John Calvin's Land Ethic

This is the 500th year since John Calvin was born.  I've done my share of reading on this man and attended an excellent conference too.  Yet, with all of this discussion I have yet to read anything related to the environment or land use. 

It might come as a surprise to many Christians to learn that the environmental movement lays at their feet the charge that the Church is responsible for the misuse of the world's resources.  This is based on a misreading of Genesis 1:28 and God's mandate to Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion over (it)."  It is readily apparent that the Genesis account speaks of stewardship instead of abuse, but this is often overlooked by those who wish to find an easy scapegoat.

A few days ago as I was doing my sermon preparation on Genesis 2:15-17 I came across a stunning quote from John Calvin in his commentary on Genesis.  It came in the context of Adam's work in the Garden of Eden.  Calvin draws a principle to demonstrate that we, like Adam, are stewards of God's creation.  He writes,

"Let him who possesses a field, so partake of its yearly fruits, that he may not suffer the ground to be injured by his negligence; but let him endeavor to hand it down to posterity as he received it, or even better cultivated.  Let him so feed on it fruits, that he neither dissipates it by luxury, nor permits (it) to be marred or ruined by neglect.  Moreover, that this economy, and this diligence, with respect to those good things which God has given us to enjoy, may flourish among us; let every one regard himself as the steward of God in all things which he possesses.  Then he will neither conduct himself dissolutely, nor corrupt by abuse those things which God requires to be preserved."

The father of the modern conservation movement is Aldo Leopold.  In my undergraduate studies we took a class on environmental ethics and closely read his work A Sand County Almanac.  I don't think that Leopold was aware of Calvin's opinion when he wrote his Land Ethic.  Nor do I think that many Christians are aware of this 'reformation' perspective either.  In my opinion Leopold would've been stunned to learn that he wasn't really breaking new ground with his book and landmark essay.  I also think that he would be scandalized to learn that CHRISTIANS were talking about a land ethic four centuries before it was fashionable.

Calvin on Lord's Day Observance

Yesterday I continued my ongoing sermon series on the book of Genesis.  My text was Genesis 2:1-3 and I titled the sermon, "And God Rested."  This turned out to be one of the harder sermons that I've had to write in recent memory.  I cannot say why with exact certainty but I spent a lot of time reading, pondering, and taking notes. 

This is a topic rarely discussed in the evangelical church -- to any who saw my sermon text and title in the paper they must've thought that my sermon would've certainly been a clunker.  Most would pass the text over saying that it is an oddity and not practical at all (no clear commandments to obey).  Yet those who think this way are wrong, really wrong.  How can they possibly understand Hebrews 4 without first understanding Genesis 2:1-3? 

My research revealed that there are differences of opinion in the reformed community about the Sabbath (sometimes called The Lord's Day).  Some pit the Heidelberg Catechism against the Westminster Confession of Faith.  Some pit Calvin against both of them.  I don't have time to speak to that controversy and besides, there are lots of folks who have already addressed it.* 

There is a point of common agreement among all three sources that is worth pondering.  It is made by John Calvin in his Institutes, Book 2, chapter 8, paragraph 28 (Ford Lewis Battles edition):

"First, under the repose of the seventh day the heavenly Lawgiver meant to represent to the people of Israel spiritual rest, in which believers ought to lay aside their own works to allow God to work in them. Secondly, he meant that there was to be a stated day for them to assemble to hear the law and perform the rites, or at least to devote it particularly to meditation upon his works, and thus through this remembrance to be trained in piety. Thirdly, he resolved to give a day of rest to servants and those who are under the authority of others, in order that they should have some respite from toil." 

I told my congregation that if they remembered nothing more of my sermon they needed remember Calvin's first point -- believers should lay aside their own works on this day to allow God to work in them.  That one thought is often missed as people debate what can and cannot be done on this day.  We would be much further ahead by asking ourselves, "How does this activity ___________ (fill in the blank) contribute to God's working in me for His glory and my benefit?" 

* For further reading...
The Westminster Confession of Faith
The Heidelberg Catechism
Recovering the Reformed Confession, R. Scott Clark
Calvin's View of the Sabbath, Richard Gaffin
A Better Way, Michael Scott Horton

The Calvin Quiz / Calvin 500

More about John Calvin at Calvin 500

Well, I was tired when I took the quiz so I scored less than 10 out of 10 (I still passed).  How well do you know the life of this important reformer?  Take the quiz and find out!

Dr. Carl Trueman on Calvin and His Historical Context

In this year marking 500 years since the birth of John Calvin much is being said about the man. Here are some helpful comments on Calvin's historical context.

For those wishing to enjoy a more in depth study of the man let me suggest that you attend an upcoming conference on John Calvin. It will be held August 27-29 at the Prince Conference Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. More details can be found at http://www.puritanseminary.org. Go to Calvin for the 21st Century link for specifics.

Calvin for the 21st Century

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. There are several events planned in Europe over the summer to remember his life and teaching as a leader in the Protestant Reformation. Unfortunately most of us cannot afford such a trip.

However, an excellent conference is planned this coming August in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Speakers include Michael Haykin, Ligon Duncan, Derek Thomas, and Joel Beeke along with several others.

The conference runs from noon Thursday to noon on Saturday, so as not to interfere with Sunday worship. Cost is very reasonable ($65/person early registration which runs until July 24th).

Click on this link, PRTS, to get the particulars including topics for each lecture. Note: registration is limited to about 500 people. Hope to see you in Grand Rapids.

Calvin and the Christian's Motivation

Last Sunday I preached on the text, Romans 12:1-2. My sermon was entitled, "In Light of God's Mercies." As I did my sermon preparation I couldn't help but recall how this passage was misapplied by so many teachers and pastors in my past. By ignoring the little phrase, "therefore...by God's mercies" we do great injustice to Paul's line of reasoning and take these verses out of context. By ignoring this phrase we circumvent what has preceeded it -- Romans 1-11.

John Calvin hit the nail on the head with these words from his commentary on Romans,

“But this exhortation teaches us, that until men really apprehend how much they owe to the mercy of God, they will never with a right feeling worship him, not be effectually stimulated to fear and obey him. It is enough for the Papists, if they can extort by terror some sort of forced obedience…But Paul, that he might bind us to God, not by servile fear, but by the voluntary and cheerful love of righteousness, allures us by the sweetness of that Favor, by which our salvation is effected…”

The key words I want to draw your attention to are 'extort' and 'allure.' Those who ignore Paul's reasoning ('therefore...by the mercies of God) use extortion in their teaching and preaching to garner obededience. In Calvin's day he spoke about the Roman Catholic Church: in our own day we can speak of most evangelicals who use this passage to preach Law instead of Gospel. Extortion, properly defined, is forcing someone to give you something that they are not inclined to give. So pastors who extort use threats of divine judgment, harangues and guilt trips to get people to become 'living sacrifices.' In short, they argue, "Do this or else God will get you."

In contrast, Paul, and Calvin, use a different methodology. Instead of extortion they relied on the subtle, yet powerful method of attraction and allure. They argued that if we can understand God's mercies (ie. the doctines of Romans 1-11) we will willingly give our hearts to God in response to all that he has done for us. The Heidelberg Catechism captures this beautifully with its three sections: Guilt, Grace and Gratitude. So does Calvin, who is often viewed as cold and austere. Here is his motto, first in Latin, then in English:

"Cor meum tibi offero, Domine, prompte et sincere."

"My heart I offer to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely."

Would that today's preachers repent of their methods of extortion and begin to attract and allure God's people by expounding His mercies. Believers will only offer their hearts to God on silver platters if they can understand the mercies of God and how much he has done for them in Christ.