Key Quotes
On Free Will and Human Corruption
1. “Since the fall of the first man, free choice has been a reality in name only, and we can of ourselves do nothing but sin.”
2. “Human nature, as created, was indeed good, but through the fall, it became so deeply corrupted that all its capacities for good are extinguished until it is renewed by God’s grace.”
3. “The will is so enslaved by sin that it cannot seek the good on its own; left to itself, it chooses evil because of its inherent corruption.”
4. “Though humans freely choose, they are incapable of good because their will, bound by sin, is inclined only toward wickedness.”
5. “The soul and its will, while designed to be directed by reason, are rendered spiritually blind by sin, unable to seek God’s righteousness without divine intervention.”
6. “Our corrupted nature, left untouched by grace, is nothing but concupiscence—a fountain of evil desires that cannot produce anything truly good.”
7. “Man’s will, though created free, has become a slave to
corruption, needing God’s grace to be freed from sin’s chains and to do any good.”
8. “True freedom for humanity lies not in its fallen will, which is
bound to sin, but in the liberation that God’s grace alone provides.”
These quotes capture Calvin’s perspective on the will’s enslavement to sin, emphasizing humanity’s need for divine grace to break the bondage and truly pursue good.
On the Nature of Good Works
1. “It is certain that whatever good works can be cited do not
please God by virtue of their own worth but by His gracious favor, because He wills to value them so much, even though they do not deserve it.”
2. “Good works, if they are evaluated in themselves, are without
exception sinful; they are good and please God through God’s fatherly acceptance, not by their own inherent merit.”
3. “For however much the saints dedicate themselves sincerely and
unfeignedly to obedience to God, it is yet far from being the case that there is present that readiness to render obedience which is demanded by the well-known summary of the law.”
4. “Even the best works of the saints, if reviewed by God and
weighed in that balance which fills even the very angels with dread, will be exposed as corrupt, whatever may be the value set on them by human judgment.”
5. “The worth of good works depends not on the act itself but on
perfect love for God; a work will not be righteous and pure unless it proceeds from a perfect love for God.”
6. “Augustine’s words—‘Grace does the work, directs it, and
completes it, even as it engages the will’—reflect my own conviction that all our good works flow from God’s gracious initiative, not from our own strength.”
7. “The Lord crowns His own work in us, recognizing the goodness
He Himself has brought to life in our hearts. Thus, God’s mercy is not a reward for human striving; it is the overflowing of His goodness toward those who are wholly dependent on Him.”
8. “Under the Mosaic Law, anything holy that came into contact
with impurity was considered unclean, showing that human imperfection taints what might otherwise be good.”
These quotes illuminate Calvin’s view that good works, while valuable, derive their worth solely from God’s grace rather than any inherent human merit. This theme emphasizes human dependence on divine mercy and underscores the limitations of human efforts.
On Exhorting Faith Despite Human Inability
1. “For this same reason I will only lightly touch on his last
objection, where he mocks our folly in spending so much trouble on instructing people, when we assert meanwhile that faith is not obtained through human efforts at persuasion, but is the special work of the Holy Spirit.”
2. “He says that we labour in vain in urging and exhorting people to believe, if it is really the case that they do not conceive [faith] themselves by their own power, but God inspires it by His grace.”
3. “We are no more labouring in vain than do farmers while they plough the earth and sow seed. For it is written, ‘You shall sow and not gather,’ indicating that all labour is in vain without the blessing of God.”
4. “The Word is like a seed sown in preaching; yet it only takes root, grows, and bears fruit when the Spirit works inwardly to give it life.”
5. “Our teaching is clear: humanity's fallen nature is so deeply corrupted by sin that it cannot produce anything truly good. Even when we pursue what is noble, the remnants of sin taint our desires.”
6. “God’s Word and Spirit work together in harmony. When the Spirit empowers the Word, He plants in us a desire for renewal. While we cannot dictate when or how God acts, we trust that He brings the Word and Spirit together to transform and mature His people in faith.”
7. “When we recognize our own weakness and inability, it does not lead to hopelessness but directs us to seek God’s mercy. For God’s elect, this truth is a source of hope, as they look not to themselves but to the grace and strength God promises to supply.”
8. “Prophets, pastors, and kings alike must call sinners to repentance, yet it is God alone who brings life to the dead soul.”
9. “Scripture teaches that the law’s perfection is beyond our
natural ability. No one has ever fully kept it, nor can they, because it demands absolute righteousness.”
These quotes reflect Calvin’s view that, despite human inability, exhortations to faith are meaningful because God alone brings about true transformation and faith through His Spirit.
