Latest / Reformed Thinking / Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1) | John Calvin

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Not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1) | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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You know, usually when you pick up like a historical commentary,
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you kind of brace yourself for a dry, dusty academic exercise.
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Oh yeah, for. Sure, you expect to be reading
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something closer to a dictionary filled with obscure grammar
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rules and endless footnotes that just put you right to sleep.
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Right can be a bit of a slog. But then you crack open John
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Calvin writing about the Apostle Paul, and that expectation is
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just thrown entirely out the window.
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It really is. I mean, it is an absolute
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intellectual autopsy. You are watching a brilliant
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mind take apart one of the most consequential documents in human
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history, sentence by sentence, and, you know, laying the pieces
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out on the table. Welcome to Reformed thinking.
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Today we are taking an incredible piece of writing John
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Calvin's commentary on the 1st chapter of the Apostle Paul's
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letter to the Romans, and we are breaking it down so you gain
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maximum insight without feeling overwhelmed.
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Which is the goal. Yeah, we are so glad you were
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here with us. Think of us as your guides,
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pulling up a chair right next to you.
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Just a casual chat. Right.
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We want to extract the central Nuggets of knowledge from this
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classical text. We're going to examine the sheer
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gravity of Paul's arguments and Calvin's precise analysis of
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human nature, divine sovereignty, and, well, how
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salvation actually works. We have a lot of ground to cover
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today. We are looking at a text that
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strips away a multitude of human assumptions.
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Yeah, it really does. We will see how Calvin
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synthesizes massive theological concepts into a cohesive
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framework, and we will try to understand the mechanics behind
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his logic. Let us jump right into the very
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first verses verses one through 7.
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We start with the messenger himself, Paul, right or as he
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was previously known, Saul. Now I have heard all sorts of
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theories about why his name changed, but Calvin brings up
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some very specific debates from history.
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He. Does, yeah.
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There's this idea from Augustine that I always found kind of.
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I don't know, poetic? The parvilum theory, yes.
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Augustine, writing in the late 4th century, theorized that the
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name change was a shift from a proud, arrogant Saul to a little
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Paul. The Latin word parvulum
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literally means little or small. It is a very romantic notion.
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I mean, you have the idea of this haughty, aggressive
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persecutor of the early church being completely humbled by his
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conversion on the road to Damascus.
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As a result, he chooses a name that literally means small to
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reflect his new subservient status to Christ.
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Augustine loved allegories and, you know, philosophical
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symmetry. He really did.
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He looked for the spiritual metaphor and everything.
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Yeah, but Calvin, who is an incredibly strict textual
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analyst, pushes back against that romantic idea.
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He does. He basically looks at
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Augustine's theory and says that is a lovely thought, but let us
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look at the historical facts. Precisely.
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Calvin actually prefers a theory put forward by Origen, a scholar
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who lived over a century before Augustine.
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Yes, Origen argued that Paul likely always had two names from
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birth. Which makes a lot of sense.
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It does. Calvin finds this far more
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historically plausible, and the historical record supports it.
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Saul would have been the name derived from his Israelite
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kindred. It indicated his religion, his
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family line and his Hebrew descent, while Paul was his
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Roman name added to signify his right to Roman citizenship.
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Which was a massive deal back. Then oh, a huge asset.
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Having Roman citizenship in the 1st century gave you legal
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protections, rates of travel, protection from certain types of
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punishment, and a specific social standing.
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Yeah, it was like having a diplomatic passport.
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Basically, yes, but Calvin points out the strategic
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brilliance here. Paul is writing a letter to the
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Romans. He is operating entirely in the
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Gentile world. Using his Roman name was a
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calculated choice to avoid unnecessary prejudice.
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Because there's a lot of tension.
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Right. Absolutely.
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The name of the Jew labored under a lot of suspicion and
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hatred in the Roman Empire at that time.
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By leading with Paul, he lowers the temperature.
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He avoids inflaming rage among his own countrymen and makes
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himself more acceptable to of the gentiles he is trying to
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reach. It is entirely practical.
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I mean, he isn't hiding his Israelite descent.
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He mentions his Jewish heritage plenty of other times in his
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writings, but he is removing a stumbling block right at the
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front doors. Spot on.
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And Speaking of the front door, Paul immediately establishes his
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credentials right after his name.
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He calls himself a servant and an apostle specifically selected
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by God. Calvin is very sharp on this
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point. He is, He insists that no one
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should presume to teach without a specific divine calling.
