John Calvin Commentary Psalms 15:1

"Jehovah, who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?" — Psalms 15:1 (ASV)

O Jehovah, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? As nothing is more common in the world than falsely to assume the name of God, or to pretend to be His people, and as many people allow themselves to do this without any awareness of the danger it involves, David, without stopping to speak to men, addresses God, which he considers the better course. He implies that if people assume the title of the people of God without being so in deed and in truth, they gain nothing by their self-delusion, for God always remains true to Himself; and as He is faithful Himself, so He also requires us to keep faith with Him in return.

No doubt, God adopted Abraham freely, but at the same time, He stipulated with him that Abraham should live a holy and an upright life; and this is the general rule of the covenant which God has, from the beginning, made with His Church. In essence, hypocrites who occupy a place in the temple of God pretend in vain to be His people, for He acknowledges as His own only those who pursue justice and uprightness throughout their entire lives.

David saw the temple crowded with a great multitude of people who all professed the same religion and presented themselves before God in outward ceremony. Therefore, assuming the persona of one wondering at the spectacle, he directs his words to God, who, in such a confusion and mixture of characters, could easily distinguish His own people from strangers.

There is a threefold use of this doctrine:

1. First, if we really wish to be counted among the children of God, the Holy Spirit teaches us that we must show ourselves to be so by a holy and an upright life; for it is not enough to serve God by outward ceremonies unless we also live uprightly and without wronging our neighbors.
2. Second, since we too often see the Church of God marred by much impurity, a distinction is made between those who are permanent citizens of the Church and strangers who are mixed among them only for a time, to prevent us from stumbling over what appears so offensive.
3. Third, the faithful are instructed, each in their own sphere, to strive for the Church of God to be purified from the corruptions that still exist within her.

Regarding the second point, this distinction is undoubtedly a highly necessary warning. When the temple of God happens to be tainted by many impurities—by which I mean the vices of a corrupt and polluted life—we should not develop such disgust and frustration that it makes us withdraw from it. Provided that religion remains pure in doctrine and worship, we must not be so stumbled by the faults and sins people commit that we, on that account, tear apart the unity of the Church.

Yet the experience of all ages teaches us how dangerous a temptation it is when we see the Church of God—which should be free from all polluting stains and shine in uncorrupted purity—harboring within herself many ungodly hypocrites or wicked people. From this, the Catharists, Novatians, and Donatists in former times found occasion to separate themselves from the fellowship of the godly. The Anabaptists, in the present day, renew the same schisms, because it does not seem to them that a church in which vices are tolerated can be a true church.

However, Christ, in Matthew 25:32, justly claims it as His own unique role to separate the sheep from the goats. He thereby admonishes us that we must bear with the evils that we do not have the power to correct, until all things are ready and the proper season for purging the Church arrives.

Concerning the work of purification mentioned in the third use, God’s sacred threshing floor will not be perfectly cleansed before the last day, when Christ at His coming will cast out the chaff. However, He has already begun this work through the doctrine of His gospel, which for this reason He calls a fan.

Therefore, we must by no means be indifferent about this matter. On the contrary, we should exert ourselves earnestly, so that all who profess themselves Christians may lead a holy and unblemished life.

But above all, what God here declares concerning all the unrighteous should be deeply imprinted on our memory: namely, that He prohibits them from coming to His sanctuary and condemns their impious presumption in irreverently forcing themselves into the society of the godly.

David mentions the tabernacle because the temple was not yet built. The meaning of his discourse, to put it briefly, is this: only those have access to God who are His genuine servants and who live a holy life.