A Place for Truth
Studies

Compilation of Calvin's Institutes,
Book II.6 - III.11: the Work of the Holy Spirit

Charles R. Biggs

Chap. VI: Fallen Man Ought to Seek Redemption in Christ.

Chap. VII: The Law was Given, Not to Restrain the Folk of the Old Covenant Under Itself, but to Foster Hope of Salvation in Christ Until His Coming.

The Law:

1. To reveal sin and the need for Christ;



2. To restrain the ungodly;



3. "The Third and Principle Use" finds its place among believers in whose hearts the Spirit of God already lives and reigns.

To teach the will of God to the Christian: "daily instruction in the Law leads to a purer knowledge of the divine will." "Even for a spiritual man not yet free of the weight of the flesh, the law remains a constant sting that will not let him stand still" (Ps. 19:7-8; 119:105). "The life of a righteous man is a continual meditation upon the Law (Ps. 1:2), for it is just as applicable to every age, even to the end of the world" (II.7.xii-xiii). "…The Law points out the goal toward which throughout life we are to strive." Concerning Ceremonial Law: [Calvin with Augustine] "…in the Jewish ceremonies there was confession of sins rather than atonement for sins" (Heb. 10:1ff; Lev. 16:21). "The Apostle Paul calls the ceremonies 'written bonds against us' (Col. 2:14), those observing them, since through such rites they openly certify their own condemnation and uncleanness" (cf. Heb. 10:3). "For at the same time they were deprived of the benefit of Christ, since, when once he had carried out the eternal atonement, he abolished those daily observances, which were able only to attest to sins but could do nothing to blot them out" (II.7.xvii).

Chap. VIII: Explanation of the Moral Law (10 Commandments):

"For since God is a Spiritual Lawgiver, he speaks no less to the soul than to the body (inward/outward acts)" (II.8.vi). "Obviously, in almost all the commandments there are such manifest synecdoches that he who would confine his understanding of the Law within the narrowness of the words deserve to be laughed at…whatever pleases God, the opposite displeases him; if this displeases him, the opposite pleases him; if he commands this, he forbids the opposite; if he forbids this, he enjoins the opposite" (II.8.viii). Concerning the Sabbath (4th Commandment: "First, we are to meditate throughout life upon an everlasting Sabbath rest from all our works, that the Lord may work in us through his Spirit. Secondly, each one of us privately, whenever his leisure, is to exercise himself diligently in pious meditation upon God's works. Also, we should observe together the lawful order set by the church for the hearing of the word, the administration of sacraments, and for public prayers. In the third place, we should not humanly oppress those subject to us" (II.8.xxxiv). Love of Neighbor: "Hence it is very clear that we keep the commandments not by loving ourselves but by loving God and neighbor; that he lives the best and holiest life who lives and strives for himself as little as he can, and that no one lives in a worse or more evil manner than he who lives and strives for himself alone, and thinks about and seeks only his advantage" (II.8.liv).

Chap IX: Christ, Although He was Known to the Jews Under the Law, Was at Length Clearly Revealed Only in the Gospel.

Law and Gospel: "…But the gospel did not supplant the entire law as to bring forward a different way of salvation. Rather, it confirmed and satisfied whatever the Law had promised and gave substance to the shadows" (II.9.iv). "…Where the whole Law is concerned, the gospel differs from it only in clarity of manifestation" (cf. Rom. 16:25-26).

Chap. X: The Similarity of the Old and New Testaments.

"There are two [main] points: that the OT fathers

1. Had Christ as pledge of their covenant, and



2. Put in him all trust of future blessedness" (II.10.xxiii).

Chap. XI: The Difference Between the Two Testaments.

"The same Church existed among them [OT saints], but as yet in its childhood. Therefore, keeping them under this tutelage, the LORD gave not spiritual promises unadorned and open, but ones foreshadowed, in a measure, by earthly promises. When, therefore, he adopted Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants into the hope of immortality, he promised them the Land of Canaan as an inheritance. It was not to be the final goal of their hopes, but was to exercise and confirm them, as they contemplated it, in hope of their true inheritances, an inheritance not yet manifested to them" (II.11.ii). "As the LORD, testifying to his benevolence toward believers by present good things, then foreshadowed spiritual happiness by such types and symbols, so on the other hand he gave, in physical punishments, proofs of his coming judgment against the wicked…God willed that, for the time during which he gave his covenant to the people of Israel in a veiled form, the grace of the future and eternal happiness be signified and figured under earthly benefits, the gravity of spiritual death under physical punishments" (II.11.iii).

