Tuesday 2 January 2007

A New Year's Resoloution

Well my New Year's resolution is to have a crack at reading Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, and to my surprise it's not a chore but thrilling stuff. Here's a few passages that have grabbed my attention so far, and a picture of the man himself and his famous namesake:

Calvin on how awareness of our own poverty of spirit and moral bankruptcy should lead us to seek God:
"From the feeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and- what is more- depravity and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone. To this extent we are prompted by our own ills to contemplate the good things of God; and we cannot seriously aspire to him before we begin to be displeased with ourselves."


Calvin on how there can be no true knowledge of God without piety:
"I call piety that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him- they will never yield him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him."

Searching stuff hey? Does your knowledge of God come from a true assessment of yourself? Are you dissatisfied with yourself? Are you persuaded that your complete happiness and every good resides in him alone?

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