Excerpts from the Institutes # 1

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Mjh29

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I have been really enjoying reading through the Institutes of the Christian Religion. It has been a very soul fulfilling and enjoyable just sitting back with my Bible and the Institutes and just reading through. Reading about the divinity of Christ and the Trinity has been especially amazing, and has really heightened my understanding of the doctrines. Here's a little blip from the Institutes:

The Divinity of Christ in the New Testament: witness of the Apostles

"First of all, a point worth especial attention is the apostles' teaching that what had been foretold concerning the eternal God had already been revealed in Christ or was someday to be manifested in Him."

~ Isaiah 8:14
~ Romans 9:32-33
~ Isaiah 45:23

"Since in Isaiah, God foretells this concerning Himself, and Christ, indeed, shows it forth in Himself, it follows that he is that very God whose glory cannot be transferred to another."

"Thus John testifies that it was the glory of the Son which had been revealed through Isaiah's vision, even though the prophet himself writes that he saw the majesty of God."

~ John 12:41
~ Isaiah 6:1

"Indeed, whatever they were singing in the Psalms, He [Christ] alone fulfills. For He it was who, rising up, was merciful to Zion, He who asserted for Himself the rule over all nations and islands. And why should John have hesitated to refer to the majesty of God to Christ, when he had declared that the Word was ever God?. Why should Paul have feared to place Christ on God's judgement seat when he had previously proclaimed His divinity so openly, saying that He was "God... blessed forever."? And to make clear how consistent he is in this respect, in another passage he writes that "God has been manifested in the flesh." If God is to be praised forever, He, then, it is to whom alone all glory and honor are due, as Paul affirms in another place. And he does not conceal this, but openly proclaims: "Though he was in the form of God, he would not have counted it robbery if he had shown himself equal to God, yet he voluntarily emptied himself."
~ Psalms 101:14
~ Psalms 102:13
~ Psalms 96:1
~ Psalms 97:1
~ John 1:1
~ John 1:14
~ 2 Corinthians 5:10
~ Romans 9:5
~ 1 Timothy 3:16
~ 1 Timothy 1:17
~ Philippians 2:6-7

"Verily, to govern the universe with providence and power, and to regulate all things by the command of his own power deeds that the apostles ascribe to Christ, is the function of the Creator alone. And He not only participates in the task of governing the world with the Father; but He carries out also other individual offices, which cannot be communicated to the creatures."

~ Hebrews 1:3

"The Lord proclaims through the prophet; 'I, even I, am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake.' According to this saying, when the Jews thought that wrong was done to God in that Christ was remitting sins, Christ not only asserted in words, but also proved by miracle, that this power belonged to Him."

~ Isaiah 43:25
~ Matthew 9:6

"We therefore perceive that He possesses not the administration merely but the actual power of remission of sins, which the Lord says will never pass from Him to another. What? Does not the searching and penetrating of the silent thoughts of hearts belong to God alone? Yet Christ also had this power. From this we infer His Divinity.

~ Matthew 9:4
~ John 2:25


* All bold quotes -- Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 1 ,The Westminster Press, Philidelphia, PA, 1960 *
 

farouk

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I have been really enjoying reading through the Institutes of the Christian Religion. It has been a very soul fulfilling and enjoyable just sitting back with my Bible and the Institutes and just reading through. Reading about the divinity of Christ and the Trinity has been especially amazing, and has really heightened my understanding of the doctrines. Here's a little blip from the Institutes:

The Divinity of Christ in the New Testament: witness of the Apostles

"First of all, a point worth especial attention is the apostles' teaching that what had been foretold concerning the eternal God had already been revealed in Christ or was someday to be manifested in Him."

~ Isaiah 8:14
~ Romans 9:32-33
~ Isaiah 45:23

"Since in Isaiah, God foretells this concerning Himself, and Christ, indeed, shows it forth in Himself, it follows that he is that very God whose glory cannot be transferred to another."

"Thus John testifies that it was the glory of the Son which had been revealed through Isaiah's vision, even though the prophet himself writes that he saw the majesty of God."

