Book 2, Chapter 2, Section 18 to Book 2, Chapter 3, Section 14

[Alex, Moderator]

Today we will wrap up our study on the corruption of human nature.

2. MAN HAS NOW BEEN DEPRIVED OF FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND BOUND OVER TO MISERABLE SERVITUDE

18. Calvin begins by asking what is heavenly knowledge? “This spiritual insight consists chiefly in three things: (1) knowing God; (2) knowing his fatherly favor in our behalf, in which our salvation consists; (3) knowing how to frame our life according to the rule of his law. In the first two points — and especially in the second — the greatest geniuses are blinder than moles! Certainly I do not deny that one can read competent and apt statements about God here and there in the philosophers, but these always show a certain giddy imagination. As was stated above, the Lord indeed gave them a slight taste of his divinity that they might not hide their impiety under a cloak of ignorance” (p. 277). When it comes to the first two points, the unregenerate is blind. “Human reason, therefore, neither approaches, nor strives toward, nor even takes a straight aim at, this truth: to understand who the true God is or what sort of God he wishes to be toward us” (p. 278). However, the third point can be commonly known to a certain extent (as we will see in section 22 below).

19. to 21. Scripture confirms that “man’s keenness of mind is mere blindness as far as the knowledge of God is concerned” (e.g., John 1:4-5, 13; Matthew 16:17; p. 278). Indeed, all spiritual knowledge comes from God. “Man’s mind can become spiritually wise only in so far as God illumines it.” (p. 279). This illumination comes from the Holy Spirit. Calvin goes on to say that “nothing is accomplished by preaching [Jesus Christ] if the Spirit, as our inner teacher, does not show our minds the way” (p. 279). Access to special revelation is not the same as illumination. In other words, it is not enough to merely read the Word or hear it preached for it to benefit the soul. “The sun rises upon the earth when God’s Word shines upon men; but they do not have its benefit until he who is called the ‘Father of lights’ [James 1:17] either gives eyes or opens them. For wherever the Spirit does not cast his light, all is darkness” (pp. 280-281).

22. Recall from section 18, above, that Calvin considers that sinful humanity is able to distinguish right from wrong even apart from God’s special revelation, citing Romans 2:14-15. Calvin calls this “natural law” and defines it as follows: it is the “apprehension of the conscience which distinguishes sufficiently between just and unjust, and which deprives men of the excuse of ignorance, while it proves them guilty by their own testimony” (p. 282). God’s purpose in this is to render man inexcusable. Though a sinner may try to sear his conscience, he is continually confronted by this “innate power to judge between good and evil.” “It is falsely said, therefore, that man sins out of ignorance alone” (p. 282).

23. & 24. There are limitations to natural law. Man, using natural law, will condemn others, while excusing his own sin. Calvin provides the following example: “The adulterer will condemn adultery in general, but will privately flatter himself in his own adultery. Herein is man’s ignorance: when he comes to a particular case, he forgets the general principle that he has just laid down” (p. 282).When compared to God’s revealed law in the Word, natural law is defective, especially as it relates to the “first table” of the law, which instructs us about our proper duty towards God. Even in matters related to the “second table” of the law, which concerns our relationship to fellow humans, natural law is imperfect. While there is a general understanding of the precepts in the “second table,” insofar as they preserve civil order, these are inconsistently applied. Calvin provides the example of how the humans generally approve of revenge, turn a blind eye to lust, and downplay evil desires that “gently tickle the mind” (p. 284).

25. to 27. “Whatever our nature conceives, instigates, undertakes and attempts is always evil” (p. 285; see also Genesis 6:5; 8:21; 1 Corinthians 3:20). Recall, addressing the faculties of the soul, Calvin speaks of human reason (which we use to distinguish between good and evil) and will (which allows us to choose between good and evil). We need the Holy Spirit’s help to illumine our minds so that we can reason rightly. “Augustine so recognizes this inability of the reason to understand the things of God that he deems the grace of illumination no less necessary for our minds than the light of the sun for our eyes. Not content with this, he adds the correction that we ourselves open our eyes to behold the light, but the eyes of the mind, unless the Lord open them, remain closed” (p. 285). The illumination of the Holy Spirit is necessarily an ongoing process.

The unregenerate cannot will to do what is good. Although humans desire to do that which is most conducive to their immediate welfare and “much as man desires to follow what is good, still he does not follow it” (p. 286). Here too we need the Holy Spirit. “There is no man to whom eternal blessedness is not pleasing, yet no man aspires to it except by the impulsion of the Holy Spirit” (pp. 286-287). Without the Holy Spirit, no one can will the good. In support of this view, Calvin provides an exposition of Romans 7, and refers to 2 Corinthians 3:5, Genesis 8:21, and John 8:34. “We are all sinners by nature; therefore we are held under the yoke of sin. But if the whole man lies under the power of sin, surely it is necessary that the will, which is its chief seat, be restrained by the stoutest bonds” (p. 288). If we ever will do to good, it is because God has moved us. Calvin concludes by quoting Augustine: “Whatever good you have is from [God]; whatever evil, from yourself” (p. 289).

