Calvin's Doctrine of Christ

The content of this paper is based solely upon John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion (in two volumes), edited by John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960); all parenthetical page references refer to this source alone.

Calvin's doctrine of Christ can best be summed up through the statement: "The Christian life receives its strongest motive to God's work through the person and redemptive act of Christ" (686). As the principal formulator of Reformed theology, the substance of most modern Protestant churches, Calvin delineates that God's redemptive purpose for mankind finds its fullest expression in the person and works of Jesus Christ.

Calvin's systematic theology of the person of Christ is perhaps the earliest, and most thoroughly worked out. It provides a solid foundation upon the Old Testament and Jewish practice, which he distinguishes as having fully evinced the activity of Christ throughout time but without the saving knowledge we have set before us by the authors of the New Testament. In support of this, he writes: ". . . after [Scripture] has taught that we have degenerated from the true origin and condition of our creation, it also adds that Christ, through whom we return into favor with God, has been set before us as an example, whose pattern we ought to express . . ." (686).

This pattern is best developed in Book Two, "The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ . . ." (239-534). After explaining how all succumb to the original

Related Essays

Martin Luther .... such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli .... teachings of the Roman Church, Christ' s human body .... century, in 1079, that the doctrine of transubstantiation .... (2950 12 )

Free Will & Predestination .... in thought prior to John Calvin, but Calvin became the .... Calvinist doctrine of the Elect was being rejected and .... JA, Brownlee, WE, Brody, D., Ware, S., and Johnson .... (2527 10 )

Allegory in Theology .... Calvin sees an "antithesis" between "legal [that is, Jewish .... on historicization of supernatural events as a matter of doctrine. .... man who usds one and the s'me law .... (7789 31 )

American Religious Cults .... Although Calvin himself was a skilled politician who .... in matters of faith, doctrine and morals .... Babcock, William S. "Predestination." Grolier Multimedia Reference .... (4035 16 )

Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Urban America IN U .... candidate suited the Klan, which supported Republican Calvin Coolidge for .... the idea of teaching the Biblical doctrine of creation .... Frost, S. (1922, 23 December). .... (5901 24 )

Christianity & Environmentalism .... emphasize ethical content of Christian doctrine rather than .... 11 January 1993, 22-5. DeWitt, Calvin B.. "Myth .... Kantzer, Kenneth S.. "Silent No More." Christianity .... (5133 21 )

s into three separate "offices" according to Calvin: prophetic, kingly, and priestly. The understanding of the prophetic office lies in Christ's anointing as the Messiah of the Old Testament; His anointing by the Spirit "to be herald and witness of the Father's grace" (496). As God's consummate prophet, "In him are hid all the treasures of knowledge and understanding" (Colossians 2:3). The kingship of Christ must be seen to be spiritual rather than merely an earthly kingship. It endures for eternity for this very reason because it is beyond the reach of mortal man. No earthly power can overcome it, and its power is imparted to us, in turn, providing for our needs, adorning us with its beauty and magnificence, and enriching us with a wealth beyond measure (499). The priestly office is, in all likelihood, the most important, because it functions to provide reconciliation and intercession between man and God. Following the form of the Old Testament, expiation (of sin) must intervene on behalf of mankind, and that expiation is seen in the triumph of Christ upon the cross and in the resurrection. "Whatever has been consecrated through the Mediator is pleasing to God" (502) is Calvin's manner of forever substituting the sing

Category: Philosophy - C