Are Exhortations Vain, Warnings Superfluous, Rebukes Absurd, if sinner possesses not the power to obey

4. Still it is insisted, that exhortations are vain, warnings superfluous, and rebukes absurd, if the sinner possesses not the power to obey. When similar objections were urged against Augustine, he was obliged to write his book, De Correptione et Gratia, where he has fully disposed of them. The substance of his answer to his opponents is this: "O man, learn from the precept what you ought to do; learn from correction, that it is your own fault you have not the power; and learn in prayer, whence it is that you may receive the power." Very similar is the argument of his book, De Spiritu et Litera, in which he shows that God does not measure the precepts of His aw by human strength, but, after ordering what is right, bestows on His elect the power of fulfilling it. The subject, indeed, does not require a long discussion. For we are not singular in our doctrine, but have Christ and all His apostles with us. Let our opponents, then, consider how they are to come off victorious in a contest which they wage with such antagonists. Christ declares, "without Me ye can do nothing" (John xv. 5). Does He less censure and chastise those who, without Him, did wickedly? Does He the less exhort every man to be intent on good works? How severely does Paul inveigh against the Corinthians for want of charity (1 Cor. iii. 3); and yet, at the same time, he prays that charity may be given them by the Lord. In the Epistle to the Romans, he declares that "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. ix. 16). Still he ceases not to warn, exhort, and rebuke them. Why then do they not expostulate with God for making sport with men, by demanding of them things which He alone can give, and chastising them for faults committed through want of His grace?  Why do they not admonish Paul to spare those who have it not in their power to will or to run, unless the mercy of God, which has forsaken them, precede? As if the doctrine were not founded on the strongest reason - reason which no serious inquirer can fail to perceive. The extent to which doctrine, and exhortation, and rebuke, are in themselves able to change the mind, is indicated by Paul when he says, "Neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. iii. 7). In like manner, we see that Moses delivers the precepts of the Law under a heavy sanction, and that the prophets strongly urge and threaten transgressors, though they at the same time confess, that men are wise only when an understanding heart is given them; that is is the proper work of God to circumcise the heart, and to change it from stone into flesh; to write His law on their inward parts; in short, to renew souls so as give efficacy to doctrine.

5. What purpose, then, is served by exhortations? It is this: As the wicked, with obstinate heart, despise them, they will be a testimony against them when they stand at the judgment-seat of God; nay, they even now strike and lash their consciences. For, however they may petulantly deride, they cannot disapprove them. But what, you will ask, can a miserable mortal do, when softness of heart, which is necessary to obedience, is denied him? I ask, in reply, Why have recourse to evasion, since hardness of heart cannot be imputed to any but the sinner himself? The ungodly, though they would gladly evade the divine admonitions, are forced, whether they will or not, to feel their power. But their chief use is to be seen in the case of believers, in whom the Lord, while He always acts by His Spirit, also omits not the instrumentality of His word, but employs it, and not without effect. Let this, then, be a standing truth, that the whole strength of the godly consists in the grace of God, according to the words of the prophet, "I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you: and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes" (Ezek. x. 19, 20). But it will be asked, why are they now admonished of their duty, and not rather left to the guidance of the Spirit? Why are they urged with exhortations when they cannot hasten any faster than the Spirit impels them? and why are they chastised, if at any time they go astray, seeing that this is caused by the necessary infirmity of the flesh? "O, man! who art thou that repliest against God?" If, in order to prepare us for the grace which enables us to obey exhortation, God sees meet to employ exhortation, what is there in such an arrangement for you to carp and scoff at? Had exhortations and reprimands no other profit with the godly than to convince them of sin, they could not be deemed altogether useless. Now, when, by the Spirit of God acting within, they have the effect of inflaming their desire of good, of arousing them from lethargy, of destroying the pleasure and honeyed sweetness of sin, making it hateful and loathsome, who will presume to cavil at them as superfluous?
Should any one wish a clearer reply, let him take the following: - God works in His elect in two ways: inwardly, by His Spirit; outwardly, by His Word. By His Spirit illuminating their minds, and training their hearts to the practice of righteousness, He makes them new creatures, while, by His Word, He stimulates them to long and seek for this renovation. In both, He exerts the might of His hand in proportion to the measure  in which He dispenses them. The Word, when addressed to the reprobate, though not effectual for their amendments, has another use. It urges their consciences now, and will render them more inexcusable on the day of judgment. Thus, our Saviour, while declaring that none can come to Him but those whom the Father draws, and that the elect come after they have heard and learned of the Father (John vi. 44, 45), does not lay aside the office of teacher, but carefully invites those who must be taught inwardly by the Spirit before they can make any profit. The reprobate, again, are admonished by Paul, that the doctrine is not in vain; because, while it is in them as savour of death unto death, it is still a sweet savour unto God (2 Cor. ii. 16).

