Predestination: neither speculation nor ingratitude

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 21 - Eternal Election, by which God has predestined some to salvation, others to destruction

Sections 1-4 - Importance of predestination excludes presumption, and reticence to speak of it.

1. Predestination confuses some, and they raise unnecessary objections. "We shall never be clearly persuaded, as we ought to be, that our salvation flows from the wellspring of God's free mercy until we come to know His eternal election... He does not indiscriminately adopt all into the hope of salvation but gives to some what He denies to others." See Rom 11:5-6. Affirming predestination keeps us humble, and assured of our salvation (John 10:28-29). But "it is not right for man unrestainedly to search out things that the Lord has willed to be hid in himself."

2. "The Word of the Lord is the sole way that can lead us in our search for all that it is lawful to hold concerning Him." "To seek any other knowledge of predestination than what the Word of God discloses is not less insane than if one should purpose to walk in a pathless waste (Job 12:24)." Don't go beyond what the Word says about it!

3. "We must guard against depriving believers of anything disclosed about predestination in Scripture." "Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit." "When He sets an end to teaching, [we should] stop trying to be wise." What is our rule, then? To search out what He has revealed to us - Deut 29:29.

4. Some say we shouldn't teach predestination, since some will distort or mock it. But they do the same with the Trinity and the 5,000 year-old creation, and we have to teach those! We shouldn't speculate about what isn't revealed; we shouldn't be ungrateful for what IS revealed. "Scripture proceeds at the pace of a mother stooping to her child, so to speak, so as not to leave us behind in our weakness." But if we pass over what God has told us about predestination, we act as if we had to cover up a mistake God made of saying something hurtful to His Church!

Set apart certain hours for prayer

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 48-49 - Closing thoughts on Lord's Prayer

48. This prayer covers everything needful, and to pray for more is going beyond the Word.

49. We don't have to pray it verbatim; many other good prayers are found in Scripture. But the sense and summary of it should not change.

Sections 50-52 - Special times of prayer and perseverance

50. We need to have set times of prayer, to fight our sluggishness: "when we arise in the morning, before we begin daily work, when we sit down to a meal, when by God's blessing we have eaten, when we are getting ready to retire." Don't do this superstitiously, though. No prayer of ours should seek to bind God's sovereignty in any way, by what, how or when we pray. We should also pray when aware of others' adversity or prosperity.

51. Sometimes our prayers feel like beating the air to a deaf God. But "even though He does not appear, He is always present to us." Ps 22:2. We may not drive bargains with God or grumble, incurring God's wrath as He answers us - Numbers 11:18, 33.

52. God still hears us sympathetically (1 John 5:15) even if we never get the answer we want. Faith perseveres in prayer, through trial.

We descend to our own affairs

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 44-47 - Lord's Prayer - last three requests

44. In the last half of the prayer, "we descend to our own affairs." "Give us today our daily bread." God's glory deals with food and drink, too - 1 Cor 10:31. We ask here for all "our bodies have need to use [in]... this world." In our sinfulness, we are more concerned about body than soul needs. Even when we entrust our souls to God, we have a hard time doing so with our bodies. We must remember our material needs are met by God, not us - Deut 8:17-18; Lev 26:20. Even if our pantries are full, we should ask for our daily bread - Deut 8:3; Matt 4:4. It is OUR bread only relatively - God gives it. If we have stolen it through any fraud it is not ours in any sense, and must be returned.

45. "Forgive us our debts." Our sins are debts "because we owe penalty for them." Those who look to their own merits forfeit this forgiveness and call for God's judgment instead. "As we forgive our debtors." Only God can forgive sin (Isa 43:25), but we are to put aside "wrath, hatred, desire for revenge, and willingly to banish to oblivion the remembrance of injustice." If we don't and pray this, we are asking God not to forgive our sins. Our forgiveness of others doesn't merit God's forgiveness of us. It is given as a warning to those who won't forgive others, and as comfort of forgiveness to those who do.

46. "Lead us not into temptation" for we need God's grace to withstand. We are often tempted away from God with "things not evil of their own nature" - James 1:2, 14; Matt 4:1, 3. Temptations from favorable things: riches, power; and from unfavorable things: disgrace, affliction, poverty. Either way, we pray God helps us turn either to good. It doesn't matter much if "evil" means Satan or sin. Satan tempts us to destroy -1 Peter 5:8; God does so to build us up, and gives a way out - 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Pet 2:9. "If the Lord did not snatch us from [Satan], we could not help being immediately torn to pieces by his fangs and claws, and swallowed down his throat." But with God's help we conquer - Ps 60:12. When James 1:13 says God doesn't tempt us it means that we can't blame Him for our lust giving in to temptation. He often allows His saints to give in to temptation for "a just but often secret judgment."

