Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

This is Part Two of a special article on John Calvin written by Dr. Joel R. Beeke of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  Dr. Beeke also has an interesting web site on  located at http://calvin500blog.org titled “The Calvin 500 Blog” “Fostering a healthy discussion for an international community about events, conferences, tours, reviews, studies, discussions, and developments related to the 2009 quincentenary of Calvin’s birth.”  Dr. Beeke has given me permission to post his article here which I copied and pasted from his post at his web site.  I hereby thank him for giving me this permission to post his article here and for giving us his web site as a resource to use. 

The verse, in my opinion, which best represents this piety is Jeremiah 9:23-24:  “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;
but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

The following is Dr. Beeke’s article – 

“Piety’s Supreme Goal: Soli Deo Gloria

The goal of piety, as well as the entire Christian life, is the glory of God—glory that shines in God’s attributes, in the structure of the world, and in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Glorifying God supersedes personal salvation for every truly pious person.  Calvin writes thus to Cardinal Sadolet: “It is not very sound theology to confine a man’s thought so much to himself, and not to set before him, as the prime motive for his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God…. I am persuaded that there is no man imbued with true piety who will not consider as insipid that long and labored exhortation to zeal for heavenly life, a zeal which keeps a man entirely devoted to himself and does not, even by one expression, arouse him to sanctify the name of God.”

                                                                           
That God may be glorified in us, the goal of piety, is the purpose of our creation. It thus becomes the yearning of the regenerate to live out the purpose of their original creation.   The pious man, according to Calvin, confesses, “We are God’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God’s: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal.”

                                                                          
God redeems, adopts, and sanctifies His people that His glory would shine in them and deliver them from impious self-seeking.  The pious man’s deepest concern therefore is God Himself and the things of God—God’s Word, God’s authority, God’s gospel, God’s truth. He yearns to know more of God and to commune more with Him.

                                                                          
But how do we glorify God? As Calvin writes, “God has prescribed for us a way in which he will be glorified by us, namely, piety, which consists in the obedience of his Word. He that exceeds these bounds does not go about to honor God, but rather to dishonor him.”  Obedience to God’s Word means taking refuge in Christ for forgiveness of our sins, knowing Him through His Word, serving Him with a loving heart, doing good works in gratitude for His goodness, and exercising self-denial to the point of loving our enemies.  This response involves total surrender to God Himself, His Word, and His will.

                                                                       
Calvin says, “I offer thee my heart, Lord, promptly and sincerely.” This is the desire of all who are truly pious. However, this desire can only be realized through communion with Christ and participation in Him, for outside of Christ even the most religious person lives for himself. Only in Christ can the pious live as willing servants of their Lord, faithful soldiers of their Commander, and obedient children of their Father.”

This is a special article on John Calvin written by Dr. Joel R. Beeke of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  Dr. Beeke also has an interesting web site on  located at http://calvin500blog.org titled “The Calvin 500 Blog” “Fostering a healthy discussion for an international community about events, conferences, tours, reviews, studies, discussions, and developments related to the 2009 quincentenary of Calvin’s birth.”  Dr. Beeke has given me permission to post his article here which I copied and pasted from his post at his web site.  I hereby thank him for giving me this permission to post his article here and for giving us his web site as a resource to use.  

JOHN CALVIN ON PIETY -PART ONE

“John Calvin’s Institutes have earned him the title of “the preeminent systematician of the Protestant Reformation.” His reputation as an intellectual, however, is often seen apart from the vital spiritual and pastoral context in which he wrote his theology. For Calvin, theological understanding and practical piety, truth and usefulness, are inseparable. Theology first of all deals with knowledge—knowledge of God and of ourselves—but  there is no true knowledge where there is no true piety.

                                                 
Calvin’s concept of piety (pietas) is rooted in the knowledge of God and includes attitudes and actions that are directed to the adoration and service of God. In addition, his pietas includes a host of related themes, such as filial piety in human relationships, and respect and love for the image of God in human beings. Calvin’s piety is evident in people who recognize through experiential faith that they have been accepted in Christ and engrafted into His body by the grace of God. In this “mystical union,” the Lord claims them as His own in life and in death. They become God’s people and members of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. This relationship restores their joy of fellowship with God; it recreates their lives.

