture."

Section 3: Augustine Cannot be Cited as Counterevidence.

Apparently some objectors had used Augustine to show that the Scriptures derive their authority from the church. Augustine, in his work against the Manichees, had written that he would not believe the gospel if the authority of the church did not move him to do so. What some take him to mean is that he believed that the gospel because of the authority of the church. But what he meant, Calvin argues, is not that the Scriptures derive their authority over the church, but that he would not have accepted the scriptures as an unbeliever unless the church had stood behind them. "He is simply teaching that there would be no certainty of the gospel for unbelievers to win them to Christ if the consensus of the church did not impel them."

Calvin goes on to say that Augustine "only meant to indicate what we also confess as true: those who have not yet been illumined by the Spirit of God are rendered teachable by reverence for the church, so that they may persevere in learning faith in Christ from the gospel." Thus the authority of scripture lies with God, not the church, but that the authority of the church is useful for drawing people into the truth.

Section 4: The Witness of the Holy Spirit: This is Stronger than All Proof.

"Credibility of doctrine is not established until we are persuaded beyond doubt that God is its author." The highest proof of scripture is the fact that God himself speaks in it. All of the writings bring forth God's holy name, rather than proofs and evidences of authority. We cannot look to human reason to prove the authority of Scripture, we can only look to God alone. "The testimony of the Spirit is more excellent than all reason For as God alone is a fit witness of himself in his Word, so also the Word will not find acceptance in men's hearts before it is sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit." Our submission to Scripture depends on the Spirit working in our hearts--not on our own powers of reasoning.

Section 5: Scripture Bears Its Own Authentication.

"Let this point therefore stand: that those whom the Holy Spirit has inwardly taught truly rest upon Scripture, and that Scripture indeed is self-authenticated; hence, it is not right to subject it to proof and reasoning. And the certainty it deserves with us, it attains by the testimony of the Spirit." Thus we do not seek proofs are marks of genuineness of Scripture through our own reason, but in God himself. "Let us, then, know that the only true faith is that which the Spirit of God seals in our hearts."

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Reflection: From an apologetic perspective, this is a difficult aspect of the Christian faith. In one sense, it would be useful to teach, as the Roman Catholic Church, that the church gives authority to Scripture, because then you can point to something real and tangible when discussing the Bible with unbelievers. But this has even greater failings, because then scripture is the arbitrary choice of the church, and can, conceivably, be changed at any time by a council. No it is better to go the difficult, yet true, route of saying that the church does not give scripture its authority, but Scripture gives the church its authority. The church is founded on scripture as the word of God, not the word of God decided upon by the church. The church submits--she cannot submit to the word of God if she holds authority over it.

What makes this difficult is the fact that we cannot point anywhere except at the scriptures themselves for such authority. Unbelievers consider this circular reasoning (which is apparently always bad!), or they see the scriptures as simply human writings, so prone to error anyways. We can only point to the testimony of the Holy Spirit in our hearts concerning scripture, but such 'evidence' hardly stands up in the secular, unbelieving world.

No, we know that the church did not give scripture its authority, but recognized its authority as the words of God through the prophets and apostles. Our very nature as the church begins with our submission to the words of God, and so all of what we do must be characterized by such submission to the word. I find this to be a beautiful doctrine, especially as I hope, the Lord willing, to become a pastor. What I bring to the churches is not my own words (for what could I possibly say?) but the teachings of God in his word, which has all the authority in itself. If I properly submit to scripture and learn its teachings, then what I say can be said with authority, for I am not giving my own opinion, but the revealed word and will of God. And what a great comfort this is--if not apologetically, since I have to work through this yet, but at least (and this is no small thing) pastorally.

Institutes Book 1 Chapter 6: Scripture Is Needed As Guide and Teacher For Anyone Who Would Come to God the Creator.

2008-11-10T07:27:00.007-05:00

Section 1: God Bestows the Actual Knowledge of Himself Upon Us Only in the Scriptures.

Even though God reveals himself through his creation and providence, because human beings are fallen their eyes are blinded to this excellent witness. In his grace and mercy, so that we may know him truly, God also provides another witness, the light of this Word. It is only in the scriptures that those whom God chooses can know him truly, that we "might not sink into oblivion." With the scriptures, we can look at creation and see God in it as he has revealed himself, for scripture is, in a sense, spectacles which improve our vision. "This, therefore, is a special gift, where God, to instruct the church, not merely uses mute teachers [creation] but also opens his own most hallowed lips [scripture]."

Section 2: The Word of God as Holy Scripture.

"A firm certainty of doctrine" was placed upon the hearts of the patriarchs, which they in turn handed down to their children, "so that they were convinced and understood that what they had learned proceeded from God. For by his Word, God rendered faith unambiguous forever, a faith that should be superior to all opinion." This teaching he than had preserved on "public tablets," so that all men might read it. Through this Word, God reveals himself and distinguishes himself from all false gods. "Therefore, however fitting it may be for man seriously to turn his eyes to contemplate God's works, since he has been placed in this most glorious theater to be a spectator of them, it is fitting that he prick up his ears to the Word, the better to profit." It is in this that we find true religion.

Section 3: Without Scripture We Fall into Error.

Given that even with the revelation of creation and providence, human beings fell into every kind of error, we see how necessary it was for God to give us his most clear revelation in his Word. "It is therefore clear that God has provided the assistance of the Word for the sake of all those to whom he has been pleased to give useful instruction because he foresaw that his likeness imprinted upon the most beautiful form of the universe would be insufficiently effective." If we get off the path of God's Word, we fall into error. Our only true path to knowledge of God is through the Word, "For errors can never be uprooted from human hearts until true knowledge of God is planted therein."

Section 4: Scripture Can Communicate to Us What the Revelation in the Creation Cannot.

Using Psalm 19, Calvin shows that while creation reveals God, it is, because of our fallen condition, up to the Scriptures to point us in the right direction and show to us what we are seeing. Without the Word, we would "of necessity ... stagger about in vanity and error."

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Reflection: Here we get into conclusions that many people today do not want to draw. I think a lot of people who look for some sort of spirituality today would quite agree that God can be known from creation, but would not want to say that we need Scripture to see what creation reveals to us. But in the interests of self-reflection, I think that perhaps historically we as Christians have neglected the first revelation.

