What constitutes a true church? This is Calvin's question in Section 6 of his preface to the King. Rome claims that the church must have a continuous visible manifestation. The challenge of Rome to the Reformers was this: Since the Reformers are making the claim to have restored the gospel and the biblical form and understanding of the church, they must be claiming that the church had ceased to exist between the time of the New Testament and the coming of the Reformation. They base this claim on their contention that the form of the church is always apparent and observable, and they assert, furthermore, that the visible form of the church is manifest in the Church of Rome.
Calvin, however, views the visibility of the church as something which is not intrinsic to the nature of the church. There are, he asserts, other marks which attest to the authenticity of a church.
The marks of the church, Calvin says, consist of the pure preaching of God's word and the lawful administration of the sacraments. In the body of the ICR, he will add to these two a third: the properly administered discipline of the church. But for now, he deals only with the Word and Sacraments.
"They rage," Calvin says of Rome, "if the church cannot always be pointed to with the finger."
He then goes on to provide biblical evidence that there have been many instances in Scripture in which such a thing was not possible. From Elijah, to the time of Christ, and throughout the church's history in particular times and places, it has been impossible to point to the church and say, "There it is." That does not mean that it did not exist.
Calvin also raises the possibility that in some cases, the lack of a visible church may, in fact, be a form of God's judgment.
"...since the Lord alone 'knows who are his [II Tim. 2:19], let us leave to him the fact that he sometimes removes from men's sight the external signs by which the church is known. That is, i confess, a dreadful visitation of God upon the earth. But if men's impiety deserves it, why do we strive to oppose God's just vengeance?"
The last accusation that he addresses comes in Section 7 of the Prefatory Address. The accusers pointed to the upheaval which was presently resulting from the rise of the Reformation. Rather, Calvin asserts, the true cause of upheaval and tumult should be recognized as Satan's opposition to the Word of God.
"Here is, as it were, a certain characteristic of the divine Word, that it never comes forth while Satan is at rest and sleeping. This is the surest and most trustworthy mark to distinguish it from lying doctrines..."
Calvin then provides a very helpful summary of biblical examples demonstrating that whenever the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed, Satan rises up in opposition.
Finally, Calvin concludes his address to the King by exhorting Francis not to be moved by the false accusations of the opponents of the Reformation. Rather than persecuting Protestants for being Protestants, Calvin pleads with the King to examine the lives of those currently facing his persecution. If he does so, he will find men and women whose lives are characterized by "chastity, generosity, mercy, continence, patience, modesty, and all the other virtues."
So sure is Calvin of this result, that he correctly encourages to the king to deal justly with any who can be found to have "raised a tumult under the pretext of the gospel," though he avers that "hitherto no such persons have been found in your realm." But if ever such a one arises, Calvin says, "there are laws and legal penalties by which they may be severely restrained according to their deserts. only let not the gospel of God be blasphemed in the meantime because of the wickedness of infamous men."
Calvin concludes his address to the King with a prayer that would be appropriate for us to pray, in regard to our elected authorities, as well...
"May the Lord, the King of Kings, establish your throne in righteousness [cf. Prov. 25:5], and your dominion in equity, most illustrious King."
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The first page of the introduction reminded me of this paragraph in Packer's Death of Death Intro; viz.arminian assertions lend "colour to the impression that Calvinism is a modification of Arminianism; that Arminianism has a certain primacy in order of nature, and developed Calvinism is an offshoot from it. Even when one shows this to be false as a matter of history, the suspicion remains in many minds that it is a true account of the relation of the two views themselves. For it is widely supposed that Arminianism (which, as we now see, corresponds pretty closely to the new gospel of our own day) is the result of reading the Scriptures in a "natural,unbiased, unsophisticated way", and that Calvinism is an unnatural growth, the product less of the texts themselves than of unhallowed logic working on the texts, wresting their plain sense and upsetting their balance by forcing them into a systematic framework which they do not themselves provide."
ReplyDeleteJohn Raymond
Great post John
ReplyDeleteSorry pastor this quote is from section 2 but I wonder what the Arminian response would be to these words of Calvin...
"For what is more consonant with faith than to recognize that we are naked of all virtue, in order to be clothed by God? That we are empty of all good, to be filled by him? That we are slaves of sin, to be freed by him? Blind, to be illumined by him? Lame, to be made straight by him? Weak, to be sustained by him? To take away from us all occasion for glorying, that he alone may stand forth gloriously and we glory in him?" There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of human effort going on there.
Nothing to be sorry about, John. Especially not for that jewel of a quote.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should feel free to quote what they wish, from any part of the ICR or outside of them, and also to point the rest of us to any resources that we might find helpful or interesting, as John as done in regard to Knox in a different post.