As the flattery of friends corrupts, so often do the taunts of enemies instruct.  Yet you repay them, not for the good you work through their means, but for the malice they intended.  That angry slave girl wanted to infuriate her young mistress, not to cure her, and that is why she spoke up when they were alone.  Or perhaps it was because their quarrel just happened to break out at that time and place, or perhaps she was afraid of punishment for having told of it so late.  But you, lord, ruler of heaven and earth, who change to your purposes the deepest floods and control the turbulent tide of the ages, you heal one soul by the unsoundness of another; so that no one, when he hears of such a happening, should attribute it to his own power if another person whom he wishes to reform is reformed through a word of his.

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”

“I think the term ‘culture war,’ while it may be a slight exaggeration, refers to something which is sociologically real.  I would say, looking at the United States that what you have is a heavily religious population with a highly secular cultural elite, and it’s out of that cultural elite that these court cases come – outraged atheists in Arizona who object to Christmas trees or whatever.  Now, the image I view – two extremes as Sweden and India, OK?  Sweden – highly secularized society, minus 2 percent believe in God, that kind of thing – and India, where you take four steps and you meet six gods, OK?  Well, you could describe the Unites States as an Indian society with a Swedish cultural elite, and much of the history of American politics since 1963 – a pivotal year because of the Supreme Court decision on prayer in public schools – has been dominated by increasingly pissed-off Indians.”

1. Did Calvin believe in a literal six day creation? Also, what does Calvin say about the age of the Earth?

He certainly seemed to.  However, Calvin does not spend much if any effort defending a literal six day creation or trying to define the age of the Earth.  Instead, he discourages meddlesome and frivolous thoughts that have no business speculating beyond the revealed will of God.

2. What should know about angels?

Calvin says angels are “ministering spirits (Heb 1:14) whose service God employs for the protection of his people, and by whose means he distributes his favours among men, and also executes other works.”

They are guardians of the elect.  Calvin explores the theory that each believer is assigned their own angel and insists rather that a multitude of angels collectively protect the people of God.

Though angels are spirits without a true form, they are described as ‘winged’ as a form of accommodation in language to help us understand that they are able to hasten to God’s commands and our protection.

Angels minister to the people of God, communicating his message and manifesting his power.

3. What should we know about demons?

The knowledge we are given about demons, and most particularly the devil, is revealed so that we may know our adversary and wage battle against them.  They were created good but ruined themselves.  They stand under God’s power and can do nothing without his allowance.  Calvin clarifies that “[God] does not allow Satan to have dominion over the souls of believers, but only gives over to his sway the impious and unbelieving, whom he deigns not to number among his flock.”

4. How is God’s goodness demonstrated by creation?

In the fact that God has loved us even in the preparation of creation leading up to man.  He could have just as easily created all things in a moment, yet carefully dictated everything to come about in an order of six days that we may contemplate his glory and thoughtfulness with every step.  His goodness is further demonstrated in setting man at the place of dominion and providing for him every good thing.  And even as mankind fell from grace God supplies every spiritual need for restoration and salvation.

5. What are some of the proofs given for the existence of the human soul?

Calvin spans a variety of proofs: from conscience, to innate knowledge of God, to nobility, and even the experiences of sleep.  But he ultimately explores examples from Scripture such as Paul exhorting believers to “cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit,” showing that “there are two parts in which the taint of sin resides.”  Of Peter, Calvin says, “in calling Christ the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, [Peter] would have spoken absurdly if there were no souls towards which he might discharge such an office.”  And of the author of Hebrews, Calvin adds, “neither could the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews say, that pastors watch as those who must give an account for our souls, if souls were devoid of essence.”

6. Calvin attributes “intellect” to the soul. What is the function of “intellect” according to Calvin?

Calvin identifies two parts of the soul: will and intellect.  Of the intellect he means being able “to distinguish between objects, according as they seem deserving of being approved or disapproved.”

1. For what purpose has God revealed to us that He is one God in three persons?

So that we might know him more clearly and intimately.  Or as Calvin would put it, to “suppress all gross imaginations” and “check the audacity of the human mind.”  Without God revealing himself as Trinity, man is left to fathom him with carnal stupidity, and God will have none of that.

2. When we speak of the Trinity, what is meant by the word “person” (also called “subsistence” or “hypostasis”)?

Calvin says literally, “By person then, I mean a subsistence in the divine essence—a subsistence which, while related to the other two, is distinguished from them by incommunicable properties.”