What I mean is that perhaps we have, through the past, neglected the revelation from creation because it is insufficient. Although we had been given the task to work and subdue the earth, ruling over it, and although we have been placed in this glorious and beautiful world, we have not cherished it as much as we should have. Now, I am no raving environmentalist, but I do think that more could be done in that regard, especially by Christians. We, I would argue, ought to be at the forefront of the environmental movement, not the New Age spiritualists, for we have every reason to preserve and maintain God's beautiful world--it reveals him to us.

I think that we can never neglect one form of revelation for the other, for God has given us both. Even though, because of our sinful state, we cannot see the truth of God in creation without the Scriptures, that does not mean that therefore creation is not a good witness--Creation is an excellent witness, if we have the eyes of Scripture to see it. What we are taught in Scripture about God we are given ample evidence for in his creation and providence. The world around us is, we might say, God's sign to us that what he reveals in his Word is faithful and true, because he has been faithful and true to his creation.

A Political Observation:

2008-11-07T12:29:00.002-05:00

I don't know much about politics, but I do know about reading and about presuppositions.

Has it struck anyone else that all the major news outlets seem to be trying to outdo each other to show that they aren't racist by saying how great it is that there is an African-American president-elect?

I think that this is a great thing, and has potential to do a lot for race relations, but this is all that I'm reading these days--nothing about his policy, nothing about his plans, just how great it is that he is now president-elect. Oh, except today in the Hamilton Spectator, where they had a huge article on the fashion-sense of the Obama family.

Did anyone pay attention to any issues during the campaign, or did they just vote emotionally?

And that's all I will say about the U.S. political scene.

Institutes Book 1 Chapter 5: The Knowledge of God Shines Forth in the Fashioning of the Universe and the Continuing Government of It. (III)

2008-11-07T07:33:00.005-05:00

Section 11: The Evidence of God in Creation Does Not Profit Us.

We see God in the world around us, his good creation, and this knowledge is to draw us to God and stir in us hope for the future life. But because of our dullness of sin, this knowledge is of no use to us. How many of us, Calvin asks, when we consider the work of God's hands, do not think of him but look at the works themselves as if they were the whole of it? People would rather think that we are governed by pure chance and fortune rather than by God's providence: "one and all, we forsake the one true God for prodigious trifles."

In this "the whole tribe of philosophers" shows their "stupidity and silliness." "And what might not happen to others when the leading minds, whose task it is to light the pathway for the rest, wander and stumble!" If those who by their own God-given talents and abilities turn away from God, what can we expect from those who follow their lead? Thus the revelation of himself which God displays in the world comes to naught by our own dullness and blindness.

Section 12: The Manifestation of God is Choked by Human Superstition and the Error of the Philosophers.

Calvin begins this section with a great image: "each man's mind is like a labyrinth," and so it is no wonder we wander away from true knowledge and worship of God. "Surely, just as waters boil up from a vast, full spring, so does an immense crowd of gods flow forth from the human mind, while each one, wandering about with too much license, wrongly invents this or that about God himself." Here again Calvin speaks against the philosophers who seem to be the best at this kind of wandering. Either they invent gods of their own making, or deny God altogether--neither of which comes near to true worship, and they lead others in their wanderings.

Section 13: The Holy Spirit Rejects all Cults Contrived by Men.

Any one who corrupts true religion separates him or herself from the one and only God. Thus without the Holy Spirit, we are all without God. Even the best of the invented religions does not measure up to the true religion, for this world cannot understand the wisdom of God. We are not excused if we simply stand on the way of our fathers, for "each man will stand upon his own judgment rather than subject himself to another's decision." Because we are too dull to see God, "it remains for God himself to give witness of himself from heaven."

Section 14: The Manifestation of God in Nature Speaks to Us in Vain.

"It is therefore in vain that so many burning lamps shine for us in the workmanship of the universe to show forth the glory of its Author. Although they bathe us wholly in their radiance, yet they can of themselves in now way lead us into the right path. Surely they strike some sparks, but before their fuller light shines forth they are smothered." We cannot see God in his works unless our eyes are so opened by the Holy Spirit. The evidence is their and clear, but of ourselves we cannot see it or rightly comprehend it.

Section 15: We Have No Excuse.

We cannot blame this situation on God, for the dullness, Calvin explains, exists within us. We cannot excuse ourselves with ignorance, for "as if this defense may be properly admitted, for a man to pretend that he lacks ears to hear the truth when there are mute creatures with more than melodious voices to declare it; or for a man to claim that he cannot see with his eyes what eyeless creatures point out to him; or for him to plead feebleness of mind when even irrational creatures give instruction!" We are left with no excuse for not knowing God. Rather than following the instruction of nature, we see what it says, and invent for ourselves our own gods rather than worship the one true God.

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Reflection: Here is the last of Calvin's explanation that God is clearly shown in the world around us, but that the knowledge of him is hidden to us because of our own sinful nature. While a little repetitive, Calvin works in a kind of narrowing spiral until we come to his main point: we have no excuse not to know God.

If God's works and providence are clearly know from his creation, as he first created and now sustains it, we as Christians, whose eyes have been opened by the Spirit to see this, have absolutely no excuse not to praise and magnify God at all times. Every leaf we see, every tree, every morning in which we wake up in the midst of God's work and providence, ought to inspire us to praise and glorification. But how often do we take this for granted? I worked on a tractor on my uncle's farm for 10 years. Out in the fields all day, pretty much every day during the summers. But did all that I saw cause me to think of God all day, to praise his wonderful work? More often than not I took it for granted, or even grumbled about it as I was cold and wet, or hot and sweaty. I had moments when I could not help but see God everywhere, but these were not as often as I would now wish.

While this 'general revelation' certainly leaves the unbeliever without excuse (which as Christians is the moral we often take from it), more so does it leave us with no excuse not to extol the virtues and mercy of our great and glorious God. As Calvin said, if the foolish are without excuse, those who lead them are even less so. We as Christians have eyes to see, we should use this sight to show God to those who are blind.

Institutes Book 1 Chapter 5: The Knowledge of God Shines Forth in the Fashioning of the Universe and the Continuing Government of It. (II)

2008-11-06T07:27:00.007-05:00

Section 6: The Creator Reveals His Lordship Over the Creation.

