Calvin: ministers and Sacraments are dead and powerless labor...

Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. (Deuteronomy 30:6)

(Tim) In 1Corinthians 3:4 ff. the Apostle Paul is rebuking the Corinthians' party spirit. Different factions of the congregation were lined up behind this or that minister of the Gospel using this or that man to get a leg up on their opponents. So the Apostle Paul has the dicey job of defending his own apostolic authority and doctrine, honoring the beautiful feet of ministers of the Word while also opposing the hero worship at the heart of the Corinthian division.

He ends up saying, on the one hand, that ministers of the Gospel are the means by which God's people come to faith in Jesus Christ; but on the other hand, that ministers of the Gospel are nothing. So it's both ministers are God's chosen instrument and ministers are nothing.

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:4-7)

See the careful footwork?

Ministers are "servants through whom (the Corinthians) believed." Ministers are servants who "planted" and "watered as "God caused the growth." And...

Ministers are not anything (which is another way of saying ministers are nothing).

Our hearts are filled with love for the ministers of the Gospel who planted and watered so we might hear and believe the Good News, and be saved. But immediately, the faithful minister, the Apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit reminds us ministers are nothing at all. It is always God Who gives us the opportunity and causes the growth.

Now stick with me, here. I know it all seems so very obvious as not to need any comment, but follow the logic here, carefully.

Calvin comments...

on the text above:

It appears, nevertheless, from what has been already said, that (ministers') labor is of some importance. We must observe, therefore, why it is that Paul thus depreciates it; and first of all, it is proper to notice that he is accustomed to speak in two different ways of ministers... For in some cases he views a minister as one that has been set apart by the Lord for, in the first instance, regenerating souls, and, afterwards, nourishing them up unto eternal life, for remitting sins, (John 20:23) for renewing the minds of men, for raising up the kingdom of Christ, and destroying that of Satan. Viewed in that aspect he does not merely assign to him the duty of planting and watering, but furnishes him, besides, with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, that his labor may not be in vain. Thus in another passage he calls himself a minister of the Spirit, and not of the letter, inasmuch as he writes the word of the Lord on men’s hearts. (2Corinthians 3:6.)

In other cases he views a minister as one that is a servant, not a master — an instrument, not the hand; and in short as man, not God. Viewed in that aspect, he leaves him nothing but his labor, and that, too, dead and powerless, if the Lord does not make it efficacious by his Spirit. The reason is, that when it is simply the ministry that is treated of, we must have an eye not merely to man, but also to God, working in him by the grace of the Spirit — not as though the grace of the Spirit were invariably tied to the word of man, but because Christ puts forth his power in the ministry which he has instituted, in such a manner that it is made evident, that it was not instituted in vain. In this manner he does not take away or diminish anything that belongs to Him, with the view of transferring it to man. For He is not separated from the minister, but on the contrary His power is declared to be efficacious in the minister.

But as we sometimes, in so far as our judgment is depraved, take occasion improperly from this to extol men too highly, we require to distinguish for the purpose of correcting this fault, and we must set the Lord on the one side, and the minister on the other, and then it becomes manifest, how indigent man is in himself, and how utterly devoid of efficacy.

Let it be known by us, therefore, that in this passage ministers are brought into comparison with the Lord, and the reason of this comparison is — that mankind, while estimating grudgingly the grace of God, are too lavish in their commendations of ministers, and in this manner they snatch away what is God’s, with the view of transferring it to themselves. At the same time he always observes a most becoming medium, for when he says, that God giveth the increase, he intimates by this, that the efforts of men themselves are not without success. ...Hence, although our heavenly Father does not reject our labor in cultivating his field, and does not allow it to be unproductive, yet he will have its success depend exclusively upon his blessing, that he may have the entire praise. Accordingly, if we are desirous to make any progress in laboring, in striving, in pressing forward, let it be known by us, that we will make no progress, unless he prospers our labors, our strivings, and our assiduity, in order that we may commend ourselves, and everything we do to his grace.

