Profaning That Which is Holy

This Christmas I received a book from my sister in law called “The Expository Genius of
John Calvin” by Steven J. Lawson. I have been wanting this book forever so am very happy with it, and I definitely plan on reviewing this book. First off, however, I want to share a couple of thoughts I had as I read the first chapter.

In this chapter, Lawson describes an incident that occurred after Calvin had excommunicated a particularly nasty group of “believers.” He excommunicated them in the sense of denying them the sacrament of communion. Well these people, who practiced sexual immorality as a matter of course, were upset and petitioned the civil authorities of Geneva. Here is how Lawson describes it:

“…Through the underhanded influence of the Libertines, the City Council overrode the church’s decision, and Berthelier [leader of the false believers] and his associates came to church to take the Lord’s Supper with swords drawn, ready to fight.”

Let me take a moment to comment on this little passage. First of all, notice the importance placed upon the Lord’s Supper at this time! False though they were in their professed faith, these people realized that it was a privilege to partake of the Supper…that it was set aside for those who are true Believers…it is not something to be cast before the swine. To make a quick analogy to our own time, can you see why those who are pushing for same-sex marriage are so adamant? Why they are appealing to the judicial system to override the people, and why they are using this sword to come before the church and demand the “right” to marry? Yes, they realize that marriage is a sacred thing, don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise. And like the sexual libertines of Calvin’s day, these modern libertines want to transform something sacred into something common. They want to make of marriage something it is not and never has been, and they want to do it on their own terms rather than accepting the consequences of following their chosen lifestyles.

We see in this narrative also the danger of permitting the state to rule the church. No matter how much the revisionists cry out, our Constitution forbids Congress from interfering in the worship of citizens…NOT citizens of faith from exercising their political rights. Regardless of how often the propaganda machine of the liberal Left lies about it, our nation was indeed founded upon Christian principles. We certainly should permit everybody to worship as they please. But let us not fear expressing our national heritage by wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” or by having monuments to the Ten Commandments. Indeed, the idea that we should neglect the Christian religion for fear of offending Muslims, Jews, or anyone else is as absurd as an American Christian moving to a Muslim nation and demanding that it put away its Muslim heritage because it offends him or her. In fact, those who doubt the tolerance of Christianity should move to an Islamic nation and start making such demands. They’ll soon find out how peaceful and loving Islam can be!

But okay, back to the passage from the book. Here come these men, willing to use violence in order to receive the sacrament of the Supper! How did Calvin react?

“…With bold audacity, Calvin descended from the pulpit, stood in front of the Communion table, and said, “These hands you may crush, these arms you may lop off, my life you may take, my blood is yours, you may shed it; but you shall never force me to give holy things to the profaned and dishonor the table of my God.” Berthelier and the Libertines withdrew, no match for such unflinching convictions.” [emphasis mine]

We all know, of course, that it could easily have ended with Calvin’s death. God had sovereignly decided to spare Calvin, but he himself would have had no idea of this! Calvin would not be forced to give communion to those who practiced wife-swapping as a form of worship, and he was not afraid to die for His God. What was he afraid of? Of defiling that which was holy.
Brothers and sisters…what about us?

How do we approach the holy things of God?

I give thanks to God for His mercy, because I know that I am like Berthelier too many times…coming to the table in sin and not repenting of it first! Not only do I not know if I would defend the table with my life…I myself defile it!

Let us make a pact, dear brethren, to fully examine ourselves every day. Let us look at ourselves and see whether at that moment we are walking in obedience to our Lord and Savior. If we are not, and yet we partake of the Lord’s Supper, then how can we claim to honor the holy things of God? Do we not align ourselves right next to those who are profane? May God forbid it.

“Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (emphasis mine)
-1 Corinthians 11:27-29