Five hundred years ago today in France a little tike named John Calvin was born! He was of course called Jean by his parents who didn't realize the extraordinary life that awaited this little one.
For me, John's enduring legacy is to remind us of the overwhelming grace of God. John saw humans as sinful creatures. He did see the wonderful imprint of the creator upon us, but he saw that sin marred that reflection of God to the point that without intervention from God we were lost. Amazingly God chose to intervene! God's grace made it possible for us to accept the gracious offer of salvation that God gave in his son Jesus. Humans were sinful, but God's grace was greater!
Now John is probably best known for his emphasis on predestination, although I think he would be appalled by some of the ways this idea was used by his successors. In his Institutes, he spoke of this doctrine in the context of why we didn't need to spend all our time worrying about whether we were saved or not -- predestination was for him an assurance which lifted the burden of worry that was so common for the day. I think he would be horrified to think anyone would use is as a excuse for a casual approach to the faith or a way to dismiss the likelihood that others would see the kingdom.
Thank you John C, for talking so much about God's grace. Thank you so much for speaking of the actions of the Holy Spirit in our lives that make that grace more and more understandable to us each day. Thank you for reminding us that God is in charge!
Happy Birthday, John Calvin!
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