In my reflection on Calvinist spirituality, it struck me how much Calvin emphasizes God’s power. In his Spirituality the aim of faith experience and of sanctification is to bring to God all the glory because of God's mighty deeds and works.
In my further reading on this I came across an article in the Brittanica in which it is said how Calvin did indeed speak about God's power, but that he, in addition, also carefully wanted to depict God as a loving father.
This contributed to the misunderstanding that Calvinism is one of the most patriarchal forms of Christianity. And yet, the article continues, Calvin wrote movingly about how we experience God as a mother, as “mild, kind, gentle, and compassionate.” He wanted to stress this side of God's character because he he was upset that some of his contemporaries overemphasized the fear of God. God must not be portrayed as a God who must be dreaded.
The article continues, “Human beings can never praise him properly, Calvin declared, ‘until he wins us by the sweetness of his goodness.’” Calvin’s understanding of Christianity is thus in many ways gentler than has been commonly supposed.
I follow this insight up with some further research,also checking Calvin's own pronouncements. And it strikes me how often he speaks about the sweetness of the divine goodness (e g in his commentary on John 11). In a work on Psalm 119 he also writes about the divine sweetness which brings us to love God. And it is this sweetness which also inspires us to sanctification.
I want to think more about this. As we stay close to the "sweet" word of God, the God of love and compassion, we are filled by this love. It flows over into us and nestles in our hearts. If we are found by this love, Calvin writes, we will be able to resist temptation.
It is true that we often chase things which we think will give us love and fulfillment. Only to discover that these earthly, fleshly desires leaves us cold, unfulfilled, unclean.
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