Book 4/Chapter 14 A settled principle (section 17) 1. What should be a settled principle with regard to sacraments? 2. Under what conditions are sacraments spiritually useless? 3. Is God present in the institution? 4. How do sacraments work? Sacraments in a wider sense (section 18) 1. In the history of God’s people, what are …
In the Elect, the Sacraments Effect What They Represent
Book 4/Chapter 14 Word and sacrament (section 11) 1. What two things work equally to confirm our faith? 2. What does the Lord compare the Word to? Tree of life as sacrament (section 12) 1. What does God sometimes do when He would remove confidence in the reality of salvation? 2. What does Calvin say …
The Spirit and the Sacraments
Book 4/Chapter 14 Heavier condemnation (section 7) 1. When the wicked come to the sacraments, does this mean those sacraments are not testimonies of God’s grace?2. If the wicked could undo God’s grace this way, what effect would this have elsewhere? 3. How does Paul speak of the sacraments when addressing believers? 4. How does …
Calvin and the Mysteries
NB: I’ll be on the road tomorrow so this puts us an extra day ahead. Book 4/Chapter 14 Definition of a sacrament (section 1) 1. What does a sacrament do? 2. How does Calvin define a sacrament? 3. What is Augustine’s shorter definition? Sacrament and mystery (section 2) 1. The Latin word sacrament translates what …
Widows, Deaconesses, and Nuns
Book 4/Chapter 13 The case of enrolled widows (section 18) 1. What argument do the Romanists make from 1 Tim. 5:12? 2. What does Calvin grant? 3. What does he deny? 4. What three points does Calvin make about this? Nuns are different (section 19) 1. What does Calvin call these enrolled widows? 2. What …
Away With Monkish Vows
Book 4/Chapter 13 Monastic sectarianism (section 14) 1. What does Calvin call blasphemy? 2. How were the ancient monks different from Calvin’s contemporaries? 3. What does Calvin call this? Indictment of the monks (section 15) 1. What is rare among monasteries? 2. Even in Augustine’s day, what does he lament? 3. Does Calvin think there …
Probing a Secret Wound
Book 4/Chapter 13 Early and late monasticism (section 10) 1. What is the chief part of the sanctity for the monks of Calvin’s day? 2. According to Augustine, what was almost the only rule for monks? Striving for perfection (section 11) 1. What kind of life do monks think they live? 2. When pressed, what …
The Foundational Vow
Book 4/Chapter 13 Vows for the future (section 5) 1. Does Calvin allow for vows to restrain future behavior? 2. What limits? Basic vows (section 6) 1. What is the basic vow of a Christian? 2. How is this vow confirmed and sanctioned? 3. Does this vow anticipate the presence of sin? 4. Beyond this, …
Celibacy One Thing, Virginity Another
Book 4/Chapter 13 Degeneration (section 1) 1. What is the entire praise of righteousness? 2. What is the difference between a promise and a vow? 3. What do we promise men? 4. How does this apply to vows? Three things (section 2) 1. What are the three things to keep in mind concerning vows? 2. …
Marriage is Chastity
Book 4/Chapter 12 Marriage enjoined (section 24) 1. How do the Romanists interpret Paul’s requirement that a bishop must be married? 2. What do their canons call cohabitation? Levite and Christian (section 25) 1. According to Calvin, how are Levite priests and Christian pastors distinct? 2. What was the example of the apostles? Celibacy (section …