Calvin is in the habit of saying that the Word of God ought to be sufficient for us for full assurance and confidence, but that because of our ignorance and frailty, God has added the sacraments as helps for us.
Now of course, we ought to believe the Word of God!
But I’m a bit uncomfortable with saying that the sacraments are simply given because we weak and ignorant and somehow ought to be unnecessary. Maybe I’m being uncharitable to Calvin but its almost as if he thinks the Word alone would be better if that were enough for us.
If we take the trees in the Garden of Eden as sacramental, then it would seem that sacraments were always God’s design for man even apart from sin, though I would grant that Adam was weak and ignorant (and “immature”) even before the fall.
Sacraments are appropriate to us as creatures and not just as sinners.
Maybe we need to consider what else the sacraments are intended to be and do apart from teach us and give us assurance to better understand their role alongside the Word.
For example, a wider biblical view of the importance of meals as fellowship-enjoying and covenant-making events might be helpful in understanding why we need to Supper and what its for.
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3 comments:
Could it be something to do with the primacy of the intellect sort of stuff you sometimes get hanging around in reformed theology? So, the 'real stuff' is thoughts, ideas, words, reasons. Because we 're weak and human (and corporeal perhaps?!) we need other things to help us along, like food, drink, water.
Hence you get Turretin and others focussing on Adam's rationality as an unspoilt innocent in the garden, but not on the (surely more exegetically prominent?) fact that he had to choose which way to eat. It all goes into the mix of what you think being truly human, truly 'good' (in a Genesis 1-2 sense) really is all about.
Not sure if you've seen these already: "Questions for Calvin on the Sacraments" and "Why Sacraments?. Sounds like you're thinking along the same lines. Or I was. Or we both were.
Yes, John, thanks. I had seen them. I do sometimes look at the Biblical Horizons blog but I havent read it in the detail I should of late! Need to update my blogroll.
I've been reading all I can in English by Calvin on the Supper. Think I probably got some of the mood / ideas from Leithart?
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