So Help Me God

January 10- So Help me God
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills. Where does my help come from? Our help is in the name of the Lord who made the heavens and the earth. “ (Psalm 121:2)

Calvin: “in the first place, we must state what an oath is. It is calling God as witness to confirm the truth of our word…Now the eternal God not only permits oaths as a legitimate thing under the law but commands their use in case of necessity (Ex. 22;10,11).” (Inst. II. 8.23,26).

John Calvin began most of his worship services with the verse above- “Our help is in the name of the Lord who made the heavens and the earth.” If you’re going to study Calvin, then you have to know what was so important to him that he said it three times a week, and other people didn’t say it. The Roman Catholic priests didn’t begin their worship services with this verse. It was Calvin’s idea.
The headline on CNN.com today said, “Obama wants to invoke God during inauguration oath.” It’s first sentence says, “President-elect Barak Obama will invoke God when he takes the oath of office January 20, despite a lawsuit filed by atheist and non-religious groups.” I am shocked at the tone of this, as well as the intention to wipe any mention of God, and anyone’s personal preference to mention God at something so important to them. If God is a part of their lives, why not? If there is no God as some claim, then what’s the big deal? It is not proselytizing anyone just to mention God.
Calvin, on the other hand, would say that God is the King of kings and gives every magistrate, king (or president) power and ability, time and life to reign. Calvin said, “a good emperor is within the church, not over the church” (IV.11.4) But at the same time our help is in his name.
So help us all, God, to fulfill our oaths.
So help us God, by giving us the strength, courage, life, time, support that we need to answer your call of duty. And, yes God, please help our soon-to-be-president to call on you for help. May he find help available for you in this awesome task. Amen.

January 9- Our Calling

JANUARY 9, 2009
All things work together for good to those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)
Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? And I said, “Here am I send me.” (Isaiah 6:8)
Calvin: “God inspires special activities , in accordance to each man’s calling. Many examples of this occur in the Book of Judges where it is said that ‘the Spirit of the Lord took possession’ of those men whom he had called to rule the people (6:34). ..When Saul’s consecration as king was foretold, Samuel said, ‘Then the Spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon you, and you shall be another man’ (10:6). And this was extended to the whole course of government, as is said of David: ‘The Spirit of the Lord came upon him from that day forward.” (Inst. II.1.17). “The Lord bids each one of us in all life’s actions to look to his calling. ..that no one may thoughtlessly transgress his limits, he has named these various kinds of living callings. Therefore each individual has his own kind of living assigned to him by the Lord as a sort of sentry post. So that he might not heedlessly wander about throughout life.” (III.X.6)
Today I heard a radio commentator on NPR say that Roland Burriss was crazy or at least kind of crazy for saying he was “called by God” to be a U.S. Senator from Illinois. In the next breath she said that the president of the United States was kind of crazy too because he said he was also called by God. I guess in that reporters mind millions and millions of people are crazy because they believe God calls them to do something with their lives. Maybe they are hearing something that she can’t hear? In talking about God’s calling them, Calvin was not talking about audible voices as much as God’s providential tug and placement on their lives. It is similar to a call to duty. Calvin believed God gives people gifts, talents, abilities, and providentially places them at the right place at the right time. I wonder if this announcer is “heedlessly wandering” as Calvin put it. So many don’t believe God can act, reveal, or act through creation. God is nothing to them, because God can do nothing. So those who think God calls them are a little bit “crazy.” For Calvin there is the call to salvation and there is a call to vocation.
I believe God calls us all to be saved (though we may not answer), and calls us all to serve him in certain ways.
This will be true in 2009.

January 8- Gratitude

January 8- Gratitude
“In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (I Thessalonians 5:17). Psalm 63:2-7: 2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. 6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. 7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

Gratitude was an important concept for Calvin. He said, “We should be grateful most of all for our salvation. Our good works are done not to earn goodness toward us, but so that we may thereby stir ourselves up to trust, invocation and praise of Him.” Inst. 1:14:22 In Calvin’s commentary on Psalm 63:5 he spoke of gratitude as a way to strengthen our hope for the future. Calvin even said that it is because we do not think on the experiences that we had that we don’t grow in our trust in God (Commentary on Psalm 77:13).

