John Calvin quotes: wise famous quotes, sayings and quotations by John Calvin

John Calvin Famous Quotes & Sayings

Discover top inspirational quotes from John Calvin on Wise Famous Quotes.

Indeed, a Christian ought to be disposed and prepared to keep in mind that he has to reckon with God every moment of his life.

To will is human, to will the bad is of fallen nature, but to will the good is of Grace.

For access to the church of God was open to the Gentiles who were to take the place left empty by the Jews.

But a faithful believer will in all circumstances mediate on the mercy and fatherly goodness of God.

Whenever God revealed himself to be seen by the fathers, he never appeared as he is in himself but as he could be understood by human minds. Since

Without the Word, there is nothing left for us but darkness.

we shall find that the reason why we doubt of God's promises is, because we sinfully detract from his power.

I have become used to swallowing insults for so long that I am almost insensitive; yet

When the same qualities which we admire in ourselves are seen in others, even though they be superior, maliciously lower and carp at them.

Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue but of the life.

Scripture is like a pair of spectacles which dispels the darkness and gives us a clear view of God.

The word "hope" I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.

On the one hand, undeserved success gives no satisfaction ... but, on the other hand, well-deserved failure gives no satisfaction either.

Anyone who cannot bear to lay hold of God as he comes down to him will still less soar up to him beyond the clouds.

Doubtful prayer is no prayer at all.

Rom. 7:10, that the law is turned into a source of ruin for us, not because it is evil but because we are wicked. Therefore,

Holding firmly to the principle that true religion is founded upon obedience. Unless

The decree is dreadful indeed, I confess.

The law itself does not produce sin; it finds sin in us. It offers life to us; but we, being evil, derive nothing but death from it. Hence,

The surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves.

By these words it is plain he does not make love the cause of forgiveness, but the proof of it.

The name of Christ excludes all merit of our own.

God has so ordained and governed the Christian church that the cross has been the preparation for victory, and death the way to life. Such

Thus Paul denies that the causes of our election can be sought anywhere except in the hidden good pleasure of God. This

There is no golden mean between these two extremes; either this early life must become low in our estimation, or it will have our inordinate love.

It is the peculiar privilege of the Church, to know what the Divine judgments mean, and what is their tendency.

We are enjoined whenever we behold the gifts of God in others so to reverence and respect the gifts as also to honor those in whom they reside.

When we come to a comparison of heaven and earth, then we may indeed not only forget all about the present life, but even despise and scorn it.

Satan is an astute theologian.

If we are proud of our talents we betray our lack of gratitude to God.

There shall never be quietness for the Kingdom of Christ in this world, because it will always be infested and troubled by its enemies. Secondly,

It behooves us to accomplish what God requires of us, even when we are in the greatest despair respecting the results.

Angels are the dispensers and administrators of the divine beneficence toward us.

Prayer is the chief exercise of faith.

It is at this point that the gospel differs most from philosophy, since it teaches that the salvation of men is through the free remission of sins. It

Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation, whatever the holy scriptures have delivered.

We unjustly defraud God of his right, unless each of us lives and dies in dependence on His sovereign pleasure.

True knowledge of God is born out of obedience.

The fire of affliction reveals the quality of our faith

Joy is a quiet gladness of heart as one contemplates the goodness of God's saving grace in Christ Jesus.

Faith and patience are exceptional virtues in those that suffer. Patience is the fruit and evidence of faith.

We are taught that the salvation of all the elect is as certain as that God's power is invincible. Besides,

God would remain absolutely hidden if we were not illuminated by the brightness of Christ.

The more closely we see ourselves being watched by our enemies, the more time intent we should be to avoid their slanders.

Let our chief goal, O God, be your glory, and to enjoy You forever.

Our hearts are enfeebled by PROSPERITY so that we cannot make an effort to pray.

we should not fill ourselves with hopes which, being empty of God's Word, are like so much wind. On

Therefore, it is blasphemous to give the title Son to anyone but Christ.