Divine Power and Human Weakness
1. “Christ prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail, showing that
God’s grace keeps believers steadfast even in their own weakness. God does not merely offer support; He actively works within us so that we continue in faith.”
2. “God’s grace fires our will, giving us both the power and the
desire to persevere. Without this grace, our weak wills would falter under temptation, but because of it, we are strengthened and upheld.”
3. “God promised to do what He commands of us, so that His
promises depend on His power, not on ours.”
4. “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his
good pleasure. This lifelong work finds its source solely in God’s grace, flowing from his own goodness without regard to any merit on our part.”
5. “Even as God demands obedience, it is He who grants us the will
to obey. We act and desire because God empowers us.”
6. “God’s grace does not merely assist our weakness; it is the
complete work of God in us. By grace alone, our hearts are transformed, our wills are made new, and we are renewed to desire and pursue what is right.”
7. “Our weak and captive wills, held in bondage to sin, can only be
freed by God’s intervention. He not only initiates our freedom but ensures we continue in it.”
These quotes highlight Calvin’s emphasis on the centrality of God’s active power and grace in the believer’s journey, underscoring the human reliance on divine strength amidst inherent weakness.
Divine Mercy
1. “God’s mercy is not a reward for human striving; it is the
overflowing of His goodness toward those who are wholly dependent on Him.”
2. “God acts first, moving man to know and seek him, for no one
can perceive the true light unless God shines it into their hearts.”
3. “In His mercy, God drew to Himself those who were once
alienated and rebellious, showing that His choice is grounded in grace alone, not any human inclination.”
4. “Augustine affirms that our salvation is entirely a work of God’s
free and sovereign grace, which goes before, creates, and upholds our desire and capacity for faith.”
5. “God’s reply, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,’ is
not a statement of human power over salvation. It is a proclamation of God’s mercy and His continual offer of reconciliation to the wayward.”
6. “Our will, broken as it is, cannot freely choose God until His
grace acts upon it. Even the desire for good is granted by God’s grace, not human merit.”
7. “Through divine mercy, believers attain to good works they
neither desired nor sought on their own. Whatever a man wills or does comes from the Lord.”
8. “Augustine’s words resonate: ‘If our merits are of ourselves, they
are evil; for them to be good, they must be gifts from God.’ Thus, God crowns His own work in us, recognizing the goodness He Himself has brought to life in our hearts.”
These quotes illustrate Calvin's view that God's mercy is entirely unearned and flows from His own goodness, underpinning the very foundation of faith and obedience in the believer’s life.
Necessity Vs. Coersion
1. On Voluntary Bondage to Sin
“We do away with coercion and force, because this contradicts the nature of will and cannot coexist with it. We deny that choice is free, because through man’s innate wickedness it is of necessity driven to what is evil and cannot seek anything but evil.”
2. Bondage as Voluntary, Not Forced
“For we do not say that man is dragged unwillingly into sinning, but that because his will is corrupt he is held captive under the yoke of sin and therefore of necessity wills in an evil way. For where there is bondage, there is necessity. But it makes a great difference whether the bondage is voluntary or coerced.”
3. Corruption and Self-Determined Will
“A bound will, finally, is one which because of its corruptness is held captive under the authority of evil desires, so that it can choose nothing but evil, even if it does so of its own accord and gladly, without being driven by any external impulse.”
4. Distinguishing Necessity from Coercion
“We aren’t saying that necessity negates human responsibility. Rather, we’re showing that necessity and responsibility can coexist, as we see in the unchanging goodness of God, which is worthy of praise.”
5. Sinful Actions as Voluntary and Necessary
“Even though people sin of necessity due to their corrupted nature, this necessity is voluntary, as people act according to their corrupted desires, not by external compulsion.”
6. The Root of Necessity in Sin’s Corruption
“Our inability to do good stems from the corruption of our nature—a corruption that came because of humanity’s rebellion against God. Since we all share in Adam’s rebellion, the necessity of sinning does not excuse us but is instead the very basis of our condemnation.”
7. God’s Goodness and Necessity Without Coercion
“God is necessarily good, yet His goodness is no less praiseworthy because it’s unchanging. Similarly, the devil is necessarily evil, yet his wickedness is no less blameworthy.”
8. Voluntary, Yet Bound
“While the will is self-directed and not coerced, it is ‘bound’ by its sinful nature and, therefore, can only act within that corrupted state. This distinction between necessity and coercion clarifies that sinful actions stem from a voluntary, yet deeply enslaved, will.”
These quotes underscore Calvin's explanation that human will, while acting freely within its corrupted nature, is bound to sin by necessity, not by external force. This distinction preserves human responsibility even as it affirms our dependence on divine grace for true freedom.
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