Having argued that God is able to be known through creation, especially when we study ourselves, but that we have rejected such knowledge in rebellion, Calvin now turns to God's governance of his creation. "Let us therefore remember, whenever each of us contemplates his own nature, that there is one God who so governs all natures that he would have us look unto him, direct our faith to him, and worship and call upon him. For nothing is more preposterous than to enjoy the very remarkable gifts that attest the divine nature within us, yet to overlook the Author who gives them to us at our asking." By God's powerful governance of the world, by which all things come to us, God's power is known to us his creatures. This shows, at the very least, his eternity, "for he from whom all things draw their origin must be eternal and have beginning from himself."

Section 7: God's Government and Judgment.

Outside of the ordinary course of nature, God's governance is also made clear: "in administering human society he so tempers his providence that, although kindly and beneficent toward all in numberless ways, he still by open and daily indications declares his clemency to the godly and his severity to the wicked and criminal." In this shows himself the protector and vindicator of the innocent. However, not all sins are punished in this life, not all the righteous are so prospered. This simply shows that there is going to be a further judgment in which all will be righted. But in not punishing all sins, God also has a different purpose: "what great occasion he gives us to contemplate his mercy when he often pursues miserable sinners with unwearied kindness, until he shatters their wickedness by imparting benefits and by recalling them to him with more than fatherly kindness!"

Section 8: God's Sovereign Sway Over the Life of Men.

Using Psalm 107, Calvin moves on to show the works of God in human society, showing that "examples of this sort, the prophet [the author of the Psalm] shows that what are thought to be chance occurrences are just so many proofs of heavenly providence, especially of fatherly kindness." But to weigh these works is a matter of "rare and singular wisdom," so that many who view this profit nothing. The Lord shows his sovereignty by overthrowing the wicked "in a moment" and by raising up the humble. "In short, there is nothing that he does not temper in the best way."

Section 9: We Ought Not to Rack Our Brains About God; But Rather, We Should Contemplate Him in His Works.

"No long or toilsome proof is needed to elicit evidences that serve to illuminate and affirm the divine majesty." God's creation and his governance are more than enough to show his power and nature. But in this we are called to a knowledge of God that is not filled with empty speculation, but will be sound and fruitful if we perceive it and it takes root in the heart. "Consequently, we know the most perfect way of seeking God, and the most suitable order, is not for us to attempt with bold curiosity to penetrate to the investigation of his essence, ... but for us to contemplate him in his works whereby he renders himself near and familiar to us, and in some manner communicates himself." This contemplation surpasses our mental powers at times, but never our emotions, never our commitment and awe to him whom we contemplate.

Section 10: The Purpose of this Knowledge of God.

This knowledge, Calvin argues, does not simply exist for its own sake. Rather, it "ought not only to arouse us to the worship of God but also to awaken and encourage us to the hope of the future life." This is so because God's mercy and his judgment here in this life are, from our perspective, incomplete--thus even greater things are coming. God's powers are evident in his works, but their purpose is evident when we look in ourselves "and contemplate by what means the Lord shows in us his life, wisdom, and power; and exercises in our behalf his righteousness, goodness and mercy." However, this will be treated more fully later in the Institutes.

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Reflection: Reading these sections, indeed all them so far, I am struck by the fact that Calvin is really laying on think the guilt of our own responsibility. The gist of his arguments so far is that God is readily known through his creation, through ourselves, and through his governance, but 'scarcely one man in a hundred sees this.' I ask myself: if it is this easy to see God, why don't more people see him? But I know the answer: the blindness of sin. It seems unfair, but because we have fallen into sin in Adam and Eve, we have been fundamentally altered by sin: we have become spiritually blind unless our eyes are opened by the Holy Spirit. Everywhere I look I can see God, but there are people right next door (so to speak) who cannot see God no matter how obvious he is in his works. They have become so blinded by sin that it would take, in a sense, a miracle for their eyes to be opened to see him.

At the same time we see the great responsibility of parents to teach their children properly. For if a parent refuses to acknowledge God in his works, then their child will not have that understanding, their child will not even know to look for God. They will see everything in totally different categories.

It is a matter of worldview and fundamental religious ground-motif or allegiance. I believe in God (by God's grace, of course), and so I cannot help but see him everywhere (although at times in my sin he seems far away). Others who do not believe in God cannot see him because they have sunk so deep into sin that there is no light. It would take God's great power to lift them from that pit and turn them to him once again.

Here we see how great and merciful our great and powerful God truly is, while at the same time how just he is as well!

Institutes Book 1 Chapter 5: The Knowledge of God Shines Forth in the Fashioning of the Universe and the Continuing Government of It. (I)

2008-11-05T07:13:00.005-05:00

This Chapter is composed of 15 sections, so I am going to break it into two or three sections. This morning I will read sections 1-5, as these form a unity in which Calvin discusses our knowledge of God coming from his creation.

Section 1: The Clarity of God's Self-disclosure Strips us of Every Excuse.

Here Calvin argues that God not only reveals himself through the implanted seed of religion, but also "daily discloses himself in the whole workmanship of the universe. As a consequence, men cannot open their eyes without being compelled to see him."

Section 2: The Divine Wisdom Displayed for All to See.

Not only are we able to know God through his creation, but we can see his divine wisdom as well. Calvin uses the stars as an example, and also the human body, saying that their organization and structure reveal clearly the wisdom of their creator: "Even the common folk and the most untutored, who have been taught only the by the aid of eyes, cannot be unaware of the excellence of divine art, for it reveals itself in this innumerable and yet distinct and well-ordered variety of the heavenly host." "Likewise, in regard to the structure of the human body one must have the greatest keenness in order to weigh, with Galen's [an ancient Greek physician] skill, its articulation, symmetry, beauty, and use. But yet, as all acknowledge, the human body shows itself to be a composition so ingenious that its Artificer is rightly judged a wonder-worker.

In this section, Calvin suggests that while even unlearned people can see these things, those who study have even less excuse, for one cannot learn more about the heavens or the human body and still be blind to God's wisdom: "Indeed, men who have either quaffed or even tasted the liberal arts penetrate with their aid far more deeply into the secrets of the divine wisdom."