3. ONLY DAMNABLE THINGS COME FORTH FROM MAN’S CORRUPT NATURE

1. & 2. Everyone is helplessly carnal until born again by the Spirit. Calvin provides evidence of mankind’s universal corruption from numerous Scriptural passages, particularly Romans 3. “Now [the Apostle’s] intention in this passage is not simply to rebuke men that they may repent, but rather to teach them that they have all been overwhelmed by an unavoidable calamity from which only God’s mercy can deliver them. Because this could not be proved unless it rested upon the ruin and destruction of our nature, he put forward these testimonies which prove our nature utterly lost” (p. 291). Men need to be told of their ruined condition for them to seek a cure. Their ignorance of their condition does not bring relief. A comparison is made. An asymptomatic man who has cancer, but does not know or feel it, is not “healthy.” Concealing his condition would only be harmful. “For as the body, so long as it nourishes in itself the cause and matter of disease (even though pain does not yet rage), will not be called healthy, so also will the soul not be considered healthy while it abounds with so many fevers of vice [or evil]” (p. 291).

3. It is possible for some people to be relatively good in a civil sense. Some pagans live seemingly virtuous lives. In these cases, God graciously retrains them from sin, though they remain unregenerate with a corrupted nature. Looking at Romans 3, Calvin reminds us of the abominable state of mankind. “In his elect the Lord cures these diseases in a way that we shall soon explain. Others he merely restrains by throwing a bridle over them only that they may not break loose, inasmuch as he foresees their control to be expedient to preserve all that is” (p. 292). God uses many different ways to restrain the ungodly so that they do not commit every possible sin. “Some are restrained by shame from breaking out into many kinds of foulness, others by the fear of the law — even though they do not, for the most part, hide their impurity. Still others, because they consider an honest manner of life profitable, in some measure aspire to it. Others rise above the common lot, in order by their excellence to keep the rest obedient to them. Thus God by his providence bridles perversity of nature, that it may not break forth into action; but he does not purge it within” (pp. 292-293).

4. Even among the pagans, it is possible to speak of those who are “good” and others who are “bad” in terms of their outward deeds. God graciously bestows certain gifts to some pagans, but not others. This is why people turn out so different; some men become heroes while others are villains. Calvin reminds us that the outward virtues of those who are commended as heroes are not meritorious before God. After all, “what power for good will you attribute to human nature in this respect, if in the loftiest appearance of integrity, it is always found to be impelled toward corruption?” (p. 293). Although we can appreciate the outward virtue of certain unsaved men, we should not forget that the things which are esteemed here on earth are valued differently in heaven. “As for the virtues that deceive us with their vain show, they shall have their praise in the political assembly and in common renown among men; but before the heavenly judgment seat they shall be of no value to acquire righteousness” (p. 294).

5. This section is crucial to understand. Man sins of necessity, but without compulsion (coercion). “Because of the bondage of sin by which the will is held bound, it cannot move toward good, much less apply itself thereto; for a movement of this sort is the beginning of conversion to God, which in Scripture is ascribed entirely to God’s grace” (p. 294). As a result of the fall, we sin by necessity. Human will was not lost after the fall, but good will was. “For man, when he gave himself over to this necessity [to be inclined towards sin], was not deprived of will, but of soundness of will” (p. 294). Humans are under a voluntary necessity to sin because we are willing slaves of sin. We are under a “voluntary servitude” (p. 296).

Calvin importantly distinguishes between necessity and compulsion (coercion). When man sins by necessity, it is because he is acting according to his nature, not because he is compelled by an external force. Calvin uses the examples of God and Satan for further explanation. “Is not God of necessity good? Is not the devil of necessity evil? … God’s goodness is so connected with his divinity that it is no more necessary for him to be God than for him to be good. But the devil by his fall was so cut off from participation in good that he can do nothing but evil” (p. 295). The fact that God must do everything good does not rob him of his will to choose that which is good. God is not externally coerced. Similarly, Satan can only commit evil and he sins according to his nature.

Acknowledging that the concept can be difficult to grasp, I provide more examples here to help distinguish between necessity and compulsion (coercion). It can be shown that a person can act with necessity, yet voluntarily. The first example is from Loraine Boettner: “A parent may be certain that he will rescue a child in distress, and that in doing so he will act freely [without compulsion]” (Boettner, Loraine. The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1981, p. 212). The second example is from Bob Vigneault, a member of the Puritan Board: “I usually relate the story of my dogs. I may throw a steak out the back door to the right. My dogs will always go to the right as well. They will never go to the left. Are they free? Yes. Am I forcing them to the right? No. They may go anywhere, but their nature will always compel them to follow the steak. Our depraved nature sees sin as a steak. We are free to choose sin. When we are converted, then we are free not to choose sin.”