Well, I’m still in the beginning of the new year mode. I have started my thank you notes for Christmas. I kept a list of the gifts, and I am truly grateful. I’ve decided that I will write down the gifts and keep them from year to year on my computer- because I tend to forget so easily. Maybe this will help me to think on the experiences and so elicit gratitude. Calvin is right- if you don't think on your experience, remember, and give thanks- we just wash over things for which we should be grateful. I also will try to keep up a summary diary. I have done this for years- writing down some of the important things that happen each year. I looked back on these in my smart phone’s memos. It did cause me to be grateful to God! The old puritans kept journals or diaries. They would look back and see how God led them through. I believe that too! I so easily forget the good things- and I don’t think I’m the only one.

Wednesday January 7, 09 Calvin's Centennary

January 7 Calvin and civil law
Ezekiel 11:20Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Today is my oldest daughter’s birthday. She is a third year law student at the University of South Carolina. Calvin had a law degree, and his father did too. When Calvin snuck back into Paris France (6/2/1536) to settle his father’s estate he described himself as “Jehan Cauvin licentiate in the law.” Halsema said of Calvin that he began his Institutes by defending the Protestants of every accusation like a lawyer before a judge. I think Calvin’s law degree brought him a sense of fairness and moderation as well as helped him think clearly and logically.
Calvin lived in a day in which many different thoughts were coming out. Some Protestants were saying do away with clergy and with government altogether (notably some Anabaptists). Calvin had this to say about the purpose of government- it is pretty good- I think: Now we wish it to be understood that to think of doing away with [civil government] is outrageous barbarity. Its function among people is no less than that of bread, water, sun, and air; indeed, its place of honor is far more excellent for it provides that people eat, drink, and are kept warm…it also prevents public offenses against religion; it prevents the public peace from being disturbed; it provides that each one may keep their property safe and sound; that people may carry on blameless interaction among themselves; that honesty and modesty may be preserved…The Lord has not only testified that the office of magistrate is approved by and acceptable to him, but he also set out its dignity with the most honorable titles and marvelously commends it to us. (Inst. IV 7,8)
Calvin had a healthy respect for government and law. He did not rebel against it. He could have. He could have sought to fight against the Sorbonne when they sought to arrest him. He could have fought against the Duke in Ferrara when he sought to persecute him. He could have gathered supporters and started a civil war in Geneva when they tried to exile him. This is where Calvin differed from a Zwingli. Calvin did not encourage the use of force or violence. Rather he sought to change the world by the spread of the gospel and the sharing of ideas. It is also an interesting concept that government is seen by Calvin to preserve modesty and honesty as well as keeping the public persecution of religion at bay. It appears to me that many in government do not see these things as a part of the purpose of government.

There are lots of lawyer jokes out there. To my friends in law, remember one of the greatest Christians saw himself as a lawyer.

The picture today is of Calvin the lawyer (sitting) arguing with his cousin about religion.

January 6- Calvin and the poor

January 6Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Proverbs 14:31 TNIV)The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. (Mt. 26:11)

Calvin had an uncanny idea of why there are poor in the world.“Why therefore does God permit there to be poor ones here on earth except that he wishes to give us an occasion for doing good? Thus let us not attribute it to fortune when we see one person is rich and another poor, but let us recognize that God disposes it thus and that it is not without cause. It is true that we cannot always see why God has enriched one and has left another in his poverty. We do not have the discretion necessary for that. And thus God wishes that we lower our eyes often in order to honor him, because he governs men by his will and according to his counsel, which is incomprehensible to us…God distributes unequally the decaying goods of this world in order to probe the courage of men; it is a test which he makes.” CR 31:17
Why are some rich and some poor? It is a simple question that has a super-complex answer. Calvin knew we didn’t understand fully why. He did know that it was not just blind chance. He also knew that there was God’s purpose at work- which in itself is complex. One of the purposes is that the rich might help the needy and give glory to God. Perhaps another is that when they are helped the poor give thanks to God.
To say that some are rich and others are poor by fortune means nothing. Fortune is nothing but a descriptive term. In the movie “The Dark Knight” Two Face saw evil win and so he decided (insanely) that the only thing that counts in life is luck and fairness. He wanted fairness in the world- and his idea of fairness was for people to sympathize with him and to flip a coin as to whether they lived or died. While we have a sense that things should be fair, we also know that things are not fair in this life. Sometimes unfairness is caused by human evil (greed, corruption), and sometimes it is just the way we are born. But Calvin would deny that God could still be at work despite the inequalities of life. Our response to inequalities is wise Christian charity.
Calvin said, “The proud indeed never think of this, that the poor, whom they afflict and despise are of such estimation in the sight of God that he feels himself insulted and injured in their persons…But God bestows on his servants the inestimable reward of taking their cause into his own hand.” (CR 37:329)
“Nevertheless, it is foolish prodigality to scatter at random what the Lord has given one. Indiscriminate charity creates beggars , who are a menace to society.” Calvin did not consider prosperity or poverty to be of primary importance in life. The one matter of primary significance is fellowship with God.” (Leith JCDofCL p. 195).

