Introduction to the Institutes

Understanding God and Ourselves

(by Brandon Higginbotham)

I’ve recently been reading the Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. One doesn't need to go very far into the book to discover it to be a very devotional and thought provoking time of study. In the first chapter, Calvin begins with the statement, “Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.” He goes on to argue that we cannot know God unless we have a clear understanding of ourselves, and we cannot understand ourselves unless we have a clear understanding of God. In understanding ourselves we must see the wickedness and utter helplessness of our naturally sinful condition. Calvin states, “Thus, our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us, that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves.” However, if we only look at ourselves we’re going to have a distorted view. As a fallen creature, we are bound to only see the good in ourselves. To tear down the veil that covers our eyes and prohibits us from seeing who we truly are, we must first look to a Holy and Righteous God, and then look at ourselves. Calvin writes, “So long as we do not look beyond the earth, we are quite pleased with our own righteousness, wisdom, and virtue; we address ourselves in the most flattering terms, and seem only less than demigods. But should we once begin to raise our thoughts to God, and reflect what kind of Being he is, and how absolute the perfection of that righteousness, and wisdom, and virtue, to which, as a standard, we are bound to be conformed, what formerly delighted us by its false show of righteousness will become polluted with the greatest iniquity.” Our thoughts need to go beyond the superficial and temporal. God has given us a mind for a purpose, and we need to use it to have profound thoughts of God. Deep contemplation on realities such as God, sin, existence, creation, death, and eternity need to be a constant habit in our daily lives or else we’ll sink into a life of triviality and complacency. We need to continually look at the face of God and then look into ourselves to be reminded of the vast gulf that separates His holiness from our sinfulness. Once we are shocked and humbled by our helpless and devastating estate, we can cling more passionately to Jesus Christ who stands as our Mediator and our only hope to be counted as righteous before such a Holy God.