Calvin And Hobbes'

John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes

You gotta love this art work!

Life of John Calvin Part 21, 22

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Biographical
John Calvin
Reformation, The

• Life of John Calvin Part 21
  (The Solas' of the Reformation)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 22
  (Calvin and Queen Marquerite)
  Joe Morecraft III

Life of John Calvin Part 17 -20

New at Polemos
Biographical
John Calvin
Reformation, The

• Life of John Calvin Part 17
  (Calvin and Knox)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 18
  (Calvin and Lefévre)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 19
  (Calvin's Doctrine of Biblical Law)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 20
  (Calvin's View of the Church)
  Joe Morecraft III

Life of John Calvin Parts 13-16

New at Polemos
John Calvin
Reformation, The
Audio Links

• Life of John Calvin Part 13
  (Bullinger and Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 14
  (Calvin, Vermigli and Beza)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 15
  (Calvin and Beza)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 16
  (Calvin and Knox)
  Joe Morecraft III

The (Continuing) Necessity of Reforming the Church

I started reading this little book by John Calvin entitled The Necessity of Reforming the Church written in 1543 and found very interesting the stress that Calvin places on worship.

Listen to this quote:

“If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity: that is, a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we may glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain.”

Did you hear that? Calvin says that the knowledge of two things is what keeps true Christianity from disappearing from amongst us; 1) the knowledge of the way in which God wants us to worship Him and 2) the knowledge of the source from which we obtain salvation.

Would any of us have put the knowledge of how God is to be worshiped before the knowledge of the source of our personal salvation? Probably not; and why wouldn’t we? Calvin was God centered and nowadays we are all way too man centered. We think the experience of personal salvation is way more important than knowing what kind of worship is acceptable to God, in fact, we don’t even think in terms of what kind of worship is acceptable to God because we’re more worried about what kind of “worship” we enjoy or what kind of worship will draw others to our church. We think that if we are sincere and people get warm-fuzzy feelings it was good worship.

Calvin didn’t share our man-centric view of worship at all, in fact he strongly condemned it and taught that the only worship that is acceptable to God is the worship that contained the elements that God commanded and anything that God hadn’t commanded in corporate worship is forbidden. Isn’t it ironic that so many of the churches that boast of being “Calvinists” would be condemned by Calvin as will-worshipers because of un-commanded things they bring into their worship services and the commanded things they leave out of them. They’ve reduced Calvin to five points (which he didn’t even formulate by the way).

Personally I don’t understand why professing Bible believing Christians have such difficulty with this subject; we would never approach God in the issue of salvation any ole way we please so why do we think we can approach Him in worship any ole way we like?

Life of John Calvin Parts 9-12

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John Calvin
Reformation, The
Audio Links

• Life of John Calvin Part 9
  (Farel, Bucer, and Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 10
  (Calvin, Evangelism and World Missions)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 11
  (Zwingli and Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 12
  (Zwingli, Bullinger and Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III

Life of John Calvin Parts 5 - 8

New at Polemos
John Calvin
Audio Links

• Life of John Calvin Part 5
  (Calvin on Justification by Faith Alone Part 1)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 6
  (Calvin on Justification by Faith Alone Part 2)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 7
  (Calvin on the Worship of God Part 1)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 8
  (Calvin on the Worship of God Part 2)
  Joe Morecraft III

Life of John Calvin

New at Polemos
Audio Links
Calvin, John
Reformation, The

• Life of John Calvin Part 1
  (The Life and Global Influence of John Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 2
  (The Life and Global Influence of John Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 3
  (Luther and Calvin)
  Joe Morecraft III
• Life of John Calvin Part 4
  (Calvin on Christ and the Holy Spirit)
  Joe Morecraft III

The Shameful Ingratitude of Men

"But herein appears the shameful ingratitude of men. Though they have in their own persons a factory where innumerable operations of God are carried on, and a magazine stored with treasures of inestimable value - instead of bursting forth in his praise, as they are bound to do, they, on the contrary, are the more inflated and swelled with pride. They feel how wonderfully God is working in them, and their own experience tells them of the vast variety of gifts which they owe to his liberality. Whether they will or not, they cannot but know that these are proofs of his Godhead, and yet they inwardly suppress them….

