Perfect faith?

A few weeks ago, I was asked to write a short reflection on a John Calvin quote for the Hungarian reformed newspaper, Reformátusok Lapja. This was my first experience with Calvin. It's nothing special, but fun to share just the same.

Enjoy.

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“A perfect faith is nowhere to be found, so it follows that all of us are partly unbelievers.”
― John Calvin

When I agreed to write this reflection, I foolishly thought it would be easy. Choose a quote. Reflect. Done. This of course is not what happened when I sat down to begin. I read and read but never felt that spark of excitement in finding just the right message. As it turns out, I blew right past the quotation I would end up choosing. I looked it in the face and just kept moving. It wasn’t until re-reading those so unceremoniously passed over that I found something that truly spoke to me.

At first glance, this quotation may seem overly simple. No one is perfect. Got it, great. It’s so easy to skim over these words without a second glance, but that is such an injustice to the beauty, intelligence and maturity of this short sentence. Isn’t it true that the very basic truths of life, faith, love, whatever, are always the things we take for granted?

This quotation reminds me of myself and so many of my peers – young adults just trying to find their place, their identity, their voice. And for some reason we are convinced that we should always have things figured out, or have at least the pretense of. We should be self-assured and motivated, never lost or confused. I’ve spoken to so many people that have backed away from the church because they don’t feel like they have enough faith; that somehow they are worse for their doubt.

This is the injustice we do ourselves.

It is a great comfort to me when I read Calvin’s words. Struggling with faith is not a new concept. Am I somehow less of a Christian simply because I have doubts? Of course not. Indeed, are we truly Christian if we never question ourselves in our faith and service to the Lord?

With one sentence, John Calvin has reassured and challenged us to see the truth and goodness in ourselves amidst our unbelief, just as we must see them in the midst of others’ unbelief as well.

“I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24



Bonus! This is what it looks like in Hungarian.

Special shoutout to my dear friend Dia for the awesome (I assume) translation! Thanks for making me somehow intelligible in Hungarian.