True Knowledge of God: Its Nature and Results

Calvin’s Institutes, Reading #2, January 2, 2013                 Institutes I, ii

Having introduced the idea of the Knowledge of God, Calvin here makes it plain what he means by that knowledge.  You will have already experienced one characteristic of Calvin’s teaching technique and here it is again.  I am referring to his use of contrast: it is not this but that. The knowledge of God is not merely the knowledge that He exists, but something more (as he will explain), not of his “essence” but of his expression of himself in his words and works.  While, as he will demonstrate later, we know nothing of God except through God the Son, we do know something of God as our Creator in distinction of what we know of Him as our Redeemer.  (After all, Adam would have known God through the Word, God the Son, prior to his fall and prior to promise of the coming Messiah.)  What would Adam have known of God prior to the Fall? And why is this important to us?  It is very very important, because, contrary to popular opinion, before we ever know anything of the gospel, we have a relationship with God.  He has revealed Himself to us and we not only know Him, we know Him well enough that we ought to love Him.  This, Calvin calls the “simple and primitive knowledge,” and he says this includes the knowledge of God as the Creator who supports us by his power, rules us by his providence, fosters us by his goodness, and visits us with all kinds of blessings.”  True knowledge of God, however, the knowledge that would move us to true worship were not our thinking perverted by sin, the knowledge we would have if we were not always suppressing it (Romans 1) is also the conviction “that not a particle of light, or wisdom, or justice, or power, or rectitude, or genuine truth, will anywhere be found, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause.” The effect of receiving this knowledge of God will be, he says, “we must learn to expect and ask all things from him, and thankfully ascribe to him whatever we receive.”  This knowledge (which we all ought to have from God’s revelation of Himself in and to us) gives us all the reason we need, all the motivation we should require to produce in us -- not merely an acknowledgment that there is a God, but also --  a spirit of piety toward that God.

At this point we have to pause and emphasize one of the most important concepts in genuine Calvinism.  I am speaking of true piety.  Piety!  Many people, both in and out of the church have come to think of piety as something to be avoided.  They have never heard of it without the modifier “false” before it, or without the disgusting suffix “-ism” behind it.  But piety is an important word for Calvin and for the Reformed tradition, and given Calvin’s definition and description of it, we see that it ought to be an important word for every true Christian.  

By piety I mean that union of reverence and love to God which the knowledge of his benefits inspires. For, 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.

For Calvin, there is no right knowledge of God, no knowledge which has had its proper effect, without it resulting in piety.  At one point Calvin introduces an idea which will be very important in later theological discussion.  Note the following:

For how can the idea of God enter your mind without instantly giving rise to the thought, that since you are his workmanship, you are bound, by the very law of creation, to submit to his authority?—that your life is due to him?—that whatever you do ought to have reference to him? If so, it undoubtedly follows that your life is sadly corrupted, if it is not framed in obedience to him, since his will ought to be the law of our lives.  

“You are bound, by the very law of creation, to submit to is authority.” One of the ideas which will receive much heated discussion in Calvinistic circles is “the covenant of works.”  Even though Calvin does not use the term, the root of the idea is present in this “law of creation.”  For now, just bear in mind that the consciousness of being created means among other things, the acknowledgment that the creator has claims upon me, a right and obligation to be loved with all my heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.  Calvin expresses it so brilliantly that the following paragraph is one of my very favorite of all.  He says,

For, first of all, the pious mind does not devise for itself any kind of God, but looks alone to the one true God; nor does it feign for him any character it pleases, but is contented to have him in the character in which he manifests himself, always guarding, with the utmost diligence, against transgressing his will, and wandering, with daring presumption, from the right path. He by whom God is thus known, perceiving how he governs all things, confides in him as his guardian and protector, and casts himself entirely upon his faithfulness,—perceiving him to be the source of every blessing, if he is in any strait or feels any want, he instantly recurs to his protection and trusts to his aid,—persuaded that he is good and merciful, he reclines upon him with sure confidence, and doubts not that, in the divine clemency, a remedy will be provided for his every time of need,—acknowledging him as his Father and his Lord, he considers himself bound to have respect to his authority in all things, to reverence his majesty, aim at the advancement of his glory, and obey his commands,—regarding him as a just judge, armed with severity to punish crimes, he keeps the judgment-seat always in his view. Standing in awe of it, he curbs himself, and fears to provoke his anger. Nevertheless, he is not so terrified by an apprehension of judgment as to wish he could withdraw himself, even if the means of escape lay before him; nay, he embraces him not less as the avenger of wickedness than as the rewarder of the righteous; because he perceives that it equally appertains to his glory to store up punishment for the one, and eternal life for the other. Besides, it is not the mere fear of punishment that restrains him from sin. Loving and revering God as his father, honouring and obeying him as his master, although there were no hell, he would revolt at the very idea of offending him.

One more thing to take with you.  Calvin, remember is saying that this is what would be our due response to the “primitive knowledge of God” as our Creator.  In other words, this is how a man ought to respond to God as God, we might say, prior to our knowledge of Him as having sent His Son into the world to live and die for us to restore us to this good God whose great favor we have despised by our apostasy into sin.  HOW MUCH MORE THAN THIS ought we who have seen Him now more completely and clearly revealed in Christ, HOW MUCH MORE ought we who have assurance that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of His Son and sealed and indwelt by His Holy Spirit, HOW MUCH MORE ought we to respond in this way to Him?

Sandy’s favorite Calvin quote for the day –

“Such is pure and genuine religion, namely, confidence in God coupled with serious fear—fear, which both includes in it willing reverence, and brings along with it such legitimate worship as is prescribed by the law. And it ought to be more carefully considered, that all men promiscuously do homage to God, but very few truly reverence him. On all hands there is abundance of ostentatious ceremonies, but sincerity of heart is rare.^”

Tomorrow’s reading: Institutes Book 1, Chapter 4, paragraphs 1-4