So let me put it this way. Calvin says our sinfulness leads us to make too much of pastors, robbing God of His glory. The Holy Spirit disciplines that sin by telling us ministers are nothing and God is everything. At the same time, lest we denigrate the tools God has been pleased to set apart and use for the salvation of man, the Holy Spirit also reminds the congregation that God has promised to use ministers to bring us to salvation. It's not either/or but both/and.

You're still with me, right? You think this is a good explanation of the dangers we face with pastors and preachers, and you're stifling a yawn.

But did you notice the two ellipses in this excerpt? They're near the beginning of the first paragraph and halfway through the next to last paragraph. In both places I pulled out Calvin's explanation that it's the same with the Sacraments as it is with ministers of the Gospel. We always err in one of two directions, and it is God's good pleasure to correct both errors.

We denigrate ministers, forgetting God is pleased to use them for His eternal purposes. We denigrate the Sacraments, forgetting God is pleased to use them for His eternal purposes. We make too much of ministers, wrestling them away from their dependence on God's sovereign will and power. We make too much of the Sacraments, wrestling them away from their dependence on God's sovereign will and power.

In other words, Calvin here states it's the habit of sinful men to make too little and too much of both ministers and Sacraments. Specifically, he applies the message of the Holy Spirit in 1Corinthians 3:7 to our sinful habit of making too much of the Sacraments, denying God His Own glory by trying to wrest the Sacraments from His hand to our own.

And this is where we find ourselves in the midst of the much-needed recovery of the Church and her Sacraments within the Reformed world, today. The Sacraments are, like ministers of the Gospel, tools God uses to communicate grace. The Sacraments are, like ministers of the Gospel, nothing at all because God Alone is everything and will not yield His glory to any man--whether that man is preaching or administering the Sacraments. Neither the man nor the Sacraments are anything at all, but only God.

Stray to one side and you're whack-a-moled. Rebound to the other side and you're whack-a-moled.

Scripture deals with those going flat or sharp by whack-a-moling them back on pitch.

Now then, I'll insert this Calvin excerpt a second time--this time with ellipses removed and most references to minsters replaced with references to the Sacraments.

It appears, nevertheless, from what has been already said, that [the Saraments are of] some importance. We must observe.. it is proper to notice that (the Apostle Paul) is accustomed to speak in two different ways of ministers, as well as of Sacraments. For in some cases he views [the Sacraments as] set apart by the Lord for, in the first instance, regenerating souls... and nourishing them up unto eternal life [Galatians 3:27; 1Peter 3:21], for remitting sins [Acts 2:38, 22:16].... Viewed in that aspect he does not merely assign to [them certain work], but furnishes [them], besides, with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, that [they] may not be [administered] in vain....

In other cases he views [the Sacrament and the minister who administers it] as one that is a servant, not a master — an instrument, not the hand; and in short as man, not God. Viewed in that aspect, he leaves him nothing but his labor, and that, too, dead and powerless, if the Lord does not make it efficacious by his Spirit. The reason is, that when it is simply the [the Sacraments] that [are] treated of, we must have an eye not merely to man, but also to God, working [through them] by the grace of the Spirit — not as though the grace of the Spirit were invariably tied to the [Sacraments], but because Christ puts forth his power in the [Sacraments] which he has instituted, in such a manner that it is made evident, that [they were] not instituted in vain. In this manner he does not take away or diminish anything that belongs to Him, with the view of transferring it to man. For He is not separated from the [Sacraments], but on the contrary His power is declared to be efficacious in the [Sacraments]. But as we sometimes, in so far as our judgment is depraved, take occasion improperly from this to extol [the Sacraments] too highly, we require to distinguish for the purpose of correcting this fault, and we must set the Lord on the one side, and the [Sacraments] on the other, and then it becomes manifest, how indigent [the Sacraments are of themselves], and how utterly devoid of efficacy [Romans 2:28,29; 1Corinthians 1:17; Colossians 2:11; 1Peter 3:21].