[Alex, Moderator]

6. Conversion and perseverance in the Christian life are totally the work of God. Quoting Philippians 1:6, “that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ,” Calvin explains that “the beginning of a good work” refers to the “very origin of conversion itself, which is in the will” (p. 297). “God begins his good work in us, therefore, by arousing love and desire and zeal for righteousness in our hearts; or, to speak more correctly, by bending, forming, and directing, our hearts to righteousness. He completes his work, moreover, by confirming us to perseverance” (p. 297).

When we are converted, the old will is put down and a new will is created. Referring to the heart of stone analogy from Ezekiel 36:26-27, Calvin explains that the will “is created anew; not meaning that the will now begins to exist, but that it is changed from an evil to a good will” (p. 297). In other words, in conversion, the will is not destroyed, but rather radically changed and “wholly transformed and renewed” (p. 297). “God not only assists the weak will or corrects the depraved will, but also works in us to will [Philippians 2:13]. From this, one may easily infer, as I have said, that everything good in the will is the work of grace alone” (pp. 297-298).

7., 11., & 12. Calvin disagrees with the Roman Catholic teaching that we can “cooperate with grace” because it wrongly attributes an independent role to our will in our salvation. Roman Catholicism has “wrongly attributed to man that he obeys prevenient grace with his will as attendant” (p. 299). The implications are serious. Rome imagines that God offers help, but then looks to us to see whether or not we will respond. To those who faithfully make use of God’s grace, God in turns gives more. In this scenario, salvation is no longer entirely of grace, but derived by merit and based on our responsiveness to God. Accordingly, if conversion is based on human effort, perseverance in salvation would likewise be dependent upon the human will. Rome misinterprets 1 Corinthians 15:10 to mean that we share credit with God.

No, rather salvation is from God in whole (not in part). “Here we ought to guard against two things: (1) not to say that lawful use of the first grace is rewarded by later graces, as if man by his own effort rendered God’s grace effective; or (2) so to think of the reward as to cease to consider it of God’s free grace” (p. 305). “For it is very certain that where God’s grace reigns, there is readiness to obey it. Yet whence does this readiness come? Does not the Spirit of God, everywhere self-consistent, nourish the very inclination to obedience that he first engendered, and strengthen its constancy to persevere? Yet if [the Roman Catholic Church means] that man has in himself the power to work in partnership with God’s grace, [it is] most wretchedly deluding [itself]” (p. 306). Any human response to God’s grace is brought about by the Holy Spirit.

8. & 9. Scripture gives God all the credit for our salvation. God gives the elect a will inclined to good. “For it always follows that nothing good can arise out of our will until it has been reformed; and after its reformation, in so far as it is good, it is so from God, not from ourselves” (pp. 300-301). Calvin provides numerous references: Ephesians 1:4; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26; Jeremiah 32:39-40; 1 Kings 8:58; Psalm 51:10; 119:36, 133; John 15:1-5; Philippians 2:13; and 1 Corinthians 12:6. “Therefore the Lord in this way both begins and completes the good work in us. It is the Lord’s doing that the will conceives the love of what is right, is zealously inclined toward it, is aroused and moved to pursue it. Then it is the Lord’s doing that the choice, zeal, and effort do not falter, but proceed even to accomplishment; lastly, that man goes forward in these things with constancy, and perseveres to the very end” (p. 303).

10. When God’s saving grace works in us, our conversion is inevitable, not merely possible. Calvin opposes the view, which was later adopted by Arminian theology that we can either nullify or add to saving grace. It is wrong to say that God helps those who help themselves. The elect, of no merit of their own, are moved by God to seek him. “Since it is those on whom heavenly grace has breathed who at length begin to seek after it, they should not claim for themselves the slightest part of his praise. It is obviously the privilege of the elect that, regenerated through the Spirit of God, they are moved and governed by his leading” (p. 304). “Indeed, [God] does not promise through Ezekiel that he will give a new Spirit to his elect only in order that they may be able to walk according to his precepts, but also that they may actually so walk [Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:27]” (p. 303).

13. & 14. Finally, Calvin concludes this chapter by referring to Augustine who wrote, “Grace alone brings about every good work in us” (p. 308). God’s saving grace is particular to the elect and not given according to human merit. “We know that God’s grace is not given to all men. To those to whom it is given it is given neither according to the merits of works, nor according to the merits of the will, but by free grace. To those to whom it is not given we know that it is because of God’s righteous judgment that it is not given” (p. 308). If a person has the will to do good, it is only by God’s grace. “The human will does not obtain grace by freedom, but obtains freedom by grace; when the feeling of delight has been imparted through the same grace, the human will is formed to endure; it is strengthened with unconquerable fortitude; controlled by grace, it never will perish, but, if grace forsake it, it will straightway fall; by the Lord’s free mercy it is converted to good, and once converted it perseveres in good; the direction of the human will toward good, and after direction its continuation in good, depend solely upon God’s will, not upon any merit of man” (pp. 308-309). To summarize: “except through grace the will can neither be converted to God nor abide in God; and whatever it can do it is able to do only through grace” (p. 309). Amen!

Next time, we will start chapter 4, and learn about how God works in the human heart.