John Calvin gave lectures in the Geneva Auditory throughout his ministry. These lectures make up most of his biblical commentaries. What follows are his final comments from his final lecture before his death, on the 20th chapter of Ezekiel.
"For ourselves, then, let us learn that we cannot otherwise worship God with acceptance unless we adopt whatever pleases him as pertaining to our salvation. For if we wish to come to a debtor and creditor account, or to consider that he is in the slightest degree indebted to us, we in this way diminish his glory, and as far as is in our power we despoil ourselves of that inestimable privilege which the Prophet now commends. Hence let us desire to acknowledge God in this way, since he treats us with amazing clemency and pity out of regard for his own name, and not according to our sins. And since that was said to his ancient people because they returned to the land of Canaan, how much more ought God’s gratuitous goodness to be extolled by us, when his heavenly kingdom is at this day open to us, and when he openly calls us to himself in heaven, and to the hope of that happy immortality which has been obtained for us through Christ?"
Stanley Hauerwas’ quote that “In 100 years, if Christians are people identified as those who do not kill their children or their elderly, we would have been doing something right” continues to be vindicated.
@CatolicoEvang@Acolyte_1@RedProdigal Swedish Pietist Pastor in the north of the country in the 19th century. Fiery preacher against the ills of the time.
@Acolyte_1@RedProdigal It’s one of the most reprinted and read books beyond the Bible for a reason. It’s incredible. Helpful and exhorting yet supremely comfortable.
"What merit, then, does a human being have before grace so that by that merit he may receive grace, since only grace produces in us every good merit of ours and since, when God crowns our merits, he only crowns his own gifts? For, just as we have obtained mercy from the very beginning of faith, not because we were believers but in order that we might be believers, so in the end, when there will be eternal life, he will crown us, as scripture says, in compassion and mercy (Ps 103:4)."
-Augustine, Letter 194, para. 19
@WmWeedon Thank you! Yes, we have preserved, and I recently transcribed, St. Olaus Petri’s exhortation from those early days. Although the use of said exhortation, Idk if different ones were ever in use, fell out in the late 1800s, as far as I know.
When did the Exhortation (said somewhere between Agnus Dei and reception/communion) enter into the Western liturgy? Is it a uniquely Protestant phenomenon?
@johncdirks Infant baptism = believer’s baptism
Infant/foetal faith (Psalm 71:6, Luke 1:41, Matthew 21:16)
The kingdom of God belongs to infants (Luke 18:15-16, brephos = infants/foetus, paidion = small children/infants).
Infants are part of all nations (Matt. 28:19) to be baptised.
@the_thin_place The pro-V2, pro-Roman faction of the movement during the 19th century really won out in many ways in both Lutheran and Anglican contexts. We m u s t n o t forget that claims of catholicity also are contextual, and, importantly, must be formed by the pure Gospel.
@the_thin_place There is a similar shift over here. Today it’s not uncommon to hear support for Eucharistic adoration and CC processions among High-Church/Ev. Catholic clergy, while both Rosendal and Giertz, perhaps the two biggest authors of the movement pre V2, were specifically against it.
@Acolyte_1 1✅
2🟧
3✅*
4✅
Fencing with generosity (towards others confessing a real presence) I personally think is proper for the Supper, but I respect different views.
*An ecumenical exception once a quarter is fine.
Last night, on the Second Day of Pentecost, after many years of battling a brain tumour, my mother was received by her Saviour onto her final journey.
In your charity, please pray for her repose and for our family at this time.
I genuinely don’t understand not praying with other Christians.
I can respect and support various restrictions in pulpit fellowship and fencing the table but forbidding common prayer with non-Lutherans? No.