The Differences between the OT and the NT:

1. Representation of spiritual blessings by temporal [blessings] (i.e. Land of Canaan);



2. Truth in the OT conveyed by images and ceremonies, typifying Christ and his work;



3. The OT is literal, the NT is Spiritual [Jer. 31:31-34; cf. 2 Cor. 3: tablets of stone (literal), written on men's hearts (spiritual); the preaching of death, the latter of life; the former condemnation, the latter of righteousness; the former passing away, the latter abiding];



4. Bondage of the OT and freedom of the NT [Rom. 8:15; Heb. 12:18-22; Gal. 4:22-31]. "The Apostle condemns as blind and accursed those who, content with present shadows, did not stretch their minds to Christ. Not to mention the other matters-what greater blindness could be imagined than to hope for expiation of sin from a slaughtered beast? Or to seek to cleanse the soul by an outward sprinkling with water? Or to try to please God with cold ceremonies, as if he were greatly delighted by them? Those who adhere to the observances of the Law without regard to Christ fall into all these absurd practices" (II.11.x);



5. The OT has a reference to one nation, the NT to all nations (e.g. the wall of separation is torn down in Christ, the calling of the Gentiles). Ultimately, Calvin views the Covenant as essential to a proper understanding of the unity of Scripture, God's work in salvation, Christian living, the Reformation of the Church, and the Sacraments (II.10-11).

Conclusion: Paul likens the Jews to children, Christians to young men (Gal. 4:1ff). "God's constancy shines forth [in the OT and NT] in the fact that he taught the same doctrine to all ages, and has continued to require the same worship of his name that he enjoined from the beginning. In the fact that he has changed the outward form and manner, he does not show himself subject to change. Rather, he has accommodated himself to men's capacity, which is varied and changeable" (II.11.xiii).

Chap. XII: Christ Had to Become Man in Order to Fulfill the Office of Mediator.

"[Christ's] task was to restore us to God's grace as to make of the children of men, children of God; of the heirs of Gehenna, heirs of the Heavenly Kingdom. Who could have done this had not the self-same Son of God become the Son of Man, and had not so taken what was ours to impart what was his to us, and to make what was his by nature ours by grace" (II.12.ii). "In short, since neither as God alone could he feel death, nor as man alone could he overcome it, he coupled human nature with divine that to atone for sin he might submit the weakness of the one to death; and that, wrestling with death by the power of the other nature, he might win victory for us." "…Our common nature with Christ is the pledge of our fellowship with the Son of God; and clothed with our flesh he vanquished death and sin together that the victory and triumph might be ours" (II.12.iii).

Chap. XIII: Christ Assumed the True Substance of Human Flesh.

Chap. XIV: How the Two Natures of the Mediator Make One Person.

"For we affirm his divinity so joined and united with his humanity that each retains its distinctive nature unimpaired, and yet these two natures constitute one Christ" (II.14.i). "It is no more permissible to commingle the two natures in Christ than to pull them apart" (II.14.iv). "Hypostatic Union"- That which constitutes one person out of two natures.

Chap. XV: To Know the Purpose for Which Christ was Sent by the Father, and What He Conferred Upon Us, We Must Look Above All at Three Things in Him: The Prophetic Office, Kingship, and Priesthood.

"The title Christ pertains to these three offices: for we know that under the Law prophets as well as priests and kings were anointed with holy oil…Hence the name Messiah was bestowed upon the promised Mediator." Christ Our King: "For the Spirit has chosen Christ as his seat, that from him might abundantly flow the heavenly riches of which we are in such need. The believers stand unconquered through the strength of their King, and his spiritual riches abound in them. Hence they are justly called Christians" (II.15.v). Christ Our Priest: "…As a pure and stainless Mediator he is by his holiness to reconcile us to God. But God's righteous curse bars our access to him, and God in his capacity as judge is angry toward us. Hence, an expiation must intervene in order that Christ as priest may obtain God's favor for us and appease his wrath. Thus Christ to perform this office had to come forward with a sacrifice. For under the Law, also, the priest was forbidden to enter the sanctuary without blood (Heb. 9:7), that believers might know, even though the priest as their advocate stood between them and God, that they could not propitiate God unless their sins were expiated (Lev. 16:2-3)…the Priestly Office belongs to Christ along because by the sacrifice of this death he blotted out our own guilt and made satisfaction for our sins (Heb. 9:22)" (II.15.vi).

Chap. XVI: How Christ Has Fulfilled the Function of Redeemer to Acquire Salvation for Us.

Here, Also, His Death and Resurrection Are Discussed, As Well as His Ascent to Heaven. "…We are taught by Scripture to perceive that apart from Christ, God is, so to speak, hostile to us, and his hand is armed for our destruction; to embrace his benevolence and fatherly love in Christ alone" (II.16.ii). "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8). "Therefore, he loved us even when we practiced enmity toward him and committed wickedness. Thus in a marvelous and divine way, he loved us even when he hated us" (II.16.iv). "So then, let us remember that whenever mention is made of his death alone, we are to understand at the same time what belongs to his resurrection [synecdoche]. Also, the same synecdoche applies to the word resurrection whenever it is mentioned separately from death, we are to understand what has to do especially with his death" (II.16.xiii).

Chap. XVII: Christ Rightly and Properly Said to Have Merited God's Grace and Salvation for Us.

Book III: The Way in Which We Receive the Grace of Christ: What Benefits Come to Us from It, and What Effects Follow.

Chap. I: The Things Spoken Concerning Christ Profit Us by the Secret Working of the Spirit.

