Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Our Poverty compared to God's Majesty

Book One - The Knowledge of God the Creator
Chapter 1 - The knowledge of God & of ourselves are connected. 
How they are interrelated.
Section 1 - Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God
Wisdom starts with knowing God and knowing yourself (Acts 17:28).
Calvin assumes God's existence, without arguing for it.
Dissatisfied with our misery and poverty we are led to know God; 
not by our knowledge or reason.

Section 2 - without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self
Knowing God reveals our own sin.
God is the only standard of righteousness.
We are too easily satisfied with counterfeit, earthly shades of holiness.
Things relatively less vile we take as good, when they are yet far short of God's glory.
As long as we don't measure our ethics up to God's image, it will be flattery and hypocrisy.

Section 3 - man before God's majesty
Men in the Bible in God's presence are full of "dread and wonder."
Judg 13:22; Isa 6:5; Ezek 2:1; 1:28; Judg 6:22-23
We have to compare ourselves with God's majesty before we are truly humbled.
God's words to Job are a good example (Job 38ff).
Also Gen 18:27; 1 Kings 19:13; Job 13:28; 7:5; Ps 22:6; Isa 6:2; 24:23; 2:10, 19.
Though knowing God and ourselves are interconnected, proper teaching looks to God first.

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