So… today I’m going to try to do some help with the poor. I will seek them out, and seek to help them as a good steward.

January 5 on Calvin's Centennary
Perspective on Economics- a middle way
Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. (Proverbs 30:8 TNIV)“Do not wear yourselves out to get rich, have the wisdom to show restraint.” (Pr. 23:4)


The driving force for Calvin was not getting rich. Calvin knew that this world’s riches, popularity, and power were fickle and sure to fade. He gave his whole energy to honoring God. Yet Calvin also did not take a vow of poverty like many monks. He may have lived that vow personally- giving away much of his wealth to his family and friends who often lived with him and mooched off of him when he finally did have a house. How would this effect an economy? Calvin is accused by many as giving meaning and rise to the middle class. He did this, I believe, by encouraging the rich and noble to glorify God by giving, and encouraging the poor to do their best- believing God had a call for everyone in life. He also lifted up education creating the academy in Geneva. Education was a way for the poor to be able to read the Bible, know the world that God had made better, and to do their best to answer God’s call. What is public education today in America? For the poor, it is simply required by law for the poor and motivated so that people would not live in abject poverty. For the middle class it is a chance to get ahead and get a decent job and fit into society. What is lacking in America is a deep motivation. To get rich and have five houses and ten cars is not motivation enough. The shine wears off even of the abundance. Some are motivated in life by what I call good but survival mentality- environmental causes (saving the planet), health causes (helping us live longer). But after we have saved the planet (which I believe we should do), what then? Why should we live on it? After we have our health, what then? What do we do with our health?
Calvin pointed out that economically we are called (by God) to love our neighbor. The Christian practice of self-denial (foreign to much of American society today but was important for Calvin) is in part so we may love our neighbor. Calvin said, “Since every man is devoted to himself, there will never be true charity toward neighbors unless where the love of God reigns; for it is a mercenary love which the children of the world entertain for each other because every one of them has regard to his own advantage. On the other hand it is impossible for the love of God to reign without producing brotherly kindness among men.” (Corpus Reformatorum 45:612).
“Calvin did not consider riches as necessarily evil, nor did he consider poverty as especially conducive to Christian living. Riches are not to be condemned in themselves. Calvin thought it was a great blasphemy against God if one condemns the rich- for riches proceed from God. Calvin believed, however, that prosperity corrupts more people than all other afflictions of the world. Poverty also included temptations. Calvin saw that “poverty is no more an excuse for malice and theft than riches are an excuse for greed.”(Leith, John Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life p.194).

January 4
Ordination of Officers in a church
“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” I Timothy 4:14“Appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.” Titus 1:5-7 TNIV

John Calvin- Commentary on Titus: Luke relates that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in every church. ( Acts14:23.) Not that they alone, in an authoritative manner, appointed pastors which the churches had neither approved nor known; but that they ordained fit men, who had been chosen or desired by the people. From this
passage we do indeed learn, that there was not at that time such equality among the ministers of Christ but that some one had authority and deliberative voice above others;

