Bk 1, Ch 4: The knowledge of God stifled by men
(follows from previous post)
Calvin argues here that even “though experience testifies that a seed of religion is divinely sown in all, scarcely one in a hundred is found who cherishes it in his heart. Some lose themselves in superstitious observances, and others, of set purpose, wickedly revolt from God.” In other words, as a pastor recently pointed out , sinful people always tend towards one of two things: either being a Pharisee, or a rebel.
Firstly, the rebels. Those who “stifle the light of nature and intentionally stupify themselves” are foolish. Psalm 14:1 says, “the fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’.” Though spontaneously suggested to them from within, they banish all memory of God. They may say they believe in God, but refusing to recognise him is denial of him. “Although they don’t disown his essence, they rob him of his justice and providence, and represent him as sitting idly in heaven.” Their just punishment is that “after they have closed their own eyes, God makes their hearts dull & heavy, and hence, seeing, they see not.” See Psalm 36:1.
Secondly, the Pharisees. Those who fall into superstition – “their excessive absurdity” – aren’t innocent; invariably their labour is accompanied with vain pride and stubbornness. In seeking after God, they fail to look beyond themselves but define him by their own standards. So any offer of worship is unacceptable for they are merely worshipping a dream of their heart (Romans 1:22, “thinking to be wise, they became fools”). Many employ vain pretexts to clothe their superstitions, but it is overthrown and shown to be mocking God, when it tries to please him with its false glories. It attaches itself to created things of little value; they worship their own ideas and assume he takes pleasure in it. As Lactantius puts it, “no religion is genuine that is not in accordance with truth.”
A second fault: they only think about God when forced to, and instead of responding with reverent fear, they respond with fearful, guilty hatred. They know his justice condemns them, so they wish that justice to be overthrown. This is warring against God himself, as justice is one of his essential attributes.
Yet they don’t want to reject him outright; so they indulge in false religious observance while continuing to break God’s law in every way. “In short, while their confidence ought to have been fixed upon him, they put him aside, and rest in themselves.”
“They bewilder themselves in such a maze of error, that the darkness of ignorance obscures, and ultimately extinguishes, those sparks which were designed to show them the glory of God.” Yet the conviction and sense of Deity continues to exist, and can never be completely eradicated.