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Calvin is relentless on this issue of authorization.
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Paul is claiming to be an apostle not by presumptuous
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intrusion, but by divine appointment.
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OK, let's unpack this. Yeah, because to a modern
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listener, the idea of just standing up and sharing your
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thoughts seems, you know, completely normal.
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Right, everyone has a platform now.
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Yeah, we have social media. Anyone can grab a camera, start
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a blog and be a commentator on religion, politics or
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philosophy, but Calvin is treating the role of teaching
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the gospel like a highly restricted medical license.
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That's a great way to frame it. I think about it like someone
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walking into a busy hospital, finding a white coat in a
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closet, putting it on and just strolling into an operating room
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because they feel very passionate about doing surgery.
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That is a highly accurate comparison for how Calvin views
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this situation. Passion does not equal
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authorization. You cannot simply volunteer to
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be an apostle or a minister of the Word just because you feel
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you have something to say or because you are an eloquent
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speaker. It requires external
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authorization from God. Calvin clarifies that while all
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who teach are servants of Christ, the apostleship wasn't a
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special service. God had to be the author of the
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call so that no one would think Paul had, through his own
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rashness, taken this honor to himself.
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And Calvin does not mince words when he looks around at the
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religious leaders of his own day in the 16th century who he felt
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lacked his genuine calling. He actually calls them dumb
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dogs. That is a striking insult drawn
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straight from the prophet Isaiah.
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Is brutal. It really is.
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Calvin is looking at the bishops and church hierarchy of his era.
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These are leaders who make themselves conspicuous by their
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outward attire, their mitres and their crooks, the fancy hats and
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the ornate staff, but they do not actually preach the Word.
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So they look the part but. But they boast about being the
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direct successors to the apostles, while they fail to do
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the single primary thing an apostle is supposed to do, which
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is preach the gospel. They are wearing the hospital
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coat. They are walking the halls
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looking very official, but they have absolutely no idea how to
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hold a scalpel. They cannot perform the surgery.
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That is precisely Calvin's critique, and that brings us to
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the core of what Paul is actually called to preach.
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Calvin spends a significant amount of ink defining what the
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gospel actually entails. He does, and the very first
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characteristic he highlights in verse 2 is the antiquity of the
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gospel. Paul says this message was
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promised beforehand by the prophets in the Holy Scriptures.
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Why is Calvin so keen to stress that the gospel is an ancient
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message? Why does the age of the message
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matter? Because in the ancient world,
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novelty breeds suspicion. If Paul comes to Rome peddling a
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brand new philosophy that he just invented last week, it
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lacks all authority. Rome and culture respected
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tradition. Calvin notes that Christ did not
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come on the earth unexpectedly introducing a doctrine of a new
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kind that had never been heard of before.
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The Gospel possesses an ancient pedigree.
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It was promised and expected from the very beginning of the
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world. By bringing in the Old Testament
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prophets as approved witnesses, Paul removes the suspicion that
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he's just starting a new rogue cult.
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It anchors the spiritual reality and historical fact.
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And then Calvin gives this incredibly tight, uncompromising
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definition of the gospel. He says the whole gospel is
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included in Christ. If anyone removes one single
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step from Christ, they withdraw themselves from the Gospel
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entirely. That is an intense boundary line
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to draw. It really is.
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It leaves absolutely no room for generic religion.
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Calvin states that he who has made a due proficiency in the
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knowledge of Christ has acquired everything which can be learned
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from the gospel. Seeking to be wise without
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Christ is, in Calvin's words, completely insane.
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The gospel is not a collection of good moral advice, it is a
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person. And Paul gets very specific
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about who this Christ is. In verses 3 and four.
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He points out two distinct natures.
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First, his humanity, that he was made of the seed of David
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according to the flesh. Second, his divinity, which was
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declared by the Spirit and the resurrection from the dead.
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OK, let's unpack this. Why did Paul need to specify
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that Jesus was from the line of David?
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If the goal is eternal salvation, which is a spiritual
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transaction between a human soul and God, why does that physical
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genealogical lineage matter so much?
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What's fascinating here is how the physical lineage acts as the
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verification of the ancient promises we just discussed.
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God does not just work in abstract spiritual concepts, He
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works in human history. Right, he works in the dirt and
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the detail. Precisely.
