Knowledge of Self and of God

It's interesting to see how Calvin talks about the interconnectedness of our knowledge of God and our knowledge of self. He claims that unless we have a realistic understanding of ourselves we will see little need for God, beyond recognizing His creative power. But when we begin to grasp the depth of our sin we begin to understand our desperate need of a Savior. The knowledge of God as Creator may be almost instinctive for many of us, in fact you could claim that it is part of our human nature to respond to God in this way, almost a religious impulse; but the knowledge of God as Redeemer depends, at least to a degree, upon our apprehension of our fallen state. Calvin writes, "Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find Him." (1:1).

On the other hand, without knowledge of God there can be no true knowledge of self. We are experts at remaining, willfully, in ignorance, pretending that there is no problem when, self-evidently, there is. We love to judge ourselves by lesser standards and so find ourselves spotless. Calvin says, "For we always seem to ourselves righteous and upright and wise and holy - this pride is innate in all of us - unless by clear proofs we stand convinced of our own unrighteousness..." (1:2) It's only when we set ourselves against the standard of God's purity that we are able to recognize the folly of our sin. Only when we see the brightness of His glory are we able to see ourselves as we really are.

So, which comes first, knowledge of self or knowledge of God? Logically, the latter; but in reality we need both. And the knowledge of God, which goes hand-in-hand with knowledge of self, begins when true reverence and love are joined.