So, just how is repentance equivalent to the newness of life? Well, we cannot be truly repentant unless we first have faith. In fact, it is our faith that prompts us repent in the first place. Now we know that it is sin that has put us out of a right relationship with God. It is to God we must be justified, and as Luther and Calvin and Paul, for that matter, have told us, we can only be justified by faith alone. Thus, it is only through faith, with the mediation of Jesus that we are forgiven. As Calvin points out, repentance and forgiveness, though two separate acts occur simultaneously. This is because a person who is truly repentant must already know that she/he "belongs to God" (3.3.2).
Wait, we are not to "newness of life" just yet. We still have to go through the process of mortification and vivification. Mortification occurs when the sinner comes to "truly hate and abhor sin". (3.3.3) In other words, the sinner dies to sin. Vivification occurs when the sinner "takes heart...recovers courage, and as it were, returns from death to life." Now we see how repentance = new life.
But there is more: repentance = sanctification. Since we die to sin, we become better people, "sanctified". But unfortunately, like our infinite approach to zero in the equation above, we never reach total sanctification. We may approach it, but we never get there.
Is this still relevant today? Undoubtedly, there is plenty of sin for which to seek repentance. Luckily, there is even more mercy and grace available from God. We just need a little faith.
There is a bit to more to Calvin's thoughts on repentance. There is a very interesting notion about what it has to do with the "image of God" and how we are made. My question is, do you see a connection there? What is it?
Blessings...
Your post is most appreciated, you have taken Calvin's concepts and written them in a way in which I am able to understand more quickly what he is sharing. Your question has caused me to pause.
ReplyDeleteThe image of God, which is beyond our reach, beyond our reach becomes tangible by Jesus and through the Holy Spirit. Calvin remarks of the desire placed within our hearts to more and more deeply seek sanctification, that is to be Christ-like. This is an unattainable goal for our life here on earth, and this is explicitly not of our own doing, but by the Spirit of God. Calvin also speaks of Believers experiencing sanctification however not sinless-ness or perfection. This then speaks to our makeup, our inner-woven imperfection with desire(s). The connection I notice is in the change of our heart, the desire for Christ-in-us supercedes our desires or lusts which take us away from Christ-likeness. Calvin states that the sway of sin is abolished by the Spirit's dispensing of power, so that we might gain the upper hand over the struggle. The struggle remains, our desires (our nature) remains and yet, our indulgences are made more moderate? I believe and so the connectedness of God and ourselves then is much maybe like the connectedness of repentance and faith or the Divinity and Humanity of Christ, which might be similar to molecules, bound by their affinity together create something new, but each atom is clearly defined as itself separate with its own properties, yet bound in affinity there is newness... ? Just my thoughts..
Hi Claire, thanks for the kind comment. Your response to the question parallels my own thoughts on the subject. Sanctification is all about becoming more Christ-like. And you are right, we never get there in this life, but hopefully we get closer and closer as we grow.
DeleteJesus says in Matthew 9:12-13,"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means,'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." a great analogy for sinners who need a savior. That passage helped with my image of God. He is a loving savior that penetrates the heart of the issues. Whether it's physical sickness or spiritual sickness he is the physician that is able to offer relief. He enters our lives as a savior because we sin even when we don't realize we sin. He is active and relevant in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right Jeff, without Christ in our lives we simply continue to sin, wittingly and unwittingly. I am always interested in the difference between sins of commission vs. sins of omission. I think I am generally more guilty of the latter. Makes me wonder about the nature of Christ - do you think Christ is an activist or a passivist (so to speak)?
ReplyDeleteI am loving the equation and Bill, I knew this was you before I looked up the writer :) Yes, I agree with you and Claire in that we will never reach that sanctification. Thinking about God's providence, I wonder to what extent striving is part of God's overall plan, and yet, it is not in works but in faith that we are saved. As sinners, we always sin and doubt and as Christians we pray, worship and study the word. As Calvin states, "the single goal of faith is the mercy of God." (3.22.43) What is a "goal" of faith? This something we can't strive for, and yet isn't' a goal by definition something for which we strive. I think perhaps it is in that we tend to think of "faith" as in itself something static but you indicate in your equation that it is not static but living and therefore calls on us to feed it through spiritual exercises and, as Calvin notes here "applying his whole effort to the practice of repentance." (3.3.1)
ReplyDeleteHi Bill,
ReplyDeleteThat is truly an interesting about whether Christ is an activist or not. As we consider the image of God and how that relates to us and sin, I am reminded that God's grace continues to be available. I am thinking of the prodigal son. The father offers us a "way home" but never forces it upon us. Maybe this is part of what Calvin when he speaks of creation and the inward knowledge of God being present in each of us. We do not always acknowledge God but there is a God-shaped void in our lives.
Wil, you and Claire must have math and science back grounds. Equations and molecules are flying all around my head. We may never reach the exact image of God even if we are only an inch away by dividing the distance in half each day. But think if we do that for all eternity how close we will get. In theory we can never cross the finish line, but in truth & faith we know we do.
ReplyDelete3.3.9 states "..the closer any man comes to the likeness of God, the more the image of God shines in him. In order that believers may reach this goal, God assigns to them a race of repentance, which they are to run throughout their lives." Guess it is like any other race, when I first started training, I made great strides. But, with each progression, the change becomes less and less noticeable to me. But, no matter how small the progression, God is fully aware.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard a ‘Born Again’ story? I’ve heard so many that I know it is a real phenomenon. My problem with the ‘Born Again’ crowd is that they believe that this is the ‘only way’ to know if you or another person has ‘come to Christ’. They also use language such as, “When were you Saved?” and that is because they know that moment in their life when God was powerfully there to get them back on the right path.
ReplyDeleteCalvin had an answer as to how some Christians see themselves as ‘Born Again'.
“For if it were not sharply pricked, the slothfulness of our flesh could not be corrected. Indeed, these prickling’s would not have sufficed against its dullness and blockishness had God not penetrated more deeply in unsheathing his rods” (3.3.7)
There it is, that’s the story I’ve heard time and time again.
A person hits the bottom and a simple prayer goes out, “God if you’re there, I need help.” There is sobbing and then a complete conversion. It’s a powerful experience which is so real to this new believer God is fully known to them and they are saved. The trouble is they believe this is the only way God brings about Regeneration.
I think you are right, Tim, our view of God is colored by our experience. I find God in study and contemplation. Perhaps it is a rebirth.
DeleteSorry, hit the wrong button there and published before I finished my thought, or even my sentence. I meant to say, it is a different kind of rebirth. Like you, I don't think it is absolutely necessary that we have a "dark night of the soul."
DeleteCalvin speaks to it that “yet when we refer the origin of repentance to faith we do not imagine some space of time during which it bring to birth; but we mean to show that a man cannot apply himself seriously to repentance without knowing himself to belong to God” (Institutes 3.3.2).
ReplyDeleteIn thinking about repentance, we think of God’s judgment in relationship in what we do in our sinfulness. God’s wrath and judgment upon us runs through scripture. Therefore judgment and repentance of sinful which is from God are inseparable in our sight. This causes us, sinners to see the “image of God” in repentance and tie this image to forgiveness by which we are renewed and the grace of God come upon us.
This was a a lot of information to summarize and I think you did it well. Your summary seems very true to my Christian walk. The more I learned, the more I repent, the more grace I felt. Then I started studying as a CRE and later here, I find there was more I learned, more I needed to repent, and even more grace that is received. You ask a tough questions Bill. I am drawn to 3.3.9 when Calvin talks about Repentance and Forgiveness being interrelated. I am not sure if it really gets to the heart of the answer we are seeking here
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