At this day, however, the earth sustains on her bosom many monster minds - minds which are not afraid to employ the seed of Deity deposited in human nature as a means of suppressing the name of God. Can any thing be more detestable than this madness in man, who, finding God a hundred times both in his body and soul, makes His excellence in this respect a pretext for denying that there is a god?"

-John Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Wicked themselves are an Example...

New at Polemos
Some Good Quotes
Apologetics
Atheism And Unbelief
John Calvin

“…in the present day not a few are found, who deny the being of a God, yet, whether they will or not, they occasionally feel the truth which they are desirous not to know. We do not read of any man who broke out into more unbridled and audacious contempt of the Deity than C. Caligula, and yet none showed greater dread when any indication of divine wrath was manifested. Thus, however unwilling, he shook with terror before the God whom he professedly studied to condemn. You may every day see the same thing happening to his modern imitators. The most audacious despiser of God is most easily disturbed, trembling at the sound of a falling leaf. How so, unless in vindication of the divine majesty, which smites their consciences the more strongly the more they endeavour to flee from it. They all, indeed, look out for hiding-places where they may conceal themselves from the presence of the Lord, and again efface it from their mind; but after all their efforts they remain caught within the net. Though the conviction may occasionally seem to vanish for a moment, it immediately returns, and rushes in with new impetuosity, so that any interval of relief from the gnawing of conscience is not unlike the slumber of the intoxicated or the insane, who have no quiet rest in sleep, but are continually haunted with dire horrific dreams. Even the wicked themselves, therefore, are an example of the fact that some idea of God always exists in every human mind.”

-John Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion

Man Before God's Majesty

Since I posted the first two sections of the first chapter of Calvin's Institutes I thought I better finish the chapter and post the 3rd. So here it is:

From the Institutes of the Christian Religion Chapter 1, Section 3

"3. Man before God's majesty

Hence that dread and amazement with which as Scripture uniformly relates, holy men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God. 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. Frequent examples of this consternation occur both in the Book of Judges and the Prophetical Writings; so much so, that it was a common expression among the people of God, "We shall die, for we have seen the Lord." Hence the Book of Job, also, in humbling men under a conviction of their folly, feebleness, and pollution, always derives its chief argument from descriptions of the Divine wisdom, virtue, and purity. Nor without cause: for we see Abraham the readier to acknowledge himself but dust and ashes the nearer he approaches to behold the glory of the Lord, and Elijah unable to wait with unveiled face for His approach; so dreadful is the sight. And what can man do, man who is but rottenness and a worm, when even the Cherubim themselves must veil their faces in very terror? To this, undoubtedly, the Prophet Isaiah refers, when he says, (Isaiah 24: 23,) "The moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts shall reign;" i. e., when he shall exhibit his refulgence, and give a nearer view of it, the brightest objects will, in comparison, be covered with darkness."

John Calvin

New at Polemos

After all this time and 500 years of shaping this worlds history I thought John Calvin deserved his very own page at Polemos, so here it is:

• The John Calvin Page

John Calvin vs. Charles Darwin

Hundreds Flock to Boston to Celebrate 500th Calvin Anniversary
The Christian Post

Hundreds of Christians have gathered in Boston this week for a four-day event commemorating the influence of the Reformation on Western Civilization over the last half a millennium.

Hosted by Vision Forum Ministries, “Reformation 500 Celebration” will highlight the influence of Reformers on the Church, the family, the state, and the founding of the United States…..

“Calvin’s biblical worldview in particular took strong root in the New World - one reason why scholars describe him as the true ‘founder of America,’” noted organizers. More.....

A good article from The Christian Post and a good commercial from Vision Forum:

Self

I love getting comments and emails, even the occasional angry, nasty ones (which, by the way, almost always seem to come from the intellectually “enlightened” atheists among us).

