100704 John Calvin pp. 136-142

Ah, John Calvin and "The Joy of Self-Denial"!  Why is that topic not a surprise when you mention Calvin's name?  Self-denial is not a popular topic in this hedonistic age, but let's give Calvin a listen anyway.  There could be something in this selection that speaks to the 21st century ear.  
 
1.  John Calvin points out that "we are not our own." How does this relate to the issue of self-denial?
2. In section 3, Calvin writes about abandoning our reason in favour of following God's will.  When have you experienced a clash between your reason and what you felt to be the will of God?  How did your respond?
3. A central theme of this selection is the division between those who surrender themselves completely to God and those who do not. Those who do not, writes Calvin, are "restless people."  Have you experienced this restlessness? Describe.
4. The key principle of holiness, according to Calvin, is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, and to be not conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds (cf. Rom. 12:1-2). In what ways have you been conformed to this world?
5. In what ways does the humility discussed in Philippians 2:1-11 coincide with the self-denial discussed by John Calvin? Are there any ways in which the two ideas differ?