Book I has as its overarching subject the knowledge of God. Up to this point Calvin has examined the inability of man to see God’s revelation in creation. Then he explained the necessity of Scripture asserting it as authoritative because God is its author. This Scripture reveals the true God to be one God in three Persons. This Triune God created the world, and angels, and man. Chapter 15 deals with God’s creation of man. Calvin introduces the chapter this way; “We must now speak of the creation of man: not only because among all God’s work here is the noblest and most remarkable example of his justice, wisdom, and goodness; but because, as we said at the beginning, we cannot have a have a clear and complete knowledge of God unless it is accompanied by a corresponding knowledge of ourselves" (Pg., 183).
My question is, “What does Calvin mean by a ‘corresponding knowledge?’” Also, “Where does this knowledge come from?” Natural theology cannot help us because, as Calvin rightly asserted, man in his sinful state man cannot see himself in his sin. If in our sin we conjure up a concept of God or ourselves it will be idolatry. God cannot, must not be after our own image or idea. But our understanding of ourselves must not be after our own image or idea either. Feurbach’s criticism must always be remembered by us in the church. He basically said the knowledge of God is really knowledge about us. Our “religion” tells us and the world what we admire, want, and where we want to go when we die. This must be avoided. That is, our theology and anthropology must not merely be self-made constructs. To often the church has projected its idea of God as true theology, rather than letting God give us theology. How do we avoid it? God by his grace must come to us by revelation.
Calvin’s “corresponding knowledge of ourselves,” must mean, should mean, what God has revealed about man. In chapter 15, as we see in the summary below, that is what he practiced at any rate. He relied on Scripture’s revelation for his knowledge of man, and corresponded it with Scripture’s revelation of God.
Here is the summary of chapter 15.
1. This knowledge of us according to Scriptures story has 2 departments. (1) What we were like when we were first created. (2) What we are like, what is our condition now that the human race is fallen in sin.
2. Man was created upright, holy, and fully human by God. No person can truthfully, nor should sinfully blame God for man’s present corruption. It was man himself who sought out many inventions.
3. Man consists of body and soul. The body in this life is temporal, to make way for the future resurrection. But the soul is immortal; it never dies. Calvin, commenting on the immortality of the soul writes, “Now the very knowledge of God sufficiently proves that souls, which transcend the world, are immortal, for no transient energy could penetrate to the fountain of life” (Pg., 184). The body in this life is temporal, to make way for the future resurrection. But the soul is immortal; it never dies. This soul is sometimes called a spirit. Calvin held that the human being is made of body and soul. Not body, soul, and spirit.
On this point let me point out that modern evangelicalism and its habit of believing man to be a tripartite being has been behind the enormous Christian psychology fad. The soul and spirit are separate they say. The soul is the tool through which we function in human relationships, but the spirit is for God alone. This has accelerated the secularization of the church. Gladly, this is not in Calvin.
4. That man has a soul which is immortal is further evidenced by the fact that he was created in the image of God. This image does not find its manifestation in the body; but rather it is manifested in the soul, which distinguishes man from the brute animal.
5. Adam’s fall, Adam’s free will. In man’s original state of innocence, the mind of the soul (God at creation provided man’s soul with a mind), excelled so that his reason, understanding, prudence, and judgment were so perfect that not only did he live in happiness on this earth, but even had fellowship with God. But man also excelled in the integrity of his free will. By his free will had the power to choose life and love God. The test in the garden was a test of Adam’s love and trust in God.
6. The image of God in man has now been ruined due to the fall. Alas, Adam willed to sin. So, in knowing ourselves as we are now, and as we were then let us remember, “Man was far different at the first creation from his whole posterity, who deriving their origin from him in his corrupted state, have contracted from him a hereditary taint” (Pg., 196). The true nature of God’s image in man can now come only by regeneration, through the work of the 2nd Adam - Jesus Christ.
7. What is wrought in this restoration, in this new birth? Calvin mentions two things. “In the first place he posits knowledge, then pure righteousness and holiness” (Pg., 189).
The Image of God in man was ruined. We maintain it structurally only, not morally or doxologically. But God had mercy. In the gospel of Jesus renewed. Those renewed in Christ put on the new man, who has been created according to God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. This was man’s original image – created after the image of God. It is restored again to fallen man by God. Praise his name.
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