~ John 12:41
~ Isaiah 6:1

"Indeed, whatever they were singing in the Psalms, He [Christ] alone fulfills. For He it was who, rising up, was merciful to Zion, He who asserted for Himself the rule over all nations and islands. And why should John have hesitated to refer to the majesty of God to Christ, when he had declared that the Word was ever God?. Why should Paul have feared to place Christ on God's judgement seat when he had previously proclaimed His divinity so openly, saying that He was "God... blessed forever."? And to make clear how consistent he is in this respect, in another passage he writes that "God has been manifested in the flesh." If God is to be praised forever, He, then, it is to whom alone all glory and honor are due, as Paul affirms in another place. And he does not conceal this, but openly proclaims: "Though he was in the form of God, he would not have counted it robbery if he had shown himself equal to God, yet he voluntarily emptied himself."
~ Psalms 101:14
~ Psalms 102:13
~ Psalms 96:1
~ Psalms 97:1
~ John 1:1
~ John 1:14
~ 2 Corinthians 5:10
~ Romans 9:5
~ 1 Timothy 3:16
~ 1 Timothy 1:17
~ Philippians 2:6-7

"Verily, to govern the universe with providence and power, and to regulate all things by the command of his own power deeds that the apostles ascribe to Christ, is the function of the Creator alone. And He not only participates in the task of governing the world with the Father; but He carries out also other individual offices, which cannot be communicated to the creatures."

~ Hebrews 1:3

"The Lord proclaims through the prophet; 'I, even I, am the one who blots out your transgressions for my own sake.' According to this saying, when the Jews thought that wrong was done to God in that Christ was remitting sins, Christ not only asserted in words, but also proved by miracle, that this power belonged to Him."

~ Isaiah 43:25
~ Matthew 9:6

"We therefore perceive that He possesses not the administration merely but the actual power of remission of sins, which the Lord says will never pass from Him to another. What? Does not the searching and penetrating of the silent thoughts of hearts belong to God alone? Yet Christ also had this power. From this we infer His Divinity.

~ Matthew 9:4
~ John 2:25


* All bold quotes -- Calvin, John, Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 1 ,The Westminster Press, Philidelphia, PA, 1960 *
He is a very thorough commentator, isn't he?
 
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Willie T

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If you are enjoying that one, You might also like this one. I found it even better:

The Institutes of Biblical Law, Book 1
 
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Mjh29

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If you are enjoying that one, You might also like this one. I found it even better:

The Institutes of Biblical Law, Book 1

By R.J. Rushdooney? Love that book. In my top 10 favorites of all time.
 
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Willie T

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Some online reviews:
The theologian
John Frame gave The Institutes of Biblical Law a mixed review in Westminster Theological Journal, writing that the book convinced him that "Rushdoony is one of the most important Christian social critics alive today", but also criticizing it on various grounds. Frame credited Rushdoony with cogently arguing against attempts to replace scripture with natural law, with showing a broad and deep knowledge of scripture, and with "a remarkably detailed grasp of the historical background and present condition of human culture." However, he found the book "a bit rough-hewn", noting that it "began as a series of lectures" and in some respects still resembles one, and that it contained "considerable repetition". Overall, Frame concluded that the book had "great strengths and great weaknesses", noting that he had tried "to keep this review balanced between strong praise and strong criticism."[1]

The journalist
M. Stanton Evans described The Institutes of Biblical Law as "a work of prodigious scope and erudition" and a "thoughtful book" in National Review.[3] Joe Bageant suggests that if the United States experiences a fourth "Great Awakening", historians may one day "document it as beginning in 1973 with the publication of R. J. Rushdoony's seminal The Institutes of Biblical Law."[4] Peter Montgomery of the Public Eye Magazine describes The Institutes of Biblical Law as Rushdoony's "magnum opus", and identifies it and Rushdoony's other writings as providing the basis for Christian reconstructionism.[5]
 

Mjh29

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May 28, 2017
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Some online reviews:
The theologian
John Frame gave The Institutes of Biblical Law a mixed review in Westminster Theological Journal, writing that the book convinced him that "Rushdoony is one of the most important Christian social critics alive today", but also criticizing it on various grounds. Frame credited Rushdoony with cogently arguing against attempts to replace scripture with natural law, with showing a broad and deep knowledge of scripture, and with "a remarkably detailed grasp of the historical background and present condition of human culture." However, he found the book "a bit rough-hewn", noting that it "began as a series of lectures" and in some respects still resembles one, and that it contained "considerable repetition". Overall, Frame concluded that the book had "great strengths and great weaknesses", noting that he had tried "to keep this review balanced between strong praise and strong criticism."[1]

The journalist
M. Stanton Evans described The Institutes of Biblical Law as "a work of prodigious scope and erudition" and a "thoughtful book" in National Review.[3] Joe Bageant suggests that if the United States experiences a fourth "Great Awakening", historians may one day "document it as beginning in 1973 with the publication of R. J. Rushdoony's seminal The Institutes of Biblical Law."[4] Peter Montgomery of the Public Eye Magazine describes The Institutes of Biblical Law as Rushdoony's "magnum opus", and identifies it and Rushdoony's other writings as providing the basis for Christian reconstructionism.[5]

Absolutely amazing book. Rushdoony is a very solid theologian. 5 stars from me. I might have to post a few excerpts from Biblical Law on here as well... it's been too long since I've picked it up and read from it.
 
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