Thankfulness —John Calvin

“Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things (or in heavenly places) in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3

“The chief sacrifice which God requires at men’s hands is that they should acknowledge His benefits and be thankful to Him for them…

For if a man asks us why we are found in this world, why God has such a care for us, why His goodness feeds and cherishes us, and finally why He, as it were, dazzles us with the great number of benefits He bestows upon us, it is in order that we should yield some acknowledgement of them to Him. For (as it is said in the psalm) we for our part cannot profit him at all, neither does He require anything else of us in exchange, but thanksgiving, according as it is said in Psalm 116, ‘What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits which I have received from Him, except to take the cup of salvation at His hand and to call upon His name?’…

It is true that the Holy Spirit often sets forth other reasons why we should magnify God’s name, as (for example) the order of nature, the fruits which the earth yields, the aid and help which God gives us, and other such things. And these are sufficient matter for which to praise God. But St. Paul leads us higher here, and will have us to glorify God above all things. He thinks it is not enough to own that God has placed us in the world and that he nourishes us here, and he provides all things needful during the passing of this transitory life, but he also says that God has chosen us to be heirs of His kingdom and of the heavenly life.

We are then doubly bound to God, and that, much more closely then ignorant and unbelieving wretches are. For although they are sufficiently indebted already, yet the good He has done us in Jesus Christ is beyond all comparison more excellent and noble, because He has adopted us to be His children.”

—John Calvin, Sermons on the Epistle to the Ephesians

Christ is the image of the invisible God — John Calvin

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” — Colossians 1:15

“Who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). He mounts up higher in discoursing as to the glory of Christ. He calls him the image of the invisible God, meaning by this, that it is in him alone that God, who is otherwise invisible, is manifested to us, in accordance with what is said in John 1:18, — “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.”

…for Christ is called the image of God on this ground — that he makes God in a manner visible to us… The sum is this — that God in himself, that is, in his naked majesty, is invisible, and that not to the eyes of the body merely, but also to the understandings of men, and that he is revealed to us in Christ alone, that we may behold him as in a mirror. For in Christ he shows us his righteousness, goodness, wisdom, power, in short, his entire self. We must, therefore, beware of seeking him elsewhere, for everything that would set itself off as a representation of God, apart from Christ, will be an idol.”

— John Calvin, Commentaries on the Epistles of Paul the Apostle to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom42.v.ii.iii.html

God does nothing without reason — John Calvin

“Why is it that men fret so when God sends them things entirely contrary to their desire, except that they do not acknowledge that God does everything by reason, & that He has just cause? For if we had well-imprinted on our hearts “All that God does is founded in good reason” it is certain that we would be ashamed to chase so against Him when, I say, we know that He has just occasion to dispose thus of things, as we see. Now, therefore, it is especially said that Job attributed to God nothing without reason, that is to say, that he did not imagine that God did anything which was not just & equitable… The Holy Spirit wished to tell us that, if we wish to render glory to God & bless His name properly, we must be persuaded that God does nothing without reason. So then, let us not attribute to Him either cruelty or ignorance, as if He did things in spite & unadvisedly, but let us acknowledge that He proceeds in everything & through everything with admirable justice, with goodness & infinite wisdom, so that there is only entire uprightness or equity in all that He does… If we are afflicted we must not think that it happens without reason, but God has just cause to do it. And whenever we are tried & anguished let us run back to Him, let us pray to Him that He will give us grace to acknowledge that nothing happens to us in this world except as He disposes; indeed, & to be certain that He disposes in such manner that everything always comes back to our salvation… There is nothing better than to be entirely subject to the majesty of God & to recognize that if He let us do according to our own desires there would be only confusion; but when He governs us according to His will, it is for our profit & salvation.”



— John Calvin, Sermons from Job, The LORD gave; the LORD has taken away


God's works before creation… — John Calvin

“Here also the impiety of those is refuted who cavil against Moses…For they inquire why it had come so suddenly into the mind of God to create the world; why He had so long remained inactive in heaven: & thus by sporting with sacred things they exercise their ingenuity to their own destruction. In the Tripartite History an answer given by a pious man is recorded, with which I have always been pleased. For when a certain impure dog was in this manner pouring ridicule upon God, he retorted, that God had been at that time by no means inactive because He had been preparing hell for the captious…. As for ourselves, it ought not to seem so very absurd that God, satisfied in Himself, did not create a world which He needed not, sooner than He thought good. Moreover, since His will is the rule of all wisdom, we ought to be contented with that alone. For Augustine rightly affirms that injustice is done to God by the Manichaeans, because they demand a cause superior to His will…”

