My apologies for getting behind on Calvin. I was out of range for the Internet for a couple days, and what a harrowing experience that was! Thanks to a Starbucks by the road home, the kind of place Bilbo sang about, we should be completely caught up in just a few minutes. Book 4/Chapter 2 …
When a Church Must Tumble Down
Book 4/Chapter 2 The basic issue (section 1) 1. What sorts of errors are to be pardoned in a church? 2. What is it that causes the death of a church to follow? 3. When must a church tumble down? Claims of Rome (section 2) 1. What does Calvin conclude then about Rome? 2. What …
The God of All Forgiveness
Book 4/Chapter 1 Lasting forgiveness (section 21) 1. Is forgiveness the basis for more than our entry into the church? Power of the keys (section 22) 1. What was the basic reason God gave the ministers of the church the power to absolve sins? 2. In what settings do ministers absolve sins? 3. What are …
Perfectionism — A Devilish Invention
Book 4/Chapter 1 False perfection (section 16) 1. Where does perfectionism that results in splits come from? 2. Is it driven by true hatred of iniquity in others? Real holiness (section 17) 1. If we will not admit a church unless it is perfect in every respect, what will happen? Prophetic example (section 18) 1. …
Airy Spirits
Book 4/Chapter 1 The marks under attack (section 11) 1. What two devices does Satan use to assault the marks of the church? Guarding against schism (section 12) 1. Should we reject a church that still retains the marks? 2. Are all doctrines of equal weight? Scandal (section 13) 1. What sort of men leave …
Marks of the Church
Book 4/Chapter 1 Visible and invisible (section 7) 1. What church is actually “in God’s presence”? 2. What church has many hypocrites mingled in with it? Limitations of judgment (section 8) 1. What does Augustine say about the perspective of God’s secret predestination? 2. So on what basis do we receive others as fellow Christians? …
The Voice of God in the Sermon
Book 4/Chapter 1 Ministers of God (section 5) 1. How has God determined to grow us up to the maturity, compared to how He could have done it? 2. Why does God consecrate the mouths and tongues of men? 3. What do some stubborn men refuse to do? 4. How is the church built up? …
Calvin and the Holy Catholic Church
Book 4/Chapter 1 The holy catholic church (section 1) 1. How does Christ become ours? 2. But what do we need because of our ignorance and sloth? 3. Why sacraments? 4. What has the papacy done? 5. If God is your Father, who may you call your Mother? Church and creed (section 2) 1. What …
Blessed and Damned
Book 3/Chapter 25 Eternal blessedness (section 10) 1. How did the prophets describe our eternal state? 2. What must we not be titillated by? 3. Does Calvin believe that everyone will have equal measures of glory in heaven? Superfluous questions (section 11) 1. Who inquires into the different glory rankings between apostle and prophet, apostle …
This Same Body
Book 3/Chapter 25 This same body (section 7) 1. What does Calvin do with the idea that God gives us a completely new body, made from scratch? 2. Why is the promised “change of quality” important in this? 3. What is Calvin’s argument from headship on this? Burial rites (section 8) 1. What is the …