"…We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us." "The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually unites us to himself" (III.1.i). Titles of the Holy Spirit in Scripture:

1. "Spirit of Adoption" (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6);



2. "the guarantee and seal" of our inheritance" (2 Cor. 1:22; cf. Eph. 1:14);



3. "water" (Is. 55:1; 44:3; John 7:37-39; Ezek. 36:25);



4. "oil and anointing" (1 John 2:20, 27).

Union with Christ:

"This union ensures that as far as we are concerned, Christ has not unprofitably come with the name of Savior. The same purpose is served by that sacred wedlock through which we are made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone (Eph. 5:30), and thus are one with him. But he unites himself to us by the Spirit alone. By the grace and power of the same Spirit we are made his members, to keep us under himself and in turn to possess him" (III.1.iii). "Faith is the principle work of the Holy Spirit."

Chap. II: Faith: Its Definition Set Forth, and Its Properties Explained.

"…And in our daily reading of Scripture we come upon many obscure passages that convict us of our ignorance. With this bridle God keeps us within the bounds, assigning to each his 'measure of faith' (Rom. 12:3) so that even the best teacher may be ready to learn" (III.2.iv). "Faith rests upon God's word…this then, is the true knowledge of Christ, if we receive him as he is offered by the Father: namely, clothed with his gospel…Paul yokes faith to teaching, as an inseparable companion, with these words: 'You did not so learn Christ if indeed you were taught what is the truth in Christ' (Eph. 4:20-21)…We must remember that there is a permanent relationship between faith and the Word. He could not separate one from the other any more than we could separate the rays of the sun from which they come…the same word is the basis whereby faith is supported and sustained; if it turns away from the word, it falls. Therefore, take away the word and no faith will then remain…Paul defines faith as that obedience which is given to the gospel (Rom. 1:5)…In understanding faith it is not merely a question of knowing that God exists, but also-and this especially-of knowing what is his will toward us. For it is not so much our concern to know who he is in himself, as what he wills us to be toward us…Whatever proceeds [from God in his word] is sacred and inviolable truth" (III.2.vi). "…The Psalms commonly yoke mercy and truth, as if they were mutually connected (Ps. 89:14, 24; 92:2; 98:3; 100:5; 108:4, etc.); for it would not help us at all to know God is true unless he mercifully attracted us to himself…Our mind illumined and our heart strengthened, that the Word of God may obtain full faith among us. Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it 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 minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit" (III.2.vii). "…However deficient or weak faith may be in the elect, still, because the Spirit of God is for them the sure guarantee and seal of their adoption (Eph. 1:14; cf. 2 Cor. 1:22), the mark he has engraved can never be erased from their hearts; but on the wicked such light is shed as may afterward pass away" (III.2.xii). "When first even the least drop of faith is instilled in our minds, we begin to contemplate God's face, peaceful and calm and gracious toward us. We see him afar off, but so clearly as to know we are not at all deceived. Then, the more we advance as we ought continually to advance, with steady progress, as it were, the nearer and thus surer sight of him we obtain; and by the very continuance he is made even more familiar to us" (III.2.xviii). "But since Christ has been so imparted to you with all his benefits that all his things are made yours, that you are made a member of him, indeed one with him, his righteousness overwhelms your sins; his salvation wipes out your condemnation; with his worthiness he intercedes that your unworthiness may not come before God's sight…We ought not to separate Christ from ourselves or ourselves from him" (III.2.xxiv). "We make the freely given promise of God the foundation of faith because upon it faith rests. Faith is certain that God is true in all things whether he commands or forbids, whether he promises or threatens; and it also obediently receives his commandments, observes his prohibitions, heeds his threats. Nevertheless, faith properly begins with the promise, rests in it, and ends in it" (III.2.xxix). "The Word becomes efficacious for our faith through the Holy Spirit…without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the Word can do nothing…Faith is much higher than human understanding. And it will not be enough for the mind to be illumined by the Spirit of God unless the heart is also strengthened and supported by his power" (III.2.xxxiii). "…The Word of God is like the sun, shining upon all those to whom it is proclaimed, but with no effect among the blind. Now, all of us are blind by nature in this respect. Accordingly, it cannot penetrate into our minds unless the Spirit, as the inner Teacher, through his illumination makes entry for it" (III.2.xxxiv). "The mysteries of God, and especially those which pertain to our salvation, cannot be discerned in themselves, or as it is said, in their own nature. But we contemplate them only in His Word, of the truth of which we ought to be so persuaded that we should count whatever he speaks as already done and fulfilled" (III.2.xli).

Chap. III: Our Regeneration by Faith: Repentance.

