John Calvin on Self-Denial - Final Thoughts

Scripture comes to our rescue with the best of reasons for doing good to all people. It teaches us not to regard others according to their own merits, but to consider in them the image of God to which we owe both honor and love. But the image of God should be more diligently regarded in those who are of the household of faith, because it has been renewed and restored in them by the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 6:10).

Therefore, you have no cause to evade anyone who stands before you and needs your service. Supposed he's a stranger. The Lord, however, has stamped him with His own mark that's familiar to you, and for that reason God forbids you to despise your own flesh. Suppose he is contemptible and worthless. The Lord, however, shows him to be whom He has condescended to decorate with His own image. Suppose you owe him nothing for what he's done. But God -- to whom you know you are obligated because of His many wonderful benefits to you -- puts Himself, as it were, in that person's place. Suppose he is unworthy of even your smallest labors for his sake. But the image of God, according to which this person is commended to you, warrants you giving of yourself and your all....When He orders you to forgive that man for whatever sin he has committed against you, He calls you to do so not because that man deserves it, but because God Himself has forgiven you (Luke 17:3-4). This is the only path to achieving that which is not only difficult for, but entirely adverse to, our human nature -- that is, loving those who hate us, repaying evil with good, and blessing those who curse us (Matthew 5:44). We must be sure not to dwell on the wickedness of men, but rather to consider the image of God in them. That image, concealing and obliterating their shortcomings, entices us by its beauty and dignity to love and welcome them.

John Calvin on Self-Denial - Part V

Scripture teaches us that all the gifts we utilize are given to us by God. And they are given along with this law of our faith -- that they be put to use for the good of our neighbors. But Scripture goes even further than this when it compares us and the gifts we've been given to the members of a human body. No member of the body exists to serve itself, nor does each member exist merely for its own private use. Rather, it puts its abilities to use for the other members of the body. Nor does any member of the body alone receive any advantage from itself outside of that which belongs to the entire body. Whatever, therefore, a godly man is able to do, he should do it for his brothers. He should consider his own interests only insofar as he sets his mind on the general edification of the whole church. Let this, then, be our rule for kindness and benevolence: We are merely stewards of whatever gifts God has given to us in order to help our neighbors. We must give an account of our stewardship, and right stewardship is that which is fueled by the rule of love. Consequently, we must not merely join zeal for the good of others with concern for our own well-being, but we must submit concern for our own well-being to the good of others.

John Calvin on Self-Denial - Part IV

We will meet many difficulties as we try to dutifully seek the good of our neighbors. We won't make any headway in this regard unless we lay aside concern for ourselves -- indeed, unless we somehow lay aside our very self. For how, unless we forsake ourselves and commit ourselves wholly to others, can we bring forth those works that Paul identifies as love? "Love," he says, "is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable;" and so on. That single command that we not insist on our own way -- with what force must we resist our own nature to pursue it. Our very nature inclines us to self-love. As a result, we don't easily deny ourselves or our desire in order to see the good of others. Even less are we willing to give up our right to something and give that right to another.

In order to lead us by the hand to such self-denial, Scripture warns us that whatever we have freely received from the Lord is given to us on the condition that it be used for the common good of the church.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. (1 Peter 4:10)

The proper use, then, of all the good gifts we have received is the free and generous sharing of those gifts with others.

John Calvin on Self-Denial - Part III

The denial of ourselves is partly in reference to men and is partly--indeed, chiefly--in reference to God. Scripture orders us to live with men in such a way as to prefer their honor to our own and to devote ourselves in good faith to promoting their welfare (Rom.12:10).

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves (Phil 2:2)

Thus it gives us commands that our souls are incapable of fulfilling unless our souls are emptied of their natural inclination. Each of us thinks we have just cause for elevating ourselves and despising all others in comparison to ourselves--our self-love ruins us with such blindness. If, in fact, God as gifted us with something that is good in itself, we immediately make it the basis for praising ourselves to such a degree that we not only swell up but almost burst with pride.

We carefully conceal our abundant vices from others--and we pretend they're small and insignificant. In fact, we so delude ourselves that we sometimes embrace our vices as virtues. When others possess gifts that we would admire in ourselves--or even better gifts--we spitefully ridicule and degrade their gifts, refusing to rightly acknowledge them as gifts. Similarly, when others possess vices, we're not content merely to point them out and harshly and sternly reproach them, but we wickedly exaggerate them. Thus our arrogance grows as we seek to exalt ourselves above others, as if we were different from them. Truly, there's no one who does not flippantly and boldly disregard and despise others as inferiors. Yes, the poor outwardly defer to the rich, common people to nobles, servants to masters, the unlearned to the educated. But there's not one who does not nourish a high opinion of himself within.

Calvin on Self-Denial - Part II

After a brief break, here is more from John Calvin. We left off with Calvin exhorting us to forget ourselves and our own interests:

Rather, we are God's. Therefore, let us live and die to Him. We are God's. Therefore, let His wisdom and His will govern all our actions. We are God's. Therefore, let us - in every way in all our lives - run to Him as our only proper end. How far has he progressed who's been taught that he is not his own - who's taken rule and dominion away from his own reason and entrusted them to God. For the plague of submitting to our own rule leads us straight to ruin, but the surest way to safety is neither to know nor to want anything on our own, but simply to follow the leading of the Lord.

Let then our first step be to abandon ourselves, that we may apply all our strength to obedience to God. When I say "obedience," I don't mean giving lip service to God; but rather, being free from the desire of the flesh, turning our minds over completely to the bidding of the Spirit of God. The philosophers are ignorant of this transformation (which Paul calls the "renewing of the mind") even though it constitutes the very beginning of life (Eph. 4:23). They enthrone man's reason alone as ruler, and they think it alone should be listened to. Indeed, they grant and entrust government of conduct to human reason alone. But Christian philosophy, on the other hand, orders human reason to give place - to submit and yield - the Holy Spirit. For it's not now we who live, but Christ who lives and reigns in us (Gal 2:20).

Calvin on Self-Denial: Part I

John Calvin in his Institutes wrote about the Christian life. From his writings, I will be sharing his thoughts on self-denial. Here is how he introduces the subject:

The law of the Lord is the best and most suitable instruction for the proper ordering of our lives. Nevertheless, it seemed good to our heavenly teacher to conform us by an even more precise rule than what's given in the precepts of the law. This is the sum of that rule: It is the duty of believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. And in this consists genuine worship of Him. From this rule is derived the exhortation that believers not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of their minds, so that by testing they may discern what is the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

This is a marvelous thing -- we are consecrated and dedicated to God to the end that we might not think, speak, meditate, or act unless it be to His glory. The sacred can't be put to profane use without injustice to God.

If we are no our own but the Lord's, it's clear what errors we must flee, and what we must direct our whole lives toward. We are not our own; therefore, neither our reason nor our will should dominate our plans and actions. We are not our own; therefore, let us not make the gratification of our flesh our end. We are not our own; therefore, as much as possible, let us forget ourselves and our own interests.