But I received the following comment on a recent post and I just wanted to clear up a couple things quick. Here is most of the comment:

“I respectively disagree with your statement that reads, “Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self”. You can look like you have knowledge of God if you are following someones lead and you are mimicking what they are doing. You do not know why or what they are doing, but everyone else is copying them, you feel that you are just going along with everyone so that you will belong or be part of the group.

But if you have knowledge of “self” you will understand and know who you are. You do not need the group you can stand alone and feel confident in knowing who you are, you are where you want to be no one is leading you. If you would like to learn more about “self” read the latest study on this subject, get a copy of The Power of Self Separation you will enjoy reading it….”

To begin with I just wanted to say that I did not write this, this is a quote from John Calvin written four hundred some years ago. I thought it was fairly clear and straight forward but maybe I was wrong.

What Calvin was saying in this statement is that we as human beings cannot know ourselves or understand ourselves as we really are until we have begun to see God as he really is as He has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. When we begin to perceive something of the holiness of God in all of His attributes then, and only then, will we begin to see that we are utterly unholy, unrighteous, undeserving of His goodness and patience and only deserving of His wrath for our self-centered rebellion against Him.

By nature we fallen human beings tend to love ourselves, think highly of ourselves, worry about ourselves and be centered on ourselves. Even those who commit suicide are thinking too much about themselves and not about how they can obey God, honor God and help those around them. Self is our greatest problem and we simply cannot see self properly until we begin to see God properly.

If you really want to understand the truth about self you would be much better off reading the Bible.

The Knowledge of God and Self

I just couldn't resist posting a little more of Calvin's Institutes here as there are many professing Christians out there who are quick to condemn John Calvin but have never read his writings for themselves. What person, indwelt with the Spirit of God, could read stuff like this and not rejoice in the truth of it?

From the Institutes of the Christian Religion Chapter 1, Section 2

"2. Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self

On the other hand, it is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he have previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. For (such is our innate pride) we always seem to ourselves just, and upright, and wise, and holy, until we are convinced, by clear evidence, of our injustice, vileness, folly, and impurity. Convinced, however, we are not, if we look to ourselves only, and not to the Lord also - He being the only standard by the application of which this conviction can be produced. For, since we are all naturally prone to hypocrisy, any empty semblance of righteousness is quite enough to satisfy us instead of righteousness itself. And since nothing appears within us or around us that is not tainted with very great impurity, so long as we keep our mind within the confines of human pollution, anything which is in some small degree less defiled delights us as if it were most pure just as an eye, to which nothing but black had been previously presented, deems an object of a whitish, or even of a brownish hue, to be perfectly white. 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. Thus too, it happens in estimating our spiritual qualities. 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 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. So far are those qualities in us, which seem most perfect, from corresponding to the divine purity."

The Knowledge of God and of Ourselves

This coming July 10th will be the 500th anniversary of the Birth of John Calvin. In light of this Ive been re-reading some of his Institutes as I always find a great deal of Gods grace and instruction flowing through his words.

For those of you who have never read Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion I couldn't recommend them highly enough. Here's the opening of the first book dealing with the knowledge of God and it's relationship to mans knowledge of himself. The first chapter is nothing less than an apologetical masterpiece!

Chapter 1, Section 1. "Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God

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. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other. For, in the first place, no man can survey himself without forthwith turning his thoughts towards the God in whom he lives and moves; because it is perfectly obvious, that the endowments which we possess cannot possibly be from ourselves; nay, that our very being is nothing else than subsistence in God alone. In the second place, those blessings which unceasingly distil to us from heaven, are like streams conducting us to the fountain. Here, again, the infinitude of good which resides in God becomes more apparent from our poverty. In particular, the miserable ruin into which the revolt of the first man has plunged us, compels us to turn our eyes upwards; not only that while hungry and famishing we may thence ask what we want, but being aroused by fear may learn humility. For as there exists in man something like a world of misery, and ever since we were stript of the divine attire our naked shame discloses an immense series of disgraceful properties every man, being stung by the consciousness of his own unhappiness, in this way necessarily obtains at least some knowledge of God. Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, (see Calvin on John 4: 10,) that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him."