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If the ancient prophet said the Messiah would come from David's
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specific family line, and Jesus did not, then the entire entire
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structure of the gospel falls apart.
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The lineage proves Jesus is the specific Messiah anticipated by
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the Jews. It is not a spiritual idea
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floating in the ether. It is grounded in real human
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history, in real human flesh. It have to be real.
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Yes, and Calvin uses this to refute historical heresies that
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claim Jesus had some sort of uncreated celestial flesh or
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that he was just a phantom. No, he had real human flesh from
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David and a divine nature from heaven.
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Flesh and spirit. The weakness of the flesh is,
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Calvin notes, yielding to death on the cross, but the celestial
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operation of his own spirit, conquering death through the
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resurrection. It is a stunning summary right
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at the opening of the letter. It is a masterful opening, and
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it flows naturally into Paul's next thoughts.
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Covering verses 8 through 15, we move from Paul's official,
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authoritative credentials into his intense personal affection
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for the believers living in Rome.
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We get to see the pastor's heart behind the towering intellect.
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Yeah, the tone shifts completely.
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The first thing Paul does in verse 8 is thank his God through
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Jesus Christ for all of them, because their faith is spoken of
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throughout the whole world. Now, Calvin Jones on the
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specific phrasing here. Paul thanks God for their faith.
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This is a crucial point of logic for Calvin.
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He argues that Thanksgiving is an acknowledgement of a benefit
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received. Therefore, if you thank God for
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someone else's faith, it proves that faith is a gift given by
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God. It is not an independent human
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achievement. You do not thank God for
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something that a human being manufactured entirely on their
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own, out of their own free will. That logic makes total sense
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when you bring it down to everyday life.
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If my neighbor spends weeks building a beautiful wooden shed
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in his backyard, I do not send a thank you note to the mayor of
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the city. No, you wouldn't.
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I congratulate the neighbor for his hard work, but Paul does not
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congratulate the Romans for their brilliant decision making
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or their intellectual superiority.
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He directs the gratitude to God. Which points to the reality that
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God is the sole author and giver, a faith.
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Calvin insists we need to rouse ourselves to acknowledge God as
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the giver of all our blessings, especially something as
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substantial as faith. It strips away human boasting if
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faith is a gift you cannot brag about.
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Having it. And right after this, in verse
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9, Paul does something that might raise eyebrows for some
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readers. He says, For God is my witness,
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whom I serve with my spirit. He takes a formal oath.
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He does. He calls God as a witness to
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prove the absolute sincerity of His love and his constant
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prayers for the Roman believers. Now, Kelvin uses this specific
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moment to address the Anabaptists of his day.
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If you're listening, the Anabaptists were a radical wing
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of the Reformation in the 1520s and 30s.
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They argue that Christians should never, ever take oaths
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based on a very literal reading of Jesus's words and the Sermon
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on the Mount about letting your yes be yes and your no be no.
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Calvin strongly disagrees with the Anabaptists on this point.
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He breaks down the actual mechanics of an oath.
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He argues that an oath is simply an appeal to God as a witness
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and, crucially, as an avenger in case we deceive.
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Right. For Calvin, swearing reverently
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is actually a mark of true piety.
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It shows that you understand the sacredness of God's name and His
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authority as a judge. He draws a sharp contrast with
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hypocrites or profane people who use God's name lightly, tossing
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it around in casual conversation or like a joke.
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For the pious individual, perjury is a pair.
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Oh, absolutely. They would dread lying under an
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oath more than 1000 deaths because they know they are
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inviting God's judgement. So when Paul says God is my
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witness, he's putting his own soul in line.
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He's trying to prove to the Romans that he genuinely cares
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about them and prays for them continuously.
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And that genuine care leads directly to his desire to visit
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them in person. But look at how Paul phrases his
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intention in verse 12. He initially says he wants to
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impart a spiritual gift to them to confirm them in the faith,
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but then he immediately qualifies his own statement.
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Yeah, he backtracks a bit. He does, he says.
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That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual
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faith both of you and me. This is incredible modesty.
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I mean, he is the selected apostle.
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He has the direct calling from God.
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He wrote half the New Testament, yet he says he wants to visit
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Rome for mutual encouragement. He expects to learn and gain
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courage even from beginners in the faith.
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Calvin is visibly moved by this modesty.
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He notes that there is no one so void of gifts in the church who
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is not able to contribute something to our benefit.
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We all have something to bring to the table.
