THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Calvin s Institutes Week 10

Transcription

1 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Calvin s Institutes Week 10

2 A Quick Review Our fallen nature now keeps us from genuine knowledge of God Our distorted image can t reflect God due to original sin The Mediator will solve this But the Law was given to be a: Mirror: to show our sin Halter: to restrain sin in community Handbook: on how Christians reflect God s nature

3 The Ten Commandments Reflect God s nature Tell us how to live as God wants And thus how to be happy Are summed in the Great Commandment Encompass the opposites as well Are understood in context of the purpose of the Lawgiver in giving them So, now let s consider the Ten Commandments

4 The Two Tables God assigns the first part of those duties of religion which particularly concern the worship of his majesty; the second, to the duties of love that have to do with men. The first foundation of righteousness is the worship of God. Thus, even seemingly good deeds fall short when not done as acts of worship It is vain to cry up righteousness without religion. So, keeping the Second Table isn t enough without keeping the first The two tables fit the Great Commandment The first on loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength The second on loving neighbor as self

5 The Two Tables Calvin rejects the Catholic way of dividing the 10 They omit the carved image command or slide it under the first (and the significance of this wasn t lost on Calvin and some Lutherans go this way) Then split the coveting commandment into two Following the early fathers, Calvin divides into two tables: 1-4 on worship and honor of God 5-10 on love of neighbor So the two cover true religion and charity

6 First Commandment I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before [besides] me. (Exodus 20:2-3) The intro shows that God has power and the right to authority over the people The Holy God calls the people to be holy (Lev. 11:44) And not to revere God is to commit the crime of ingratitude And for us, the bondage of Israel is a type of the spiritual captivity we were bound in until God freed us So, all are bound to keep the Law

7 First Commandment PURPOSE: The Lord wills alone to be the pre-eminent among his people, and to exercise complete authority over them. Four headings of what we owe to God: Adoration and obedience (including submitting our consciences to the law) Trust (repose in him arising from recognizing his attributes) Invocation ( resorting to his faithfulness and help as our only support ) Thanksgiving (gratitude for all good things) God is jealous as these are not to be transferred to another Because He alone deserves them We make him jealous as often as we substitute our own inventions in place of him Opposites??

8 Second Commandment You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (20:4) PURPOSE: He does not will that his lawful worship be profaned by superstitious rites. We are to conform to his spiritual worship, established by himself. Yet, our hearts our idol factories. God is spiritual, so the people were committing this sin even as God spoke to Moses And followed by threats about visiting iniquity on subsequent generations As a husband who is perfectly faithful demands faithfulness of his spouse The consequences to subsequent generations causes problems only when we think it is to be understood only of temporal punishments Not only on the wicked, but on his family Conversely, God shows mercy to thousands, his covenant mercies extending to the families of the pious Opposites??

9 Third Commandment You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (v. 7) PURPOSE: God wills that we hallow the majesty of his name. Whatever we conceive or utter of God should match the loftiness of his name Cursing vs. vulgar language vs. minced oaths Key function of this command is regarding oaths Oath: calling God as witness to confirm the truth of our word To do this can be a type of divine worship So God jealous if we swear by strange gods (Jer. 5:7)

10 More on Oaths Swearing falsely by his name (or I might add frivolously) is called profanation (Lev. 19:12), despoiling God of his truth Biblical oaths call upon God to avenge his name if we break them (e.g., 1 Sam. 14:44; Rom 1:9) We cannot call God to be the witness of our words without asking him to be the avenger of our perjury if we deceive. Idle oaths cheapen God s Name and make it common We also are not to replace God s names by his servants names Does the Sermon on the Mount negate oaths (Mt. 5: 34) by saying make no oaths? Refers to swearing in vain Oaths in the law remain Even Paul used an oath (Ro. 1:9) Opposites??

11 Fourth Commandment Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (v. 8) PURPOSE: Being dead to our own inclinations and works, we should meditate on the Kingdom of God, and the we should practice that meditation in the ways established by him. Two original purposes: Representing to Israel a future spiritual rest A stated day to assemble to hear the law and perform rites Obedience to this very seriously commanded (e.g., Num. 15: 32-36) And key meaning is the foreshadowing of heavenly rest

12 Why Rest on the Sabbath? The outward act of mortifying the will reflects the inward We must be wholly at rest that God may work in us. We must rest from all activities of our own contriving so that, having God working in us, we may repose in him. Seven is significant in representing perpetuity This promise is fulfilled in Christ, whose work affords us perpetual rest from our labors Ceremonial aspects ended with Christ Yet still, We gather on it And give rest to others under our influence

13 Calvin vs. the Puritans Calvin: it is not a ceremony to be scrupulous about, but a remedy to keep order in the church Moved to Sunday to separate from the Jewish purposes of the Sabbath So keep it, but not legalistically For rest, meditation, and fair treatment to those under us CONTRA the Puritans (and Westminster) who see the entire day only for worship and not even rest (context of Book of Sports) Opposites??