Let it be known by us, therefore, that in this passage ministers are brought into comparison with the Lord, and the reason of this comparison is — that mankind, while estimating grudgingly the grace of God, are too lavish in their commendations of ministers [and Sacraments], and in this manner they snatch away what is God’s, with the view of transferring it to themselves]. At the same time he always observes a most becoming medium, for when he says, that God giveth the increase, he intimates by this, that the efforts of men themselves are not without success. The case is the same as to the sacraments, as we shall see elsewhere. Hence, although our heavenly Father does not reject our labor in cultivating his field, and does not allow it to be unproductive, yet he will have its success depend exclusively upon his blessing, that he may have the entire praise. Accordingly, if we are desirous to make any progress in laboring, in striving, in pressing forward, let it be known by us, that we will make no progress, unless he prospers our labors, our strivings, and our assiduity, in order that we may commend ourselves, and everything we do to his grace.

These are the precise emphases needed to correct today's errors among Evangelicals, but also their Reformed polar opposites of the Neo Old School sacerdotalist, sacramentalist camp.

Evangelicals must not denigrate ministers' work, office, and authority while Neo Old School sacerdotalists must not deny the Holy Spirit's sovereign agency in making their work, office, or authority effective.

Similarly, Evangelicals must not denigrate the institution and efficacy of the Sacraments while Neo Old School sacramentalists must not deny the Holy Spirit's sovereign agency in making the Sacraments effective.

May our Heavenly Father give us grace to honor both His ministers and Sacraments in such a way as not to diminish His sovereign power or eternal glory. Amen.

* * *

Now then, once more--this time precisely as Calvin wrote it:

It appears, nevertheless, from what has been already said, that their labor is of some importance. We must observe, therefore, why it is that Paul thus depreciates it; and first of all, it is proper to notice that he is accustomed to speak in two different ways of ministers, as well as of sacraments. For in some cases he views a minister as one that has been set apart by the Lord for, in the first instance, regenerating souls, and, afterwards, nourishing them up unto eternal life, for remitting sins, (John 20:23) for renewing the minds of men, for raising up the kingdom of Christ, and destroying that of Satan. Viewed in that aspect he does not merely assign to him the duty of planting and watering, but furnishes him, besides, with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit, that his labor may not be in vain. Thus in another passage he calls himself a minister of the Spirit, and not of the letter, inasmuch as he writes the word of the Lord on men’s hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:6.)

In other cases he views a minister as one that is a servant, not a master — an instrument, not the hand; and in short as man, not God. Viewed in that aspect, he leaves him nothing but his labor, and that, too, dead and powerless, if the Lord does not make it efficacious by his Spirit. The reason is, that when it is simply the ministry that is treated of, we must have an eye not merely to man, but also to God, working in him by the grace of the Spirit — not as though the grace of the Spirit were invariably tied to the word of man, but because Christ puts forth his power in the ministry which he has instituted, in such a manner that it is made evident, that it was not instituted in vain. In this manner he does not take away or diminish anything that belongs to Him, with the view of transferring it to man. For He is not separated from the minister, but on the contrary His power is declared to be efficacious in the minister. But as we sometimes, in so far as our judgment is depraved, take occasion improperly from this to extol men too highly, we require to distinguish for the purpose of correcting this fault, and we must set the Lord on the one side, and the minister on the other, and then it becomes manifest, how indigent man is in himself, and how utterly devoid of efficacy.

Let it be known by us, therefore, that in this passage ministers are brought into comparison with the Lord, and the reason of this comparison is — that mankind, while estimating grudgingly the grace of God, are too lavish in their commendations of ministers, and in this manner they snatch away what is God’s, with the view of transferring it to themselves. At the same time he always observes a most becoming medium, for when he says, that God giveth the increase, he intimates by this, that the efforts of men themselves are not without success. The case is the same as to the sacraments, as we shall see elsewhere. Hence, although our heavenly Father does not reject our labor in cultivating his field, and does not allow it to be unproductive, yet he will have its success depend exclusively upon his blessing, that he may have the entire praise. Accordingly, if we are desirous to make any progress in laboring, in striving, in pressing forward, let it be known by us, that we will make no progress, unless he prospers our labors, our strivings, and our assiduity, in order that we may commend ourselves, and everything we do to his grace.