"…contrition is the first part of repentance. Vivication they understand as the consolation that arises out of faith. That is, when a man is laid low by the consciousness of sin and stricken by the fear of God, and afterward looks to the goodness of God- - to his mercy, grace, salvation, which is through Christ-he raises himself up, he takes heart, he recovers courage, and as it were, returns from death to life…[Vivication also means] "the desire to live in a holy and devoted manner, a desire arising from rebirth; as if it were said that man dies to himself that he may begin to live to God" (III.3.iii). Calvin's Definition of Repentance: "Can true repentance stand, apart from faith? Not at all. But even though they cannot be separated, they ought to be distinguished. As faith is not without hope, yet faith and hope are different things, so repentance and faith, although they are held together by a permanent bond, require to be joined rather than confused…I am aware of the fact that the whole of conversion to God is understood under the term repentance and faith is not the least part of conversion…The meaning [of repentance is] departing from ourselves, we turn to God, and having taken off our former mind, we put on a new. On this account, in my judgment, repentance can thus be well defined: it is the true turning of our life to God, a turning that arises from a pure and earnest fear of him; and it consists in the mortification of our flesh and of the old man, and in the vivication of the Spirit" (III.3.v). [Repentance] is

1. a turning of life to God;



2. proceeds from an earnest fear of God ("sorrow…according to God"- - "Godly sorrow"-2 Cor. 7:10);



3. Two parts of repentance:


1. mortification of the flesh, and



2. vivication of the Spirit…Both things happen to us by participation in Christ.

For if we truly partake in his death, our old man is crucified by his power, and the body of sin perishes (Rom. 6:6ff), that the corruption of original nature may no longer thrive. If we share in his resurrection, through it we are raised up into newness of life to correspond with the righteousness of God. Therefore, in a word, I interpret repentance as regeneration, whose sole end is to restore in us the image of God that had been disfigured and all but obliterated through Adam's transgression (2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:10)…and this restoration does not take place in one moment or one day or one year; but through continual and sometimes even slow advances God wipes out in his elect the corruptions of the flesh, cleanses them of guilt, consecrates them to himself as temples, renewing all their minds to true purity that they may practice repentance throughout their lives and know that this warfare will end only at death…In order that believers may reach this goal [likeness of Christ], God assigns to them a race of repentance, which they are to run throughout their lives" (III.3.ix). Sin has lost dominion (rule) in believers: "For the Spirit dispenses a power whereby they may gain the upper hand and become victors in the struggle. But sin ceases only to reign; it does not also cease to dwell in them" (cf. Rom. 6:6ff; 8:2) (III.3.xi). "…We may truly say that the life of a Christian man is a continual effort and exercise in the mortification of the flesh, till it is utterly slain, and God's Spirit reigns in us. Therefore, I think he has profited greatly who has learned to be very much displeased with himself, not so as to stick fast in this mire and progress no further, but rather to hasten to God and yearn for him in order that, having been engrafted into the life and death of Christ, he may give attention to continual repentance" (III.3.xxi).

Chap. IV: How Far From the Purity of the Gospel is All that the Sophists in their Schools Prate about Repentance; Discussion of Confession and Satisfaction.

Nature and Value of the Power of the Keys (Mt. 16;18): "…Any right of binding and loosing which Christ conferred upon his church is bound to the Word. This is especially true in the ministry of the keys, whose entire power rests in the fact that, through those whom the LORD has ordained, the grace of the gospel is publicly and privately sealed in the hearts of believers. This can come about only through preaching" (III.4.xiv).

Chap. V: The Supplements That They Add to Satisfactions, Namely, Indulgences and Purgatory: (Contra Roman Catholicism).

Chap. VI: The Life of the Christian Man; and First, By What Arguments Scripture Urges Us to It.

"The object of regeneration is to manifest in the life of believers a harmony and agreement between God's righteousness and their obedience, and thus to confirm the adoption that they have received as sons" (Gal. 4:5; cf. 2 Peter 1:10) (III.6.i). "I do not insist that the moral life of a Christian man breathe nothing but the very gospel, yet this ought to be desired, and we must strive toward it…[in the Christian life] let us look toward our mark with sincere simplicity and aspire to our goal; not fondly flattering ourselves, nor excusing our own evil deeds, but with continuous effort striving toward this end: that we may surpass ourselves in goodness until we attain to goodness itself. It is this, indeed, which through the whole course of life we seek and follow" (III.6.5).

Chap. VII: The Sum of the Christian Life: The Denial of Ourselves.

1. We are not our own masters, but belong to God (Rom. 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 6:19)- "We are not our own"- Let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own- Let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own- Insofar as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours… "We are God's"- Let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's- Let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's- Let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal (Rom. 14:8; cf. 1 Cor. 6:19)…The sol haven of salvation is to be wise in nothing and to will nothing through ourselves but to follow the leading of the Lord alone" (III.7.1).



2. Self-denial through devotion to God- "…When Scripture bids us leave off self-concern, it not only erases from our minds the yearning to possess, the desire for power, and the favor of men, but it also up roots ambition and all craving for human glory and other more secret plagues" (III.7.11).



3. Self-renunciation according to Titus, chapter 2 (Titus 2:11-14)- "For, as Christ our Redeemer once appeared, so in his final coming he will show the fruit of the salvation brought forth by him." "In this way he scatters all the allurements that becloud us and prevent us from aspiring as we ought to heavenly glory. Nay, he teaches us to travel as pilgrims in this world that our celestial heritage may not perish or pass away" (III.7.iii).