14 Fifth Commandment Honor your father and mother, that the days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (v. 12) PURPOSE: Since the maintenance of his economy pleases the Lord God, the degrees of pre-eminence established by him out to be inviolable for us. So, forbidden to detract from the dignity of those in authority

15 The Authorities This flows from God s providence All authorities are in place by God s providence and ordination And It makes no difference whether our superiors are worthy or unworthy of this honor because it came of God s providence Yet, subjection conflicts with the depravity of human nature Specifically, of course, applies to parents Those who abusively violate parental authority are monsters, not men! Three key features Reverence, obedience, and gratefulness

16 Honoring Authorities The promise The promise of the first table covers the whole law The long life includes the present life among God s blessings This is a symbol of God s kindness Even in cases when obedient children die young The threat God will avenge breeches of this in his own way Yet, obedience only due in the Lord (Eph. 6:1) If they ask us to sin, we have a right to regard them not as parents Opposites??

17 Sixth Commandment You shall not murder. (v. 13) PURPOSE: The Lord has bound mankind together by a certain unity; hence each man ought to concern himself with the safety of all. So, the law forbids murder in the heart and an inner intent to save a brother s life The hand gives birth to murder, but the mind when infected with anger and hatred conceives it. See whether you can be angry against your brother without burning with desire to hurt him. Hatred is nothing but sustained anger. This because man is God s image Opposites??

18 Seventh Commandment You shall not commit adultery. (v. 14) PURPOSE: Because God loves modesty and purity, all uncleanness must be far from us. Includes all filth or intemperance of the flesh On the other hand: we are to chastely and continently regulate all parts of our life So any nonmarital sexual union is condemned Modesty: purity of heart joined with chastity of body. Celibacy OK only if truly content with singleness. Opposites??

19 Eighth Commandment You shall not steal. (v. 15) PURPOSE: Since injustice is an abomination to God, we should render to each man what belongs to him. (Cites Rom. 13:7) We must consider that what every man possesses has not come to him by mere chance but by the distribution of the supreme Lord of all. For this reason, we cannot by evil devices deprive anyone of his possessions without fraudulently setting aside God s dispensation. Notice again the roots in providence So, Calvin wouldn t approve of Robin Hood

20 More on the Eighth Getting money any way that is unfair or rooted in cheating is considered to be theft And if we are supposed to take care of something (company property, etc.), we steal if we fail to take care of it But to the positive, we are to be content with our lot Seeking only lawful gain Even being prepared to give up something of our own rather than contend with those who are faithless and deceitful Specific groups particularly to care for others Ministers and their people, rulers [including bosses], parents So, we kind of covered opposites

21 Ninth Commandment You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (v. 16) PURPOSE: Since God (who is truth) abhors a lie, we must practice truth without deceit toward one another. So, we should faithfully help everyone as much as we can in affirming the truth, in order to protect the integrity of his name and possessions. We harm a man more by despoiling him of the integrity of his name than by taking away his possessions. This precept even extends to forbidding us to affect a fawning politeness barbed with bitter taunts under the guise of joking. Applies to hearing such as well as saying it Opposites??

22 Tenth Commandment You shall not covet your neighbor s house wife male servant female servant ox donkey or anything that is your neighbor s. (v. 17) PURPOSE: Since God wills that our whole soul be possessed with a disposition to love, we must banish from our hearts all desire contrary to love. While other commandments address the intent to do wrong, coveting is just the mind being pricked or tickled to do wrong It addresses heart righteousness. The heart, then, in so far as it harbors covetousness, must be empty of love. Opposite??

23 Summary So, the Great Commandment is exegeted We ought to embrace the whole human race without exception in a single feeling of love; here there is no distinction between barbarian and Greek, worthy and unworthy, friend and enemy, since all should be contemplated in God, not in themselves. And all sins are deadly (as he rejects venial vs mortal sin idea)

24 We keep the commandments not by loving ourselves but by loving God and neighbor; he lives the best and holiest life who lives and strives for himself as little as he can, and that No one lives in a more evil manner than he who lives and strives for himself alone.

25 Applying What We ve Learned Choose a commandment that you in particular need to work on, and pray for God s Spirit to work in you on this during the week Who do you struggle to love? Or maybe even don t love and feel justified in doing so? Seek God s grace to change on this

26 Praying Together Pray that we will love God more completely Pray that we love one another as we love ourselves Ask God to work on specific trouble spots

27 Next week Book 2, chapters 9-11 Christ in the Old and New Testaments