The Knowledge of God

As everyone probably already knows, I am a loser. To further prove this, I decided not to go to any party where the super bowl is or isn't going to be watched in order to do laundry and read John Calvin. But before I really get going on that tonight, I wanted to make a quick (well, it really might not be) post about one of the chapter I have already read. (I'll understand it better that way.)

The chapter is entitled "The Knowledge of God as Creator" and is chapter one, book one of the Institutes. Calvin's second point in the chapter is that man never attains to a true knowledge of himself without unless he has first thought about God, and then come down to look at himself. In this section he has a lengthy quote that is actually only two sentences long.

"So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect on what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness, will become polluted with the greatest iniquity; what strangely imposed upon us under the name of wisdom, will disgust by its extreme folly; and what presented the appearance of virtuous energy, will be condemned as the most miserable impotence."

In my own experience this has been the effect of looking upon God's character and thinking about it more completely has crushed my own self-honoring ideas that I might have had about any innate goodness that dwells in me. It just isn't there. I am not a good person, and neither are you. If you don't believe me, you have not sufficiently meditated upon the character of God.

Calvin goes on further to talk about the trauma that has come upon the men of God that have beheld God's face. Think about Isaiah in Isaiah 6:5

" Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The LORD of hosts."

Calvin says this, "When we see those who previously stood firm and secure so quaking with terror, that the fear of death takes hold of them, nay, they are, in a manner, swallowed up and annihilated, the inference to be drawn is, that men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God." He gives some other references, namely, Judges 13:22, Genesis 18:27, and 1 Kings 19:13.

I can't read these passages and not wonder what I would do if I saw God in the manner that these people did. Would I even survive? I don't know. It would truly be a way to put my pride to death. I'm really not all that important.

Anyways, Calvin rocks my socks off, and I'm having a hard time concentrating now, because Dave is watching the Simpsons and I can hear it, and it's hard to write about God while listening to the Simpsons. Oh, to not live in such a small apartment! Anyways, I'm going to do some laundry and read more Calvin, so I'll be back later.