To give a lay person authority to govern the church may seem to some too risky. Most Christians live under a hierarchical (episcopal) form of government where the preacher or bishop runs the church. However, Calvin lived in a day in which he saw the problems of one person ruling the church. Pope Leo X was running the church as a business with little appreciation of the faith. He was a de’ Medici who known for his extravagant spending and political conniving. There had been problems with sexual immorality and the politicizing of the church before. But Leo’s idea of selling forgiveness (indulgences) to raise money was the straw that broke the camel’s back This encouraged Luther and many others to begin open criticism of the pope. The backlash was that the Protestant church was formed. Calvin wanted to insure that no one person would corrupt the church again- so he entered into a checks and balances system. He encouraged the fourfold office of deacons, elders, teachers, and preachers. This was a middle way between letting one man lead and the Anabaptist solution to get rid of the clergy altogether and have the whole church vote on everything.
Today in my church (Lake Murray Presbyterian) we will ordain and install elders and deacons. In fact, the Presbyterian church’s name means “people of the elder.” The biblical precedent is found in the Old Testament elders that preceded Moses (Ex 3:18), Moses confirmed (Num. 11;16), and the appointing of elders in Acts (14:23) and by Paul. It is one of the most moving worship services of the year. There have been many times in my ministry in which I have needed advice of elders to steer the church in the right direction. Scripture says, “with many advisors plans succeed” (Pr. 15:22). There were times that Calvin struggled against the elders (and especially the Little Council of Geneva). But he never advocated abolishing them- even when he went into exile because of them. Calvin was never to proud to refuse correction or to be deaf to advice. His modesty made sure that the elders had real power in the church.

January 3
I Corinthians 6:19, 20 (TNIV) 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Perhaps- in my mind the most inspiring and moving quote of Calvin is found in the Institutes III.7.1 in part a commentary on the scripture above: We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God’s: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God’s: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are Gods: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal.

Even our bodies are to glorify God. We have been bought with a price- so take care of all that God has given you- body, mind, and soul. Calvin lived this out. He spoke out for the new thinking of Protestantism and had to leave his studies and an assured comfortable lifestyle into exile the rest of his life. People accused Calvin of getting rich, but when he died he only had about $225 worth of stuff, and made sure he was buried in an unmarked grave. He died when he was 55 of all the pressures of life on him (though some say the average male lived until they were 40 then). Certainly, he did not seek his own comfort. He preached over 2,000 sermons, wrote commentaries on all but a few books of the Bible, defended and led the whole French-speaking Protestant movement. He did something with his life- because he believed he was to glorify God with the time and talents God had given him. To me, that is inspirational.
I hope we all can seek to honor the one who made us in 2009.

January 2- to Glorify God

January 2 (of Calvin's Quincentennial year)
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36 TNIV).
Geneva Catechism (of Calvin):
Q. 6- What is the true and right knowledge of God?
A.- When he is so known that due honor is paid to him.
Q. 7- What is the method of honoring him duly?
A.- To place our whole confidence in him; to study to serve him during our whole life by obeying his will; to call upon him in all our necessities, seeking salvation and every good thing that can be desired in him; lastly, to acknowledge him both with heart and lips as the sole Author of all blessings.
God is not glorified by fear, but by the personal response of trust, service, obedience, dependence and thanksgiving. The chief purpose of human beings- as Westminster’s catechism reminds us is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
I hear many today say that religion helps them- and so they plug into the church. Or they are “getting something” out of the worship (as if that is the chief end of worship). Ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for God (a la JFK). The flip side of this is when life goes sour, we have a tendency to punt it all- that is- if we are only in this to be blessed by God. I remember my college roommate saying he left the church because being a Christian never did anything for him (as if he could have only seen how belief could have helped him before he dropped out because of his hedonistic lfiestyle). But it is not all about us, it is about God. The eastern religions emphasize how they can put you on the right path to peace. But again, it is not what God can do for us. We were made for God- not that God is made for us (contra Freud who believed we made up God). The main thing isn’t even about our salvation. The chief end of human beings is not our salvation- but glorifying God (our salvation, of course, is certainly a part of that glorification of God- but it is not the end of it).
Calvin said, “It is not very sound theology to confine a man’s thoughts so much to himself, and not to set before him, as the prime motive for his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God. For we are born first of all for God, and not for ourselves.”
So, this second day of January- let us resolve to give our full selves to God. Not to make a resolution to help ourselves, but a resolution to glorify God. I do not doubt that as we glorify Him- the secondary benefit is that we will know who we are, and have joy and purpose here as well as the hope of heaven!

