John Calvin
Institutes of the Christian Religion
We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is “of him” [1 Cor 1:30]. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects [Heb. 2:17] that he might learn to feel our pain [cf. Heb. 5:2].
If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross [Gal. 3:13]; if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge. In short, since rich store of every kind of good abounds in him, let us drink our fill from this fountain, and from no other. Some men, not content with him alone, are born hither and thither from one hope to another; even if they concern themselves chiefly with him, they nevertheless stray from the right way in turning some part of their thinking in another direction. Yet such distrust cannot creep in where men have once for all truly known the abundance of his blessings.¹
¹John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. John T. McNeill, trans. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960) II.XVI.XIX. (1:529-530)
HL – http://www.erictyoung.com/2011/02/25/the-christians-sufficiency-in-christ-%E2%80%94-john-calvin/
For the Love of His Truth 
This is a very interesting read….Thanks for posting it.
After reading through someof your posts, Can I humbly ask your opinion on the following please……….
What would you say if someone was to rise today and starts killing people, claiming he or she was commanded by God to do so. Afterall, this took place in the old testament. Right?
if God intended to purge out sin amogst the people, surely He could have done that Himself like He had done before. Why did God use humans to carry out these killings and if you were alive in those days, would you have believed this was an act of God?
How do we explain this to Atheists and the kids we are telling that God is so loving and hates evil?
If you dont mind, could you please also post any response unto our blog so our readers may also benefit from your contributions….Thank You so much 🙂
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If someone were to claim he or she was commanded by God to do anything which is not in accordance with the Scriptures, we know that it could not be a command from God. God cannot lie or go back on His Word. The Scriptures are complete and no person can therefore claim to have extra-biblical information, revelations or commands.
The commands God gave to His chosen people in the Old Testament were given in order to fulfill His promise. We cannot question God’s will or assume that we can understand His will by way of our reasoning. Neither can we judge whether God acted correctly or not. God’s will is Sovereign and perfect for His purposes. If God chose to have certain people or nations killed, it was done for His Glory. There were many righteous men in Old Testament times who knew that it was God who had commanded them, and they acted according to His commands.
The killings you refer to in the Old Testament can also be compared to the modern day when, during the World Wars, God used millions of men (and women and children) who were killed in defense of the Christian world against the evil which could have virtually eradicated the Christians, had they come into power.
Furthermore, those whom God commanded to be killed were deserving of the punishment they received. They had also had sufficient opportunity to repent of their evil ways.
Similarly God still uses people every day, who give their lives in order to bring Glory to God by ensuring His will be done. Not only does God still use people to kill those who oppose Him, God also brings about His judgment by way of natural disasters, plagues, famine, epidemics, accidents, wars and many other means.
We must also remember this comparison: that while all those who were killed in the Old Testament were sinners (as we still all are today), God also chose to have His sinless Son killed and sacrificed for the all the sins of the world.
God has provided a solution to the sins of the world in having sacrificed His only Son, a solution which was not yet provided in Old Testament times. That shows that God is all loving, that He is true in punishing evil and saving those who believe. God uses different methods in different times. But we now have the full truth in the Word, the Word having come to us as a man, Jesus Christ who died to take away the sins of those who believe in Him and repent. God will again purge out all sin when He judges everyone finally.
God gives life and God has the sole right to take life in whatever way He chooses. Although God can and does punish sin by death, He does give us free Grace and He does show mercy to those who repent and are saved.
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