3. When we speak of the Trinity, what is meant by the word “essense”?

The essence of God is “simple and undivided, and contained in himself entire, in full perfection, without partition or diminution.”

4. In summary form, what is essential that we know about the Trinity?

God is one essence in three distinct persons.

Calvin summarizes succinctly: “Let those, then, who love soberness, and are contented with the measure of faith, briefly receive what is useful to be known. It is as follows: – When we profess to believe in one God, by the name God is understood the one simple essence, comprehending three persons or hypostases; and, accordingly, whenever the name of God is used indefinitely, the Son and Spirit, not less than the Father, is meant. But when the Son is joined with the Father, relation comes into view, and so we distinguish between the Persons. But as the Personal subsistence carry an order with them, the principle and origin being in the Father, whenever mention is made of the Father and Son, or of the Father and Spirit together, the name of God is specially given to the Father. In this way the unity of essence is retained, and respect is had to the order, which, however derogates in no respect from the divinity of the Son and Spirit. And surely since we have already seen how the apostles declare the Son of God to have been He whom Moses and the prophets declared to be Jehovah, we must always arrive at a unity of essence. We, therefore, hold it detestable blasphemy to call the Son a different God from the Father, because the simple name God admits not of relation, nor can God, considered in himself, be said to be this or that.”

5. List some of the proofs for the divinity of each person in the Trinity.

The Father

Calvin does not exhaust himself in proofs regarding the divinity of the Father in this chapter.  He seems to take it for granted having already presented the first 12 chapters.  That said, he consistently uses the Father to establish the relationship with the Son and Holy Spirit within the Trinity.  In doing so, we find repetitious descriptions of the Father’s eternal nature, holiness, and sovereign power that exude his divinity.  Calvin however does treat the economical aspect of the Trinity, identifying the Father as the “beginning of action, the fountain and source of all things.”

The Son

1. Is the logos (Word) of God, and therefore eternal with him
2. Is called both God and Jehovah
3. Appears in the OT as the angel of God, also logos
4. Is called Lord of Hosts
5. Is called Judge of the world
6. Is called God of glory
7. Is called the Creator of the world
8. Is called the Lord of angels
9. Is called the King of the Church
10. Is the object of our prayers
11. Is in whom we believe
12. Performed miracles of his power, not that which was imputed unto him
13. Bestowed power upon others
14. Is both our Lord and Savior
15. We are baptized in his Name

The Holy Spirit

1. Is the Creator and Preserver of the world
2. Is omnipresent
3. Is the divine source of the prophets
4. Quickens unto eternal life
5. Is called God
6. Is the object of the kind of blasphemy that is not forgiven
7. We are baptized in his Name

6. In a few paragraphs, share some of the things you learned from this chapter that deepened your understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity.

If I may speak freely, the most profound thing I appreciated in this chapter was the work of the Holy Spirit.  Calvin spends a great deal of time refuting heresies and clarifying the nature and work of the Trinity.  But it is with the flood of false thinking that I am most humbled.  I can’t begin to imagine where my own understanding would be if it were but myself and my bible locked away from the grace of the Church and her saints.  And it is there that I see the work of the Spirit most powerfully expressed.

Beyond this, I am obviously grateful for the clarity by which Calvin summarizes God, especially with regard to the economical nature of the Trinity.   He is very careful and cautious to approach human analogies but does so very well when he mentions, “This distinction is, that to the Father is attributed the beginning of action, the fountain and source of all things; to the Son, wisdom, counsel, and arrangement in action, while the energy and efficacy of action is assigned to the Spirit.”  I’m not sure if this sort of concise description even existed this clearly before Calvin (limited as my studies have been), but with his teaching I can see a tremendous amount of subsequent impact among faithful authors since the Reformation.

Lastly, but certainly not as an aside, this chapter gave me pause to reflect the depth of my own baptism.  Apparently there is nothing like a rich study of the Trinity to provide a sense of awe and wonder at the efficaciousness of this holy sacrament.  To ponder how each of the persons of God have worked in my own life, and how this is summed up with one sign and seal, is nothing short of breathtaking.

Now that I’ve got that slice of praise out of the way, I’d like to bring attention to something really interesting about the Caveman personality. This, by the way, will have nothing to do with the factuality or fallacy of cavemen in general, so if that is what you are hoping for I am sorry to disappoint. What I find so remarkable about this Caveman is the way that Geico has found to use him in a postmodern world. The poor neanderthal is always finding himself in predicaments that insult his intelligence. The tagline is: “So Easy A Caveman Can Do It”. The company is referring to the simplicity of getting quotes on their website, but that is hardly what crosses the mind of the audience. The pleasure they receive instead comes from the humor of his peril.

