John Calvin Quotes About Scripture

Quotes about: Scripture

• The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.

  John Calvin

  Mean, Sheep, Two

  John Calvin (2012). “John Calvin's Commentaries On St. Paul's Epistles To Timothy, Titus And Philemon (Annotated Edition)”, p.262, Jazzybee Verlag

• Original sin, therefore, appears to be a hereditary, depravity and corruption of our nature, diffused through all the parts of the soul, rendering us obnoxious to the divine wrath and producing in us those works which the scripture calls 'works of.

  John Calvin

  Wrath, Soul, Scripture

  John Calvin (2009). “Institutes of the Christian Religion Vol. 1: Translated from the Original Latin, and Collated With the Author's Last Edition in French”, p.229, Wipf and Stock Publishers

• The most accomplished in the Scripture are fools, unless they acknowledge that they have need of God for their schoolmaster all the days of their life.

  John Calvin

  Needs, Scripture, Fool

• Scripture is like a pair of spectacles which dispels the darkness and gives us a clear view of God.

  John Calvin

  Views, Giving, Darkness

• For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so nothing is taught but what is expedient to know. Therefore we must guard against depriving believers of anything disclosed about predestination in Scripture, lest we seem either wickedly to defraud them of the blessing of their God or to accuse and scoff at the Holy Spirit for having published what it is in any way profitable to suppress.

  John Calvin

  School, Blessing, Way

  John Calvin “Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion”, Westminster John Knox Press

• But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the church. As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God depended upon the decision of men!

  John Calvin

  Men, Errors, Decision

  John Calvin (1975). “John Calvin: Selections from His Writings”, p.354, Oxford University Press

• But those who wish to prove to unbelievers that Scripture is the Word of God are acting foolishly, for only by faith can this be known.

  John Calvin

  Wish, Acting, Scripture

  John Calvin (1975). “John Calvin: Selections from His Writings”, p.13, Oxford University Press

• The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them. Whoever turns aside from this object, even though he wears himself out all his life in learning, he will never reach the knowledge of the truth.

  John Calvin

  Scripture, Christ, Should

• Hence that dread and amazement with which as Scripture uniformly relates holy men were struck and overwhelmed whenever they beheld the presence of God. Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have.

  John Calvin

  Men, Scripture, Overwhelmed

  John Calvin (1845). “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, p.18, Lulu.com

• Since no daily responses are given from heaven, and the Scriptures are the only record in which God has been pleased to consign His truth to perpetual remembrance, the full authority which they ought to possess with the faithful is not recognized unless they are believed to have come from heaven as directly as if God had been heard giving utterance to them.

  John Calvin

  Giving, Heaven, Remembrance

  Mortimer J. Adler, John Calvin (1993). “Institutes of the Christian religion”

• The Lord commands us to do good unto all men without exception, though the majority are very undeserving when judged according to their own merits. But scripture here helps us out with an excellent argument when it teaches us that we must not think of man's real value, but only of his creation in the image of God to which we owe all possible honor and love.

  John Calvin

  Love, Real, Men

  "Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life". Book by John Calvin, 1550.

• As far as sacred Scripture is concerned, however much froward men try to gnaw at it, nevertheless it clearly is crammed with thoughts that could not be humanly conceived. Let each of the prophets be looked into: none will be found who does not far exceed human measure. Consequently, those for whom prophetic doctrine is tasteless ought to be thought of as lacking taste buds.

  John Calvin

  Men, Trying, Sacred

  John Calvin (1975). “John Calvin: Selections from His Writings”, p.362, Oxford University Press

• First of all, Scripture draws our attention to this, that if we want ease and tranquility in our lives, we should resign ourselves and all that we have to the will of God, and at the same time we should surrender our affections to him as our Conqueror and Overlord.

  John Calvin

  Ease, Want, Scripture

  John Calvin, Henry Van Andel (2004). “Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life”, p.40, Baker Books

• Let this point therefore stand: that those whom the Holy Spirit has inwardly taught truly rest upon Scripture, and that Scripture itself is self-authenticated. . . . Therefore, illumined by his power, we believe neither by our own nor by any one else's judgment that Scripture is from God; but above human judgment we affirm with utter certainty (just as if we were gazing upon the majesty of God himself) that it has flowed to us from the very mouth of God by the ministry of men.

  John Calvin

  Believe, Men, Self

• If true religion is to beam upon us, our principle must be, that it is necessary to begin with heavenly teaching, and that it is impossible for any man to obtain even the minutest portion of right and sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture.

  John Calvin

  Teaching, Men, Scripture

  John Calvin (1845). “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, p.34, Lulu.com

• Scripture urges and warns us that whatever favors we may have obtained from the Lord, we have received them as a trust on condition that they should be applied to the common benefit of the church.

  John Calvin

  Church, May, Scripture

  John Calvin (2004). “Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life”, p.35, Baker Books

• For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.

  John Calvin

  Confused, Book, Two

  John Calvin (1845). “Institutes of the Christian Religion”, p.33, Lulu.com

• Scripture points out this difference between believers and unbelievers; the latter, as old slaves of their incurable perversity, cannot endure the rod; but the former, like children of noble birth, profit by repentance and correction.

  John Calvin

  Children, Differences, Noble

  John Calvin (2004). “Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life”, p.57, Baker Books

• The Fanaticism which discards the Scripture, under the pretense of resorting to immediate revelations is subversive of every principle of Christianity. For when they boast extravagantly of the Spirit, the tendency is always to bury the Word of God so they may make room for their own falsehoods.

  John Calvin

  Lying, Religion, May

• Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the holy scriptures have delivered.

  John Calvin

  Scripture, Holy, Embrace

  John Calvin (2012). “The Institutes Of The Christian Religion (Annotated Edition)”, p.213, Jazzybee Verlag

• We say, then, that Scripture clearly proves this much, that God by his eternal and immutable counsel determined once for all those whom it was his pleasure one day to admit to salvation, and those whom, on the other hand, it was his pleasure to doom to destruction. We maintain that this counsel, as regards the elect, is founded on his free mercy, without any respect to human worth, while those whom he dooms to destruction are excluded from access to life by a just and blameless, but at the same time incomprehensible judgment

  John Calvin

  Hands, One Day, Scripture

  John Calvin (2012). “The Institutes Of The Christian Religion (Annotated Edition)”, p.814, Jazzybee Verlag

• The Scriptures obtain full authority among believers only when men regard them as having sprung from heaven, as if there the living words of God were heard.

  John Calvin

  Men, Heaven, Scripture

  John Calvin (1975). “John Calvin: Selections from His Writings”, p.354, Oxford University Press

• All the more vile is the stupidity of those persons who open heaven to all the impious and unbelieving without the grace of Him whom Scripture commonly teaches to be the only door whereby we enter into salvation.

  John Calvin

  Doors, Stupidity, Heaven

• Scripture will ultimately suffice for a saving knowledge of God only when its certainty is founded upon the inward persuasion of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, these human testimonies which exist to confirm it will not be vain if, as secondary aids to our feebleness, they follow that chief and highest testimony. But those who wish to prove to unbelievers that Scripture is the Word of God are acting foolishly, for only by faith can this be known.

  John Calvin

  Wish, Acting, Inward

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