10 Minutes with Calvin – Book 1.1: The Knowledge That Changes Everything

10 Minutes with Calvin

For the next season we are going to do something simple but radical. We are going to sit with John Calvin himself—one short section at a time from his Institutes of the Christian Religion. No long lectures. No modern spin that softens the edge. Just Calvin’s own words, explained clearly in plain language a modern heart can feel in its bones.

This is 10 Minutes with Calvin. Ten minutes a day that might change how you see God, yourself, sin, grace, and the glory that is worth everything. If you’ve ever felt the old masters were too hard or too far away, this series is for you. We won’t water anything down. We won’t rush. We will simply let Calvin speak, and let the Holy Spirit do what He does.

Book 1.1.1 – The Twofold Knowledge

Calvin’s Words:

Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But, while joined by many bonds, which one precedes and brings forth the other is not easy to discern.

My Reflection

Calvin is not giving us a nice religious idea. He is saying that real wisdom—the kind that actually changes how you live—has two parts that are glued together so tightly you can’t have one without the other. Know God, and you will see yourself more clearly (your sin, your smallness, your need). Know yourself honestly, and you will run to God more desperately (His holiness, His mercy, His glory). The two keep driving you back and forth like a mirror reflecting light back and forth until the room is filled with it.

This is not the kind of knowledge you get from a textbook. It is the kind that wrecks you and then rebuilds you. Calvin is about to spend the entire Institutes unpacking what that looks like. But it all starts here, in this simple but explosive idea.

One Thing to Carry with You Today
Stop trying to know God without looking honestly at yourself. And stop trying to “find yourself” without first looking at God. The two are inseparable. The mirror and the light belong together.

Nectared Goad
When was the last time you let the knowledge of God show you the truth about yourself—and then let the truth about yourself drive you back to God? Are you willing to start there today?

Tomorrow
We continue with how this twofold knowledge shows us our own misery and God’s incredible mercy.

This series will take us through the Institutes one section at a time. Short. Clear. Faithful. No fluff. No compromise. Welcome to 10 Minutes with Calvin.