Section 3: Man as the Loftiest Proof of Divine Wisdom.

Man is a microcosm of the universe, "because he is a rare example of God's power, goodness, and wisdom, and contains within himself enough miracles to occupy our minds, if only we are not irked at paying attention to them." If there is no reason to look further than ourselves to see God's glorious attributes, it is sheer laziness that men do not see God in this way. "Indeed ... infants, while they nurse at their mother's breasts, have tongues so eloquent to preach his glory that there is no need at all of other orators." It is only pride that causes men to blind themselves to this revelation.

Section 4: But Man Turns Ungratefully Against God.

Here is a section which seems timely even now. Calvin speaks about those people who see these wonders, and yet do not attribute them to God but to nature itself. "How detestable, I ask you, is this madness: that man, finding God in his body and soul a hundred times, on this very pretense of excellence denies that there is a God? They will not say it is by chance that they are distinct from brute creatures. Yet they set God aside, the while using 'nature,' which for them is the artificer of all things, as a cloak." In this they "shamelessly wage war on God."

Section 5: The Confusion of Creature with Creator.

Calvin now turns his attention to those who argue that the soul is only concerned with the body--they body and the soul are an organic unity and so the soul cannot exist without the body. Calvin points to the works of the soul in knowledge and understanding which far surpass mere organism to show that this is absurd: "Why is it that the soul not only vaguely roves about but conceives many useful things, ponders concerning many, even divines the future--all while man sleeps? What ought we to say here except that the signs of immortality which have been implanted in man cannot be effaced?"

Calvin continues to make his point in a series of rhetorical questions, showing, I think, both his intelligence and his craft in writing: "Shall we, indeed, distinguish between right and wrong by that judgment which has been imparted to us, yet will there be no judge in heaven? Will there remain for us even in sleep some remnant of intelligence, yet will no God keep watch in governing the world? Shall we think ourselves the inventors of so many arts and useful things that God may be defrauded of his praise even though experience sufficiently teaches that what we have bas been unequally distributed among us from another source?" In their view, the universe is its own creator--they confuse God and his creation.

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Reflection: While in the midst of Calvin's argument it is hard to consider the whole, here there is enough to reflect well on. Currently I am working on a speech about our Christian involvement with culture. I am using the concept of worldview to suggest a way in which we, as Christians, can interact with the culture around us and see how we can live in its midst in a God-glorifying way.

Reading this from Calvin concerning how there are those people who blind themselves to God's wisdom in creation suggests to me the great importance of the issue of worldview. Those who know God, who have their eyes opened by the work of his Spirit for the sake of his Son Christ Jesus see the world properly--not as its own creation, but as the work of a wise and powerful God. Those who do not have their eyes so opened cannot see this, but are still without excuse since it was in the fall into sin that we lost this sight along with our excellent abilities to do God's will. Thus Christians are fundamentally different than others--where is any common ground on which we stand?

I used to think that Christians, when doing apologetics, could find some common area of understanding, some common thinking, and then build from there a case for God. I have since grown to understand that this cannot be. There is no common ground for there is no common understanding. Even when a Christian and a non-Christian look at the same facts, they see them differently, for the fundamental religious allegiance is totally different. For who cannot look at a newborn infant and not see the wonders and wisdom of God? Only those who do not want to see God in the first place.

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

2008-11-04T07:35:00.007-05:00

Section 1: Superstition.

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

Section 2: Conscious Turning Away from God.

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

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

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

Section 4: Hypocrisy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 3: The Knowledge of God Has Been Naturally Implanted in the Minds of Men.

2008-11-03T07:24:00.004-05:00

Section 1: The Character of This Endowment.

No one, Calvin argues (perhaps following Paul in Romans 1:19-20, albeit uncited), is without knowledge of divinity. "To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty." We can understand this, Calvin argues, because there is no nation or people that does not believe in a god, or contain "some seed of religion." He even points to the fact of idolatry to prove this point, saying that a person "prefers to worship wood and stone rather than to be thought of as having no God, clearly this is a most vivid impression of a divine being." Thus, the impression we have is that people know or are at least inclined to worship some divine being/thing, pointing to the fact that they know that God exists, even if they do not desire to worship the true God.

Section 2: Religion is No Arbitrary Invention.

Here Calvin is ahead of his time, arguing against Marxism which hadn't yet been invented: "Therefore it is utterly vain for some men to say that religion was invented by the subtlety and craft of a few to hold the simple fold in thrall by this device and that those very persons who originated the worship of God for others did not in the least believe that any God existed." While Calvin confesses that within religion such inventions have occurred, this cannot be said about religion itself. Concerning the 'supposed atheists' Calvin writes "If, indeed, there were some in the past, and today not a few appear, who deny that God exists, yet willy-nilly they from time to time feel an inkling of what they desire not to believe. ... Indeed, they seek out every subterfuge to hide themselves from the Lord's presence, and to efface it again from their minds." But, Calvin argues, they cannot rid themselves of such a presence, and there is "no respite from anxiety of conscience." Thus even the impious in some way give evidence that some concept of God "is ever alive in all men's minds."

Section 3: Actual Godlessness is Impossible.

Those who reject any notion of God have "the worm of conscience" gnawing at them from within, and all their work comes to naught: "though the stupid hardness in their minds, which the impious eagerly conjure up to reject God, wastes away, yet the sense of divinity, which they greatly wished to have extinguished, thrives and presently burgeons." Thus the doctrine of the existence of the Divine is transferred, Calvin argues, not by education but "from his mother's womb and which nature itself permits no one to forget."

Even though this knowledge is implanted in our lives, to let it thrive, to know God as he has revealed himself is no easy task, presumably, although Calvin never says it outright, because of the fall into sin, which affects every part of our being: "if all men are born and live to the end that they may know God, and yet if knowledge of God is unstable and fleeting unless it progresses to this degree, it is clear that all those who do not direct every thought and action in their lives to this goal degenerate from the law of their creation." Without religion, then, men are not 'like the brute beasts,' but are in fact less because they work against their own purposes.

"Therefore, it is worship of God alone that renders men higher than the brutes, and through it alone they aspire to immortality."

