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Bent inward, man‘s spiritual deformity affects all other
aspects of existence. Man‘s natural intelligence, judgment and
reason become distorted by evil. It is not that all vestiges of man‘s
capability to know, reason, and love have been wiped out, but what
remains is insufficient to lead him back to the knowledge he
requires if he is to glorify God. For Calvin, this is why man‘s is
unable to grasp natural revelation. Before the fall, the Word in
nature as symbol was available to man‘s perception. Even as raw
silver lacks the value of the fashioned coin, so nature apart from
the Word is no value to man. ―For why are the shapeless and the
coined silver not of the same value, seeing they are the same
metal? Just because the former has nothing but its own nature,
whereas the latter impressed with the public stamp, becomes
money and receives a new value. And shall the Lord not be able to
stamp His creatures with His Word, that things which were
formerly base elements may become sacraments?… The ancient
sacraments had the same end in view as our own, viz., to direct and
almost lead us by the hand to Christ, or rather, were like images to
represent Him and hold Him forth to our knowledge.‖ 176
Separated from communion with God, man lacks the Word or
‗stamp‘ to garner any profitable knowledge of God. Thus, Calvin
argues ―we profit little in the contemplation of the universal nature
if we do not behold with the eyes of faith that spiritual glory of
which an image is presented to us in the world.‖ 177
In regard to the limits and nature of human knowledge,
Calvin‘s view departed from the traditional Catholic position.
Catholicism held that via reason alone man might gain self-
knowledge and even a rudimentary knowledge of God‘s nature.
Though grace remained necessary for salvation, pure reason alone
could fathom the cosmos, attain virtue and govern wisely without
appeal to God‘s Word. Natural revelation and natural law were
equally accessible to saint and pagan alike in matters philosophical,
moral and political. Though God‘s word might supplement natural
revelation in mundane matters, primarily it addressed salvation and
176 Institute 4.14.18.
177 Comm. On Ps. 104:4.