47. "For Yours is the kingdom, power and glory forever." Our prayers should be public, in community, as the plural pronouns in the prayer so far suggest. Our faith rests sure, knowing God is sovereign. "Amen." Our sincere desire that this prayer be answered. Dan 9:18-19.

We keep God's glory alone before our eyes

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 41-43 - Lord's Prayer - first three requests

41. "Hallowed be Your Name." We should desire God to be honored by all, though His holiness is besmirched by our sin, as His image-bearers. Ps 48:10.

42. "Your Kingdom Come." Very similar to the first request, God builds up churches, casts down enemies, helping us bear our cross in it all - 2 Cor 4:16; 2 Thess 2:8.

43. "Your will be done on earth as in heaven." As the angels serve Him gladly - Ps 103:20 - we renounce all desires in us contrary to God's revealed will. We want Him create clean hearts in us - Ps 51:20 - so we have "no prompting of desire but pure agreement with His will."

A More Certain Way of Praying

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 34-35 - Lord's Prayer - Introduction

34. God graciously teaches us what to pray for: what He wants, and what He wants to give us, since our greed often leads us astray in asking - Rom 8:26.

35. There are 6 petitions, the 1st 3 regard God's glory, and the last 3 regard our needs. The two sets of 3 are related. We seek God's glory above our own lives, as Moses and Paul did - Ex 32:32; Rom 9:3.

Sections 36-40 - Lord's Prayer - "Our Father in heaven"

36. God invites us to Him as His children - John 1:12; 1 John 3:1; Ps 27:10; Isa 63:16; Matt 7:11; Isa 49:15. If we don't seek help from Him, we proclaim Him an inadequate Father!

37. Luke 15:11-32 teaches us to expect compassion from our heavenly Father, "provided we still cast ourselves upon His mercy." Christ and the Spirit assure us of this favor - Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15.

38. He is OUR Father, and our love for Him should encompass His whole household - Matt 23:9; Eph 1:23; Gal 6:10.

39. We pray for others, as we give to them, as we know the need. But our prayers can extend farther. 1 Tim 2:8. "Strife shuts the gate to prayers."

40. God is in heaven, not bound there (1 Kings 8:27; Isa 66:!), but "beyond all place", incorruptible, and in sovereign command of the universe.

Voice and song, from deep feeling of heart

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 31-33 - Prayer in song, and the common language

31. Singing must come from the heart - Isa 29:13. It helps keep the mind attentive.

32. Church singing is legitimate, from 1 Cor 14:15; Col 3:16, and practiced in the early church. "Such songs as have been composed only for sweetness and delight of the ear are unbecoming to the majesty of the church and cannot but displease God in the highest degree."

33. Public prayer must be in the language of the people - 1 Cor 14:15-17. Private prayer need not be spoken, though when aroused this will often happen - 1 Sam 1:13.

Praying privately and publicly

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 3 of 4 - How We Receive the Grace of Christ

Chapter 20 - Prayer as exercise of faith and way we receive God's benefits

Sections 28-30 - Prayer, private and public

28. Private prayer. We all have need to seek God - relief from trouble, or forgiveness of sin, and for blessings on our endeavors. Ps 50:15; James 4:14-15; Isaiah 30:1; 31:1; 1 Tim 4:5. "Our silence is spiteful" when we could thank Him for His blessings. Ps 51:15; Isa 38:20; Jonah 2:9; Ps 116:12-13; 106:47; 102:17-18, 21. Prayer flows from love for God. Ps 116:1; 18:1; Phil 4:6; 1 Thess 5:17-18. We praise Him through Jesus Christ - Heb 13:15.

29. Public prayers are not constant, but at regular times. 1 Cor 14:40. Dangers are making a show, and too many words. Prayer is of the heart and mind, essentially, but it is fitting to pray publicly, too. Jesus withdrew privately; also 1 Tim 2:8. "The chief part of His worship lies in the office of prayer." The temple is called house of prayer - Isa 56:7; Matt 21:13; Ps 65:1.

30. Church buildings are rightly used for the church to gather - Matt 18:19-20. But we do this "without distinction of place," as God "does not allow us to cleave to any material temple." John 4:23; Isa 66:1; Acts 7:48-49.