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Reflection: I am reminded, as I read this chapter, of the New Atheism that has sprung up in the last few years. While atheism itself is not really anything new, the New Atheism is called 'new' because, as I understand it, it is more aggressive in its atheism than previous atheist authors have been. Not content to show that religion is foolish or wrong, these new atheist authors struggle ever so hard to try to convince people that religious faith (especially Christianity) is in fact terrible and bad, and should be gotten rid of. But at the same time these authors (evolutionists all of them) do not go far enough. They do not get rid of the good of religion, such as the concept of human dignity (created in the image of God), compassion, live for the fellow man, but instead try to keep these without the framework in which they are to be understood. Their conscience, I assume, will not let them go the full distance of their convictions and so become 'less than the brute animals,' for naturalistic evolution as an ideology cannot but pit men against each other in an epic struggle for the survival of the fittest, nation against nation, brother against brother. Here we see the beautiful providence of God in his restraining of sin.

I am also struck by the number of quotes which Calvin uses in this short chapter from the Greek and Roman poets and philosophers. He has one biblical quote, and quite a few classical quotes to prove his point. I am not entirely familiar with many of these authors (known to me by name only for the most part), but Calvin puts them to good use. It is interesting that in a chapter expounding that the knowledge of God exists within each person, he uses unbelieving writers to prove his point. I guess he realized that if he used only Biblical quotes, he could be criticized as arguing in a circle, or assuming the truth of what he is trying to show.

In the next chapter, Calvin will show that this knowledge of God is being smothered and corrupted. In reading this short chapter, I was struck by the fact that I had difficulty with it. I agree with him that knowledge of God is in each person, but I agree intellectually. It is very hard to point this out in some one's life. However, when we take this chapter together with chapter 4, we get a fuller picture of what is going on.

What I myself take from this chapter is the fact that even though we have this knowledge of the divine implanted in us, we must work to cultivate it or else it will be unstable and fleeting. We must, as Calvin writes 'direct every thought and action to this goal' of knowing God. We cannot simply assume that it will grow and develop of its own accord. We have this knowledge by the grace of God, and also by the grace of God we have the responsibility (and ability) to develop this knowledge so that we know him more and more.

Even implanted knowledge gives us no excuse for laziness in faith!

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 2: What it is to Know God, and to What Purpose the Knowledge of Him Tends.

2008-10-31T07:34:00.006-04:00

Section 1: Piety is Requisite for the Knowledge of God.

Knowledge of God, Calvin states, is not simply that we know that there is a God, but includes "what befits us and is proper to his glory, in fine, what is to our advantage to know him." It requires an attitude or orientation of piety to truly know God: "Indeed we shall not say that, properly speaking, God is known where there is no religion or piety."

True knowledge of God, in our fallen state, is mediated only through Christ Jesus as we are reconciled to God in him. "It is one thing to feel that God as our Maker supports us by his power, governs us by his providence, nourishes us by his goodness, and attends us with all sorts of blessings--and another thing to embrace the grace of reconciliation offered to us in Christ."

This last quote reminds me of the so-called New Age 'spirituality' of our modern age, in which people see God as the sustainer of all things, a good 'force' in which all things exist (just read some Paulo Coehlo), but does not have anything to say about our human condition, and definitely does not take Christ seriously as he presents himself, but sees him as a way of example to live before this beneficent God-force.

Section 2: Knowledge of God Involves Trust and Reverence.

The question to ask is not 'what is God?' but 'what sort God is, and what is consistent with his nature?' "Our knowledge should serve first to teach us fear and reverence; secondly with it as our guide and teacher, we should learn to seek every good from him, and having received it, to credit it to his account." We, having been created by God and continually sustained by him, owe to him our very lives. Thus "it now assuredly follows that your life is wickedly corrupt unless it be disposed to his service, seeing that his will ought for us to be the law by which we live." God is the fountain of all good, and but for our sinful depraved state, we would cleave to him and trust in him always.

Calvin gives a beautiful picture of the pious mind and how it relates to God. It is a moving passage, and I am tempted to quote him at length, but I will summarize it as Calvin does: "Here indeed is pure and real religion: faith so joined with an earnest fear of God that this fear also embraces willing reverence, and carries with it such legitimate worship as is prescribed in the law." Pure and real religion exists in a pious mind relating to God not as one dreams up for himself or herself but "is content to hold him to be as he manifests himself; furthermore, the mind always exercises the utmost diligence and care not to wander astray, or rashly and boldly to go beyond his will."

Calvin ends this chapter with a cutting remark about worship and the pious mind: "all men have a vague general veneration for God, but very few really reverence him; and wherever there is great ostentation in ceremonies, sincerity of heart is rare indeed."

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In addition to the Institutes, I am reading (although not as devotional literature) The Calvinistic Concept of Culture by Henry R. Van Til, and studying the letter of 1 Peter in preparation for a speech I will present at the CYA Retreat next weekend. This also brings to mind some of the readings from Cornelis Van Til in terms of apologetics. Cornelis Van Til speaks of the importance of worldview (although not in those terms, if I remember rightly), saying that the worldview of those who belong to Christ, who are regenerate is totally different than the worldview of those who are not regenerate. Kind of like Augustine's separation of the City of God and the City of Men.

Here Calvin says that a pious mind will seek out God as he truly is, not inventing him for himself. A pious mind is needed to know God, a mind that submits to God, trusts in him, and worships him as commanded. A pious mind that sees its need for a Saviour. In short, a pious mind is one that sees its fallenness, looks to Christ Jesus for reconciliation, and in this alone knows God.

There are two things here that are relevant to our contemporary situation. First, the absolute necessity of Christ Jesus. Because of our fallen state, because we have been alienated from God by our own actions in Adam and Eve, we need to be reconciled to him if we are to know him truly. So we need to know God through the mediation and reconciliation of Christ. Matthew 11:27 reads "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." To know God truly, to know him as he is, to know him in love and mercy rather than wrath requires that our minds be opened and made pious by Christ Jesus. We cannot do it on our own.

Second, I see the necessity of submitting myself to Christ Jesus, and trusting in all things in God. It is very easy, as a sinful man, to forget that God, as my Creator, has hold of every single part and aspect of my life. I so often trust in my own abilities, or look to do things myself that God's ownership, while not forgotten, is easily paid lip-service. I am exhorted to live with more trust and reverence in all things so that I may rightly know this God to whom I owe all things.

