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Institutes of the Christian Religion: Books 1-4

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Institutes of the Christian Religion: Books 1-4Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is one of the most important and straightforward works of theology ever written, yet so few people actually read it. The Christian Heritage Series presents all four books of the Institutes in complete, unabridged, easy to read volumes. John Calvin certainly writes good theology, but he also writes with beauty and clarityand both these aspects are captured in Beveridges translation. Calvin is concerned that

Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is one of the most important and straightforward works of theology ever written, yet so few people actually read it.

The Christian Heritage Series presents all four books of the Institutes in complete, unabridged, easy-to-read volumes. John Calvin certainly writes good theology, but he also writes with beauty and clarity—and both these aspects are captured in Beveridge’s translation. Calvin is concerned that readers not be puffed up with new knowledge, rather he wants us to be drawn to the majesty and holiness of God in order to know our sin and our need for grace. Read this classic to grow closer to God.

Book 1

“What accords better and more aptly with faith than to acknowledge ourselves divested of all virtue that we may be clothed by God, devoid of all goodness that we may be filled by Him, the slaves of sin that He may give us freedom, blind that He may enlighten, lame that He may cure, and feeble that He may sustain us; to strip ourselves of all ground of glorying that He alone may shine forth glorious, and we be glorified in him?” ~From Book I of the Institutes

Look Inside the Book

Book 1 of the Institutes is about the knowledge of God the creator. As Calvin observes, the knowledge of God and the knowledge of man are inextricably intertwined, and if we are to know ourselves rightly, we must have a knowledge of God’s holiness and majesty. However, since the human mind is an idol factory, our knowledge is so tainted and dim that we live in death and ignorance unless God’s grace intervenes. Here Calvin discusses God, natural law, human sinfulness, Scripture, the Trinity, and providence.  

"Of those shelved classics warranting a dusting off, Book I of Calvin’s Institutes is among the most deserving. This is not because it offers much that is new; the treasures Calvin offers are not those to be unearthed only through possession of secret coordinates. As with so many literary gems, the trouble is not a lack of access but a dearth of appreciation for what lies hidden in plain sight, the contents more assumed than actually explored. The reader who takes the time to ponder the riches here will not be disappointed. He will find that this is not just a good old book, worth reading solely for its inherent literary value. More than this, it is a volume with critical import for today, as its pages soundly sketch the realm, made visible by divine revelation, that conditions our present situation." ~From Timothy G. Harmon’s Introduction

 

Book 2

“The Word of God leaves no half life to man, but teaches, that, in regard to life and happiness, he has utterly perished. Paul, when he speaks of our redemption, says not that the half dead are cured (Eph. 2:5, 6; 5:14) but that those who were dead are raised up.” ~From Book II of the Institutes

Look Inside the Book

Book 2 of the Institutes is about the knowledge of God the redeemer—Jesus Christ. Calvin captures the completeness of our redemption, explaining the depths of our sinfulness and the ways that Jesus Christ is present in both the old and new covenants. The law is a picture of Christ’s righteousness, and the gospel is the declaration of Christ’s redemption of us. Whether he’s unpacking the ten commandments or describing Christ as prophet, priest, and king, Calvin makes Jesus and his work on the cross the center of our theology.

“Please remember that Calvin’s goal in writing the Institutes was not to distill out of Scripture the “theology things” that we all ought to be thinking. To do so would be to attempt to replace Scripture. Rather, his goal was to give us a map so that we could run back into Scripture and better understand what we find there. And as we read book II of the Institutes, what we find is that throughout Scripture what we should always see is Christ set before us.” ~From Ben Merkle’s Introduction

Book 3

“[Our] renewal, indeed, is not accomplished in a moment, a day, or a year, but by uninterrupted, sometimes even by slow progress God abolishes the remains of carnal corruption in His elect, cleanses them from pollution, and consecrates them as His temples, restoring all their inclinations to real purity, so that during their whole lives they may practice repentance, and know that death is the only termination to this warfare.” ~From Book III of the Institutes

Look Inside the Book

Book 3 of the Institutes is about the mode of procuring the grace of Christ, or what we might call individual salvation. Calvin does not get lost in technical terminology or relegate faith to mere intellectual belief. Instead, our individual salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit and results in faith, repentance, justification, and sanctification. Whether he is arguing against Catholic errors such as Purgatory or teaching about predestination or Christian liberty, Calvin shows the beauty of the utterly free forgiveness that we have in Jesus and how He who began a good work in us will surely complete it.

