Having emphasised that faith rests on the promises of the covenant, Calvin now stresses the fact that these promises are in Christ, knowledge of whom IS the gospel. While sinful man enjoy God’s bounty and goodness, the believer recognises God’s…
3.2.28 – 3.2.31 As Calvin continues to discuss the nature of faith, he makes the point that the assurance of faith is not connected to any promises of worldly prosperity of comfort but rather to the expectation of the life…
Calvin continues his discussion of faith by addressing the issue of fear, talking his cue from Paul’s reference in Phil. 2.12 to `fear and trembling.’ Fear can, of course, be a very bad thing, antithetical to the kind of assurance…
In these paragraphs, Calvin continues his discussion of faith when, having distinguished the true from the false, he addresses the manner in which the believing individual experiences the world. What is particularly significant here is the way in which Calvin…
In these paragraphs, Calvin continues to address the many complexities that surround the relationship between true faith and its counterfeits. Both pastoral experience and accounts given in scripture lead Calvin to believe that there is such a thing as false…
In this section, Calvin defines true faith over against false alternatives. It is, he says, `a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our…
The blogs covering ICR 2.16.2 – 3.2.6 are not avaialble. They will be posted at a later date
In sections 8-12 Calvin seeks to explain a confusing part of the Apostle’s Creed: Christ’s descent into hell. Calvin wants us to understand and not despise this mysterious summary of our redemption. Dropping it from our creed means we lose…
We all know that “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” But Calvin draws our attention to another biblical teaching: “All of us…have in ourselves something deserving of God’s hatred.” So why does God loves us…
Rather than summarizing each section today, I want to draw our attention to 2.16.2, where Calvin seeks to show the importance of being both clear and specific regarding the nature of the wrath of God which rests upon each of…
