John Calvin on the Importance of the Word in the Depravity of Our Nature

"For if we reflect how prone the human mind is to lapse into forgetfulness of God, how readily inclined to every kind of error, how bent every now and then on devising new and fictitious religions, it will be easy to understand how necessary it was to make such a depository of doctrine as would secure it from either perishing by the neglect, vanishing away amid the errors, or being corrupted by the presumptuous audacity of men.  It being thus manifest that God, foreseeing the inefficiency of his image imprinted on the fair form of the universe, has given the assistance of his word to all whom he has ever been pleased to instruct effectually, we, too, must pursue this straight path, if we aspire in earnest to a genuine contemplation of God - we must go, I say, to the word, where the character of God, drawn from his works is described accurately and to the life; these works being estimated, not by our depraved judgment, but by the standard of eternal truth.  If, as I lately said, we turn aside from it, how great soever the speed with which we move, we shall never reach the goal, because we are off the course.  We should consider that the brightness of the divine countenance, which even an apostle declares to be inaccessible (1 Tim. 6:16), is a kind of labyrinth - labyrinth to us inextricable, if the word do not serve us as a thread to guide our path; and that it is better to limp in the way, than run with the greatest swiftness out of it.  Hence the psalmist, after repeatedly declaring (Pss 93, 96, 97, 99, etc.) that superstition should be banished from the world in order that pure religion may flourish, introduces God as reigning; meaning by the term, not the power which he possesses and which he exerts in the government of universal nature, but the doctrine by which he maintains his due supremacy: because error never can be eradicated from the heart of man until the true knowledge of God has been implanted in it" (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion).

John Calvin on the Seed of Divine knowledge

"While man must bear the guilt of corrupting the seed of divine knowledge so wondrously deposited in his mind, and preventing it from bearing good and genuine fruit, it is still most true that we are not sufficiently instructed by that bare and simple, but magnificent testimony which the creatures bear to the glory of their Creator.  For no sooner do we, from a survey of the world, obtain some slight knowledge of Deity, than we pass by the true God, and set up in his stead the dream and phantom of our own brain, drawing away the praise of justice, wisdom, and goodness, from the fountain-head, and transferring it to some other quarter.  Moreover, by the erroneous estimate we form, we either so obscure or pervert his daily works, as at once to robe them of their glory and the author of them of his just praise" (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion).

John Calvin on Having Our Own Views of God

"We must hold, that whosoever adulterates pure religion (and this must be the case with all who cling to their own views), make a departure from the one God.  No doubt they will allege that they have a different intention; but it is of little consequence what they intend or persuade themselves to believe, since the Holy Spirit pronounces all to be apostates, who, in the blindness of their minds, substitute demons in the place of God.  For this reason Paul declares that the Ephesians were 'without God' (Eph. 2:12), until they had learned from the gospel what it is to worship the true God" (John Calvin, Institutes of Christian Religion).

Wholeness Requires Wisdom

“Knowledge is exploding at such a rate – more than 2000 pages a minute – that even Einstein couldn’t keep up.  In fact, if you read 24 hours a day, from age 21 to 70, and retained all you read, you would be one and a half million years behind when you finished” (Campus Life, February, 1979).

Though this statement was made over thirty-five years ago it is still applicable today.  But it is not the idea of knowledge on which we, as disciples of Jesus Christ, should focus.  Knowledge can be a wonderful and helpful thing to attain, but it is not knowledge which is required for the disciple of Christ to grow into spiritual maturity.  Far too many people equate knowledge with wisdom and even far too many more equate biblical knowledge with biblical wisdom.  Biblical knowledge can be achieved through consistent study of the Word.  Biblical wisdom is only given by God.

James 1:5-8 addresses the need the disciple of Christ has of wisdom and the consequences for the one who doubts that God will give wisdom.  What does this wisdom look like on a practical level as a disciple of Christ?  How should we react when doubts creep into our minds?  Why is wisdom so important for the disciple of Christ?  As we explore this next passage of James may the wisdom of God truly be upon us and may we be open and excited for the work of the Spirit in us?

Do I Know God?

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV)
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.

Knowledge of God is very much underrated these days. I can understand why many would take this stance because so much of our world today relies on knowledge and science that we can't help but fight against that. First of all, though, we have no reason to be afraid of science. God created this world and so in the end science will only prove the existence of God. Second, unless we know God we cannot really know God. In other words, to use modern Christianese, if we are to have a relationship with God we must know who God is.

But to even move it farther, to be able to stand against this world's knowledge and the false teachers that surround us we must know the truth. We must know God. Now, I will be the first to acknowledge that we will never truly know all of God. To truly know all of God is to in a way be God and that is not possible. But we can know enough about God to fight the spiritual war of knowledge and souls with God as our power.