John Calvin in his commentary on the parable of the judgement of the sheep and the goats writes this:
"As a shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. When our Lord says that the separation of the sheep from the goats is delayed till that day, he means that the wicked are now mixed with the good and holy, so that they live together in the same flock of God. The comparison appears to be borrowed from Ezekiel 34:18, where the Lord complains of the fierceness of the goats, which attack with their horns the poor sheep, and destroy the pastures, and pollute the water; and where the Lord expressly declares that he will take vengeance. And therefore Christ’s discourse amounts to this, that believers ought not to think their condition too hard, if they are now compelled to live with the goats, and even to sustain many serious attacks and annoyances from them; secondly, that they ought to beware of being themselves infected by the contagion of their vices; and, thirdly, to inform them that in a holy and innocent life their labor is not thrown away, for the difference will one day appear."
4 comments:
Calvin is very wise.
Thanks Vi
dm
Dave,
I am praying for both you and Barb to get another computer up and running. I miss both of your postings.
I think we often remember Calvin's first and second points, which are very helpful when we face opposition. But I love his third point, which I remember less often. "...In a holy and innocent life [our] labor is not thrown away, for the difference will one day appear." Of course none of us is truly holy or innocent, but if we are trying to do God's will, he will use our efforts in his time, even if we don't see the results in our lifetime. What encouragement!
Thanks for posting this, Viola. May we remember it as we head into General Assembly.
Debbie, it is good to know that the holiness and innocence begins with the righteousness of Christ. That's a secure feeling for me.
"May we remember it as we head into General Assembly." Yes!
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