In this section, Calvin addresses the first two petition sin the Lord’s Prayer. First, he reflects upon the importance of saying that God is our Father. This allows us to approach him with confidence, knowing the our relationship to him is one…
In these paragraphs, Calvin addresses the rudiments of public worship. He sees speaking and singing in prayer to be highly commendable when they are connected to the heart’s longing for God, as they help to exercise the mind and keep it…
In these paragraphs, Calvin moves on from his criticism of the contemporary practice of prayer to the saints to the nature of true prayer itself. Underlying the discussion of private prayer is the understanding that God, as sovereign, is the…
In these paragraphs, Calvin continues to refute traditional notions of the veneration and intercession of the saints by surveying some of the scripture texts and incidents typically cited in support. Two things are particularly striking in this discussion. The first…
In these paragraphs, Calvin emphasizes the uniqueness and the centrality of Christ’s mediation for his intercession, underscoring the fact that it is only through his work, from the very beginning of time, that any believer has ever had access to…
These entries, covering 3.19.13 – 3.20.17 will be made avaiable in the future (d.v.).
Romans 14:14 is an initially perplexing but important verse. First, no external things are unclean/unholy in and of themselves. Second, if your conscience (even incorrectly) deems something unclean/unholy, then to violate one’s conscience is a sin. Therefore, even if we…
Calvin regards the doctrine of Christian liberty as a teaching of primary importance. Without a proper understanding of it, we cannot truly know Christ, the truth of the gospel, or peace within. But people have strong, strange reactions to this…
Calvin continues to address objections to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. I want to focus on two points of interest in Calvin’s teaching here: first, the relationship between God’s promises and his righteousness; second, Jesus’ answer to the…