Institutes of the Christian Religion By John Calvin / Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. CBD says: "Theologian par excellence, Calvin is best known for his Institutes of the Christian Religion, a theological introduction to the Bible and vindication of Reformation principles. Beveridge's 1845 translation of Calvin's magnum opus is now available in a one-volume format that retains the pagination of the original two volumes. 1310 pages, softcover from Eerdmans."

The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century

New at Polemos
Reformation, The
Articles

• John Calvin's Views on Worship
  by Dr Robert Godfrey
• God’s Gift to Scotland in John Knox and the Reformation
  James Begg
• The Reformed Faith
  Loraine Boettner

Audio

1. Our Reformation Heritage
   Albert N. Martin

Books

• The Necessity of Reforming the Church (1543)
  John Calvin
• Calvin's Commentaries
  John Calvin
• Institutes of the Christian Religion
  John Calvin
• The Bondage of the Will
  By Dr. Martin Luther
• History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century
  J. H. Merle D'Aubigne
  

I recently noticed that someone made the entire 20 books of D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century available online. This is probably the best history of the Reformation available! In light of growing movement to go back to pre-Reformation darkness and unite with the church of Rome everyone aught to at least read the first book: BOOK 1 - STATE OF EUROPE BEFORE THE REFORMATION. I love the way it starts; "The enfeebled world was tottering on its foundations when Christianity appeared."

This is my own first set; 20 books in 5 volumes (They looked like that when I got them). I'm not really sure how old they are; there's no dates in any of them. They've definitely seen some better days though.


Here's my other more modern, stuffed into one big volume edition. Its traveled all over the country with me, suffered a great deal of abuse and I have enjoyed every page of it! I just wish the print wasn't so small. Its very hard to see. Its 876 pages of small print put out by a Seventh Day Adventist publisher of all places but you really cant beat the price. You can get a new copy for around 40$ on Amazon.

If you have a few extra dollars laying around Vision Forum has some really nice sets available here:

The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century (3 Vols.)

The History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin (4 Vols.)

The World's Greatest Reformation History Set (7 Vols.)

Some John Calvin on Apologetics

Here is a good quote on the subject of apologetics by John Calvin. His point is this: Our faith in the veracity of Scripture must ultimately lie in the Testimony of the Scriptures themselves alone. If we appeal to facts and truths outside of the Scriptures as proof of the veracity of Scripture, we have then devised an authority or standard higher than that of God himself and to do such a thing is a sin. If we can't appeal to and trust the Scriptures in matters of what they say about themselves, why should we trust and appeal to them in any other matters?

While anyone listening will immediately accuse such a person of “circular reasoning” for defending the reliability of the Scripture from the Scripture, this is the nature of Christianity and such circular reasoning is entirely Biblical. The unbeliever must be confronted with the authority of the word of God and his sin in not submitting to it. God’s Word must be the final and ultimate authority in everything.

"The nature of faith is acceptance on the basis of testimony, and the ground of faith is therefore testimony or evidence. In this matter it is the evidence God has provided, and God provides the evidence in his Word, the Bible. This means simply that the basis of faith in the Bible is the witness the Bible itself bears to the fact that it is God's Word, and our faith that it is infallible must rest upon no other basis than the witness the Bible bears to this fact. If the Bible does not witness to its own infallibility, then we have no right to believe that it is infallible. If it does bear witness to its infallibility then our faith in it must rest upon that witness, however much difficulty may be en­tertained with this belief. If this position with respect to the ground of faith in Scripture is abandoned, then appeal to the Bible for the ground of faith in any other doctrine must also be abandoned."

-John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion

John Calvin at Pol'-e-store

New at Pol'-e-store
Calvin, John

Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life By John Calvin, translated by Henry J. Van Andel / Baker "Who says that Calvin never wrote a manual on spirituality? This mini-classic sums up a number of the themes from his larger Institutes (obedience, self-denial, the significance of the cross), emphasizing an everyday piety rather than a contemplative, ascetic otherworldliness." 96 pages, softcover. Baker.