4. Self-denial gives us the right attitude toward our fellow men (Phil. 2:3ff; cf. Rom. 12:10)- "The very vices that infest us we take pains to hide from others, while we flatter ourselves with the pretense that they are slight and insignificant, and even sometimes embrace them as virtues. If others manifest the same endowments we admire in ourselves, or even superior ones, we spitefully belittle and revile these gifts in order to avoid yielding place to such persons…thus, each individual, by flattering himself, bears a kind of Kingdom in his breast…there is no other remedy than to tear out form our inward parts this most deadly pestilence of love of strife and love of self, even as it is plucked out by Scriptural teaching…Let us then unremittingly by examining our faults, call ourselves back to humility…You will never attain to true gentleness except by one path: a heart inbued with lowliness and with reverence for others (III.7.iv).



5. Self-renunciation leads to proper helpfulness toward our neighbors- "Now in seeking to benefit one's neighbor, how difficult it is to do one's duty! Unless you give up all though of self and, so to speak, get out of yourself, you will accomplish nothing here (1 Cor. 13:4-5)…[Scripture] warns that whatever benefits we obtain from the Lord have been entrusted to us on this condition: that they be applied to the common good of the church (cf. 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:12ff)...providing for himself (a godly man) in no way other than to have his mind intent upon the common upbuilding of the church...We are the stewards of everything God has conferred on us by which we are able to help our neighbor, and are required to render account of our stewardship…The only right stewardship is that which is tested by the rule of love" (III.7.v).



6. Love of neighbor is not dependent upon manner of man but looks to God (Gal. 6:9; 1 Cor. 13:4-5; Heb. 13:16)- "…We look upon the image of God in all men, to which we owe all honor and love (Gal. 6:10)" (III.7.vi).



7. The outward work of love is not sufficient, but it is intention that counts- "…They must put themselves in the place of him whom they see in need of their assistance, and pity his ill fortune as if they themselves experienced and bore it, so that they may be impelled by a feeling of mercy and humaneness to go to his aid just as to their own" (III. 7.vii).



8. Self-denial toward God: Devotion to His Will!- "Let them [godly men] neither desire nor hope for, nor contemplate, any other way of prospering than by the Lord's blessing. Upon this, then, let us safely and confidently throw themselves and rest" (III.7.viii).



9. Trust in God's blessing only.



10. Self-denial helps us to bear adversity- "Whatever happens, because he will know it ordained by God, he will undergo it with a peaceful and grateful mind so as not obstinately to resist the command of him into whose power he once for all surrendered himself and his every possession…The rule of piety is that God's hand alone is the judge and governor of fortune-good or bad-and that it doesn't rush about with heedless force, but with most orderly justice deals out good as well as ill to us" (III.7.x).

Chap. VIII: Bearing the Cross, A Part of Self-Denial.

"…Each must bear his own cross (Mt. 16:24). For whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of his fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil (cf. Heb. 5:8)…Hence also in harsh and difficult conditions, regarded as adverse and evil, a great comfort comes to us: we share Christ's sufferings in order that as he passed from a labyrinth of all evils into heavenly glory, we may in like manner be led through various tribulations to the same glory (Acts 14:22; Phil. 3:10-11)…By communion with Him the very sufferings themselves not only become blessed to us but also help much in promoting our salvation" (III.8.1). Paul says, "Tribulations produce patience; and patience, tried character" (Rom. 5:3-4)… "God has promised to be with believers in tribulation (2 Cor. 1:4) they experience to be true, while supported by his hand, they patiently endure-an endurance quite unattainable by their own effort…And it is of no slight importance for you to be cleansed of your blind love of self that you may be made more nearly aware of your incapacity; to feel your own incapacity that you may learn to distrust yourself; to distrust yourself that you may transfer your trust to God; to rest with a trustful heart in God that, relying upon his help, you may persevere unconquered to the end; to take your stand in his grace that you may comprehend the truth of his promises; to have unquestioned certainty of his promises that your hope may thereby be strengthened" (III.8.iii).

Chap. IX: Mediation On the Future Life.

"Whatever kind of tribulation presses upon us, we must ever look to this end: to accustom ourselves to contempt for the present life and to be aroused thereby to meditate upon the future life…To counter this evil the Lord instructs his followers in the vanity of the present life by continual proof of its miseries…how unstable and fleeting are all the goods that are subject to mortality…We conclude that in this life we are to seek and hope for nothing but struggle; when we think of our crown, we are to raise our eyes to heaven. For this we must believe: that the mind is never seriously aroused to desire and ponder the life to come unless it be previously inbued with contempt for the present life" (III.9.1). "…If heaven is our homeland, what else is the earth but our place of exile? If departure from the world is entry into life, what else is the world but a sepulchre? And what else is it for us to remain in life but to be immersed in death?…Therefore, if the earthly life be compared with the heavenly, it is doubtless to be at once despised and trampled under foot…[Our calling in this world] is like a sentry post at which the Lord has posted us, which we must hold until he recalls us" (III.9.iv). "If believer's eyes are turned to the power of the resurrection, in their hearts the cross of Christ will at last triumph over the devil, flesh, sin, and wicked men" (III.9.vi).

