Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
To search for wisdom apart from Christ means not simply foolhardiness but utter insanity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Seeking wisdom without a spiritual foundation is deemed not just unwise but irrational.
John Calvin stresses the importance of seeking wisdom that is rooted in a relationship with Christ. He argues that attempting to find wisdom outside of this spiritual context leads not only to foolishness but also to a profound level of irrationality, as true understanding and insight require a proper alignment with divine principles.
Themes
WisdomChristInsanityFoolhardinessSpirituality
In practice
Example use cases
During a sermon on the importance of faith, a speaker could quote Calvin to emphasize the role of divine wisdom.
More from John Calvin
All quotes βThe 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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