Institutes Book 1, Chapter 1

2008-10-30T07:46:00.007-04:00

Section 1: Without Knowledge of Self there is no Knowledge of God.

In this section, Calvin argues that when we look to ourselves and see our weakness, our frailty, and especially our depravity and sin, we are led to God. Any goodness which we see in our selves and in our lives must come from somewhere else since there is so much that is bad in our lives as well. "Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find him."

Section 2: Without Knowledge of God there is no Knowledge of Self.

But to see ourselves as we truly are, we need to look to God. If we look only to ourselves and those things around us that are also fallen due to sin, "what is a little less vile pleases us as a thing most pure." It is only by looking to God and seeing his perfection and purity that we see ourselves in the proper light: fallen, sinful, depraved.

Section 3: Man Before God's Majesty.

"Man is never never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty," for often throughout Scripture are men and women stunned when they meet God, are afraid of dying because they saw the majesty and holiness of God.

Calvin will, in Chapter 2, focus on knowledge of God, rather than knowledge of humanity, as "however the knowledge of God and of ourselves may be mutually connected, the order of right teaching requires that we discuss the former first, then proceed afterward to treat the latter."

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This chapter brings to mind something that I have been thinking lately, arising out of my work on Genesis 37 (among other things). If we consider the fact of sin in the world, and the fact of evil (sin not only in ourselves, but also the bad things that happen in the world such as natural disasters), perhaps these are things that God uses to show people that everything is not right in the world. The world is not as it should be--this is not, as Leibniz would argue, the best of all possible worlds. The Lord, in his patience is waiting for the full number of the elect to come into the kingdom, and as he waits, he provides signs for those in the world that point to him. The depravity in our own persons, the disasters that befall us, these things show us that something is missing, and the only place to look to find it is with God who alone can redeem his creation.

Morning Devotions.

2008-10-29T07:49:00.006-04:00

I have begun (as of today) a new series of devotions. I have never found a devotional book that I liked, and so I decided to do something different. I took Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion from my shelf last night, blew off the dust, and put them on my desk. My plan is to read from these worthy tomes in the morning before I begin my regular work of reading, researching, and whatnot for sermons and the like.

This is, of course, not to say that the Bible isn't devotional enough for me. Far from it. What I hope to do with these readings is to gather the doctrine contained in Holy Scripture, rather than reading one biblical book at a time. Sherri and I read Psalms with breakfast, and go through other books with supper, so I wanted to do something different. And this reading of the Institutes will most definitely be done with a Bible right beside me, so I am not neglecting that which I am to meditate on day and night.

And so I began with John Calvin's introductory letter to the reader, which shows how Calvin approached this work and what he hopes for it. I am reading the 1559 edition of the Institutes, which is the final edition, the edition which Calvin, apparently, was the happiest with. He writes, "Although I did not regret the labor spent, I was never satisfied until the work had been arranged in the order now set forth." The 1559 edition is the fourth edition of Calvin's great work. The first edition came out in 1536, written while Calvin was in Strasbourgh working in a congregation of French refugees (I think--this is from memory, but I think I'm correct here). Apparently the 1559 edition was written while Calvin was sick: "Last winter when I thought the quartan fever was summoning me to my death, the more the disease pressed upon me the less I spared myself, until I could leave a book behind me that might, in some measure, repay the generous invitation of godly men." Fearing that his time was running short, Calvin desired to leave behind something to benefit the churches. He writes that "God has filled my mind with zeal to spread his Kingdom and to further the public good."

Reading this introductory letter, I am struck with Calvin's humility as he writes of his work being more successful than he had imagined, thus spurring him on to refine the Institutes in each edition to make it better and more beneficial, but I am also struck by the strength of his convictions. While humble, Calvin does not fall prey to self-deprecation. What he believes he believes strongly, and the work he does he attends to with strength and conviction. Near the end of this short introductory letter, he writes of his work preparing ministers for the churches. In this context he writes, "I believe I have so embraced the sum of religion in all its parts, and have arranged it in such an order, that if anyone rightly grasps it, it will not be difficult for him to determine what he ought especially to seek in Scripture, and to what end he ought to relate its contents." Further, he encourages the readers to approach scripture armed with this work as a necessary tool.

In our time, this seems kind of arrogant. We can sympathize with Calvin's humility, but the strength of his convictions is something that is not lost to us, but we do not feel right in publishing it abroad. Since spirituality and religion have become 'private endeavours' to express the strength of conviction such as Calvin does in this letter seems prideful.

It seems prideful, because Calvin says that he has 'embraced the sum of religion in all its parts.' Now we can understand this to mean that Calvin thinks he has totally understood all of what God has taught, there is no mystery left for the mind of Calvin, but that would be to misunderstand. Instead what Calvin is saying is that he has always endeavoured to be complete about religion, not ignoring one aspect and emphasizing another. Throughout his writings you see a mind that is submissive to scripture, and honestly tries to work out the doctrines contained in the Word of God, rather than making that doctrine subservient to his own understanding.

Here we see the proper balance of humility and confidence. Calvin is humble concerning himself, humble about his own talents, his own abilities, but certainly not humble when it comes to scripture. What scripture says, it says as the word of God, and therefore says with authority. To truly submit to scripture as God's revelation means that when scripture says something, we are to be convinced of it and hold that conviction with strength. For "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Hopefully, as I work through this book, I will post some quotes or thoughts about what I read. I can't promise to do it every day, or as long as this whenever I do post, but I will try to post some thing which I find interesting and useful.

Novels I am Reading.

2008-10-27T11:55:00.002-04:00

I have recently discovered (or rediscovered as I may have read some of his work before) a new author I thoroughly enjoy. The author is Stephen R. Lawhead. He writes novels that have a Celtic background to them. I was shopping the closing-down sale at Mitchell's Bookstore here in Hamilton and ran across a couple of novels that looked interesting. I bought them, and really enjoyed reading them.

Lawhead is a Christian, and you can tell by reading his books. Not that he writes the standard 'Christian-fiction' which is generally poorly written or border-line romance, or just books with a thin veneer of Christianity (the obligatory 'each character must pray at least once' kind of books).

