Reading through the institututes.

[makesends]

I am sure that will be covered.

I'm just saying that I am looking forward to that, because it is already established that it is a subject UNDER the Doctrine of God, and not a separate subject in itself.

 

[makesends]

"For although, by the blessing of God,my most ardent desire has been to advance his kingdom, and promote the public good---although I feel perfectly conscious, and take God and his angels to witness. that ever since I began to discharge the office of teacher in the church, my only object was to do good to the church, by maintaining the pure doctrine of godliness, yet I believe there never was a man more assailed, stung, and torn by calumny---[as well by the declared enemies of the truth of God, as by many worthless persons who have crept into the church---which well by monks who have brought forth their frocks from their cloisters to spread infection wherever they come, as by other miscreants not better than they.]

Calumny: A false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation. If he could only hear what is still said about him today, and from within the church!

Three things:
1. Nothing new under the sun.
2. It reminds me of Paul's instructions to Timothy to teach and train up future teachers, keeping the faith pure.
3.Calvin did not mince his words, when contending for the faith and identifying the enemies to it.

Mondays Reading

I loved the archaic language. I picked out 10 or so words, I think it was 5 that I didn't even recognize and looked up all 10 to see how close my guesses were, to tell to my daughter and son-in-law who love to construct sentences in old language for fun.

I remember when my daughter was about 10, reading some old book and laughing herself sick, "He presented his fist at my waistcoat."

 

[Carbon]

I plan on catching back up today/tonight. Been super busey and also worked doing tree removal for a couple days with a friend that owns a tree buisness. Been a couple years since I removed a tree because of a pevious tree accident. But I did it, eventhouh the lactic acid had its way the last couple days But today i can walk better. So looking forward to Calvin's Institutes.

 

[Arial]

I plan on catching back up today/tonight. Been super busey and also worked doing tree removal for a couple days with a friend that owns a tree buisness. Been a couple years since I removed a tree because of a pevious tree accident. But I did it, eventhouh the lactic acid had its way the last couple days But today i can walk better. So looking forward to Calvin's Institutes.

I am waiting to post until we get past the preparatory and into chapter 1.

 

[Carbon]

I am waiting to post until we get past the preparatory and into chapter 1.

Same here

 

[Hazelelponi]

I don't think there's been much to say about the introductory pages, letters and the like, but reading them is helping me feel like I am getting to know him and how he uses language.

I think it'll be helpful when we get into faith issues better...

 

[Arial]

Week 2 Day 1

Where to begin?


I will begin at the end I guess as that is what struck me the most.

"I call 'piety' that which reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him----they will never yield him willing service. Nay unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give truly and sincerely to him."

How carelessly we walk through this life in regards to recognizing that his goodness and care of us is not seen only in prayers answered, but in everything towards us. All that we have, all that we eat, our very breath. How often do we thank him for the trials he sends us through or upholds us in, once we come out the other side and see the good that he wrought in them? When our hearts are stirred with beholding beauty, or when the sun is warm on our shoulders and a breeze kisses our face, and contentment and joy fill us, even if but a moment; do we always stop to thank him. knowing it is from him? When we wake in the morning do we thank him for keeping us safe and alive while we slept?

Thank God for those robes of righteousness, Christ's never failing piety, that clothes us!! I have a feeling, that just as Calvin said, if we make it a point to begin to practice these things on a regular basis, our trust and our peace and our joy will have room to grow and spill over to those around us.

 

[makesends]

Book 1 Chapter 5, if I'm following the timeline right. And actually, Calvin's been saying this before, too.

I love the affirmation of what I've been telling atheists and agnostics, and those who claim to believe in God, but who don't consider Him relevant, that same thing I heard today concerning clothing, from RC Sproul on someone's post, and from @Arial above, that the very notion, "GOD", in its most concise and purest form, comes with no implications that need qualified, but only final truth, and that if one wants to get away with less than that in their estimation of Him, there are no end of implications to be weaseled out and endlessly redefined. No, the human must hide from the Almighty because in the very meaning of Omnipotence, is implied God's ownership of the creature and their moral responsibility.

Intuition —even reason— should tell us to give up before we start, because we all fall short, and nobody can attain it, but instinct tells us there is no other place to go. We belong to him. We beg him for mercy, because we have no other place near him.

I keep hearing Calvin leading up to Romans 1, from so many different perspectives and reasons to be ashamed for unbelief, yet to explain why we want to retreat from God's sight, as if that were possible.