John Calvin
Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.5.4-5

God's Wondrous Law

25 MARCH

Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. Psalm 119:18

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 19

God gives light to us to see the wonder of His Word, the prophet says. We are blind to the gospel even in the midst of the clearest light until God removes the veil of blindness from our eyes. 

The psalmist confesses that his eyes were shut, making him unable to discern the light of the heavenly doctrine until God, by the invisible grace of His Spirit, opened them. The psalmist seems to be deploring his own blindness as well as that of the whole human race. But he tells us that the remedy is at hand, provided we do not, by trusting our own wisdom, reject gracious illumination that God offers to us.

Let us realize that we do not receive the illumination of the Spirit of God to make us condemn God's law and take pleasure in secret revelations, like many fanatics who do not regard themselves spiritual unless they reject the Word of God and put in its place their own wild speculations. 

The prophet's goal is very different. He wishes to inform us that God illumines us so we are able to discern the light of life that God manifests in His Word. He mentions the wondrous things of the law to humble us, to help us contemplate that law with admiration; and to convince us of our great need of God's grace to comprehend the mysteries of His Word which surpass our limited capacity. The law includes not only the Ten Commandments but also the covenant of eternal salvation with all its provisions, which God has made with us. Knowing that Christ, "in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," "is the end of the law," we need not be surprised that the prophet commends it and the sublime mysteries which it contains (Col. 2:3; Rom. 10:4).

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: When we focus on the wonder of the revelations of God's Word, we are much safer from the temptation to desire new and special revelations from God. The Bible contains so many wondrous things that a lifetime of study would not reveal them all to us; study them further to find new strength for each new day.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Deep Forgiveness

4 MARCH

If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments... Psalm 89: 30-31

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 2 Samuel 12:1-14

The psalmist does not speak of total apostasy here, implying the total absence of godliness in people who forsake God’s law and do not walk in His judgments. But sometimes the faithful cast off the yoke of God and break forth into sin in such a way that the fear of God seems to be extinguished in them. Therefore it is necessary for God to promise the pardon even of heinous sins, so that those who commit them are not overwhelmed with despair.

David, who seems by outward appearances to be wholly deprived of the Spirit of God, thus prays to be restored to Him. God provides hope of pardon even for those who commit detestable and deadly transgressions so that the enormity of their sins may not keep them back or hinder them from seeking reconciliation with Him.

From this we may condemn the undue severity of the fathers whose scruples did not allow them to receive those who repented from falling for the second of third time. Due care must be taken lest by too great a forbearance we give loose reins to people to commit iniquity. But there is no less danger in exercising an extreme degree of rigor. We should note that when God declares that He will show Himself merciful toward sinners who have violated His law and broken His commandments, He purposely employs those odious terms to excite our hatred and detestation of sin, not to entice us to commit it.

Although the faithful may not always act in manner worthy of the grace of God and may therefore deserve to be rejected by Him, yet He will be merciful to them because the remissions of sins is an essential article promised in God’s covenant with us.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: What a comfort it is to know that God’s forgiveness is deep enough to cover all sin and terrible times of backsliding! Praise God for this forgiveness and for its purpose: to make sin more repulsive and Christ more attractive. How does its depth motivate us toward holiness rather than sinfulness?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

What God Requires

19 January

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Micah 6:1-9

We would now consider what is the sum of the contents of the law, as well as the aim and object of its instructions. Paul elicits the true goal of the law when he declares that its end is "charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (1 Tim. 1:5). Even in Paul's day, the law had false interpreters, who, Paul says, "turned aside unto vain jangling," when they swerved from its true objective.