Chap. X: How We Must Use the Present Life and Its Helps.

"…This freedom [Christian liberty in Christ] is not to be restrained by any limitation but to be left to every man's conscience to use as far as seems lawful to him. Certainly I admit that consciences neither ought to nor can be bound here to definite and precise legal formulas; but inasmuch as Scripture gives general rules for lawful use, we ought surely to limit our use in accordance with them" (III.10.1). "Everything we have [all gifts] are given to us by the kindness of God, and destined for our benefit; these things have been entrusted to us by God and we must one day render account of them. Thus, therefore, we must so arrange it that this saying may continually resound in our ears: Render Account of Your Stewardship (Luke 16:2) (III.10.v). "…The Lord bids each one of us in all life's actions to look to his calling…Therefore each individual has his own kind of living assigned to him by the LORD as a sort of post so that he may not heedlessly wander about throughout life…It is enough if we know that the LORD's calling is in everything the beginning and foundation of well-doing. And if there is anyone who will not direct himself to it, he will never hold to the straight path in his duties…and there will be no harmony among the several parts of his life. Accordingly, your life will then be best ordered when it is directed to this goal. For no one, impelled by his own rashness, will attempt more than his calling will permit, because he will know that it is not lawful to exceed its bounds...[in each vocation] each man will bear and swallow the discomforts, vexations, weariness, and anxieties in his way of life, when he has been persuaded that the burden was laid upon him by God. From this will arise also a singular consolation: that no task will be so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God's sight" (III.10.vi).

Chap. XI: Justification by Faith: First the Definition of the Word and of the Matter.

"Christ was given to us by God's generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace: namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ's blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ's Spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life…we must discuss them [justification and good works] as to bear in mind that this is the main hinge on which religion turns, so that we devote the greater attention and care to it" (III.11.i). Definition of Justification- "…Justified by faith is he who, excluded from the righteousness of works, grasps the righteousness of Christ through faith, and clothed in it, appears in God's sight not as a sinner but as a righteous man. Therefore, we explain justification simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as a righteous man. And we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of Christ's righteousness" (III.11.ii). "…Paul says that Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith (Gal. 3:8), what else may you understand but that God imputes righteousness by faith? Again, when he says that God justifies the impious person who has faith in Christ (Rom. 3:26), what can his meaning be except that men are freed by the benefit of faith from that condemnation which their impiety deserved?…Since God justifies us by the intercession of Christ, he absolves us not by the confirmation of our own innocence but by the imputation of righteousness, so that we who are not righteous in ourselves may be reckoned as such in Christ…after pardon of sins has been obtained, the sinner is considered as a just man in God's sight (III.11.iii). "…Therefore, that joining together of Head and members, that indwelling of Christ in our hearts-in short, that mystical union (mystico unio)-are accorded by us the highest degree of importance, so that Christ, having been made ours, makes us sharers with him in the gifts with which he has been endowed. We do not, therefore, contemplate him outside ourselves from afar in order that his righteousness may be imputed to us but because we put on Christ and are engrafted into his body-in short, because he deigns to make us one with him. For this reason, we glory that we have fellowship of righteousness with him" (III.11.x). "Scripture, when it speaks of righteousness, leads us to something far different [from Roman Catholicism]: namely, to turn aside from the contemplation of our own works and look solely upon God's mercy and Christ's perfection" (III.11.xvi). "…It is clear that those who are justified by faith are justified apart from the merit of works. For faith receives that righteousness which the gospel bestows. Now the gospel differs from the Law in that it does not link righteousness to works but lodges it solely in God's mercy" (e.g. Rom. 4:2-5; 4:16) (III.11.xviii). Through Faith Alone we are justified (Rom. 3:21, 28; Rom. 4:15; 4:2ff; Gal. 3:12, 21ff) (III.11.xix).

"You see that our righteousness is not in us but in Christ, that we possess it only because we are partakers in Christ; indeed, with him we possess all his riches. And this does not contradict what he teaches elsewhere, that sin has been condemned for sin in Christ's flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:3-4). The only fulfillment he alludes to is that which we obtain through imputation…To declare by him alone we are accounted righteous, what else is this but to lodge our righteousness in Christ's obedience, because the obedience of Christ is reckoned to us as if it were our own?" (III.11.xxiii).

Chap. XII: We Must Lift Up Our Minds to God's Judgment Seat That We May Be Firmly Convinced of His Free Justification.

