WEEK NINE PREVIEW

Week nine we are finishing up Chapter II of Book II and we will be reading through Chapter III of Book II

HERE ARE THE AUDIO LINKS:

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

PREVIEW OF CHAPTER III 

A longer overview of John Calvin's theology taken from the Institutes of the Christian . This is a summary form, by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon.

Chapter 3: Just Damnable Things Come from Man's Nature

The corruption of man's nature is such as to require a total renewal of his mind and will.  The blindness of fallen men makes their unrenewed understanding “stupid, frivolous, insane, and perverse” in thought. (Rom. 3). 

God's grace sometimes restrains where it does not cleanse: the problem of the unregenerate is that they do not have virtues that cleanse inwardly, but they do at least inwardly restrain them from sin.  The restraining grace of God is necessary to make human life and society possible.  It is accomplished by modes: restraint by shame, by fear of the law, and because honesty is considered profitable in society.

Uprightness is God's gift; but man's nature remains corrupted, for man sins of necessity, without compulsion.  Man is powerless to move toward good by himself: Scripture ascribes such movement entirely to God's grace, for in man's fallen state his will remains eager to sin.  The conversion of the will is the effect of divine grace inwardly changing his heart where he is “created anew” because God is the author of spiritual life from beginning to end.

There is the erroneous teaching of cooperation where the will, having been prepared by God's power, then has its own part in the action of being made new.  Rather, God is the sole source of good to give grace and faith.  Not only does this change come from God, but its continuance also is by Him alone: perseverance is exclusively God's work.  Thus, man’s will is not eliminated, as Augustine says, but makes it wholly de pendent upon grace.

CHECK OUT Dr. McMahon's site HERE