Institutes of Christian religion - Calvin - XXXVI - Chapter 4 of Book 3 concluded

Required reading
Institutes of Christian religion by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 4 of Book 3.

My summary
Today Calvin finishes his refutation of false ideas about repentance. 

This week Calvin deals with the heresy that the penitent are required to do good works in order to obtain satisfaction for their sins: 'They say, that it is not sufficient for the penitent to abstain from past sins, and change his conduct for the better, unless he satisfy God for what he has done...'

Calvin shows that:
(i) baptism does not achieve reconciliation;
(ii) that the honour of Christ and assurance of the Christian are at stake if works are required for salvation;
(iii) that venial and mortal sins are a false distinction;
(iv) Christ's redemption is sufficient for our sins;
(v) Scripture speaks of two kinds of judgement (punishment and chastisement) which are vital to distinguish;
(vi) most of the Fathers are in agreement with Calvin.

What grabbed me
There's nothing quite like hearing Calvin argue against works righteousness: 'How immense the difference between the two propositions—that our iniquities were laid upon Christ, that in his own person he might expiate them, and that they are expiated by our works; that Christ is the propitiation for our sins, and that God is to be propitiated by works. Then, in regard to pacifying the conscience, what pacification will it be to be told that sins are redeemed by satisfactions? How will it be able to ascertain the measure of satisfaction? It will always doubt whether God is propitious; will always fluctuate, always tremble. Those who rest satisfied with petty satisfactions form too contemptible an estimate of the justice of God, and little consider the grievous heinousness of sin, as shall afterwards be shown. Even were we to grant that they can buy off some sins by due satisfaction, still what will they do while they are overwhelmed with so many sins that not even a hundred lives, though wholly devoted to the purpose, could suffice to satisfy for them? We may add, that all the passages in which the forgiveness of sins is declared refer not only to catechumens, but to the regenerate children of God; to those who have long been nursed in the bosom of the Church. That embassy which Paul so highly extols, “we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God,” (2 Cor. 5:20), is not directed to strangers, but to those who had been regenerated long before. Setting satisfactions altogether aside, he directs us to the cross of Christ. Thus when he writes to the Colossians that Christ had “made peace through the blood of his cross,” “to reconcile all things unto himself,” he does not restrict it to the moment at which we are received into the Church but extends it to our whole course. This is plain from the context, where he says that in him “we have redemption by his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,” (Col. 1:14). It is needless to collect more passages, as they are ever occurring.'

Even if we had a hundred lives, we could not pay off our sins!

Next week's reading
Read Chapter 5 of Book 3.

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