God’s Spirit Rules Over Us.

Although we are full of disobedience, yet God’s Spirit rules over us to hold down the passions and to keep them in subjection. Therefore it is said that we have risen with him (Christ), as Paul declares in … Colossians. But this was not yet made manifest under the Law. Therefore, it was necessary that the fathers who lived at that time should have some help, such as the sacrifices, to nourish them in the hope of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they might know that their sins were washed away by the blood of the mediator. Similarly, they had the Sabbath day as a warrant for the grace that was purchased for us in order to put to death our thoughts and passions, so that God might live in us by the power of his Holy Spirit (Gal 2.19,20).

-o0o0o-

What an encouragement it is to know that God’s Spirit is given to rule in our hearts so that our passions may be subdued and held in check.  Don’t think that you are worse than others just because you are plagued by lusts and passions.  God knows you, and has made provision for these very eventualities.  He has given us His Spirit to do this sanctifying work in our hearts and prepare us for our home in heaven.  Remember, our sins have been washed away in the blood of Christ so go to Him when you sin, and plead for His free mercy and forgiveness.  The Sabbath day is the guarantee that God will yet be gracious to us, that He cares for us, and that He will keep us close to Himself.  Take yourself to Him afresh today, confessing your sins; come with grief and hatred of those sins, and accept His free pardon from His hand.  He is waiting to be gracious to you.

The Day of Rest!

The prophet Isaiah says that if the day of rest is not kept, anything else is of no worth (Isa. 58.13). Therefore, men must give up their own virtues and be content to leave them, or else it is not the LORD’s Sabbath, nor will he approve of what they are doing. In this we see that it is useless just to observe the ceremony. For the Jews kept the ceremony very properly when they assembled on the Sabbath day; and they didn’t lift a finger to do housework, yet they fed their own wicked desires. Afterwards they followed their desires and thereby mocked God, abusing his name and defacing and falsifying the entire order that he had ordained. For this reason he rebuked them. The most important thing was for them to see the meaning of the figure, which was to serve God spiritually. It was necessary for the Jews to keep the ceremony as they were commanded. But God kept them from having its pure substance. Instead they had only the shadow until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-o0o0o-

The Sabbath day observance is not just a ceremony – if it is only that to you, then you have not kept it!  Is it merely something that you do, or is it something that God has provided for your good?  If it is just an action that you do, then, says Calvin, it is not the LORD’s Sabbath that you are keeping.  Does that surprise you?  Does it offend you?  How often we imagine we are observing God’s Sabbath when in fact we are breaking it religiously!  We deserve to be rebuked by our Father.  The most important lesson for us is to see to it that we serve God spiritually everyday, and not just one day a week.  Do you do that?  Make up you mind today to make every day a Sabbath to the LORD.  

Indebted to God.

Now let us see if we are to be excused when we defraud God of his due by disdaining to open our lips to confess how much we are bound and indebted to him after we have received so many benefits at his hand. Let all the blessings that all the men in the world can give to God be laid in the balance against the blessing with which he enriches them; and which has the greater worth? All that they can put forward is that it is needful for them to confess that they can neither say nor do anything that is worth while, whereas at the same time God shows us that he has all that is requisite for our happiness. Therefore it is not without reason that Paul says here that the faithful must fully devote and apply their minds and endeavours to bless the name of God, seeing that he gives them so great cause, for otherwise they would be unthankful and churlish… 

When he says ‘the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’, it must be explained in this way, that the God whom we feel so favourable to us is the Father of our Lord Christ. This circumstance deserves to be noted well.

-o0o0o-

Calvin is at pains to emphasise the innumerable blessings that God has given us.  Section after section, he highlights God’s sheer goodness to guilty worms such as we are.  His utter astonishment at His treatment of us is unmatched.  Hence, the passion with which he calls us to worship and praise His great and holy Name.  Have you really worshipped Him today?  Has your heart been filled with love for Him?  Do you know personal assurance of His love for you?  Then, thank Him.  If not, seek Him for this most precious spiritual gift and blessing, and He’ll give it to you.

How Does God Bless Us?

After what manner does he [God] bless us?  We do not bless him as he blesses us. We come far short of that. For (as I have shown already from the sixteenth Psalm) all our services can do him no good. Again, we have to conclude that (as I have also shown from Ps.116) all that we can bring to God is no more than this acknowledgement that we are bound to him for all the good things we have. You see then that all our blessing is but to yield the sacrifice of praise to God. Let that serve for one point.

But now, when God blesses us, is it simply in words? No! No! But it is a filling of us and a bestowing of all things upon us that we want, as far as is needful. And why is this word ‘blessing’ attributed to him? Because he does not need to labour and take great pains to help his servants and to give them what he knows is expedient for them. If he simply says the word, that is to say, if he only declares his will, the thing is done.

Since then God, having created the world by his word alone, has power also to do us good simply by commanding it, therefore it is said that we become rich by his blessing alone, that is to say, by his showing himself loving and favourable to us.

-o0o0o-

To keep us humble, Calvin reminds us that we can add nothing to God.  What we have, we received from His gracious hand. His blessing of us far exceeds our blessing of Him. Let us acknowledge today His great goodness to us, with thankfulness and joy. His blessing of us is much more than mere words – His blessings are most practical.  Name His many blessings to you one by one, and you’ll be surprised at what the Lord had done for you today.  And be thankful, without complaining.

Fine Outward Show and Appearance.

It is true that, if men put on some c, they will be accounted as righteous as can be, and their virtues will be commended everywhere… But we must remember that it is said in Acts 15:9 that God cleanses men’s hearts by faith.  And he had great reason to do so, for (as the prophet Jeremiah says) man’s heart is a pit of horrible confusion [17:9].  We ourselves do not perceive it, but God has clearer eyes than me.  Be that as it may, let us assure ourselves of this, that all the holiness which men imagine they have is but corruption and abominable before God, until such time as they are made one by the faith of the gospel. 

 Therefore note it for a settled point that no other holiness is accepted and acknowledged at God’s hand than the holiness of believers.  For except we first become Christians we are blind and can never render to God his due… 

Again, seeing that the spirit of perfection, the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of righteousness and the spirit of purity abide and rest in Jesus Christ, it is certain that all such as are separated from him have nothing else in them but vice and all manner of uncleanness, however much the world may applaud them.

-o0o0o-

Beware of mere outward religious show!  Men look on the outward appearance, and can be deceived by what they see.  But there is forgiveness with God, and hearts can be cleansed.  Any holiness that we might imagine we have is an abomination to God, “filthy rags,” Isaiah calls it.  Only the holiness of believers is acceptable before God; no other holiness exists.  Those outside of Him have nothing in them but evil, etc.  Therefore, the world’s applause is useless.  Hence the urgent need to become Christians.