Calvin Chapter 2, Sec.s 1-2: Self-Denial
In Calvin’s archaeology, what follows The Call of Chapter 1 is “self-denial.” In the below text we will examine the first two sections of Chapter 2. In the D&P translation, Sec. 1 begins on p. 21, and Sec. 2 on p. 24 extending to the bottom of p. 27. So we will cover pp 21-27 of Chapter 2.
Significance of Self-Denial
Why is self-denial so essential, or essential at all, to our response to The Call? In short, the vandalized fallen man within us has not been eradicated, nor will he be entirely in this life. Calvin makes that point explicitly in the closing sentence of Ch 1. So we have within us a force of no legitimate power but, apparently, still enabled deceptive force, that must be set aside, as part of our day-to-day walk.
There is a further key point, namely: that to be the “image” / “imitator” of God it cannot be the old, fallen life, now doomed to death, and who is utterly incapable of doing so; it must be the regenerated life of God which, in some way can be obscured by the activity of the vandalized old one. Perhaps this metaphor helps. Consider a painting being constructed on a huge wall. It is incomplete both as to content but also as to time in that it is expressing a storyline in time along with an in-depth perspective of a state of being along the way of time. But some evil actor has an array of huge panels of his own ‘art’ that he seeks to slide in front of the wall painting as an obscurant. Some of these panels obscure only parts of the wall, some obscure all of the wall but they are semi-translucent so they create two images, the fuzzy panel and the painted wall behind it. Self-denial is about making such obscuring panel translucent, literally translucent so that what is visible is the wall with the Artist’s work, so far as it has been done. Further, the wall painting of the Artist is not a solitary thing. The wall is infinite in scope that portrays God’s work everywhere in space-time and outside of space-time throughout all of God’s Creation, not just the “me,” though in some way and place, the “me” is only the tiniest part of that infinite painting, but is in some way relevant to God’s revelation. And so, de-obscuration is an important part of the response to The Call.
The Image of God
As linked in previous week’s studies, we have been considering the scope of what the “image” of God should be understood to be. The enumerated section at the end of the attached is here:
Key Verses Cited in these Sections of Ch 2
A passage list of the key verses covered in previous weeks and the verses cited in Chapter 2, Sec.s 1-2 to be reviewed this week is given below:
Romans 12 Renewing Your Mind
An interlinear of the important opening verses of Romans 12 is shown below. Each word is shown by six rows:
- The top row is the ESV translation of the Koine Greek mss, in the so-called “reverse interlinear” format, meaning that the word order follows the ESV translation, not the word order of the Koine mss.
- The second row is the Koine “lemma” from which the ESV word shown has been translated. The “lemma” is the Koine uninflected form of the mss word, commonly known as the “dictionary form,” as one would look up the English word “running” by searching for “run” (the lemma of its inflected counterpart, running).
- The third row is the English transliteration of the Koine lemma, making the word more readily pronounceable by someone unfamiliar with the Greek alphabet.
- The fourth row is the “CODE” provide by Logos Bible Software that enables an understanding of what is, in the original mss, the morphology (form) the lemma shown, giving it’s role / purpose in the respective verse. So, for example, the ESV word “appeal” translates “parakaleo” (literally, called or standing alongside) which in the mss its form told a Koine reader that it was a verb (V), in the present tense (P), active voice (A), in the indicative mood (I), and first person singular (1S). A fuller explanation of such CODE is given elsewhere on this website and by Logos Software.
- The fifth line is the Strong’s G number (G because it is a Greek word). This can be used in a search engine like Google to obtain a full definition and a concordance of all the other occurrences of such word.
- The sixth and final line is the Louw Nida number (LN). LN is a special kind of Greek lexicon in which words that do a common job are grouped into families. Here, “parakaleo” is part of Group 33, and subgroup 168. Again, doing an internet search reveals that such grouping collects similar Greek words relating to asking for something, earnestly, with propriety.
Of particular note with respect to the above portrayal of Romans 12:1-2 are the two verbs in verse 2: [not to be] conformed and [but to be] transformed. From the CODE we see that both verbs have an “M” in the fourth letter position. This designates that the respective verb is in the imperative mood, that of a command / reasonable expectation. In contrast, the verb “appeal” discussed above from verse 1, which is in the indicative mood, the ordinary expression of a fact, or existing condition. So the contrast given for us is that Paul toward the Roman letter recipients, and us, is indeed standing alongside us with an appeal, which such appeal is for us to do two, related acts: be un-conformed [to this world] and transformed [by the renewal of the mind].
Further, these two commands are introduced by an important little Koine Greek word, kai, which the ESV translators elected to ignore, and connected by another Greek word alla commonly translated “but” as shown. The contrast conveyed by the word alla is straightforward, namely: the two commands of being that follow are opposites, on the one hand away from the world and on the other hand of, or in a sense toward, one’s mind. The word kai is commonly translated “and,” though it often (in my view) means “and” not in the sense of “plus” (as one would say peanut butter and jelly) but “and” in the sense of “unto.” In that sense, this makes better sense of the point of verse 2 following the last phrase of verse 1, namely that our spiritual worship is unto something, namely the twin imperative verbs shown above.
One other point, is the Koine word translated “world.” It is not the expected Koine word “kosmos” which commonly is translated “world,” or even the Koine word “gay” or “gayce” (for earth). Here it is the word “aion,” from which we get the English word “eon,” and more typically is translated “age” or “time” or even “era.” So the command not to be conformed is with reference to whatever is the spirit of the time and place in which God’s child finds himself.
Doctrine & Piety: Balance and Priority
A common Christian tension is between getting “doctrine” (Bible truths) well understood, to some point of maturity, though it is never a final, completed state, and, on the other hand, living uprightly in the eyes of God, commonly termed piety.
The obvious error is to claim one, or the other, doctrine or piety, as all that matters. However, obvious such error, it has been a regular form of error over the ages and in our own lives depending in part on our inclinations.
It may not be totally clear in Calvin’s Little Book the importance he gives to doctrine because, as discussed previously, the five chapters of such Little Book are taken from chapters 6 through 10 of his Book 3 of his 80-chapter Institutes (systematic theology). So, the Little Book is primarily about Christian Living, which one can think of as piety. But it comes after a significant overview of doctrine and continues after the final chapter from which the Little Book was taken out of Institutes Book 3. So Calvin indeed held to the view that doctrine was not optional, and, further, I think it fair to say that he understood doctrine at a fundamental level as primary, though not the end all (hence the Little Book itself).
An excellent lecture by Richard Reeves on the Puritans observes this same balance and order, as was clearly present at the time of the Reformation and the century after as reflected by numerous writings of the Puritans. His introductory lecture on the Puritans was part of a Ligonier program and is available here (and highly recommended). In a second lecture on the Puritans he introduces one notable individual, Richard Sibbes, and two of his books: Bruised Reed, and The Tender Heart (links shown to freely available texts). This second Richard Reeves lecture is available here and is also highly recommended.
A large collection of Sibbes’s inspirational observations is given here: