Tracts & Letters (Vol 1) - Calvin - IX - Continue 'Reforming the Church'

Required reading
Tracts and Letters (Volume 1) by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here).  Continue 'Reforming the church' by reading up to the paragraph that begins 'I trust I have now clearly shown, as I proposed, that in correcting the corruption of the Church, we have by no means been more urgent than the case demanded' (pg 198 of the Banner edition).

My summary
Calvin continues to expand on his points of disagreement with the Roman Catholic church in his letter to Charles V

Firstly he looks at the subject of good works.  He reiterates that while good works cannot save, they are nevertheless of value.

Next, Calvin returns to the subject of the Sacraments and rejects the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Again Calvin speaks of the abuses of the Roman Catholic clergy, particularly in their election to office.

Then Calvin answers specific objections of the Roman Catholics to Protestantism:
(i) the liberty to eat flesh on any day;
(ii) permission of marriage for priests;
(iii) rejection of secret confession to priests.

To finish today's reading, Calvin defends the Protestant right to raise their concerns and dissent from the Roman Catholic church - the issues the Protestants raise are of great importance to God and so they are of great importance to them.

What grabbed me
Calvin made an important point that the Christian can perform good works with Christ's pardon: 'Our doctrine, therefore, is, that the good works of believers are always devoid of a spotless purity which can stand the inspection of God; nay, that when they are tried by the strict rule of justice, they are, to a certain extent, impure. But, when once God has graciously adopted believers, he not only accepts and loves their persons, but their works also, and condescends to honour them with a reward. In one word, as we said of man, so we may say of works,—they are justified not by their own desert, but by the merits of Christ alone; the faults by which they would otherwise displease being covered by the sacrifice of Christ. This consideration is of very great practical importance, both in retaining men in the fear of God, that they may not arrogate to their works that which proceeds from his fatherly kindness; and also in inspiring them with the best consolation, and so preventing them from giving way to despondency, when they reflect on the imperfection or impurity of their works, by reminding them that God, of his paternal indulgence, is pleased to pardon it.'

I sometimes think that Calvinists can get so carried away with the doctrine of total depravity that they begin to think that nothing we do is good, even after we become a Christian. 

But while our acts of service for God do not justify us, by Christ's power they certainly are pleasing in God's eyes and will receive great reward.

Next week's reading
Conclude 'Reforming the church'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.