And this is the evidence of faith that we never allow ourselves to be torn away from Christ and the promises we have in him. The

Integrity is the best of all protectors ... we cannot be more secure than when fortified by a good conscience.

Justification by faith is the hinge on which all true religion turns.

Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ, which enables us to cling to him, and to follow him.

Hence the unskilful rashly infer, that man did not sin by free choice.

Yet consider now, whether women are not quite past sense and reason, when they want to rule over men.

Since the life of the soul is bound to God, those who are by sin alienated from him are to be regarded as dead.

Nobody seriously believes the universe was made by God without being persuaded that He takes care of His works.

Christ descended to us, to bear us up to the Father, and at the same time to bear us up to himself, inasmuch as he is one with the Father.

Christ is much more powerful to save, than Adam was to destroy.

By piety I mean that union of reverence and love to God which the knowledge of his benefits inspires.

We must make the invisible kingdom visible in our midst.

Whatever a person may be like, we must still love them because we love God.

The whole gospel is contained in Christ.

It is only the goodness of God sensibly experienced by us which opens our mouth to celebrate His praise.

The salvation of all the elect is not less certain than the power of God is invincible.

Can true repentance exist without faith? By no means. But although they cannot be separated, they ought to be distinguished.

We both felt that the chief virtue of an interpreter consists in clarity combined with brevity. And

It follows that we pray rightly only when we come to God trusting in the Mediator.

Christ's intercession is the continual application of his death to our salvation.

Christ is indeed presented to all, but God opens the eyes of the elect alone, and enables them by faith to seek after him. The

The sufferings of Christ are the means of forgiveness of sin and eternal glory

In knowing God, each of us also knows himself.

because life is not stable except by faith. Let

Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.

Shall we, indeed, distinguish between right and wrong by that judgment which has been imparted to us, yet will there be no judge in heaven?

But Jacob was divinely chosen and his brother, the first-born, was rejected.

Our true and genuine wisdom can be summed up as the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves.

It is a sign of a perverse and treacherous disposition to wound the good name of another, when he has no opportunity of defending himself.

The Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ efficaciously unites us to himself.

The world was no doubt made, that it might be a theatre of the divine glory.

But Scripture praises everywhere his pure and unmixed mercy, which does away with all merit.

It would be the height of absurdity to label ignorance tempered by humility "faith"!
(Institutio III.2.3)

I don't need to compromise my principles, because they don't have the slightest bearing on what happens to me anyway.

BThere is, indeed, nothing that man's nature seeks more eagerly than to be flattered.

Is it faith to understand nothing, and merely submit your convictions implicitly to the Church?

We may rest assured that God would never have suffered any infants to be slain except those who were already damned and predestined for eternal death.

Peace is not to be purchased by the sacrifice of truth.

Creatures are so governed by the secret counsel of God, that nothing happens but what he has knowingly and willingly decreed.

Natural reason can never guide men to Christ. Even

This then is the highest adornment of the Kingdom of Christ, that he rules over his church by his Spirit. He

Let us remember that while life is promised in Christ to all who believe, only a small part of the people are believers. Christ

No Task will be so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God's sight.

All the arts come from God and are to be respected as divine inventions

Life is not found in commandments or declarations of penalties, but in the promise of mercy and only in a gratuitous promise.

When God descends to us he, in a certain sense, abases himself and stammers with us, so He allows us to stammer with Him

Faith is the evidence of divine adoption.

What then is the Word of God which gives us life; what but the law, the prophets, and the gospel? Anyone

Therefore, men get nothing from the law but condemnation, for in the law God demands his due, but does not confer the power to pay it properly. The

Free will is an empty term.

Let us know, therefore, that when we have departed from Christ, nothing remains for us but death.

Hypocrisy can plunge the mind of a man into a dark abyss, when he believes his own self-flattery instead of God's verdict.