Required reading
Institutes of Christian religion by John Calvin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read Chapter 18 of Book 4.
My summary
This week Calvin gives significant objections to the Roman Catholic teaching on the Lord's supper.
Calvin teaches us that the Roman Catholic mass:
(i) substitutes priests for Jesus;
(ii) sets up an altar in competition with the cross;
(iii) obliterates the death of Christ and drives it from the memory of men;
(iv) robs us of the benefit which redounded to us from the death of Christ;
(v) destroys the memorial of Christ's passion.
Then Calvin explores the origin of the mass and expounds a little further on Roman Catholic dogma.
What grabbed me
Calvin made some excellent points today.
I particularly appreciated his point that the mass glosses over Christ's death: 'The fourth property of the mass which we are to consider is, that it robs us of the benefit which redounded to us from the death of Christ, while it prevents us from recognising it and thinking of it. For who can think that he has been redeemed by the death of Christ when he sees a new redemption in the mass? Who can feel confident that his sins have been remitted when he sees a new remission?'
If there is a new sacrifice, then what does that say about the previous sacrifice? It must be insufficient. What a conclusion to make about the cross of Christ!
Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 19 of Book 4 by reading Chapters 1 to 17.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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