John Calvin

“Institutes of Christian Religion” Volume One Book One

“The Knowledge of God the Creator”

Chapters XVII, XVIII, XIX

Dennis Rees

HIST 711 (B02): Development of Western Freedoms

June 11, 2021

“I believe there is one only living and true God, Existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy-Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. That the Scriptures from the old and new testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him. That God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, so as, therefore he is not the author or approver of sin.” … that He “did send his own son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, … so as, all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer.”

We will revisit the above Confession of Faith at the end of our discussion. In the interim we will explore the basis for it. John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1559, spends most of the first four volumes in this work getting to the point that one who studies this work would be able to make the above Confession of Faith with a full understanding of its meaning. Historians and theologians far more learned and astute than I have spent their literal lives in the study of this work by Calvin. Beginning to read it for the first time myself has been a bit overwhelming. I must admit that I made a similar Confession of Faith to the above when I was 13 years old and believed at the time and since that it was a true and correct reading of my heart with respect to my belief in God. The part I must then admit is that I had little understanding of the commitment I was making to God, the physical world around me, my family, friends, and society. Since then, I have spent a good deal of time in study, trying to more fully understand the commitment I made at that time and since. None of this time was more fruitful that that spent this week in reading just a few chapters of John Calvin in his seminal work.  

I concentrated my effort this week on the writing of Calvin regarding liberty and freedom and how we attain same from our faith in God. Finding that Calvin believed we are sanctified by Grace alone and not by our works in the law of God, being given Christ’s liberation and manumission freely for our Faith in Him.[1] Although God expects us to follow all laws both Temporal and Religious, our attempts are so flawed and full of sin that only through the Faith we have in Him is he willing to cleanse our faulty works and allow them to embellish our justification through the Faith He has already freely granted.[2]

The freedom of mind granted us by God extends to both ‘kingdoms’, religious and temporal. We are required by God to obey righteous laws in both kingdoms. If we have faith in Him, we will make our best effort to be good, righteous, virtuous, and in all ways true to his teachings. This will stand us in good stead with the righteous laws of man as well. Calvin tells us never to use freedom for anything that does not contribute to the will of God.[3] This is where the head and heart are connected in God’s granting of freedom of mind. We are empowered to decide in all cases what is sinful and not by checking our head (mind) against our heart. If we believe in our heart that something is sinful, it is. If we believe it to be to the glory of God, it is.[4] Again Calvin shows the benefit to the temporal kingdom of Faith in God in pointing out (Gal. 5:13) Scripture that tells us to use our freedom “through Love to be servants of one another” that achieving peace in our hearts with God, we may also be at peace with men.[5] Calvin reminds us that anything that could cause offense in the temporal world should be avoided even though it may have no relationship to your bond with God. He explains that God is primarily interested in what happens in your mind and conscience because without consideration to works that cannot sanctify you anyway, this is the only realm of the spiritual world.[6]

Now having read a little bit of Calvin and gained a somewhat more extensive view of Freedom and Liberty with respect to the Confession of Faith quoted in the beginning of this essay, I am ready to affirm once again, with a greater understanding of its’ meaning, my own Confession. In the founding of the United States many of the participants who primarily crafted the founding documents were in almost perfect alignment with Calvin and the Reformed tradition created by the document under review. Many have speculated that between 70% and 90% of educated adult males in the Colonies in the late 18^th century were of this religion. One such man is recognized as a founder of the country and was a close adherent of the Reformed Faith. He studied the tenets of the faith closely and was a life-long practitioner. Being self-educated he became a world class thinker about religion and politics. He was involved in every document leading to and resulting in The Constitution of The United States of America. He also was a participant of every Continental Congress as well as the first two Congresses of the United States. His name is Roger Sherman and the Confession of Faith that opens this essay is a portion of his personal handwritten Confession of Faith.[7]

Bibliography

Calvin, John. “The Knowledge of God the Creator.” In Institutes of the Christian Religion, edited by John T. McNeill, 802-48 The Library of Christian Classics. Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=942873&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Sherman, Roger. The Collected Works of Roger Sherman. Edited with Introduction by Mark David Hall, Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2016.

[1] John Calvin, “The Agreement of the Promises of the Law and the Gospel,” In Institutes of the Christian Religion, edited by John T. McNeill, The Library of Christian Classics. (Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 803-4.

[2] Ibid. 812.

[3] Ibid. 833.

[4] Calvin, “Christian Freedom” In Institutes, 842-3

[5] Calvin, “Christian Freedom” In Institutes, 844.

[6] Ibid. 847-8.

[7] Roger Sherman, The Collected Works of Roger Sherman. Edited with Introduction by Mark David Hall, (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2016), 732.