July 10 will be the 500th anniversary of the birth of Jean Cauvin (aka John Calvin).
So maligned and misunderstood, yet he was a faithful evangelist, pastor, loving husband, and scholar, who suffered much and humbly asked to be buried in a unmarked tomb when he died.
As a 20-something he wrote The Institutes, one of the most important theological works in church history and a benchmark for Protestantism.
I was struck recently that one part of the Institutes (III:7:1), with only minor editing has such a poetic beauty about it. Commenting on 1 Corinthians 6:19 ("you are not our own") he says,
So maligned and misunderstood, yet he was a faithful evangelist, pastor, loving husband, and scholar, who suffered much and humbly asked to be buried in a unmarked tomb when he died.
As a 20-something he wrote The Institutes, one of the most important theological works in church history and a benchmark for Protestantism.
I was struck recently that one part of the Institutes (III:7:1), with only minor editing has such a poetic beauty about it. Commenting on 1 Corinthians 6:19 ("you are not our own") he says,
We are not our own:
let not our reason nor our will sway our plans and deeds.
We are not our own:
let us not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh.
We are not our own:
in so far as we can, let us forget ourselves and all that is ours.
We are God's:
let us live for him and die for him.
We are God's:
let his wisdom and will rule our actions.
We are God's:
let all the parts of our life strive toward him as our only goal.
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