Blogging The Institutes

Calvin borrowed generously from earlier theologians (especially Augustine) in formulating his Institutes of the Christian Religion.  Of one group, though, he was especially critical: "the Schoolmen," also known as "the Scholastics."  The Schoolmen were theologians who taught theology and philosophy...

Calvin continues his categorization of where people stand with respect to justification.  He concludes his remarks on the first category--people who are outside of Christ and thus remain unjustified--by reiterating that justification depends entirely on God's mercy, not our works. ...

In justification, the sinner receives righteousness from God as a gift.  Because this gift rests on the promise of God, received by faith, it provides complete assurance to the conscience and full peace to the soul.  Our hope of inheriting...

For Calvin, the only possible way to receive God's mercy is with absolute humility, which he defines as "an unfeigned submission of our heart, stricken down in earnest with an awareness of its own misery and want."  Without such humility,...

Justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ is the true doctrine of acceptance. But is it necessary, vital? How serious should we be about it? Does it matter? Is it worth fighting over? It matters more than we can say,...

If, as Paul say, the law is not faith (Gal. 3.11-12), the one excludes the other. So the law is quite different from faith. And so justification is by faith alone. Calvin is sensitive to language, particular over the question...

In his attack upon Osiander Calvin adds that while 'Christ, as he is God and man, justifies us', nevertheless Christ's righteousness is a work of the Saviour's human nature, the fruit of his obedience. This is another reason why it...

After his refutation of Osiander, Calvin returns to his mainline exposition of justification, that the believer receives pardon and God's righteousness is reckoned to be the believer as the only ground of acceptance.  So are works of the law excluded?...

Is the Institutes a work of systematic theology? Yes and no. Calvin covers many of the topics of theology in his own inimitable way, but unevenly. There is much from the patristic and medieval theology that he takes for granted....

The Institutes is a great work of theology. But it is difficult to find the right adjective for the kind of theology it represents--systematic, biblical ecclesiastical, pastoral?  It is certainly all of the above. Calvin engages the mind, heart, will,...

How can we happily contemplate the future life when the access route to it is by death?  The natural fear of the dissolution of our bodies surely makes encouragement to contemplate the future life a counsel of perfection. Not for...

Christians are not the only ones who have discussed the virtue of patience. But what distinguishes biblical teaching from that of the philosophers is the grand sense of purpose and design.  Granted pagan philosophers at times saw that affliction tests...

Christians are crucifers, cross bearers.  The cross is laid across the back of the spiritually obese. We are "fattened and flabby" wrote the lean and spare Genevan reformer. We might say, keeping Calvin's universe of discourse but employing a contemporary...

The Institutes almost demand multiple readings. Not only because the work is so rich in doctrinal perspective, but also because it is, in fact, full of striking "one-liners."  Such surely include these words: "the chief part of self-denial ...  looks...

Calvin begins a new section here comprising five chapters given over to the nature of the Christian life.  It knew a separate existence from the Institutes published as a booklet in its right. Referring to his love of brevity (yes!),...