                                                       
The purpose of this chapter is to show that Calvin’s piety is fundamentally biblical, with an emphasis on the heart more than the mind. Head and heart must work together, but the heart is more important.  After an introductory look at the definition and goal of piety in Calvin’s thinking, I will show how his pietas affects the theological, ecclesiological, and practical dimensions of his thought.

The Definition and Importance of Piety

Pietas is one of the major themes of Calvin’s theology. His theology is, as John T. McNeill says, “his piety described at length.”  He is determined to confine theology within the limits of piety.  In his preface addressed to King Francis I, Calvin says that the purpose of writing the Institutes was “solely to transmit certain rudiments by which those who are touched with any zeal for religion might be shaped to true godliness [pietas].”

                                                                  
For Calvin, pietas designates the right attitude of man towards God. This attitude includes true knowledge, heartfelt worship, saving faith, filial fear, prayerful submission, and reverential love.  Knowing who and what God is (theology) embraces right attitudes toward Him and doing what He wants (piety). In his first catechism, Calvin writes, “True piety consists in a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death.”  In the Institutes, Calvin is more succinct: “I call ‘piety’ that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces.”  This love and reverence for God is a necessary concomitant to any knowledge of Him and embraces all of life. As Calvin says, “The whole life of Christians ought to be a sort of practice of godliness.”   Or, as the subtitle of the first edition of the Institutes states, “Embracing almost the whole sum of piety & whatever is necessary to know of the doctrine of salvation: A work most worthy to be read by all persons zealous for piety.”

                                                        
Calvin’s commentaries also reflect the importance of pietas. For example, he writes on 1 Timothy 4:7-8, “You will do the thing of greatest value, if with all your zeal and ability you devote yourself to godliness [pietas] alone. Godliness is the beginning, middle and end of Christian living. Where it is complete, there is nothing lacking . . . . Thus the conclusion is that we should concentrate exclusively on godliness, for when once we have attained to it, God requires no more of us.”  Commenting on 2 Peter 1:3, he says, “As soon as he [Peter] has made mention of life he immediately adds godliness [pietas] as if it were the soul of life.” “

The Law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we may be justified by faith.  After faith in Christ has come, we are no longer under law, rather, we are children of God by faith in Jesus Christ.

“Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3: 21-26.

“And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”   John 9:39.  At first reading, this may seem like a most peculiar verse.  Why would Jesus want those who see to become blind?  It is against all the doctrine that Arminians believe to think that Jesus would want those who see to become blind.  But, it is in accord with all the doctrine that Calvinists believe.   

Calvinists admit that they can not see.  They believe in “Total Depravity” – the “T” in “TULIP”.  They believe than all men in their fallen state are dead in sin, cannot understand the things of God, are hostile to God, and are enslaved to sin and Satan.

Arminians believe that they can see.  They believe that they are not dead in sin, but only wounded.  They believe that they can understand the things of God.  They believe that they are free and capable and wise and good enough to choose and come to Jesus Christ by their own free will.

John Chapter 9 tells the story of the man born blind that Jesus healed.  The Pharisees did not want any of the glory of the healing to go to Jesus.  The blind man’s parents caved in and pleaded ignorance in fear of being put out of the synagogue.  But, the blind man concluded:  “If this man (Jesus) were not from God, He could do nothing.”  John 9:33.  The Pharisees then put the blind man out of the synagogue.   

It is only after Jesus caused him to see a second time (this time spiritually after causing him to see physically the first time) that the blind man believed and worshipped Jesus. 

“And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.”  Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”  Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”  John 9:39-41. 

In conclusion, it is amazing (but really not to the Calvinists who understand Total Depravity) that throughout the last two thousand years of Christian preaching and teaching since Christ came to the earth, there are those who still think that they can see.  They believe that they can understand and are free and capable and wise and good enough to choose and come to Jesus Christ by their own free will.   Just like the Pharisees did not want any of the glory of the healing to go to Jesus, God does not want any of the glory of salvation to go to man’s free will. 

Grace is always particular, never common.  Grace is given only to His Elect.