Sermon 40, Job 10:16,17
Calvin speaks of three reasons we should seek help in our salvation. Two of the three reasons are to do with righteousness. First, there is the righteousness expressed in the laws of God, I.e. the Ten Commandments. We fail miserably here and as such need help to achieve perfection. Second, there is a mysterious and higher righteousness that God himself possesses such that even if we could satisfy the law we would be obviously wicked when compared to God. This, we would still need help. Thirdly, salvation remains a gift. “God owes us nothing”, as Calvin puts it. Thus, even if perfect, we still need God to look favorably on us and help us.
Calvin addresses the second, mysterious righteousness further and reveals his thoughts on partial knowledge of God, which in turn impacts the idea of Gods election (also mysterious). Calvin explains that when we perceive God as mysterious, I.e. when we don’t understand, there are two paths ahead of us. One is to complain because we consider, somehow, God to be inferior to us, a kind of well I wouldn’t do it that way if I were in charge. The second is to use the mystery to create marvel and humility. An ’I dont understand’ is actually a me problem. My brain is too puny and/or corrupted to get it. Calvin summarizes:
“So let us not be dissatisfied with this partial knowledge of God as we have it in Scripture while we wait for him to remove us from this mortal body and even to remake our souls so they will no longer be encumbered by what is human, by what is worldly, and even by the sinful nature that proceeds from Adam’s sin.”
The sermon ends with a great exhortation: let us “pray that he [God] will give us such a desire for his word that we will receive everything it contains without contention and peaceably.”
One last thing. The Book of Job does raise the question “what does God see in us?”, or more pointedly, “what does God need us for?” I think about this more than I should probably because I don’t think people do nice things for others without motivation to do so. However, today Calvin uses this picture which I found endearing and enlightening. Speaking of our efforts to be good and do good works Calvin says “God accepts them. Yes, in the same way a father accepts what proceeds from his child even though it has no value”. I think of the love a father displays to, say, a toddler that has made a terrible drawing that has zero value and yet makes the father proud and he places it on the fridge.