“But if you have picked up on any of the caricatures of John Calvin, you may be surprised to find him describing faith and repentance, justification and election, and holiness and heaven in ways that are startlingly moving. Do not let me mislead you, Calvin was a theologian and an academic. Calvin was a stern spiritual general of the church. His work is at war with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and he does not take the battle lightly. Paragraph after paragraph consists of volley after volley in which Calvin meticulously aims and fires the Word of God at sinful hearts, lofty arguments, and arrogant corruptions in the world and the church.... And yet, through the meticulous barrage, just when you might be tempted to think him some kind of Biblical or theological machine, his words crest again with an unmistakable light and warmth.” ~From Toby Sumpter’s Introduction

 

Book 4

“For as God, regenerating us in baptism, ingrafts us into the fellowship of His Church, and makes us His by adoption, so we have said that He performs the office of a provident parent, in continually supplying the food by which He may sustain and preserve us in the life to which He has begotten us by His word. Moreover, Christ is the only food of our soul, and, therefore, our heavenly Father invites us to Him, that, refreshed by communion with Him, we may ever and anon gather new vigor until we reach the heavenly immortality.” ~From Book IV of the Institutes

Look Inside the Book

Book 4 of the Institutes is about the external helps by which God brings us in fellowship with Christ, three of the most notable being the Church, the sacraments, and the civil government. For Calvin, the Christian walk is never something an individual does in isolation, but involves pastors, elders, and deacons who preach the word, administer the sacraments, and exercise church discipline. Furthermore, God uses the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper to remind us of His grace towards us, and uses the magistrate as His deacon, taking vengeance on evil-doers and rewarding the righteous.

“John Calvin was one of the eminent servants of Christ in the history of the church, and we should cultivate a demeanor of gratitude whenever we are given the opportunity to reflect on his contributions.... Returning to the teaching of the great Reformer himself will be a great protection against this kind of foolishness—the error of claiming the heritage of great men that you have almost nothing in common with. And guarding against this error may not be as daunting as you thought. As C.S. Lewis once pointed out, the great books often offer a great deal more clarity than the commentaries on them do.” ~From Douglas Wilson’s Introduction

THE CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SERIES: The authors in the Christian Heritage Series paid a high price for the words you see before you. Not all paid with blood, but each spent his life fighting for the truth. This faithful sacrifice has become a rich inheritance for the Church in our day, even though it is often neglected. The Christian Heritage Series aims to put these important theological classics on every Christian’s bookshelf in colorful, well-crafted, and affordable volumes, with introductions written by those that love the books and their heritage.

AUTHOR: John Calvin

INTRODUCTION: Tim Harmon, Ben Merkle, Toby J. Sumpter, Douglas Wilson

TRANSLATOR: Henry Beveridge

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Douglas Wilson

PAGE COUNT: 400, 474, 736, 782

SIZE: 5.5x8.5"

BINDING: Paperback

ISBN-10: 1952410541, 195241055X, 1952410568, 1952410576

ISBN-13: 978-1952410543, 978-1952410550, 978-1952410567, 978-1952410574

PUB. DATE: October 27, 2020 (first published in 1559)

