Wednesday, March 16, 2016

17 The Christian Life: Self-Denial

The summary point of Lane’s chapter 17 guided tour of the Calvin’s Institutes this week is summed up as:  I do not insist that the moral life of a Christian man breath nothing but the very Gospel, yet this ought to be desired, and we must strive toward it (Institutes 3.6.5, first sentence).  I take away from this sentence that we should all strive to be like Jesus, however there is more to the story.  If our efforts on earth are towards God and heaven, we almost have to deny our own efforts.  Calvin tells us that we are stewards of our blessings.  I thought one of the most interesting aspects of this week was reading that all are blessings are to be used so that we may bless another.


Calvin supports the actions life of a Christian life through three ways:  Soberness, Righteousness and Godliness (Institutes, 3.7.3).  Soberness seems to go farther than it would mean today.  It may go as far as anything that takes our eyes off of God or anything that begins to have merit in the flesh.  Calvin states this as the lusts of the world and passions of the flesh.  Chastity is listed as a result of soberness.  I have witnessed very literal examples of this thought in the military communities spread throughout the world.  However, looking beyond the micro society that I have experienced this could go on to have a much broader meaning.  Righteousness talks about duties being issued according to ability.  This takes away the ability for one to puff themselves up as to the level or status among brothers and sisters.  The final thought that Calvin listed is Godliness.  The bond that seals us to the holiness of God and removes all that separates us from “things” (Calvin uses inequities, p.692) of this world.    

Lane asks:  What is the essence of the Christian life?  How should self-denial affect our way of life?

Calvin likes to give example rather the prescriptions when it comes to Christian life.  Self-denial seems to fit together nicely with the providential nature of God that Calvin explains in earlier chapters.   If we are blessed, God blesses us.  If we have troubled, we know that we have God for that too. 


My question is one that many of us experience. Symbols, signs, and Proof texts are all things that we can look too.  Water, wine, and bread are all things that we can have a conversation about.  But what do we do about the economy?  Do we take the leap from all knowing to all controlling?  Or do we look at the coins as Jesus did (Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s, student paraphrased from Mathew, Mark, and Luke)?  I began thinking about this during this chapter.  Do we use the money for others or ourselves?



A an opportunity to use Calvin’s literal words, By nature I love brevity, and perhaps if I wished to speak more amply it would not be successful (Institutes, 3.6.1). 

11 comments:

  1. Thanks for your post on self-denial. In the footnote 8, “Calvin adopts the traditional view that pride is the mother of the deadly sins.(Institutes, p.694) One of our biggest sources of pride comes from our money and possessions. For Americans, I think this can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks to our full-hearted commitment to Christ. Calvin writes that our gifts are to be given to others in love. “…we are taught that all the gifts we possess have been bestowed by God and entrusted to us on condition that they be distributed for our neighbors’ benefit [cf. I Peter 4:10].” (Institutes, p. 695) I realize that we have an obligation to care for our families with food, clothing and shelter, but I know that I hoard too much and live too large. I have experienced the joy of generosity, yet I still cling to too much stuff. I think Calvin hit on a nerve for this American student.

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    1. Obligations is often times tough to talk about. I think wealth in general is tough for all students to talk about (I would not put the American limitation on the this). If everything we have is so that we may bless another, it could take on multiple meanings that I don't think we will clarify here.

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  2. Hi Jerry,
    Thank you for the wonderful post! As I reflect on the thoughts of calvin, whether they regard wealth or the idea of self-denial, I am called back to calvin's words:
    Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue, but of the life; is not apprehended by the intellect
    and memory merely, like other branches of learning; but is received only when it possesses
    the whole soul, and finds its seat and habitation in the inmost recesses of the heart. (institutes 3.6.4)
    We often think of life as a "mental" exercise but Calvin is getting at a deeper level. It is a matter of having Christ dwell at the very center, of having this idea at the soul of who we are, and of what we are becoming. A matter of transformation!

