File Name: Calvin, John - A Treatise on the Sacraments
File Submitter: superaben
File Submitted: 15 Jul 2012
File Category: Reference Books (topx)
Author: John Calvine-Sword Version: 9.x - 10.x
John Calvin is known today as the author of The Institutes of the Christian Religion, and his Commentary on the Bible. Although born in France and originally unwilling to stay in the front lines of the Reformation, the Lord stopped Calvin in his flight from France by using William Farel at Geneva. Through God’s grace, Farel “forced” Calvin to stay at Geneva, Switzerland, to reform this important town and create a stronghold for Reformed truth. Calvin’s pen was feared by those corrupting the church, and his influence reached globally.
One of the largest issues confronting the Protestant Reformation was the sacraments. To start, the Roman Catholic Church created a total of three “sacraments” to add to the Biblical duo of communion and baptism. Calvin took upon himself the job of illustrating more on this critical issue beyond the extensive coverage in the Institutes. Calvin broke down the issue into three parts, one on each sacrament and one on the sacraments in general.
As usual, Calvin uses his extensive Scriptural and classical knowledge to proclaim the Reformation. Calvin comes from the Paedobaptist point of view on baptism, and since his view on baptism has influenced thousands since, it is important to understand Calvin’s perspective. Whether you agree or not, you will find that Calvin was indeed a student, a scholar, and a Christian.
Calvin’s Definition of a Sacrament:
“Beside the preaching of the Gospel, another help of like sort is in the sacraments; of which to have some certain doctrine taught, is much behoveful for us, whereby we may learn both to what end they were ordained, and what is now the use of them. First, it is meet to consider what is a sacrament. It seemeth to me that this shall be a plain and proper definition, if we say that it is an outward sign, wherewith the Lord sealeth to our consciences the promises of his good will toward us, to sustain the weakness of our faith; and we again, on our behalfs, do testify our godliness toward him, as well before him and the angels, as before men. We may also with more briefness define it otherwise, as to call it a testimony of God's favor toward us, confirmed by an outward sign, with a mutual testifying of our godliness toward him. Whethersoever you choose of these definitions, it differeth nothing in sense from that definition of Augustine, which teacheth that a sacrament is a visible sign of a holy thing, or a visible form of invisible grace; but it doth better and more certainly express the thing itself. For whereas in that briefness there is some darkness, wherein many of the unskilfuller sort are deceived: I thought good in more words to give a fuller sentence, that there should remain no doubt.”
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