January 1- The Main thing according to Calvin

January 1st, 2009
Scripture: Philippians 3:10 (TNIV) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Dr. John Leith, my mentor at Union Seminary, made this astute observation about Calvin:The key to understanding Calvin’s theology is to be found in the opening words of The Institutes: “Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But, while joined by many bonds, which one precedes and brings for the other is not easy to discern” (1.1.1). Calvin then goes on to say that “it is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God’s face” (1.1.2). [This personal relationship between God and human beings] must also be interpreted in the light of Calvin’s intense and vivid awareness of the holy or the presence of the living God. The church is the community that stands in the presence of the Wholly Other, the creator of heaven and earth…Everything Calvin wrote presupposes the presence and activity of the living God in immediacy and power.” (Leith, John Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life pp. 13,14).

I hear a lot today that it is impossible to know God. God is so numinous and mysterious and awesome (or we are so small, finite, sinful)- some say. But we can know Him according to the scriptures- (I like the Johanine writings here: John 7:28,29; 8:55; 14:9; 17:3; I John 4:8f). But just because I know some of God certainly doesn’t mean I know all of God. But because I don’t know all of God doesn’t mean I don’t know some of God. I know my wife, Kay. We have been married for 28 years. Yet there are parts of Kay that are unpredictable, mysterious. That is a good thing! Yet to say because I do not know Kay totally I do not know here at all is silly. In fact, this whole Christmas deal we just experienced is a celebration that God accommodated God’s self into human form so we might know Him.

Geneva Catechism (of Calvin): Q.1- What is the chief end of human life?
A.- To know God by whom men were created.

So 2009 is a year I hope I can grow in my knowledge of God and my knowledge of who I am as a human being. I really cannot know who I am if I do not know that God made me in God’s providence, loves me in God’s unconditional care, and calls me in God’s sovereign purpose. I think Calvin is a good spiritual director for this knowing God and knowing human beings better.




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Intro and Calvin on economic gloom and joy

July 10 is John Calvin's 500th birthday (ie. he was born 7/10/1509)

Many people don't like Calvin- but they have never read this man they don't like. Yet, the western world, and really the whole world was deeply effected by Calvin's ideas. He was a great thinker for his time. My hopes are to put some of his writings out there.

The good thing about blogs- is they are much freer- cost and restrictions. I don't want to go through the trouble of footnotes, turabian, etc. This is NOT an academic blog- just some devotional writings using scripture and Calvin as a jumping off point.

Princeton Seminary ://www2.ptsem.edu/ConEd/Calvin/ and Alliance for Confessing Evangelicals are doing fine blogs of reading through the Institutes in a year. The Institutes are great academic reading, but Calvin had a lot to say about living the Christian life too. I am a pastor, and my concern is to have folks apply scripture to everyday life. This was Calvin's goal as well. I also recognize the irony of Calvin. He would not want any attention given to him-good or bad.This is evident because his grave is unmarked. He would want the attention to go to God.

Yet it is just this that makes Calvin so likeable.
"No one of those who preceded him," says Florimond de Raemond, "excelled him in writing well; and few since have approached him in beauty and felicity of language."

The real blog begins January 1st. Til then... a quote for our economic gloom and doomers:
"To crave wealth and honor, to demand power, to pile up riches, to gather all those vanities which seem to make for pomp and empty display, that is our furious passion and our unbounded desire. On the other hand, we fear and abhor poverty, obscurity and humility and we seek to avoid them by all possible means. How restless people are...how they tire themselves out in their efforts to obtain the objects of their ambition and avarice, and then again to avoid poverty and humility. If godfearing people do not want to be caught in such snares they must pursue another course: they should not hope or desire, or even think of prosperity without God's blessing. We may believe that everything depends upon divine blessing alone...on the other hand, his blessing will find a way to make us happy and prosperous, whatever adversities may come." Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life 1550 VIII.

Panic over a recession and an economic downturn is rampant. It drives the price of oil to an all time high and then a ten year low three months later. It makes the price of gold and silver explode. The prosperity gospel (the idea that believers automatically prosper) is seen for its shallowness.

Habakkuk said (3:17,18), "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Savior- the Sovereign Lord is my strength." Christian joy and blessing is not found in the things of this world alone. We have a joy- as Calvin pointed out- that no one can take away!