Tuesday, January 27, 2015

The Weakness of the World; On Persecution

In his sermon on suffering persecution, John Calvin uses a contrast between those in the scriptures and the ways of the world to persuade listeners to his view of the gospel. For example, near the beginning of the sermon he asks “Are we so delicate as to be unwilling to endure anything?” and then sentences later references Paul and John’s rejoicing in being “counted worthy to suffer infamy and reproach for the name of the Lord Jesus.” By making listeners contemplate what they are willing to endure and then reminding them of what the apostles were happy to bear, Calvin makes his audience more open minded to hardship as they wouldn't want to see themselves as sinful or worldly, especially because he is delivering this during the uproar of the Protestant Reformation wherein people (or the noble people at least) have a little more flexibility as to what gospel principles they are living by. 

Additionally, he also contrast how man judges things like “imprisonment, exile and evil report” to God’s own judgment of it, implying that those who do not suffer in some way are worldly and unbelieving. With the recent uproar with the Catholic Church’s sacraments being seen as worldly in nature, many people would be striving for a more godly way to worship and could therefore be more easily persuaded by his rhetoric. This makes a lot of sense when you consider that he believed in a stern moral code that grated on many people and helped to get him kicked out of France. By persuading the people that suffering was necessary to be a truly faithful follower, John Calvin would have not only soothed his current followers who might have felt their beliefs a hardship but also would have open up previously unconvinced listeners to the idea that the pain of the stricter restriction would be worth it when compared to the gain in the afterlife, in being recognized by a follower of Christ. By comparing the weakness of the world to the stalwart faith of the suffering Apostles was able to persuade many people over to his stricter interpretation of the gospel.

2 comments:

  1. I read this passage too and tried to imagine how it would have sounded when spoken. It must have been such a relief to the audience for them to think their suffering was not in vain. It made me curious what the Catholic Church's stand on this was. How many religions at the time thought suffering was a result of actions? I too though like his comparisons throughout the works.

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  2. Joseph also talked about Calvin's example of the apostle Paul's suffering. Even though that could be very inspiring, I wonder if it drove any of the fence-sitters to take a more neutral position in the fight for reform. Instead of being encouraged, they might have said to themselves, "Psh, those guys were apostles. There's no way I can endure this stuff or get the same reward they did."

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