Ch 3 Sec 3 Religious Foundations

Does religion have a foundation, a fundamental principle? Bavinck here will make the case, that just as science, religion too has such a fundamental principle. This principal is the principal of the covenant. “The Bible provides no general idea of religion but covenantally presents God’s revelation as its objective side, and the fear of the Lord as the subjective side” (p.53) In the Old Testament the covenant gives us God’s Law, words, and precepts objectively, which must be internalized, obeyed, revered and believed. “Biblical religion is a matter of the heart. “(p53) In the New Testament God gives us his objective revelation as the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, and the subjective side is a sincere loving and serving God in faith. As Bavinck says on page 54 “true religion claims the whole person, body, mind, soul, and heart.” Bavinck makes an important point about piety, being a state of being, a habit and disposition towards God that leads man to worship God and that faith hope and love are not separate virtues, but are incorporated into religion(or perhaps better “covenantal living”) itself and internalized. (p54-55)

Bavinck describes true active religion in terms of dependence and absolute trust with a sincere desire to live in obedience to God. The concept of dependence is good one because of our absolute dependence on our Creator, God. And this dependence does not make us a slave but rather as we recognize and acknowledge our dependence on God we are truly set free. Only as we by faith embrace God as our Father, do we receive grace, mercy, and love to live as free children of the King, not slaves to sin.

It is also true that all men are religious, Bavinck on page 55 quoting Calvin, “the seed of religion has been implanted in all humanity”. But fallen humanity has corrupted true religion, which is seen in the many different religions of history. While all religions do have formal similarities, they all have conflicting claims. So what is the place of religion, or what is its essence, Bavinck examines on p57. Is it knowledge, morality of feeling? The Gnostics would say knowledge The Gnostic would say some screwball thing like “only as we contemplate the universe and gain knowledge is redemption of the inner man possible.” I love the quote on p57 from Hegel, primarily because it is absolutely in coherent, and Hegel is thought of, in the secular academic world of philosophy, as a giant. Hegel says, “Man only knows of God insofar as God has knowledge of himself in man; this knowledge is the self-consciousness of God but also a knowledge of the same by man, and this knowledge of God by man is the knowledge of man by God. The mind of man in coming to know God, is just the mind of God itself.” What? Is that even intelligible? The secular philosopher thinks this is profound, but it is absolutely complete nonsense, and has no meaning, or better can mean anything you want it to mean about God and man, and that is why secular philosophy embraces nonsense like this. My apologizes for the rant. So, then is religion morality, ethical in a nature. As Christians, living obediently is signification, but we must we careful to distinguish faith from works. Or is religion essentially feeling. As state previously by Bavinck the Christian faith is one of utter and complete dependence on God, but Christianity is not reduced tot this feeling of dependence alone. A personal relationship to God does not leave people cold or indifferent (p58). But when feeling is detached from faith, a faith that receives objective truth (what is good and evil), then feeling has no quality or meaning.

All this brings us to the important point for Bavinck that the true Christian religion embraces the whole man in relation to God, knowledge, willing to serve, and feeling. There is an order and priority here. Knowledge is first and primary. Without knowing who God is, what God has done, what God demands, and what God promises, there is no objective morality nor is there any authentic feelings of love, assurance, gratitude, and dependence. And it is only as God reveals his truth, and regenerates man by his Spirit, can man please God (morality) with pleasure (feeling).

So back to the original question, is there a foundation or principle for religion? Yes, the principle is revelation and redemption. Revelation comes from outside of man, as an external source from God to man, and redemption that renews man from within. The subjective response to the God and his revelation, which the bible calls faith, along with a desire to live accordingly to God’s word, are the foundations and principles for true Christian religion. (p56)