“In the church, as Calvin conceived it, every man helped every other man. If in Christ Jesus all believers are united, then a private believer is a contradiction in terms. Not only are the blessings and the virtues given for the common good, but the faults and the weaknesses concern the other members of the body. There was to be no hypocrisy of pretending to be other than a sinner, no dissembling or cloaking of sins; but, just as God is completely honest with men, and men must be honest with God, so also believer with believer must be courageously honest and open. The quarterly meeting was a little day of judgement when, flattery and convention laid aside, each man saw himself through the eyes of his fellows and, if he were wise, harboured no resentment but knew the uniquely joyful release of voluntary humiliation.”[1]
[1] Herman J. Selderhuis, John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life [Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2009], 30.
Hey everybody! Please be sure to notice Calvin’s cool airplane neck supporter. We can’t tell it is one of the type he had to blow up or if it was that really comfy, sqeezy material they sell at Brookstones and Sharper Image.
Can any of you tell?
Hey Steve/GCA. I came across another Calvin quote in which he addresses “privitized faith” in a different context. I was preaching on Ephesians 4 today. In looking at the role of pastor-teachers and other gifted men given to the church for her growth I came across this from Calvin:
“They are therefore insane who neglecting this means (of building up the church) hope to be mature in Christ, as is the case with fanatics who pretend to secret revelations of the Spirit, and the proud, who content themselves with the private reading of Scripture, and imagine they do not need the ministry of the church.” (Institutes IV,3,4)
Great quote Larry. I’ve already cut, pasted and filed it for future use. Thanks!