Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
Again I ask whence it happened that the fall of Adam involved, without remedy, in eternal death so many nations, together with their infant children, except because it so seemed good to God? A decree horrible, I confess, and yet true.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote questions the theological implications of Adam's fall and its consequences for humanity, especially innocent children.
In this quote, John Calvin grapples with the difficult question of how Adam's original sin resulted in the eternal death of many, including unwitting infants. He acknowledges the harshness of this decree but asserts its truth, highlighting the complexities of divine justice and human suffering in the context of sin and redemption.
Themes
AdamSinTheologyOriginal SinDeathChildren
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about predestination and free will, this quote can illustrate the gravity of original sin.
More from John Calvin
All quotes →The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
John CalvinRead
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
John CalvinRead
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
John CalvinRead
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
John CalvinRead
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
John CalvinRead
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