Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Calvin on Holiness

I love this quote from Calvin's Institutes.

Now what is to be learned from the law can be readily understood: that God, as he is our Creator, has toward us by right the place of Father and Lord; for this reason we owe him glory, reverence, love, and fear; verily, that we have no right to follow the mind’s caprice wherever it impels us, but, dependent upon his will, ought to stand firm in that alone which is pleasing to him; then, that righteousness and uprightness are pleasing to him, but he abominates wickedness; and that, for this reason, unless we turn away from our Creator in impious ingratitude, we must cherish righteousness all our life. For if only when we prefer his will to our own do we render to him the reverence that is his due, it follows that the only lawful worship of him is the observance of righteousness, holiness, and purity.

John Calvin, Institutes 2.8.2

3 comments:

Lapa said...
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Anonymous said...

Matt,
Nice to read this quote from Calvin. I teach high school science just north of the B.C. Washington border, though my first teaching position was in Lynden, WA., two years ago. One of my former students there, has just joined the USMC. I hope and pray that your studies and work are blessed. Thanks for the posting.

Burke

Anonymous said...

Great quote, Calvin was such a great thinker, If the ministers today would read him, all of his work we would be better off as a church. We have become a worldly church. We don't teach what Jesus taught. We don't think like calvin thought. Thanks. Scott mcculloch