What Lawhead does is different, since his faith is not explicitly expressed in the books, but lies behind them as a framework or background. He's a Christian, and he just happens to write fiction novels. But you can tell that he is indeed a Christian when he does have a character pray or speak about theological matters, for you can tell that the person writing the prayers knows how to pray, and to whom he is praying.

I have read Hood, Scarlet, and the Song of Albion trilogy so far. I hope to read more.

You can check out Stephen Lawhead at his website: http://www.stephenlawhead.com/

A Good Story:

2008-10-16T10:55:00.006-04:00

I am currently working on my third sermon in a series on the life of Joseph, Genesis 37 and following (although I think I may skip Genesis 38, because the passage I am working on now and the passage that comes in Genesis 39 work very well together for sermon themes, and Genesis 38 deals with Judah and Tamar, not Joseph). The passage this week is Genesis 37:12-36, in which Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery. The text ends with these words: "Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard" (NIV).

What a cliff-hanger ending. This comes just after Jacob (now called Israel) is mourning over Joseph as if he had no more children. And then the passage ends on this slim glimmer of hope. It occurred to me in the process of reading and studying this passage that I wish I was reading it for the first time. As it stands now, I know how it ends, I know how things turn out, and so there is no suspense in it for me anymore. But if I was going through this for the first time? It would be great. Too bad I am not a good story-teller.

However, while I do not have the suspense I would otherwise have, I do have the benefit of seeing the big picture, and thus understanding much more about this account of the history of the people of Israel much better than if I really was reading it for the first time. Instead of suspense, I see the great and awesome beauty of how the Lord works in his creation to fulfill his plan of salvation. Instead of wondering how it will end, I can wonder that a God, who by all accounts would have been totally just to have destroyed all of his creation once it sinned against him in Adam and Eve, does not do so, but instead uses sinful, weak human beings--those who sinned against him in the first place--to carry out his plans. What a glorious thing to see.

The more I work on sermons, the more I delve deep into the riches of God's revelation to us his people, the more I stand in awe and amazement at the God who does all of this for his people, and for his glory.

At least I have that compensation: while I do not have the suspense anymore, my reading has matured, and so have I through the reading of God's Word, and the work of his Holy Spirit.

I can print again!!

2008-10-09T11:04:00.002-04:00

Finally, after printing out my sermons from Sherri's computer all summer, I can print from my own again.

There had been a frustrating problem with Windows Vista, and I could never find out how to fix it. But now, Microsoft came out with Service Pack 1, and (so far) I can print just fine again.

Hooray! No more "Print Spooler Subsytem App has encountered a problem and will close" errors!

Finally, an end to the silence.

2008-10-08T10:02:00.004-04:00

Hi all,

I finished on the farm last Friday, and since then I have been working on a sermon for the big family reunion this weekend. A thanksgiving sermon. It is going well, except that all of a sudden last night I ended up with a bad cold...sore throat, stuffy head, at least my nose isn't running. However, I will still get my sermon finished.

As I was working on the farm, and as it is election season in Canada, I had plenty of opportunity to see some of those fabulous yard-signs that the political-hopefuls put up all over the place. And I found what is, for now, the worst political slogan I have ever heard.

But before I tell you what it is, I want to say a few things about the party. I have always been of two minds about the Christian Heritage Party. We have a delegate in our area, so we actually do have a chance to vote for them. However much I agree with their issues (as stated on their website), and desire to see a political party sitting in the seat of responsibility that I actually like, I have difficulty in deciding to vote for them at all. Because they are such a small party, and because they are pretty much off the radar for most people, a vote for them means one less vote for the party that I would like to see at the helm, and actually has a chance of making it. Voting for the CHP seems, in one way, like throwing my vote away.

Having said that, I also think that if we do actually vote for them, they would have that much more support, and perhaps could at least get something going on politically.

Do I vote for the party I agree with most, or do I vote strategically, so the party I don't want to see with the responsibility of leading the country does not get in?

So, in saying that the slogan is terrible in no way constitutes me making light of the Christian Heritage Party.

But their slogan is terrible.

I don't know if the slogan is on their website, but it's on the signs for the guy in our area, and here it is:

"You know what's right..."

While theologically and philosophically I can agree with the sentiment (to some degree), but seeing it on a political sign as a slogan just reeks of arrogance. It is as if they are saying "It's the right thing to do, voting for us, and if you don't do it, you're being bad."

I wonder who thought up that slogan, and why they thought it would be good to use publicly.

But since I do have a sermon to write, that is all for now.

I Finally Did It...

2008-09-06T12:37:00.007-04:00

I have finally graduated from seminary, which also means that, as far as we are planning, this is my last graduation. But who knows what will happen in the future?

The ceremony wasn't that terribly long, the hand-shaking wasn't that terribly long, and my speech on behalf of the graduating class (all 3 of us!) wasn't that terribly long either, nor was it even that terrible.

It was, I think, a good evening--although if I hadn't received much of Dr. VanDam's speech as lecture notes this past school year, I would have no idea what he talked about last night. I was tired and kind of nervous.

Now I have a B.A., an M.A., and an M.Div.

Of all my university graduations, I think this one meant the most. First of all, there were only 3 of us graduating, and 17 students in all at the College, so we knew each fairly well. And this one wasn't just a degree for the sake of studying, the last four years actually had a goal, a purpose in mind--the ministry. And because it is a small school, I got to know the professors quite well too. It was nice that Dr. Visscher, the principal, got to confer the degree on me, since I spent many hours with him over the years seeking his advice and counsel. When I didn't think that I could handle the College, or when Sherri and I were doubtful about entering into the ministry, he listened to our concerns, our fears, and gave good advice and encouragement.

I must admit, though, that I smirked on the stage when he said "You are now Master of Divinity." The title is funny, as if I am somehow able to control the Divine. It sounds too much like He-man, Master of the Universe. It needs some dramatic music playing when it is said.

The speech I gave was well-received too. Many people coming through the reception line commented on it. Apprently it was funnier than I thought it would be, as I have a rather dry sense of humour, I think.