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  3. Jerry, thanks for getting to the heart of this section. What do we do with our money? I look at the 10% versus 100% quandary from a little different perspective. 10% was given biblically as a good goal for monetary giving. The 100% that Calvin talks about is all the rest, perhaps. Do our actions and our vocations and even our thoughts run to true stewardship? Sections 3.7.4 through 3.7.6 spoke to me in the reading. Even if I am generous, am I doing it because that person is worthy, or because God's image is in everyone? "Each man will so consider himself that in all his greatness he is a debtor to his neighbors (3.7.6)" brings me right out of any delusions that I am not the one who needs help.

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  4. I feel that putting others first is far easier for me when it comes to sacrificing my time and abilities. I find myself always willing to help out or be there for someone regardless of what I have to sacrifice in order for it to work out. I get excited when someone asks for my help and I am able to be there for them. But when it comes to money I struggle, and it’s not do to the lack of money or how I spend it, it’s something that God is continuing to work on my heart. I would say that just recently within this past year I have “discovered” the true joy of being generous. God continues to take care of me, and I have had to adjusting how I spend my money so that I am able to give or serve people with my finances. It’s something that many people struggle with. It’s easy to give “Caesar” his because it's taken out before I even get my paycheck. God desires for believers to be generous ones and give of themselves in same way that Jesus gave it all. The amount of money isn’t important it’s all about our heart and our sacrifice.

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    1. Caesar found a way to make it easier Jeff. I could not help but smile when I read that. I struggle with finances too. After a couple of decades of military service, I found that families can survive with what God provides (the pay is insufficient for families, God grace is more than sufficient). That may be a good model for students too.

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  5. I circled this part in the Institutes, "Accordingly, the Christian must surely be so disposed and minded that he feels within himself it is with God he has to deal throughout his life. In this way, as he will refer all he has to God's decision and judgment, so will he refer his whole intention of mind scrupulously to Him." (3.7.2, pg 691)
    Without using this as a "cop out," I do feel that God speaks to each of us differently. I know I fall short, and often make excuses. But, I loved Calvin's thoughts on how we should progress through life in the cultivation of holiness - see pg 689, first full paragraph.
    Sometimes there is a tendency to beat oneself or others) up because of our faults, but here Calvin reminds us, "...when today outstrips yesterday the effort is not lost."

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  6. Thank you for your concise post reflecting these passages of Calvin through Lane's Chapter 7...
    The question posed is often in the forefront of my mind. I often wonder and consider if the shifts of our economy at different times, is in some way being allowed or is it being set by God. Are we being led one way economically to bring us to the brink so that we become wanting of the Lord and focus rather on God's provision rather than watch the stock market and reel with what might be the best investment. Or, are we being upheld and 'saved' from ourselves as we make our choices. Ultimately your question is about giving. My way of thinking is the provision I have is from God, I rely on my heart in the ways in which I give, and rely on both my heart and mind in how I invest. I give without a second thought, it is given with my heart and I suppose as I give care and love, I give what I can when I can monetarily, with my heart. Calvin does not make the giving clear, though by self-denial I believe it is a matter of our focus. What is our target? And so, I also believe when our target is out and away from ourselves, and we are watching out on someone else's behalf, the Lord has our back, so to speak. When we are free to watch our own steps we should, when opportunity strikes for us to watch out for someone else we should. I hope this in some way answers the economy-giving question. Thank you again for your post and for igniting my mind around this subject!

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  7. As I am reading all of your comments, I can't help but think about the Protestant work effort often attributed to Calvin's theology. The idea that hard work and frugality reflect God's grace. What happened, of course, is that the hard-working Protestants became quite wealthy but instead of spending the money lavishly, they wisely invested their money, usually in businesses which hired others -- desiring to live this same ethic. What is interesting is that most of us in the US have inherited the fruits of the work ethic from our ancestors The question is, as Jerry posed, how does it play out today and what did Calvin intend? First, I think Calvin is insistent that our giving should come from self and not out of obligation. (3.7.7) Gaining wealth isn't intrinsically but is a gift of God, and like other gifts, it is a gift for us to share for others. (3.7.5)

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    1. I now have a new way to see the hardworking investing innovators that built much of America. I think it is clear answer that provokes to a fresh thought. A difficult discussion explained in a positive way.

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    2. For those of you who never read Max Weber, here's a primer on what Christy is talking about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism

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