"Hither, hither we ought to have raised up our eyes to learn how to tremble rather than vainly to exult. Indeed, it is easy, so long as the comparison stops with men, for anyone to think of himself as having something that his fellows ought not to despise. But when we rise up toward God, that assurance of ours vanishes in a flash and dies" (III.12.ii). "Let us not be ashamed to descend from this contemplation of divine perfection to look upon ourselves, without flattery and without being affected by blind self-love. For it is no wonder if we be so blind in this respect, since none of us guards against that pestilent self-indulgence which, as Scripture proclaims, inheres in all of us by nature. 'To every man,' says Solomon, 'his way is right in his own eyes' (Prov. 21:2). Again, 'All the ways of a man seem pure in his own eyes' (Prov. 16:2). What then? Is man acquitted by this delusion? No indeed, but, as is added in the same passage, 'the LORD weighs men's hearts' (Prov. 16:2). That is, while man flatters himself on account of the outward mask of righteousness that he wears, the Lord meanwhile weighs in his scales the secret impurity of the heart. Since, therefore, a man is far from being benefited by such flatteries, let us not, to our ruin, willingly delude ourselves. In order that we may rightly examine ourselves, our consciences must necessarily be called before God's judgment seat" (III.12.v).

Chap. XIII: Two Things to be Noted in Free Justification.

1. Justification serves God's honor; and revelation, his justice.



2. He who glories in his own righteousness robs God of his honor.



3. A glance at one's own righteousness provides not peace for the conscience.



4. Attention to one's own righteousness also nullifies the promises.



5. Faith in God's free grace alone gives us peace of conscience and gladness in prayer.

Chap. XIV: The Beginning of Justification and Its Continual Progress.

"Four classes of men with regard to justification: for men are either (1) endowed with no knowledge of God and immersed in idolatry, or (2) initiated into the sacraments, yet by impurity of life denying God in their actions while they confess him with their lips, they belong to Christ only in name; or (3) they are hypocrites who conceal with empty pretenses their wickedness of heart, or (4) regenerated by God's Spirit, they make true holiness their concern" (III.14.1).

Chap. XV: Boasting About the Merits of Works Destroys Our Praise of God for Having Bestowed Righteousness, as Well as Our Assurance of Salvation.

"Whatever, therefore, is now given to the godly as an aid to salvation, even blessedness itself, is purely God's beneficence. Yet both in this blessedness and in those godly persons, he testifies that he takes works into account. For in order to testify to the greatness of his love toward us, he makes not only us but the gift that he has given us worthy of such honor" (III.15.4). "If these matters [of good works and the merits of Christ] had in bygone ages been treated and dealt with in proper order, so many tumults and dissensions would never have arisen. Paul says that in the upbuilding of Christian teaching we must keep the foundation that he had laid among the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10), 'beside which no other can be laid, which is Jesus Christ?' (1 Cor.3:11). What sort of foundation have we in Christ? Was he the beginning of our salvation in order that its fulfillment might follow from ourselves? Did he only open the way by which we might proceed under our own power? Certainly not. But, as Paul had set forth a little before, Christ, when we acknowledge him, is given us to be our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). He alone is well founded in Christ who has perfect righteousness in himself: since the apostle does not say that He was sent to help us attain righteousness, but himself to be our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). Indeed, he states that 'he has chosen us in him' from eternity 'before the foundation of the world,' through no merit of our own 'but according to the purpose of divine good pleasure' (Eph. 1:4-5); that by his death we are redeemed from the condemnation of death and freed from ruin (cf. Col. 1:14, 20); that we have been adopted unto him as sons and heirs by our Heavenly Father (cf. Rom. 8:17; Gal. 4:5-7); that we have been reconciled through his blood (Rom. 5:9-10); that, given into his protection, we are released from the danger of perishing and falling (John 10:28); that thus ingrafted into him (cf. Rom. 11:19) we are already, in a manner, partakers of eternal life, having entered in the Kingdom of God through hope…In brief, because all his things are ours and we have all things in him, in us there is nothing. Upon this foundation, I say, we must be built if we would grow into a holy temple to the Lord (cf. Eph. 2:21)" (III.15.v).

Chap. XVI: Refutation of the False Accusations by Which the Papists try to Cast Odium upon this Doctrine.

Chap. XVII: The Agreement of the Promises of the Law and of the Gospel.

Sec. 3: The Promises of the Law are put into effect through the Gospel: "I therefore admit that what the Lord has promised in his law to the keepers of righteousness and holiness is paid to the works of believers, but in this repayment we must always consider the reason that wins favor for these works. Now we see that there are three reasons. The first is: God, having turned his gaze from this servants' works, which always deserve reproof rather than praise, embraces his servants in Christ, and with faith alone intervening, reconciles them to himself without the help of works. The second is: of his own fatherly generosity and loving-kindness, and without considering their worth, he raises works to this place of honor, so that he attributes some value to them. The third is: He receives these very works with pardon, not imputing the imperfection with which they are all so corrupted that they would otherwise be reckoned as sins rather than virtues" (III.17.iii). "A work begins to be acceptable only when it is undertaken with pardon. Now whence does this pardon arise, save that God contemplates us and our all in Christ? Therefore, as we ourselves, when we have been engrafted in Christ, are righteous in God's sight because our iniquities are covered by Christ's sinlessness, so our works are righteous and are thus regarded because whatever fault is otherwise in them is buried in Christ's purity, and is not charged to our account. Accordingly, we can deservedly say that by faith alone not only we ourselves but our works as well are justified" (III.17.x).

