August 9
Sanctification: Growing in Grace and Holiness; the Work and Person of the Holy Spirit
In preparation for class, please read: John 17:6-19, Romans 12:1-21, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Calvin sees sanctification as living our lives with the eyes of our souls fixed on the beauty of Christ rather than with the eyes of physical sight comparing ourselves to the relative goodness of others. So sanctification is never a matter of works of merit, but of seeking to please and emulate the God who loves and redeems us.
If we, then, are not our own but the Lord's, it is clear what error we must flee, and whither we must direct all the acts of our life.
We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours.
Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal. O, how much has that man profited who, having been taught that he is not his own, has taken away dominion and rule from his own reason that he may yield it to God! For, as consulting our self-interest is the pestilence that most effectively leads to our destruction, so the sole haven of salvation is to be wise in nothing and to will nothing through ourselves but to follow the leading of the Lord alone. Institutes 3.vii.1
Calvin calls the Holy Spirit "the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to himself" (3.i.1) and then says, "faith is the principal work of the Holy Spirit" (3.i.3).
Who is the Holy Spirit and how does he relate to sanctification? See Romans 15:14-16 and 1 Peter 1:1-2.
In the Upper Room discourse, John uses the word para,klhtoj, or Paraclete in relating Jesus' words to us. The word means "one who is called along side." Notice the various ways modern translators render the word. The Amplified Version cannot settle on a single word. In what ways does the translator's conundrum help us? How might Calvin's sense of the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit add to our conversation?
- In what ways have you best understood the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
- How would you define sanctification?
- Calvin will develop a theme of self-renunciation as a way to understand sanctification. What does it mean to renounce self in life-giving ways?
- Complete the sentence: If I am not my own then…
- Complete the sentence: If I belong to God then…