Calvin & The Calvinists " In this pioneering study Paul Helm shows that the substantial claims that Dr. Kendall makes in 'Calvin and English Calvinism to 1649,' concerning Calvin's alleged theological departures, cannot be supported from Calvin, but rest on distortions and misunderstandings. Since 'Calvin and the Calvinists' was first published in 1982, further scholarship has confirmed its claims. This careful and clear exposition remains of abiding value, not only for the scholar but also for all Christians who are concerned to evaluate their own theological heritage."

Calvin's Commentaries, 22 Volumes By John Calvin / Baker "A towering figure in the Reformation and prolific scholar and theologian, John Calvin authored not only his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion, but commentaries on twenty-four books of the Old Testament and all of the New Testament except for 2 and 3 John and Revelation. These classic commentaries continue to be valued exegetical reference works for pastors and serious students of the Bible today."

Calvin: Institute of the Christian Religion, 2 Volumes--Library of Christian Classics By J.T. McNeill, ed.; F.L. Battles, trans. / Westminster / John Knox "The definitive English-language edition of one of the church's monumental works. Here Calvin expounds his theology in its most systematic and detailed form. Features for the first time in any English edition: chapter headings; footnotes; bibliographies; Scripture, author, and subject indices; and more. Essential to any study of Calvin's theology or Reformed theology." 1734 pages total, two hardcovers from Westminster/John Knox.

Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper By Keith Mathison / P & R Publishing " Is the Lord's Supper, a time of communion with our Lord and with his people, a high point in our lives? What thought do we give to biblical teaching on this sacrament? In this book Keith Mathison seeks to "encourage prayerful reflection and discussion about this now neglected sacrament." He introduces, explains, and defends "a particular understanding of the Lord's Supper"-->

History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, Four Volume Set By J.H. Merle D'Aubigne / Hartland Publications "This set, originally an 8 volume work, is reprinted in these 4 volumes. The renovation of the individual, of the church, and of the human race, is the theme. If the Holy Ghost kindles the lamp of truth in man, it is (according to Calvin) to the end that the entire man should be transformed. In the Kingdom of Christ, he says, it is only the new man that flourishes and has any vigor, and whom we ought to take into account. This renovation is, at the same time, an enfranchisement; and we might assign, as a motto to the reformation accomplished by Calvin, as well as to apostolical Chiristianity itself, these words of Jesus Christ: The truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

John Calvin: His Life and Influence By Robert Reymond / Christian Focus Public " Why is it that in the modern media the word "Calvinist" is always accompanied by "stern," "dour" or "strict"? Most of the people who use the terms together have next to no knowledge of what Calvinism is--and know even less about who Calvin was. An old-style reactionary? A hard-line ayatollah, raging at the world without any thought? Or is there more to this man than uninformed contemporary critics would have us believe? Robert Reymond brings us John Calvin the man. A reality quite different from the caricature often painted today. Here is man of deep spirituality with a real love for his fellow man and God. Whether the moniker "stern Calvinist" is applicable or not--his life has much to teach us."

The Life of John Calvin By Theodore Beza, edited by Gary Sanseri / Back Home Industries " Whether you adore Calvin or dislike him, you need to know about the man. Original source materials should be used to study famous people. This biography is commended to readers as a first-hand account written by Calvin's personal associate and friend, Theodore Beza. This edited version retains the original text, but breaks lengthy sentences and paragraphs into a more manageable size for the modern reader. Added graphics bring the story to life. Each chapter includes questions for study and discussion."

John Calvin: God the Creator, God the Redeemer By John Calvin / Bridge-logos Publishing " John Calvin's God the Creator and God the Redeemer are the first two books of his Institutes of the Christian Religion. One of the most famous theological books ever published, the Institutes was written and repeatedly refined over time by this significant Reformer. Calvin's system of doctrine and polity has shaped more minds and entered into more nations than that of any other reformer. The present volume also includes John Foxe's biography of Calvin, A Defense of Calvinism by C. H. Spurgeon, as well as an index."