Chap. XVIII: Work Righteousness is Wrongly Inferred from Reward.

Chap. XIX: Christian Freedom.

"[Christian Freedom]…is a thing of prime necessity, and apart from knowledge of it consciences dare undertake almost nothing without doubting; they hesitate and recoil from many things; they constantly waver and are afraid. But freedom is especially an appendage of justification and is of no little avail in understanding its power…as we have said, unless this freedom be comprehended, neither Christ nor gospel truth, nor inner peace of soul, can be rightly known" (III.19.i). Christian freedom, in my opinion, consists of three parts.

1. That the consciences of believers, in seeking assurance of their justification before God, should rise above and advance beyond the law, forgetting all law righteousness…the law leaves no one righteous, either it excludes us from all hope of justification or we ought to be freed from it, and in such a way, indeed, that no account is taken of works…Removing, then, mention of law, and laying aside all consideration of works, we should, when justification is being discussed, embrace God's mercy alone, turn our attention from ourselves and look only to Christ…Nor can any man rightly infer from this that the law is superfluous for believers, since it does not stop teaching and exhorting and urging them to good, even though before God's judgment seat it has no place in their consciences…The whole life of Christians ought to be a sort of practice of godliness, for we have been called to sanctification (1 Thess. 4:7; cf. Eph. 1:4; 1 Thess. 4:3). Here it is the function of the law, by warning men of their duty, to arouse them to a zeal for holiness and innocence. But where consciences are worried how to render God favorable, what they will reply, and with what assurance they will stand should they be called to his judgment, there we are not to reckon what the law requires, but Christ alone, who surpasses all perfection of the law, must be set forth as righteousness" (III.19.ii). "[In the Book of Galatians] Paul is discussing ceremonies (i.e. Gal. 3:13; 5:1-4), for his quarrel is with false apostles who were trying to reintroduce into the Christian church the old shadows of the law that had been abolished by Christ's coming…because the clarity of the gospel was obscured by those Jewish shadows, Paul showed that we have in Christ a perfect disclosure of all those things which were foreshadowed in the Mosaic ceremonies" (III.19.iv).



2. "The second part, dependent upon the first, is that consciences observe the law, not as if constrained by the necessity of the law, but that freed from the law's yoke they willingly obey God's will…See how all our works are under the curse of the law if they are measured by the standard of the law!…But if, freed from this severe requirement of the law, or rather from the entire rigor of the law, they hear themselves called with fatherly gentleness by God, they will cheerfully and with great eagerness answer, and follow his leading. To sum up: Those bound by the yoke of the law are like servants assigned certain tasks for each day by their masters. These servants think they have accomplished nothing, and dare not appear before their masters unless they have fulfilled the exact measures of their tasks. But sons, who are more generously and candidly treated by their fathers, do not hesitate to offer them incomplete and half-done and even defective works, trusting that their obedience and readiness of mind will be accepted by their fathers, even though they have not quite achieved what their fathers intended. Such children ought we to be, firmly trusting that our services will be approved by our most merciful Father, however small, rude, and imperfect these may be" (III.19.iv-v).



3. "The third part of Christian freedom lies in this: regarding outward things that are of themselves 'indifferent' (adiaforoi), we are not bound before God by any religious obligation preventing us from sometimes using them and other times not using them, indifferently. And the knowledge of this freedom is very necessary for us, for if it is lacking, our consciences will have no repose and there will be no end to superstitions" (III.19.vii). [Romans 14:14- RSV-"I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for any one who thinks it unclean"]:

"…With these words Paul subjects all outward things to our freedom, provided our minds are assured that the basis for such freedom stands before God. But if any superstitious opinion poses a stumbling block for us, things of their own nature pure are for us corrupt… 'For whatever is not of faith is sin' (Rom. 14:22-23)…To sum up, we see whither this freedom tends: namely, that we should use God's gifts for the purpose for which he gave them to us, with no scruple of conscience, no trouble of mind. With such confidence our minds will be at peace with him, and will recognize his liberality toward us. For here are included all ceremonies whose observance is optional, that our consciences may not be constrained by any necessity to observe them but may remember that by God's beneficence their use is for edification made subject to him" (III.19.viii). "But we must carefully not that Christian freedom is, in all its parts, a spiritual thing. Its whole force consists in quieting frightened consciences before God-that are perhaps disturbed and troubled over forgiveness of sins, or anxious whether unfinished works, corrupted by the faults of our flesh, are pleasing to God, or tormented about the use of things indifferent…Thus let every man live in his station, whether slenderly, or moderately, or plentifully, so that all may remember God nourishes them to live, not to luxuriate. And let them regard this as the law of Christian freedom; to have learned with Paul, in whatever state they are, to be content; to know how to be humbled and exalted; to have been taught, in any and all circumstances, to be filled and to hunger, to abound and to suffer want (Phil. 4:11-12)" (III.19.9).