Institutes of the Christian Religion

by John Calvin

and yet God himself was not deprived of the power of thus punishing the ingratitude of Solomon. We, therefore, see how God, while not willing treachery, with another view justly wills the revolt; and

If I mistake not, I have already shown clearly how the same act at once betrays the guilt of man, and manifests the righteousness of God. Modest minds will always be satisfied with Augustine's

when by His righteous impulse man does what he ought not to do, let them give heed to what Augustine elsewhere observes:

"Who can refrain from trembling at those judgements when God does according to his pleasure even in the hearts of the wicked, at the same time rendering to them according to their deeds?"

Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the Holy Scriptures, have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance, a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation.

The subjects treated of accordingly are, first, the Occasion of Redemption, viz., Adam's fall; and, secondly, Redemption itself.

Two parts in the definition. Exposition of the latter part. Original sin exposes us to the wrath of God. It also produces in us the works of the flesh. Other definitions considered.

First, When reflecting on what God gave us at our creation, and still continues graciously to give,

For as God at first formed us in his own image, that he might elevate our minds to the pursuit of virtue, and the contemplation of eternal life, so to prevent us from heartlessly burying those noble qualities which distinguish us from the lower animals,

ever since we fell from our original in the person of our first parent. In this way, we feel dissatisfied with ourselves,

There is nothing more acceptable to the human mind than flattery, and, accordingly, when told that its endowments are of a high order, it is apt to be excessively credulous.

Owing to the innate self-love by which all are blinded,

Accordingly, in every age, he who is most forward in extolling the excellence of human nature, is received with the loudest applause.

It is impossible for us to think of our first original, or the end for which we were created, without being urged to meditate on immortality, and to seek the kingdom of God.

We must, therefore, look deeper than sensual intemperance.

prohibition to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a trial of obedience, that Adam, by observing it, might prove his willing submission to the command of God.

The promise, which gave him hope of eternal life as long as he should eat of the tree of life, and, on the other hand, the fearful denunciation of death the moment he should taste of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, were meant to prove and exercise his faith.

that pride was the beginning of all evil, because, had

At the same time, it is to be observed, that the first man revolted against the authority of God, not only in allowing himself to be ensnared by the wiles of the devil, but also by despising the truth, and turning aside to lies.

Assuredly, when the word of God is despised, all reverence for Him is gone.

this is way it is key not to pick and chokse what you like from the scriptures

Hence infidelity was at the root of the revolt.

again, sprang ambition and pride, together with ingratitude;

because Adam, by longing for more than was allotted him, manifested contempt for the great liberality wi...

it is in vain to extenuate the sin of Adam. Nor was it simple apostasy. It was accompanied with foul insult to God, the guilty pair assenting to Satan's calumnies when he charged God with malice, envy, and falsehood.

In fine, infidelity opened the door to ambition, and ambition was the parent of rebellion,

The strongest curb to keep all his affections under due restraint, would have been the belief that nothing was better than to cultivate righteousness by obeying the commands of God,

and that the highest possible felicity was to be loved by him[1].

happiness

Man, therefore, when carried away by the blasphemies of Satan, did his very utmost to annihil...

As Adam's spiritual life would have consisted in remaining united and bound to his Maker,

so estrangement from him was the death of his soul.

than that the fault of one should render all guilty,

and so become a common sin.

Augustine, laboured to show, that we are not corrupted by acquired wickedness, but bring an innate corruption from the very womb.

We thus see that the impurity of parents is transmitted to their children, so that all, without exception, are originally depraved.

Accordingly, the relation subsisting between the two is this, As Adam, by his ruin, involved and ruined us, so Christ, by his grace, restored us to salvation.

Therefore, the only explanation which can be given of the expression, "in Adam all died," is, that he by sinning not only brought disaster and ruin upon himself, but also plunged our nature into like destruction;

should be enough for us to know that Adam was made the depository of the endowments which God was pleased to bestow on human nature, and that, therefore, when he lost what he had received, he lost not only for himself but for us all.

The cause of the contagion is neither in the substance of the flesh nor the soul, but God was pleased to ordain that those gifts which he had bestowed on the first man, that man should lose as well for his descendants as for himself.

"Both the condemned unbeliever and the acquitted believer beget offspring not acquitted but condemned, because the nature which begets is corrupt.[4]"

Moreover, though godly parents do in some measure contribute to the holiness of their offspring, this is by the blessing of God; a blessing, however, which does not prevent the primary and universal curse of the whole race from previously taking effect. Guilt is from nature, whereas sanctification is from supernatural grace.

Original sin, then, may be defined a hereditary corruption and depravity of our nature, extending to all the parts of the soul, which first makes us obnoxious to the wrath of God, and then produces in us works which in Scripture are termed works of the flesh.

For our nature is not only utterly devoid of goodness, but so prolific in all kinds of evil, that it can never be idle.

Meanwhile let us remember that our ruin is attributable to our own depravity, that we may not insinuate a charge against God himself, the Author of nature.

We, however call it natural to prevent any one from supposing that each individual contracts it by depraved habit, whereas all receive it by a hereditary law.

This disposes of the absurd notion of the Manichees, who, imagining that man was essentially wicked, went the length of assigning him a different Creator, that they might thus avoid the appearance of attributing the cause and origin of evil to a righteous God.

The last part of the chapter, containing a simple statement of the true doctrine. The fundamental principle is, that man first begins to profit in the knowledge of himself when he becomes sensible of his ruined condition. This confirmed, I. by passages of Scripture.

Proved, moreover, by passages of Scripture, showing, I. That the sons of Adam are endued with some light, but not enough to enable them to comprehend God. Reasons.

our proper course will be, first, to show that man has no remaining good in himself, and is beset on every side by the most miserable destitution;

and then teach him to aspire to the goodness of which he is devoid, and the liberty of which he has been deprived:

thus giving him a stronger stimulus to exertion than he could have if he imagined himself poss...