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JOHN CALVIN : LIFE, LEGACY AND THEOLOGY -<br />
PROF. M. M. NINAN<br />
Such is the arrangement of the Institutes which may be thus summed up: Man being at first<br />
created upright, but afterwards being not partially but totally ruined, finds his entire salvation out of<br />
himself in Christ, to whom being united by the Holy Spirit freely given without any foresight of future<br />
works, he thereby obtains a double blessing, viz., full imputation of righteousness, which goes along<br />
with us even to the grave, <strong>and</strong> the commencement of sanctification, which daily advances till at length<br />
it is perfected in the day of regeneration or resurrection of the body, <strong>and</strong> this, in order that the great<br />
mercy of God may be celebrated in the heavenly mansions, throughout eternity.<br />
You can read it in pdf form at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.pdf?url=<br />
“Published first in 1536, the Institutes of the Christian Religion is Jonn <strong>Calvin</strong>'s magnum opus.<br />
Extremely important for the Protestant Reformation, the Institutes has remained important for<br />
Protestant theology for almost five centuries. Written to "aid those who desire to be instructed in the<br />
doctrine of salvation," the Institutes, which follows the ordering ot the Apostle's Creed, has tour<br />
parts.The first part examines God the Father; the second part, the Son; the third part, the Holy Spirit;<br />
<strong>and</strong> the fourth part, the Church. Through these tour parts, it explores both "knowledge ot God" <strong>and</strong><br />
"knowledge of ourselves" with profound theological insight, challenging <strong>and</strong> informing all the while.<br />
Thus, tor either the recent convert or the long-time believer, for the inquisitive beginner or the serious<br />
scholar, <strong>John</strong> <strong>Calvin</strong>'s Institutes of the Christian Religion won is a rewarding book worthy of study.”<br />
Further editions<br />
The 1539 edition comprised seventeen chapters in a quite different order. The first chapters dealt with<br />
God, <strong>and</strong> Man. Whereas Luther’s mind was focused on Jesus Christ, <strong>Calvin</strong>’s was on God. The Latin<br />
expression “soli deo gloria” (glory to God alone) summed up his opinion. The following chapters dealt<br />
respectively with faith, confession of faith, penitence,<br />
justification through faith, the relation between the Old<br />
Testament <strong>and</strong> the New Testament, <strong>and</strong><br />
predestination-providence.<br />
The predestination doctrine is definitely linked to <strong>Calvin</strong>.<br />
However he did not invent it, but found it in Saint Augustin’s<br />
texts. It cannot be separated from the notion of free salvation.<br />
For <strong>Calvin</strong> if God alone controls salvation, he must be the<br />
one who chooses the elect <strong>and</strong> the rejected. <strong>Calvin</strong> says that<br />
predestination is a logical consequence of free salvation. It<br />
exemplifies the priority of divine initiative.<br />
The subsequent chapters dealt with the sacraments. The<br />
Eucharist was controversial not only with the Catholics, but<br />
among reformers. Luther <strong>and</strong> Zwingli had violent arguments<br />
even though they both refused the catholic dogma of<br />
transubstantiation.<br />
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