Anyways, for your reading pleasure, here is the text of my address on behalf of the students. I thought of most of it while I was driving tractor on the farm, so I'm pleasantly surprised that it makes sense.

______________________________________________________

I would like to begin with an apology. Looking back on the student addresses from previous College evenings, I remember them being quite humorous. I am sorry to say that this one will not follow that tradition. I am not a funny person. Nor am I a foreign student, so I cannot speak about adapting to a new culture as I began my studies at the College. I am, however, a person who likes to place things in perspective—I am a ‘big-picture’ person. So let me present to you a picture of the College, an analogy of the College as a vehicle, a theological car, the College-mobile. Something like the Batmobile, but not nearly as cool. More like a Volvo, back when they were square boxes.

In this vehicle, the professors play the role of the navigators—as students they are our academic, intellectual GPS device. They are our guides through all of those courses which sound like characters from the Asterix and Obelix comic books—dogmatics, canonics, poimenics, catechetics, hermeneutics, symbolics. We need professors to lead us into these subjects—those who have gone over this before us, and can guide us through the vast amounts of information that is out there. We need a guide or we would soon lose our way. This is part of the role that the professors play for us students—they guide our studies so that when we leave the College we will be prepared for the work ahead of us.

But even beyond the teaching, there was encouragement and advice, guiding us students in more personal ways as well. Who can forget Prof. VanDam’s exam advice: “Study hard, sleep tight, everything will work out right”? Or Dr. deVisser’s concern for us not just as students, but also as people with families, spouses, children? For myself, there was a time during my second year that I was an almost constant fixture in Prof. Visscher’s office, seeking advice. The talks which I had with Prof. Visscher were invaluable for me, giving a sense of perspective about the whole process and what we were going through as students. And Dr. Gootjes, who gave us the most memory work, was always willing to help out those poor students like myself who are not gifted with excellent memories. I don’t think Rolf or Cornelis ever had a problem in this regard, not to make light of the work that they put into these things, but Dr. Gootjes was always willing to work around my deficient memory, no matter frustrating it may have been for him. And none of us will forget too easily all the pastoral advice which Rev. DeGelder slipped into his lectures on Church Polity.

If the Theological College is like a car, and the professors are the GPS device guiding us on our four-year journey, then the other students we study with are like the interior of the car, they are what makes the trip comfortable. I don’t have much experience with fancy cars—being on a student’s budget—but I hear they can be quite comfortable. In our experience at the College, the students we studied with made these last four years more like a Cadillac and less like a Chevelle.

Studying at the College is no simple thing. It sounds easy, and who wouldn’t want to live the life of a student? Starting classes at 9 and ending at 12:30 (or rather, starting classes at 8:50 and ending at 12:20 so that coffee time is at precisely 10:30), home by 1:00. What a life. But the problem is that once we are home, the real work begins. If as students we had not worked together over the years, the last four years would have been considerably more difficult. But as ‘many hands make light work,’ it was the co-operation among students that eased the workload.

Early on in the college, I discovered that I had the uncanny knack of being able to take down Dr. Gootjes’ lectures word-for-word. This skill meant that I had the responsibility of sharing my notes with other, less fortunate students. Eventually this was made easier by the internet group started a few years ago, onto which go our lecture notes, reading notes, timelines, charts and the like—anything that we have done that we think that other students will benefit from.

More than just making the workload lighter, our fellow students were also those with whom we could talk about assignments, frustrations, concerns—for they were all going through the same things. We in the upper years tried to impart our wisdom to those in the lower years, but more often than not we all needed each other, regardless of what year we were in. The College seems to be the great leveller.

Now I move on to an area which may be tricky, for I don’t think Liz, Greta, Sherri or the other student’s wives would want to be compared to something as unattractive as the tires and suspension system. But I think the comparison, although perhaps un-aesthetic, works, for just as when you have good tires and a good suspension system on your car you don’t feel many of the bumps and holes on the road, so too our wives helped us along our four-year trip at the College by supporting us on the way.

Now, you might not think that being the wife of a student at the Theological College is that hard. But in my experience, it is the wives of students who have to bear the burden of the student’s life, but without any of the perks. They hear the frustrations, they see the stress, they suffer through the mental absences which characterize the life of a student. They do not even get the benefit of the end goal of these studies—I’m the one receiving this degree, not my wife. Not only did our wives have to deal with all the side-effects of the College, they were also the ones who worked hard to support us in this endeavour. Without this support, without these women in our lives, the College would have been a totally different experience.

Beyond the financial and emotional support that our wives provide, it was a great blessing to have a spouse during my years at the College, for she put my studies into their proper perspective. When bogged down with memory work, essays, readings, and translations, it was refreshing to have time to spend away from the books, away from the computer, time spent with my wife and lately with my son. These times were for me, and I am sure for Cornelis and Rolf as well, a necessary time of rest so that when I did go back to my books, when I did get back to studying my mind was fresh and I was ready to get back into it. Our wives kept us grounded in the world outside the College, reminding us that there was a life outside of our books, and this is a very practical support for students.

Just as a car needs oil to keep the engine for ceasing up, so too does the College-mobile. At the College, the job of making sure that everything keeps moving goes to Margaret and Catharine. Margaret keeps the library in order, among other tasks, and makes sure that no student or professor lacks books to read. Catharine keeps all of the affairs of the College running decently and in good order, and makes sure that we all know what to do, where to go, and especially for us students, what not to do and where not to go. Without these two, I’m not sure any of us academics would have any idea of how to actually run the place.

I could go on for some time, but I will stop here. As you can see, from our perspective as graduating students, there is a rather large debt of gratitude that we have on our shoulders this evening, since we do not live or work by ourselves.

It is due to the grace of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and above all to the grace of our Heavenly Father that we stand here at all. It is fitting at times such as these to remember this debt of gratitude, to remember the grace that supports us all, and by a few short words to acknowledge it in humility.

As our time at the College draws to a close (I won’t consider it done until I walk out of this auditorium), we will keep with the analogy of the car, and finish this leg of our journey by paraphrasing the last words of the GPS device, good old Tante Truus: “We have reached our destination.”

Thank you.

(P.S. Apparently "Tante Truus" is what they call GPS devices in Holland. I now also have one myself, and it's very handy, a TomTom ONE 130.)