„Without the fear of God, men do not even observe justice and charity among themselves.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Source: Institutes of the Christian Religion
Quotes from bookInstitutes of the Christian Religion
John CalvinOriginal title Christianae religionis institutio, totam fere pietatis summam, & quicquid est in doctrina salutis cognitu necessarium, complectens: omnibus pietatis studiosis lectu dignissimum opus, ac recens editum (Latin, 1536)
Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin's seminal work of systematic theology. Regarded as one of the most influential works of Protestant theology, it was published in Latin in 1536 and in his native French language in 1541, with the definitive editions appearing in 1559 and in 1560 .
„True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 1 Chapter 1, p. 44
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
Context: Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God.
Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.
„It is better to limp in the way, than run with the greatest swiftness out of it.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 1, Chapter 6, p. 72
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„The hinges on which the controversy turns are these: first, in their contending that the form of the Church is always visible and apparent; and, secondly, in their placing this form in the see of the Church of Rome and its hierarchy. We, on the contrary, maintain, both that the Church may exist without any apparent form, and, moreover, that the form is not ascertained by that external splendour which they foolishly admire, but by a very different mark, namely, by the pure preaching of the word of God, and the due administration of the sacraments.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 24
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„It is certain that no man can embrace the grace of the Gospel without retaking himself from the errors of his former life into the right path, and making it his whole study to practice repentance.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 3, Chapter 3, Section 1, p. 497
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„If all are born and live for the express purpose of learning to know God, and if the knowledge of God, in so far as it fails to produce this effect, is fleeting and vain, it is clear that all those who do not direct the whole thoughts and actions of their lives to this end fail to fulfil the law of their being.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 1, Chapter 3, p. 52
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„It is easy to see how superstition, with its false glosses, mocks God, while it tries to please him.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 1, Chapter 4, p. 54
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„Be it so that public error must have a place in human society, still, in the kingdom of God, we must look and listen only to his eternal truth, against which no series of years, no custom, no conspiracy, can plead prescription. Thus Isaiah formerly taught the people of God, “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy;” i. e. do not unite with the people in an impious consent.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 23
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„The large benefits which the divine liberality is constantly bestowing on the wicked are preparing them for heavier judgment. As they neither think that these proceed from the hand of the Lord, nor acknowledge them as his, or if they do so acknowledge them, never regard them as proofs of his favor, they are in no respect more instructed thereby in his mercy than brute beasts, which, according to their condition, enjoy the same liberality, and yet never look beyond it.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 3, Chapter 2, Section 32, p. 484
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„For what accords better and more aptly with faith than to acknowledge ourselves divested of all virtue that we may be clothed by God, devoid of all goodness that we may be filled by him, the slaves of sin that he may give us freedom, blind that he may enlighten, lame that he may cure, and feeble that he may sustain us; to strip ourselves of all ground of glorying that he alone may shine forth glorious, and we be glorified in him?“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address to King Francis as translated by Henry Beveridge, p. 16.
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„Depraved custom is just a kind of general pestilence in which men perish not the less that they fall in a crowd.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 23
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„We must not only resist, but boldly attack prevailing evils.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 23
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„To make everything yield to custom would be to do the greatest injustice. Were the judgments of mankind correct, custom would be regulated by the good. But it is often far otherwise in point of fact; for, whatever the many are seen to do, forthwith obtains the force of custom. But human affairs have scarcely ever been so happily constituted as that the better course pleased the greater number. Hence the private vices of the multitude have generally resulted in public error.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 23
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„The proper course, therefore, is, in the first instance, to ascertain and examine the doctrine which is said by the Evangelist to precede; then after it has been proved, but not till then, it may receive confirmation from miracles. But the mark of sound doctrine given by our Saviour himself is its tendency to promote the glory not of men, but of God (John 7:18; 8:50). Our Saviour having declared this to be test of doctrine, we are in error if we regard as miraculous, works which are used for any other purpose than to magnify the name of God.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 18
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„Lastly, let each of us consider how far he is bound in duty to others, and in good faith pay what we owe. In the same way, let the people pay all due honour to their rulers, submit patiently to their authority, obey their laws and orders, and decline nothing which they can bear without sacrificing the favour of God. Let rulers, again, take due charge of their people, preserve the public peace, protect the good, curb the bad, and conduct themselves throughout as those who must render an account of their office to God, the Judge of all… Let the aged also, by their prudence and their experience, (in which they are far superior,) guide the feebleness of youth, not assailing them with harsh and clamorous invectives but tempering strictness with ease and affability. Let servants show themselves diligent and respectful in obeying their masters, and this not with eye-service, but from the heart, as the servants of God. Let masters also not be stern and disobliging to their servants, nor harass them with excessive asperity, nor treat them with insult, but rather let them acknowledge them as brethren and fellow-servants of our heavenly Master, whom, therefore, they are bound to treat with mutual love and kindness. Let every one, I say, thus consider what in his own place and order he owes to his neighbours, and pay what he owes. Moreover, we must always have a reference to the Lawgiver, and so remember that the law requiring us to promote and defend the interest and convenience of our fellow-men, applies equally to our minds and our hands.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book II Chapter 8. Spurgeon.org. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„We expect salvation from him—not because he stands aloof from us, but because ingrafting us into his body he not only makes us partakers of all his benefits, but also of himself. … Since Christ has been communicated to you with all his benefits, so that all which is his is made yours, you become a member of him, and hence one with him. His righteousness covers your sins—his salvation extinguishes your condemnation; he interposes with his worthiness, and so prevents your unworthiness from coming into the view of God. Thus it truly is. It will never do to separate Christ from us, nor us from him; but we must, with both hands, keep firm hold of that alliance by which he has riveted us to himself.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 3, Chapter 2, Section 24, p. 477
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„Our feeling of ignorance, vanity, want, weakness, in short, depravity and corruption, reminds us … that in the Lord, and none but He, dwell the true light of wisdom, solid virtue, exuberant goodness. We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is unknown to himself; that is, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 1, Chapter 1, p. 44
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„All the Fathers with one heart execrated, and with one mouth protested against, contaminating the word of God with the subtleties of sophists, and involving it in the brawls of dialecticians. Do they keep within these limits when the sole occupation of their lives is to entwine and entangle the simplicity of Scripture with endless disputes, and worse than sophistical jargon? So much so, that were the Fathers to rise from their graves, and listen to the brawling art which bears the name of speculative theology, there is nothing they would suppose it less to be than a discussion of a religious nature.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Prefatory Address, p. 22
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„The wicked do not fear God from any unwillingness to offend him, provided they could do so with impunity. … But believers, as has been said, dread the offense even more than the punishment.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book 3, Chapter 2, Section 27, p. 480
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
„We must resist wandering thoughts in prayer. Raising our hands reminds us that we need to raise up our minds to God, setting aside all irrelevant thoughts.“
— John Calvin, book Institutes of the Christian Religion
Book III Ch. 20 First Rule, para. 1 and 2.
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536; 1559)