So here’s the genius. Despite the avalanche of political correctness in our day, we still live in a world where people in their hearts enjoy making fun of others or looking down upon them. However, it’s simply not allowed anymore (unless perhaps it is aimed at a white person). The PC Police have every corner of media and entertainment on lockdown. But Geico has found a loophole–an exception! They have found the perfect tool in which ALL can safely exercise their ‘prejudiced’ humor and actually feel good about it. Voila! You see, there are no cavemen around to be offended so there is no harm and no foul. And if you do happen to believe in cavemen (pitiable as you may be), well they are all our ancestors so we are no more laughing at another than we are ourselves. It’s perfect marketing for ‘bigot’ in all of us!

In short: Kudos Geico! You have restored hope in all of us that our inner ‘intolerance’ mustn’t be suppressed after all.

*Out of reverent respect for the politically correct powers that patrol the internet, I should probably add that this is all a joke…sort of.

The man was elated to see the crew coming to his aid.  He rushed to meet them, praising God and bursting with joy!  He told them frantically how he had be stranded alone for years without any sign of hope.  The sailors were astonished at his story and said that they would gladly take him home.

“But before we bring you aboard”, the rescue lead asked, “May I ask you something?”

“Sure!” replied the man. “Anything!  What would you like to know?”

“Well,” the rescue lead continued, “You say that you have been stuck here alone for years but there are three huts over there.  Why the three huts?”

“Well that first hut over there is where I live and the one next to it is where I go to church!”

“I see”, replied the rescue lead, “But what about that one over there?”

“Oh, that one.  That’s where I used to go to church.”

[...how telling this is!]

By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.

The KJV uses the word “favourest” instead of “delight in”.  Regardless, this is a jewel of Scripture poetry as it relates to assurance of salvation. God will not let the enemies of his children [ultimately] prevail.

Examine your life in Christ.  Where and by whom have your sins met their defeat?  Do you not see God’s favor and delight?  I ask again: Do you not see God’s favor and delight?  So what habitual transgressions remain?  It is a life long war of the most holy kind.  Yet the outcome is certain.  You will never hear your enemy’s cry of victory.

1. For what purpose did God reveal Himself in the Bible?

To supplement the manifestation of his majesty and works in creation with a knowledge that leads to worship and obedience.

2. Why is God displeased with any image made to represent Him?

Calvin describes man’s attempts to assign an image to God as corrupting his glory by “an impious lie”, “insulting his majesty.”  God alone is fit to witness himself and he considers visible shapes as rebellion against him.

3. How does Calvin answer the argument of the Papists that “images are the books of the unlearned”?

Calvin answers that “the doctrine common to all should there be set forth by the preaching of the word, and the administration of the sacraments—a doctrine to which little heed can be given by those whose eyes are carried to and fro gazing at idols.  And who are the unlearned, whose rudeness admits of being taught by images only?”

“From this”, Calvin adds, “people would learn more than from a thousand crosses of wood and stone.”

He also muses that “brothels exhibit their inmates more chastely and modestly dressed than churches do images.”

4. How does Calvin answer the idolater’s objection that they do not worship the image, but worship God through the image?

Calvin says, “It makes no difference whether they worship the idol simply, or God in the idol; it is always idolatry when divine honors are paid to an idol, be the color what it may.  And because God wills not to be worshiped superstitiously, whatever is bestowed upon idols is so much robbed of him”

5. To what imagery for use in worship does Calvin point to as having been consecrated by God’s word?

The living symbols of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

6. How does Calvin answer the Papists objection that they do not worship Mary and the saints but merely do them service while reserving worship for God alone?

Calvin takes the Papists to task by showing the folly of the language they use to defend their practice.  He dissects the uses of douleia (service) and latreia (worship) but ultimately affirms that the issue is not with the words but the object that they apply to.

“But since the question relates not to the word, but the thing, how can they be allowed to sport at will with a matter of the highest moment?  But not to insist on this, the utmost they will obtain by their distinction is, that they give worship to God and service to other.”

“…But no man doubts that to serve is something higher than to worship.  For it were often a hard thing to serve him whom you would not refuse to reverence.”

Calvin then exposes their practice directly to the rebuke of Scripture quoting Matthew 4:10, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”  He notes that all Satan desired was obeisance.  Likewise he uses the example of John being rebuked by the angel for falling to his knees in the Book of Revelation (19:10, 22:8-9).