Book 2/Chapter 4 Willingly under the devil’s power (section 1) 1. Does man sin willingly, even though of necessity? 2. What comparison of Augustine’s does Calvin approve? In the same event (section 2) 1. Who was involved in Job’s loss? 2. What distinguishes these various agents? 3. What aspect of God’s sovereignty is Calvin not …
Sola Gratia
Book 2/Chapter 3 Our blessedness from God alone (section 9) 1. What antithesis must we always remember? 2. How does Calvin describe the license of our pride? Not just possibilities (section 10) 1. Does God’s grace give us a chance to be good or not? 2. What must we not claim? Perseverance all of God …
Necessity and Compulsion
Book 2/Chapter 3 Necessity, not compulsion (section 5) 1. We must attribute conversion entirely to what? 2. What drives evil will and what drives good will? 3. Those who are offended by this do not know how to do what? 4. If necessity is the same as compulsion, what must be said about God? 5. …
Special Graces for the Unregenerate
Book 2/Chapter 3 All is flesh (section 1) 1. Is all of man’s nature fleshly? 2. What is the only way to obtain anything of spiritual value from the Spirit? 3. Whatever we have from nature is what? A witness to corruption (section 2) 1. What passage does Paul turn to in order to throw …
tom, bishop of durham
In his discussion of the last part of Romans, Wright returns to his great theme. The gospel is all about the vindication of God’s righteousness in that the Messiah finally came, as promised, and fulfilled God’s-plan-for-the-world-through Israel. That’s Wright’s drum, and I have to say that he is consistent in how he lays down the …
An Adam is Never Off the Clock
Almost done with Wright’s book. Just one more installment after this. One of Wright’s arguments is that righteousness is not imputed to us because righteousness “is not that kind of thing.” But this is just modernist reductionism. And because Wright is an orthodox Christian, he refuses to give way to that kind of reductionism elsewhere. …
True Moral Choice
Book 2/Chapter 2 More on free will (section 26) 1. Choice belongs to what sphere in our makeup? 2. What is necessary before we can say that a true moral choice has been made? The need for the Holy Spirit (section 27) 1. Does Calvin believe that the description in Romans 7 is of a …
Hans Brinker and the Text
I am listening through a series of lectures by N.T. Wright on Jesus, and am enjoying them very much. I am working through this book of his on justification, and am frequently bewildered at how someone as astute as Wright could be missing the kinds of things he is missing. I have said something like …
Calvin and Natural Law
Book 2/Chapter 2 What natural law is for (section 22) 1. Does Calvin take the Gentiles in Romans 2:14-15 to be Christians or not? 2. Does Calvin believe in natural law? 3. How does he define it? 4. What is natural law for? General and particular (section 23) 1. Can unregenerate men affirm the right …
Darkness After Lightning
Book 2/Chapter 2 A summary (section 17) 1. What is proper to our nature? 2. What must we avoid claiming as our own? Limits of understanding (section 18) 1. What are the 3 characteristics of spiritual insight? 2. What illustration does Calvin use to describe non-believers when they have a true insight concerning God? Spiritual …