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Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
A Case for Jesus' Divine Self-Conception
Format: Kindle
This is a very meticulously reasoned argument attempting to show that Jesus had a Divine self-conception. That is, Jesus believed, and claimed, that he was God. Pitre begins by posing C.S. Lewis’ famous “trilemma” to the reader. If Jesus claimed to be God, we have three ways to respond – he was either a Liar, Lunatic, or Lord. Pitre’s work in this book strives to bring us back, face to face, with this trilemma. To accomplish this, Pitre needs to defeat another popular notion in the modern mind – that Jesus, or at least much of the Gospel material about him, was a “Legend.” If Pitre can show that Jesus did, in fact, historically claim Divinity, we will be forced to respond to his claim and answer Jesus’ own question for ourselves – “Who do you say that I am?” To accomplish this Pitre first attempts to show that the Gospels are historically reliable. He believes that, contrary to modern scholarly opinion, the Gospels were indeed written by the authors they have been attributed to (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), that they were intended to portray historically accurate biographical pictures of Jesus, and that they were written much more closely to the time of Jesus than liberal scholars assume (Pitre tentatively dates the synoptic Gospels all before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70). These three pieces of evidence – authorship, intent, and dating – all lead Pitre to the conclusion that the Gospels give us historically accurate information about Jesus. After setting the stage by arguing for the accuracy of our sources, Pitre delves into the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and tries to show that although it is not always explicit (i.e. Jesus doesn’t say “I am God, worship Me.”) even the synoptics portray Jesus as claiming Divinity. Using evidence such as Jesus’ use of the titles “Son of Man” and “I Am,” prophesy from the book of Daniel, Jesus’ “stilling of the storm,” the transfiguration, the pronouncement of the forgiveness of the parlytic’s sins, the riddle about the Son of David being David’s “Lord,”, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, Pitre makes his case. In the end, he believes that not only do the Gospel authors portray Jesus as Divine, but that these claims came from Jesus himself. Thus we are led, full circle, back to the trilemma. We can call Jesus Liar, Lunatic, or Lord, but not, according to Pitre, a Legend. This was a really interesting read from a conservative scholar. His exegesis of many Gospel passages illuminate how the Hebrew Scriptures provide a much needed backdrop for understanding each story. The Gospels are much more nuanced than we might first think and oftentimes one saying or image may evoke whole passages or concepts from the Old Testament that would have been apparent to early Jewish readers. As Pitre argues, understanding the Jewish context of the synoptic authors helps in understanding their Christology. In the end, I agree with Pitre that the Gospels are generally more historically accurate than “mainstream” scholars give them credit for. I think it’s plausible that the Gospel titles reveal their true authors and that they were written fairly early after Jesus’ death (before the fall of Jerusalem). I also agree that the Synoptics may implicitly ascribe Divinity to Jesus – although I don’t think that is an open and shut case. If there were more explicit cases in the synoptic Gospels where Jesus claimed Divinity, it would help his case. It still seems to me the only explicit sayings we have come from the Gospel of John, which even Pitre doesn’t seem to argue is historically reliable (at least he doesn’t focus on this in the book). It’s probably outside the scope of this book, but I would have loved to see Pitre address the idea of Jesus as Apocalyptic Prophet. He interacts with several scholars who accept this notion (EP Sanders, Dale Allison, Bart Ehrman, John Meier) and it’s a viable option in the world of Historical Jesus scholarship. I think it’s a relevant topic in all discussions surrounding a Historical Jesus and can be a large factor in how one answers the question of Jesus’ identity. This study is worth reading regardless of your theological persuasion, and Pitre’s arguments deserve serious consideration.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2016
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Relief for dry mouth without gum irritation
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An easy fix for dry mouth
Excellent for dry mouth.
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Discerning Buyer
Bozeman, US
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This version doesn’t work
I used these 2 nights in a row. I was hoping Oracoat found a solution to the problem people like me have with the regular Xylimelts: irritation of gums. As others have noted the “sensitive” version doesn’t melt and the goo that remains can be difficult to remove. I didn’t have too much trouble after the first night. However, the second day after use, it was so hard to get the remains out, I wound up with a very sore spot from digging it out. I will toss the rest. It’s too bad this effort fizzled. I hope Oracoat will find a solution For sensitive mouths. In the b meantime, I will use the original for a few nights and then stop before repeating. The idea behind the original product is fantastic. Unfortunately this attempt to make it usable for people with sensitive mouths hasn’t worked. Please try again.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2025
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