— John Calvin, Commentaries on the first book of Moses called Genesis

Definition of the term 'faith' or what a saving, justifying faith believes in? – John Calvin

“We need to have a clear definition of the term ‘faith’, for without it this teaching will be of no value to us…
When Paul speaks of faith, he does not mean having a vague sense that there is a God reigning in heaven, but of knowing God to be our Father. We can be assured of this because of the promises He has made. We can be joined & united to the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that all He has is ours & that we have share in it because we are members of His body…

There is, however, a point here which will be of great help to us, & that is to know how Abraham believed in God. Which this, we conclude. If Abraham had simply believed that there was a God in heaven, this could not have justified him, for the pagans believe as much. Or, if Abraham had simply believed that God was the Judge of all the earth, it would not have sufficed. But God said to Abraham, ‘Abram, I am thy shield, & thy exceeding great reward’, and ‘I will be a God unto thee, & to thy seed after thee’, and He also said that all nationts would be blessed in him (Gen. 15:1; 17:7). God spoke thus with Abraham & testified that He counted him a member of His family, one of His own children, & that He would be his God. When Abraham accepted this promise, he was justified. How is this? Well, when God presented Abraham with His bounty & grace, Abraham believed & accepted God’s Word. Thus, his salvation was completely secure.

Now we have a much clearer idea of what it means to be justified by faith. It does not mean we possess a vague notion that God exists, but rather, that we know Him as our Father & our Saviour, since He reveals Himself thus in His Word, & grants us a guarantee of it in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we are united & joined to God. Although we are wretched creatures, full of wickedness, He will still accept us as His own & find us pleasing in His sight. This is only possible because our Lord Jesus Christ mediates between God and man. Having such a promise, we must rest upon it entirely and not doubt that God will be favorable to us to the end. When we call upon Him, we must find all our refuge in Him, leaving the world behind us and pressing on in the hope of eternal life. This is having faith, & this is being justified! This is how our father Abraham believed. Without this, we cannot be Christians. For until we know what the gospel is really about (as Paul says in Rom. 10:14), we cannot call God our Father. We cannot, he says, call upon a God we have not heard of or believed in. And how can we possibly know Him unless He is revealed to us? Thus, we need faith to go before us. And how do we get faith? By hearing, says Paul (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, we need to be taught the gospel, otherwise we cannot have faith.”

– John Calvin, the true children of Abraham
John Calvin’s sermons on Galatians

The promises of God, the power of God, faith and the glory of God – John Calvin

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.” - Romans 4:20-21

“All things around us are in opposition to the promises of God: He promises immortality; we are surrounded with mortality and corruption: He declares that he counts us just; we are covered with sins: He testifies that he is propitious and kind to us; outward judgments threaten his wrath. What then is to be done? We must with closed eyes pass by ourselves and all things connected with us, that nothing may hinder or prevent us from believing that God is true…It is hence the chief thing in honoring God, obediently to embrace his promises: and true religion begins with faith…
But we do not sufficiently exalt the power of God, unless we think it to be greater than our weakness. Faith then ought not to regard our weakness, misery, and defects, but to fix wholly its attention on the power of God alone; for if it depends on our righteousness or worthiness, it can never ascend to the consideration of God’s power. And it is a proof of the unbelief, of which he had before spoken, when we mete the Lord’s power with our own measure. For faith does not think that God can do all things, while it leaves him sitting still, but when, on the contrary, it regards his power in continual exercise, and applies it, especially, to the accomplishment of his word: for the hand of God is ever ready to execute whatever he has declared by his mouth.”

- John Calvin

“a test whether you’re well learned in God’s Word” - John Calvin

“Many will brag that they be well learned in God’s Word: but the true trial to know whither [whether] it be so or no, is if we perceive how great need we have, that God should pour out his mercy upon us, to succor us by drawing us out of the gulf of Hell, and thereupon conclude that we cannot be cleansed and washed from any of all our spots, but by the blood of God’s son: nor obtain righteousness but by the obedience that he hath yielded: nor have any satisfaction for us but by the sacrifice that he hath offered: nor come in God’s favor but by his means: nor open our mouths to call upon him but by his intercession. Therefore when we be thoroughly persuaded of the gracious benefits that are brought us by the son of God: then may we say we have some understanding in the Gospel: but without that, we have nothing but imagination and folly. Mark that for one point.”

- John Calvin