Sunday, May 30, 2004
The Difference between
True And False Religion:
True And False Religion:
It is a matter of common agreement that without true religion we live a most miserable life, not above the level of brute beasts, and consequently there is no one who wishes to appear more completely alien to piety and the worship of God. Yet, there is a great difference in the way men declare there religion, for the majority goes by an earnest fear of God. But, whether they want to or not, they are repeatedly bought up short by this thought, that there is a divinity, by whose decision they stand or fall. Consequently, struck by that notion of such great power, they venerate it after a fashion in order not to call it down upon themselves by excessive contempt.
Yet, in the meantime they lead a most depraved life completely devoid of all zeal for uprightness, and display utter nonchalance in their contempt for God's judgment. Then, because they measure God not by His infinite majesty but by the foolish and stupid vanity of their own nature, they fall away from the true God. Accordingly, with however much they afterward weary themselves over worshipping God, they get nowhere, since it is not the eternal God but the dreams and ravings of their own heart they are adoring as God. But true Godliness does not consist in a fear of which willingly indeed flees from God's judgements, but since it cannot escape is terrified. True Godliness consists rather in a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences him as Lord, embraces his righteousness and dreads offending Him worse than death. And whoever have been endowed with this Godliness dare not fashion out of their own rashness any God for themselves. Rather they seek from him the knowledge of the true God, and conceive him just as he shows and declares himself to be.
Commentary by Hesselink
The Difference between true and false religion is "true Godliness" (pietas) and worship of God on the one hand, and those who "untouched" by an earnest fear of God "adore" the dreams and ravings of their own heart on the other.
Calvin takes it for granted that all people are religious in some sense, however ignorant or barbarous they maybe. All people have a certain vague, confused notion of God and consciousness of his existence. For "no human being can be found, however barbarous or completely savage, untouched by some awareness (sensu) of religion." Even those who reject God "whether they want to or not, they are repeatedly bought up short by this thought, that there is a divinity by whose decision they stand or fall." Nevertheless, "they lead a most depraved life..... display utter nonchalance in their contempt for God's judgment" Why? Because measure God not by His infinite majesty but by the foolish and stupid vanity of their own nature. God created humankind in His image (see Gen 1:26-27) James 3:9) and has planted "the seed of Religion in all people, but this image has been so mutilated and deformed by humanities rebellion and fall that no true religion is found in the world. (Institutes 1.4.1) In true religion people "conceive him [God] just as he shows and declares himself to be." (sec 2) That is, we must not measure God by the yardstick of "our own carnal stupidity," but rather as God offers Himself to us in His Word. (Inst. 1.4.1.)
# True or False Worship |
