Man or God? Do we have to know ourselves first or God first? Where do we start? To begin with, the Bible teaches that all men by nature have the awareness of divinity (Divinitatis sensum; cf. Rom. 1:19-21). All men know there is a God, and they have no excuse for ignorance. It would seem like we should then begin with man and his understanding of God. But that would be tragic. If fallen and depraved man were to define who God is, we would only be able to think of God in creaturely terms. This is what Romans 1:22-23 tells us: "professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things."
The idea that man must define God in his own image has proven to be the error of liberal Christianity. Man may think that he is capable of defining who he is, when in fact he is blind to his own condition. For sinful man to presume to define God leaves man with an idol of his own making. We hear such statements as, "God loves all men," or "God would never punish anyone forever in hell," or "in the end God will say ‘Yes' to all men." When men are confronted with the justice and judgment of God, the ultimate conclusion of fallen man is found in Psalm 14:1, "There is no God."
God is Sovereign
Much of the error in theology today is predicated on the fact that God is not known. For fallen man to know God, God must reveal Himself to him. That revelation comes by God's Word and Holy Spirit. God Himself must open our eyes to see Him and believe in Him. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).
Calvin begins and ends with a focus on knowing God as the sovereign creator and redeemer. God has the might and the right to do anything He pleases. He is the God of sovereign mercy, grace, and love.
Calvin understood the holiness of God over against sinful men. He stated, "... it is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked upon God's face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself" (Institutes I.1.2).
Man Exists for God
Is it any wonder that man has such a warped view of himself, if he does not know God? It is God who has revealed the total depravity and hopelessness of man apart from Him. It is God who has revealed His covenant of grace and carried it out for man. Without the knowledge of God by true faith, man will have no reverence for God or any of His creation. It is only when man is affected by the majesty of God that he can truly know himself. Without knowing God, it is impossible for man to know himself as a dependant.
Calvin's contribution was to emphasize that man's very existence is for the glory of God. Fallen man was purchased by the blood of Christ, and set free, so he may again glorify God. For us the word grace encompasses all of our life-both our faith and our works. Man has real life only if he is a new creation in Jesus Christ. It is that new life that is totally dependant on and dedicated to God. Calvin rejected the notion of a works-righteousness, and replaced it with the teaching that all our works must flow out of our faith in Jesus Christ, as a thank-offering to God.
No, we do not worship Calvin, nor did he ever seek to be our authority. What Calvin did was to expound the Word of God as our absolute authority. With that, we are able to see the majesty of God and the dependence of man on His mercy and grace alone. It is not surprising that Calvin's teachings spread like wildfire to people all over the world-because his teachings touched every facet of life with that simple premise: "Know God, and you will know yourself."