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Well, precisely the only things hindering us from learning from
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each other are our own envy and our pride.
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We get intoxicated by vain reputation and think we possess
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all the knowledge we need. Paul, with all his sweeping
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authority, disdained not to seek confirmation from unexperienced
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beginners. And he pushes this idea of
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humility even further. In verse 14, Paul says he is a
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debtor both to the Greeks and the Barbarians, to the wise and
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the unwise. I love this concept.
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It's a great metaphor. Think about a brilliant
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university professor who is tasked with teaching quantum
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physics. But his classroom isn't just
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postgraduates. Half the room is filled with
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middle schoolers. He owes a debt to both groups.
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He has to communicate the reality of the subject to the
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highly educated minds without losing their interest.
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But he also has to make it accessible to the kids.
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What's fascinating here is how the gospel completely levels all
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human arrogance. It is a great equalizer.
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The Gospel is destined for the wise, but for a specific reason.
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To subject the wisdom of this world, to make all the lofty
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philosophical arts give way to the simplicity of this doctrine,
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the highly educated must sit quietly as fellow disciples next
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to the unlearned. They have to share a desk.
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You have the Roman senator sitting next to the enslaved
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servant, learning the exact same truth.
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And on the flip side, the unlearned are not to be driven
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away from the school through fear of the subject matter.
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If Paul is a debtor to them, they will find something they
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can understand and enjoy. Calvin says teachers must
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modestly and kindly accommodate themselves to the capacities of
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the ignorant. Which takes patience.
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A lot of patience. The gospel forces the proud
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intellectual to become meek, and it elevates the uneducated into
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the very same classroom of grace.
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Which brings us to verses 16 and 17.
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This is really the hinge of the entire letter to the Romans.
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Paul states he's eager to preach in Rome because, as he says in
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verse 16, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.
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We have to understand the intense cultural context of that
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statement. The Romans value dominance,
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strength, and conquest. Their entire society was built
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on might. Yeah, they were military
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machine. And the Gospel centers on a
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crucified Jewish Carpenter. To the Roman world, the cross
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was not a piece of jewelry. It was the ultimate symbol of
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weakness, shame and criminality. It was a method of execution
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reserved for the lowest of the low.
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It was an object of absolute mockery.
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So for Paul to walk into the capital of the known world, the
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center of military might, and say I am not ashamed of this
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executed man, is incredibly bold.
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He is anticipating the taunts of the ungodly.
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And he counters that anticipated shame by defining what the
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gospel actually accomplishes. He says it is the might of God
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unto salvation to everyone that believes.
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Calvin makes a striking point here about the mechanism of
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salvation. He asserts that vocal public
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preaching is the primary instrument God uses to
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distribute salvation. OK, let's unpack this, because
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that is a very specific claim. Why does it have to be vocal
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preaching? Why couldn't God just bypass the
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human element entirely and give everyone a secret internal
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revelation? Why not just drop the knowledge
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out of the sky directly into someone's brain?
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God certainly has the capability to do that, but Calvin argues
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that God chooses to put forth his ability to save through the
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ministry of the Word. He uses human instruments.
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It is a designed mechanism, right?
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Therefore, those who willfully despise the preaching of the
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gospel, who avoid hearing the words spoken, are literally
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driving away God's delivering hand.
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They are rejecting the medicine because they do not like the
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spoon it is delivered on. But Calvin also adds A caveat to
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this correct, Because obviously not everyone who hears the vocal
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preaching is saved. Two people can sit in the same
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room, hear the exact same sermon, and walk away with
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entirely different reactions. That is correct.
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The gospel is offered to all without difference through the
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external voice, but its efficacy only appears where the Spirit,
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the inward teacher, illuminates the heart.
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So there's an internal and external component.
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Yes, the external word hits the ear, but the internal spirit
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opens the understanding for those who reject it.
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The preaching becomes the savor of death to the ungodly.
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This is not because the gospel itself is flawed, but because of
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their own wickedness in rejecting it.
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And the content of that gospel, the reason it actually saves, is
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revealed in verse 17. For therein is the righteousness
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of God revealed from faith to faith.
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Calvin makes a sharp distinction here about this righteousness of
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God. It is not the vapor of human
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self righteousness. We need to define terms
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carefully here because righteousness can sound like a
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dusty church word. Yeah, he's thrown around a lot.
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Calvin says the righteousness of God means that which is approved
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before his tribunal. Think of it as a legal standing.
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It is the only status that holds up in God's courtroom.
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Human righteousness is just what men count and supposed to be
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righteousness. It is an illusion.
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We are only restored to life because God what freely
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reconciles us to Himself by communicating His own perfect
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righteousness to us. OK, let's unpack this.
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Paul uses the phrase revealed from faith to faith.
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I have heard commentators argue that this means moving from Old
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Testament faith to New Testament faith.
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Is that how Calvin interprets it?
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No, Calvin dismisses that interpretation entirely.
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He views that explanation as being more clever than well
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founded. So what does from faith to faith
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actually mean mechanically? How does a person go from faith
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to faith? Calvin views it as describing
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The Daily Progress of the believer.
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He gives a beautiful, vivid illustration.
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When we first taste the gospel, we see God's smiling face turn
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toward us, but at a distance. It is real, it is genuine, but
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it is far off. As our faith grows, as it
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advances in knowledge through study and experience, we draw
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closer. We behold his favor more clearly
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and familiarly. So from faith to faith means the
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continuous progressive growth of our trust and the corresponding
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increase of our grasp on God's righteousness.
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It is a process of increasing clarity.
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I absolutely love that image, the smiling face of God coming
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closer and closer into focus as the years go by.
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And Paul anchors this entire concept by quoting the ancient
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prophet Habakkuk. The just shall live by faith.
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Calvin leans heavily into this quote.
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Habakkuk was an Old Testament prophet writing during a time of
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terrifying national crisis when the Chaldeans were threatening
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to destroy Judah. The question was, how does a
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righteous person survive this? Right when everything is falling
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apart. Exactly.
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Calvin asks how do we live before God only through
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righteousness? If the just live by faith, then
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our righteousness is obtained by faith.
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But Calvin clarifies what this faith actually does.
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It isn't just a mental exercise or agreeing with a list of
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facts. Faith secures the perpetuity of
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life because it leads us to God and makes our life depend
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entirely on Him. It is the exact opposite of the
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ungodly who swell with the false notion of having life and shout
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peace and safety, relying on their own strength just before
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sudden destruction comes upon them.
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To live by faith means letting go of all worldly arrogance and
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resting completely on God's protection.
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It is a posture of total reliance.
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You realize you have nothing to offer, so you cling entirely to
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what God provides. Which sets up a massive, jarring
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collision with the next section of Paul's letter, covering
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verses 18 through 23. If the gospel is the cure, this
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total reliance on God's free righteousness, we have to
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understand the pure magnitude of the disease.
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Paul violently shifts the camera from the smiling face of God to
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the wrath of God being revealed from heaven against all
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ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.
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Calvin defines these two distinct terms carefully.
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Impiety or ungodliness is an offense directly against God.
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It is dishonouring His Majesty. Unrighteousness is injustice
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toward fellow men. But really, Calvin argues, it
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all boils down to one massive core failure, human ingratitude.
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To prove this universal guilt, Paul points to the natural
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world. He says the things of God, like
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his eternal might and divine nature, are clearly seen from
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the creation of the world. Calvin refers to the universe as
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a mirror or a beautiful picture. If we connect this to the bigger
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picture, Calvin is arguing that humans were given eyes
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specifically to be spectators of this cosmic theater.
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We were placed here to look at the exquisite order of the
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elements, the structure of the world, the turning of the stars,
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and trace the artwork back to the Creator.
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Think about your own life. You do not look at a massive,
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complex Florida State running grandfather clock with all its
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intricate gears and springs and assume it just assembled itself
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out of dust in the corner of the room.
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No, of course not. You assume a clockmaker.
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That is the exact logic Calvin uses.
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He says God is invisible in himself, but His Majesty shines
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forth in his works everywhere. If you see something that was
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framed and organized with such precision, you logically
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conclude there must be a framer who is without beginning.
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So the conclusion Pohl draws in verse 20 is utterly devastating,
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so that they are without excuse. That is the primary function of
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this natural knowledge. Calvin is very precise here.
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He states that this knowledge from observing creation is not
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enough to bring salvation. Looking at a sunset cannot tell
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you the specific saving mercy of Christ on the cross.
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Right. A tree can't preach the gospel
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to you. Precisely.
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But it is entirely sufficient to take away any excuse before
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God's tribunal. No one can stand before the
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judge at the end of time and claim I had no idea there was a
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God. The evidence was overwhelming,
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like clear painted across the sky.
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But the root failure, as we mentioned, wasn't a lack of
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evidence, Verse 21 says, because that when they knew God, they
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glorified him not as God neither we're thankful they actively
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choke the seed of right knowledge.
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They turned away from the undeniable truth and turned to
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the vanity of their own human reason.
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Here's where it gets really interesting to me, humanity's
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vanity is like a person standing outside in a field under the
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brilliant warm sunlight. OK, but instead of enjoying it,
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they deliberately squeeze their eyes shut, start complaining
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bitterly about how dark and cold it is, and then try to invent a
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cheap plastic flashlight to replace the sun.
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That analogy captures the absurdity of idolatry perfectly.
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Calvin points out the specific attributes we owe God based on
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creation, His eternity, might, wisdom, goodness, justice, and
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mercy. By refusing to give Him the
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praise due to those attributes, humanity became completely
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infatuated with their own delusions.
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They're foolish minds were enveloped in darkness.
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Let me play devil's advocate for a second.
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If God created human reason, why does Calvin think human reason
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automatically produces false gods?
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Isn't that a paradox? If our brains are designed by
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God, shouldn't they lead us back to Him?
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That is a great question. Kelvin's argument is that human
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reason was originally designed to lead us to God, but the fall
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corrupted it. Reason without divine revelation
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is now fractured. It's like a compass sitting next
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to a magnet. It still works mechanically, but
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it points in the wrong direction.
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Oh, that makes sense. So when humans trying to figure
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out God using only their corrupted reason, they invent
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idols. And what did they replace the
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sun with? Verse 23 says they changed the
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glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like the
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corruptible man and two birds and four footed beasts and
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creeping things. They drag the infinite Creator
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down to the level of a reptile. It is the ultimate indignity.
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Calvin finds it staggering that men would dare to form so gross
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an idea of His Majesty, and he makes a very specific point to
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implicate absolutely everyone in this It wasn't just the
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uneducated masses who engaged in this idolatry.
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Calvin explicitly points to the philosophers.
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Even the smart guys, the intellectual elite of the
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ancient world. Even the smartest.
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He mentions Plato by name. He says that human reason, left
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entirely to itself, always produces false gods.
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The philosopher sought to be wise of themselves, to draw God
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down to a level they could comprehend intellectually.
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None were exempt. Priests, statesman,
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philosophers, all of them approved of forming an image of
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God, which proves their notions of God were entirely absurd and
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depraved. It is a cosmic treason, and that
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brings us to verses 24 through 32, the judgment of abandonment.
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How does the Creator respond to this treason, this blinding
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ingratitude, and this lowering of His Majesty to the status of
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animals? Verse 24 has one of the most
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chilling phrases in all of Scripture.
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Wherefore God also gave them up. It is a terrifying concept, and
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Calvin is very meticulous in how he handles the mechanics of this
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judgement. When Paul says God gave them up
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to uncleanness, Calvin clarifies that this is not passive
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permission. It's not just.
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God looking the other way, taking his hands off the
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steering wheel and saying do whatever you.
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Want No, Calvin insists. It is the active, equitable
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judgement of God. He acts as a judge who hands a
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convicted criminal over to the executioner.
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In this case, the executioners are their own lusts and Satan.
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God so arranges things that they are carried into madness by
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their own desires as a just punishment for their previous
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impiety. OK, let's unpack this, because
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that sounds really heavy and it raises a massive philosophical
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issue. If God actively hands them over
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to their lusts and arranges things so they fall into
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madness, does that make God the author of their sin?
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Calvin anticipates that exact question as it is the most
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common objection. He clearly states that the cause
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of sin is not from God. The roots of the sin ever abide
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in the Sinner himself. The internal corruption, the
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desire to do evil, is already entirely present within the
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human heart. What God does in His righteous
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judgment is remove the restraint.
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He stops holding them back from what they already desperately
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want to do. That is right.
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Calvin argues that God normally restrains human evil through
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natural law, conscience, and societal structures.
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But when humanity pushes God away entirely, his judgement is
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to withdraw that restraint. He allows the internal depravity
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to run its full, devastating course.
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They alienated themselves from his goodness, so he cast them
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headlong into the courses they chose, which lead to absolute
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ruin. And the consequences detailed in
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the text are grotesque because humanity reversed the natural
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order of worshipping the Creator, choosing the creature
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instead. Their own natural human
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affections were subsequently reversed.
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Paul details a descent into behaviors that, as Calvin points
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out, even brute beasts support. It is a symmetrical punishment.
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Calvin sees a direct logical relationship here.
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Since nothing is dearer to us in our own honor, it is the most
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suitable punishment for reproaching the divine majesty
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that men would bring absolute disgrace upon their own bodies.
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They sought to extinguish the glory of God, so as a
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consequence, they deserve to become blind at noonday and
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forget themselves entirely, degrading their own humanity.
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Paul follows this with a massive catalog of vices in verses 29
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through 31. It is a brutal, exhaustive list.
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Fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness,
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envy, murder, debate, deceit just goes on and on.
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Calvin notes that Paul isn't saying every single person
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committed every single one of these crimes individually, but
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he is saying that in all ages these abominations have
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prevailed without restraint across humor societies.
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The entire race of man is involved in this depravity so
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that everyone might separately be accused of manifest vices.
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I found Calvin's distinction between two specific vices on
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this list really insightful. He separates whisperers from
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slanderers, yes. Whisperers or Backbiters are
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those who use secret accusations to break off friendships.
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They operate in the shadows, sowing discord and defaming the
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innocent quietly behind closed doors.
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Sneaky, very. Slanderers, on the other hand,
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operate out of innate malignity in the open.
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They are instigated by the fury of evil speaking and openly ruin
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reputations without sparing anyone.
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Both are terribly destructive to human flourishing, they just use
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different tactics. Think about the modern
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equivalents. The Whisperer is the person
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forwarding the blind item e-mail or starting a private group chat
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to tear someone down. The slanderer is the person
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getting on a public stage and shouting, accusations and all
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leads to the summit, the absolute peak of this dark
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mountain. In verse 32, Paul says that
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knowing the judgement of God, knowing that people who commit
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these things are worthy of death, they not only do the
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same, but have pleasure in them to do them.
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They consent to them. Calvin calls this the summit of
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all evils. It is one thing to yield to
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temptation. Human beings are weak.
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They fall into vice. A person might steal because
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they are desperate or lie out of sudden fear, but it is a far
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more desperate state of wickedness to throw away all
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shame entirely. To become completely hardened
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and unbothered by the evil. Yes, When a person is ashamed of
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their sin, Calvin says they are as yet healable.
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There is hope because the conscience is still somewhat
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active, but when imputings is contracted through habits so
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that vices actually please us and we undertake the patronage
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of those vices, trying to erase the very distinction between
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right and wrong, that is the ultimate rebellion.
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It is openly applauding and protecting evil and direct
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opposition to the righteousness of God.
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So what does this all mean? We have gone from the high
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calling of the apostle to the smiling face of God, all the way
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down to the darkest depths of human depravity and societal
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collapse. If we synthesize Calvin's
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analysis of this chapter, it operates as a massive leveling
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mechanism. This text strips away every
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single ounce of human boasting. It proves that the sophisticated
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philosopher is just as guilty before God as the Pagan
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idolater. Everyone is on the same playing
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field. Right.
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The entire world stands guilty of grossing gratitude, actively
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suppressing the truth of the Creator, And by painting the
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stark, undeniable picture of total human ruin, Calvin shows
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us that Paul is leaving humanity with only one viable rescue.
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There is no ladder we can build to climb out of this pit.
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Our reason is fractured, our desires are corrupted, and our
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societies applaud vice. None.
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The only rescue is the sheer mercy found in the gospel of
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Christ. We are utterly lost in
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ourselves, so life must be recovered in another way,
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through the righteousness of God freely given by faith.
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It is a stunning, sobering architecture of thought.
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It forces you to look at the reality of the world and the
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absolute necessity of grace. And it leaves me with a
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lingering question, something for you listening to Mull over
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on your own as you go about your week.
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If the ultimate sign of societal collapse in the ancient world
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was the public celebration and approval of evil, throwing away
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shame entirely and applauding vice, how do we critically
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evaluate the things our current society throws parades for?
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When you look at the awards we give out or the behaviors we
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encourage and trend on social media, are we seeing the exact
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same summit of evil that Paul described 2000 years ago?
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It is something to seriously think about it.
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Forces a very honest, uncomfortable look in the mirror
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for any culture. It certainly does.
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Thank you for joining us on this deep dive on reformed thinking.
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We love unpacking these historical texts with you and we
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will catch you on the next one.