Calvin divides all humanity into two cast-iron
categories – the Elect and the Reprobate. But in the complications of
his theology he forgets these categories.
For instance,
“No man can descend into himself, and consider what he
is, without feeling that God is angry and at enmity with him, and therefore
anxiously longing for the means of regaining His favour (this cannot be without
satisfaction)” - Institutes, Bk.II,
16, 1)
In the statement: “no man can descend into himself…
without feeling…”, Calvin appears to have a particular type of person in
mind. Is it one of the Elect, or of the
Reprobate? It is impossible to say. If the Christian is in mind, is it right for
him to “descend into himself”, and examine his sins, like the conscientious
Catholic before the Confessional?
Calvin goes on to expound the redemption we have in
Christ at great length. But he has already made his compromising statement. And
it is parallel to other statements throughout his theology.
For instance:
“Here let my readers consider whether it be possible
to take an account of the actions of a whole year, or even to collect the sins committed in a single
day, seeing every man´s experience convinces him that at evening, in examining
the faults of that single day, memory gets confused, so great is the number and
variety presented. I am not speaking of
dull and heartless hypocrites, who after animadverting on three or four of
their grosser offences, think the work finished; but of the true worshippers of God, who,
after they have performed their examination, feeling themselves overwhelmed,
still add the words of John..,.(I John 3:20):and, therefore tremble at the thought of that Judge.” – III,
4, 17.
These are true
worshippers of God so they must be of the Elect. So they will have asked for the pardon of
their sins, and have been forgiven. If
God has forgiven, he has also forgotten. Why, then, should the forgiven sinners
go over the faults of the past day? Why
should they have to perform an examination? And having performed the
examination, they “feel themselves overwhelmed”! Is not the blood of Christ
sufficient to cover all their sins?
Calvin has built up a fictitious situation that does not correspond to
anything in the spiritual life of true
worshippers of God.
Further instances:
“Let the most perfect man descend into his own
conscience, and bring his actions to account, and what will the result be? Will he feel calm and quiescent, as if all
matters were well arranged between himself and God? Or will he not be stung
with dire torment, when he sees that the ground of condemnation is within him
if he be estimated by his works?” – III, 13, 3.
“Let the holy servant of God, I say, select from the
whole course of his life the action which he deems most excellent, and let him
ponder it in all its parts; he will
doubtless find in it something that savours of the rottenness of the flesh.” –
III, 14, 9.
Who is this “most perfect man”? Who is this “holy
servant of God”? Is it me? Is it you, reader? Is there any acquaintance
of ours to whom we would dare attach the sobriquet: “most perfect man”? And if
there were, would it not be a fatal weakness for him to attempt to identify his
“most excellent action”?
So once again, for the sake of his argument, Calvin
has built up entirely fictitious situations, in which “the most perfect man”
and a “holy servant of God” go probing through their past actions, seeking the
good and the bad. They will be “estimated
by their works”; they live “stung with dire torment”, with a stench of the “rottenness
of the flesh” always about them. It is
entirely in keeping with all this that Calvin says, at III, 13, 3:
“Undoubtedly, there is not one man who is not covered with infinite
pollutions”.
It is a relief to turn from these gloomy ruminations
to the Scripture itself.
“You do not stay angry for ever, but delight to show
mercy, You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot
and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea,”
“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all unrighteousness…If we walk in
the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all unrighteousness.”
“From all unrighteousness!” Does that include: “from all
pollutions”? Yes, it must do, since by
the forgiveness of our sins we have become “a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His wonderful light,.” (I Pt.2:9)
“Though you do not see Him, you love Him, and even
though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him, and are filled with an
inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith,
the salvation of your souls”. (I Pt.1:8)
The Lord Jesus Himself described the nature of this salvation:
“He told them, This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead
on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in
His name to all nations.” (Lk.24:46,47)
Calvin agrees:
“The only way in which those who God embraces are made
righteous is by having their pollutions wiped away by the remission of sins.” –
III, 11, 21.
Praise God! The remission of our sins! All pollution wiped away! Glory be! This is
the cause of our “inexpressible and glorious joy!” “Our light and momentary
troubles are achieving for us a glory that far outweighs them all.”
We can sing
with the old but true canticle:
God has blotted them out, I´m happy and glad and free!
God has blotted them out, I´ll turn to Isaiah and see
Chapter forty-four, twenty-two and three,
He´s blotted them out!
So now I can shout,
For that means me!
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