Now as the law is contained in two tables, so also Moses reduces it to two objectives: that we should love God with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourselves. Though he does not unite the two objectives in one passage, yet Christ, by whose Spirit Paul spoke, explains that to us in Matthew 22:37. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment of the law, he replied that it was the first: that God should be loved. The second greatest commandment was to love our neighbor. So, the perfection of righteousness, which is set before us in the law, consists of two parts: that we should serve God with true piety, and that we should conduct ourselves toward others according to the rule of charity. That is also what Paul says, for faith, which he calls the source of charity, includes the love of God.

The declaration of Christ stands sure, that the law requires nothing of us but that we should love God and our neighbor. From that we understand that what is required of us to live a good life is piety and justice.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: Piety and justice are such simple concepts and yet so difficult to put into practice. The way of the law is clear: looking to Jesus as fulfiller of the law, let us pray for the grace needed to follow it.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Wanting More

16 January

 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus 20:17

 SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Romans 7:7-25

Though it was God's design to arouse men to sincerely obey the entire law, yet their hypocrisy and indifference were so great that it was necessary to stimulate them more sharply and to press them more closely, lest they seek subterfuge under pretence of the obscurity of the doctrine. For if men had only heard, "Thou shalt not kill, nor commit adultery, nor steal," they might have supposed their duty was fully performed by mere outward observance of the law. It was necessary, then, that God should give a separate admonition to men so that they not only abstained from evil-doing but also obeyed what was previously commanded with the sincere affection of the heart.

Paul gathers from this commandment that the whole law is spiritual (Rom. 7:4, 14). He explains that God, by His condemnation of lust, sufficiently showed that He not only imposed obedience on our hands and feet but also put restraint upon our minds, lest they desire to do what is lawful.

Paul also confesses that once he slept in easy self-deceit but then was awakened by this single word of the law; for when he was considered blameless in the eyes of men, he was persuaded that he was righteous before God. He was once puffed up with confidence in his righteousness and expected salvation by his works, but, when he perceived the true meaning of the commandment Thou shalt not covet, he realized that the law was raised as it were to life, and Paul himself died because he was convinced he was a transgressor and saw the curse hanging above him.

John Calvin 

FOR MEDITATION: God demands conformity to his law in both our external actions and our internal thoughts. Many of us are careful to maintain an outwardly upright life, but we are just as diligent to cultivate holiness in our thoughts? Since we are unable to do that on our own, are we not in desperate need of a Savior?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Vultures under Cover

15 January

Thou shalt not steal. Exodus 20:15

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Nehemiah 5

Charity is the goal of the law. The rule of charity is that every one’s rights should be safely preserved and that no one should do to another what he would not do to himself. In defiance of the law are thieves who secretly steal the property of others, seek to gain from the loss of others, accumulate wealth by unlawful practices, and are more devoted to their private advantage than to equity. Rape of plundering is theft, since there is no difference between robbing one’s neighbor by fraud or by force.

So that God might warn His people against all fraudulent injustice, He uses the word steal in Exodus 20:15, which is something we naturally abhor as disgraceful. Still, we know that men bury their misdeeds under many coverings and that they convert those deeds appear as prudence, and pretexts. By craft and low cunning their deeds appear as prudence, and those who cleverly overreach others, take in the simple, and insidiously oppress the poor are spoken of as provident and circumspect. The world boasts of vices as if they were virtues and freely excuses those in sin. But God wipes away this gloss when He pronounces all unjust means of gain to be theft.

An affirmative precept is connected with the prohibition Thou shalt not steal, for those who do not steal must also inculcate liberality and kindness and the other duties whereby human society is maintained. So that we may not be condemned as thieves by God, we must endeavor, as far as possible, to ensure that others should safely keep what they possess and that we promote our neighbor’s advantage no less than our own.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: Think about your first reactions when you hear of another person’s misfortune, particularly someone who has harmed or hurt you. Are you most concerned with their profit or with yours? How can the prohibition on stealing apply to you?

365 Days with Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke