Calvin Synod Herald, 2009 (110. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-11-01 / 11-12. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 11 the nature and location of the true church. Passing on from that for now, the pastor/teacher may use Calvin’s theology to point contemporary Christians away from the debilitating individualism spawned in our Western culture to a truer picture of the believer caught up in the chemistry of the Body. We are called each to be priests, not each to be his or her own pope. Calvin’s basic idea here is that the sanctification of Christ, the Head, becomes imparted to the church. In Psalm 133 the precious oil anointing and running down on the robes of Aaron composes a picture of believers dwelling in blessed unity. Calvin uses this picture to show how Christ, the anointed Head, allows his blessing to flow over the body of the church. Frequently Calvin finds special meaning in John 17:19: “. . . and for their sake, I consecrate myself, that they may also be consecrated in truth.” Thus, when in church we pray, “through Jesus Christ” we are right on target. In so doing, we remind ourselves whose church this is and to whom we belong. Calvin raises up several signals which indicate progress in Christian maturity. The pastor/teacher may instruct concerning these. First, the desire to grow. While Calvin usually emphasizes the divine impetus in such progress, Ronald Wallace can say in summary of the subject: “All this makes steadfastness in Christian progress the result only of heroic determination ”24 This inner burning of the spirit grows out of profound gratitude. Calvin often reminds his congregation of the constraining love of God that kindles within the believer a burning affection to serve the Lord” As St. Paul says, “The love of Christ controls us.” Second, the life of prayer. Ronald Wallace expresses Calvin’s position as follows: “The faith that gives rise to prayer is created by the Word and is ever aroused to fresh life and vigour by listening to the promises of the Word.” Such a life of prayer mediates on Christ, seeks to know Christ’s intentions, addresses the heart of God in relation to human need and ever flows from attitudes of humility and thanksgiving. Third, the experience of struggle. The reality of struggle pervades Calvin’s comments on the Christian life aimed toward growth. Commenting on Calvin’s theme Wallace states: “We must not imagine that progress in the Christian life is attained through a quiet and passive yielding to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Rather the more God obtains control of our lives the more inward opposition to His will is aroused in us... In the struggle during this life we always remain closer to the cross than the resurrection. “The resurrection of Christ,” says Calvin, “leads us not an inch away from the cross.” Thus the narrow way of self-denial lies ever before the believer. Our problem is “concupiscence,” says Calvin. We are plagued by the attacks of Satan in response to which we turn away from some enticements, on the one hand, and take action for the sake of justice, on the other. Affliction will also appear at God’s hand to test our spiritual mettle. The believer’s struggle may well include dealing with dissension in the church. As Ronald Wallace puts it, “Nothing, therefore, must vex us more or give us more anxious concern than to see disputes in the life of the church ..” In the struggle this side of death we never fully overcome. Our response to Christ falls short. The Holy Spirit occupies only in part. That Spirit must continue to subdue instead of transforming our “unruly flesh.” So Calvin seems to say, “The perfect Christian man is he who, conscious of his sin and misery, has learned to live by grace.” Fourth, greater assurance. All the struggle must take into account, as Calvin realizes, that God “.. .chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him [God].” Here we come to the basic thrust of the laboratory experiment, namely the teaching of Calvin that we may grow in stability and clarity as we increasingly apprehend the exalted Christ. Calvin uses the parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22 to teach that the believer may not only have an imputed, acceptable garment to wear but may in this life find a life that increasingly corresponds to wearing it. This is the life of faith that moves toward the resurrection made possible by Christ’s life in us. This life involves an increased readiness, even inclination, to observe the law of God. In so doing we advance in the . . plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” The believer in the church may hope to live with greater assurance and stability. This comes not from a sense of merit from accumulated good works but rather an increased trust in the mercies of God. The believer may even experience increased relief from the onslaught of sin, flesh and the Evil One. Calvin can even claim that believers may discover an “inflexible disposition” to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This higher disposition will unfold in an increased life of good works. The mature Christian life may well discover increased detachment from this world. This may actually lead to a greater enjoyment of God’s provisions for life here and now. This detachment is enabled by a growing heavenly vision. The believer feels sorrow, fear and danger, but experiences these with restrained expectation of this world. The major portion of happiness lies in the expectation of life to come. In sum, surely John Calvin’s theology provides ample ingredients for an experiment in Christian maturity under the guidance of a discerning pastor/teacher as they pray together, O save thy people and bless thy heritage; be thou their shepherd and carry them forever. Rev. David B. Bowman, Ph.D. d In Live each day so that you wifi neither Se afraid of tomorrow nor ashamed of yesterday l t»i___________________________________
