From: co-westminster@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 4:58 AM To: co-westminster@yahoogroups.com Subject: [co-westminster] Digest Number 112 -To unsubscribe via e-mail, send an empty e-mail to: co-westminster-unsubscribe@egroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are 12 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. First Four Chapters From: "Richard Bacon" 2. Questions for I.i.2 From: "Richard Bacon" 3. Question for I.1.3 From: "Richard Bacon" 4. Questions for I.ii.1 From: "Richard Bacon" 5. Question for I.ii.2 From: "Richard Bacon" 6. Questions for I.iii.1 From: "Richard Bacon" 7. Questions for I.iii.2 From: "Richard Bacon" 8. Questions for I.iii.3 From: "Richard Bacon" 9. Questions for I.iv.1 From: "Richard Bacon" 10. Questions for I.iv.2 From: "Richard Bacon" 11. Questions for I.iv.3 From: "Richard Bacon" 12. Questions for I.iv.4 From: "Richard Bacon" ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 21:54:16 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: First Four Chapters We are rapidly coming to a close of the first two-week period, which was intended to cover the first four chapters of Calvin's Institutes. I am surprised that there were so few comments. If you have comments to make, questions to ask (or answer) for the group, please gather them up, so we can begin chapter five next week. We shall, DV, spend two weeks on chapter five beginning on Monday. Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 21:57:49 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.i.2 • In what sense did Calvin maintain that men cannot have a clear understanding of themselves without first "looking upon God's face?" • Can we ever be convinced of our own misery by looking only to ourselves? Why or why not? • What did Calvin believe was the danger of confining our minds to the narrow limits of human corruption? • Explain Calvin's illustration of "grey" or "dirty white" against a black background. • Why did Calvin think that men were altogether unfit for judging their own good? • Why should men compare themselves to God? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 3 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 21:59:21 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Question for I.1.3 • Do you think Calvin was correct in his assessment of the sense of fear men feel in the presence of God? • How might we gain a greater awareness of our lowly estate? Is such awareness either desirable or commendable? • Be prepared to discuss how Job was overwhelmed with his own impotence, and how others of God's saints in Scripture have had a similar experience and why. • Do you think Calvin interpreted the darkening of the sun and moon in Isaiah 24:23 as a literal darkening or do you think he believed it was a figure of speech? • What must we understand in order to understand ourselves correctly? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 4 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:01:01 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.ii.1 • What divisions did Calvin make in his "twofold knowledge of God?" • Why did Calvin maintain that there is no true knowledge of God where piety is missing? • Do you agree? • Does this distinction indicate that there is a sort of "common grace" in which all men participate? • NB: It is important to remember that nothing Calvin included in Book I after 1559 belongs specifically to the second knowledge, viz. that of God as Redeemer. • Do you agree with Calvin's postulate "No drop will be found either of wisdom and light, or of righteousness or power or rectitude, or of genuine truth, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause?" • Given Calvin's statement above, how might we answer someone who claims that knowledge is possible apart from God? • What is Calvin's definition of the term "piety?" Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 5 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:02:56 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Question for I.ii.2 • What did Calvin find wrong with the question, "What is God?" • What is the right purpose for asking such a question, according to Calvin? • What should be the right reaction should we gain such knowledge? • For Calvin, is it possible for a truly pious mind to worship a false god? • How would a pious mind regard difficulties such as the existence of evil? • What is the right response of a pious mind to the Fatherhood of God? • How could a pious mind regard God as a just judge and yet not be so terrified as to run from him? • How did Calvin define "pure religion?" • Do you agree with Calvin's view about "legitimate worship?" Why or why not? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 6 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:03:59 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iii.1 • What do you think of Calvin's statement that there is an awareness of divinity within the human mind? • What is the purpose of this divinitatis sensum? • How do you think sin has affected this sense of divinity? • Is paganism a good argument against this sense of divinity? • Is idolatry? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 7 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:04:51 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iii.2 • How did Calvin answer the claim that religion was invented to keep the simple folk "in line?" • Does this speak to the Marxist idea that religion "is the opiate of the masses?" • How did Calvin distinguish between a true sense of divinity in the human mind and the work of an elite to use that to keep some in subjection? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 8 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:05:56 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iii.3 • Why do some men claim to be atheists if there is a sense of divinity in the human mind? • Do you think there is a contradiction in the fact that men have a sense of divinity but attempt to "cast away all knowledge of it?" • According to Calvin, when does the human mind receive this sense of divinity? • Why do you think Calvin bothered quoting Plato at this point in his Institutes? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 9 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:06:58 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iv.1 • How did Calvin distinguish between religion and superstition at this point in his Institutes? • Does sincerity in error excuse men from blameworthiness, according to Calvin? • Why can men not bring their own efforts as service to God? • What do you think Calvin meant by the phrase, "they become fools in their empty and perverse haughtiness?" • What did Calvin mean by "false confidence?" Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 10 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:08:16 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iv.2 • According to Calvin, how should we understand Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1? • Why do men deny that there is a God? • Do you think that men eventually are so hardened that they actually begin to believe that there is no God? • What should we think of those who claim that they are worshipping God, when they are actually worshipping some "deity" of their own imagination? Do they confess God or deny him? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 11 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:09:06 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iv.3 • Why did Calvin claim that it was preposterous for those who have a zeal for religion to claim that their zeal is sufficient? • How did Calvin use the term "God's will" in this section? Do you think it is a correct way of speaking? • How do Galatians 4:8 and Ephesians 2:12 prove your position? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 12 Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 22:10:20 -0000 From: "Richard Bacon" Subject: Questions for I.iv.4 • Was Calvin referring to the same people in section four that he was in section three? • What do people desire to be overthrown? How does that affect their view of God? • What did Calvin mean in this section by "pretended fear of God?" • Did Calvin, in referring to the piety instilled in the breasts of believers only, refer to a sort of prevenient grace? • Why do men "trump up frivolous trifles?" Can you think of any examples of these? • Trace the manner in which men go from a sense of divinity to "blind wickedness." • How does stubbornness play a part in this? Richard Bacon FPCR Rowlett, TX ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/