calvin on prayer, cont.

Part 2.  A summary of Book 3, Chapter 20 of Calvin’s Institutes.  

 

4. Who to pray through: The importance of a Mediator

5. Different types of prayer: The importance of prayer with thanksgiving

6. Private and public prayer

7. Use of words and singing in prayer

 

 

4. Who to pray through

 

It is impossible for any human to approach God’s presence in his own name, without alarm and dread for God’s majesty.  But God in his graciousness has provided his Son Jesus to be our advocate and mediator, through whom we can approach God boldly, securely, and confidently (Hebrews 4:16), knowing that nothing will be denied to us because nothing is denied to him (1 Timothy 2:5, 1 John 2:1). 

the original jesus

‘The Original Jesus, or How the New Testament bears witness to him’

A Christological Survey & Summary of the New Testament, taught by John Stott at The London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity, 2000

Regardless of whatever people may think of him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in Western culture for almost 20 centuries. 3 particular ways we can notice his dominance:

(i) He is the centre of human history.  One third of world claims to be Christian, split history into BC/AD

(ii) He is the focus of Scripture.  Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, because the Scriptures are full of Christ.”

(iii) He is the heart of mission.  Why do Christians cross continents and cultures as missionaries?  To commend a person, Jesus Christ.

In this lecture, Stott considers the New Testament evidence for the Original Jesus, in general, except for the book of Revelation which he considers in a later lecture.  He summarises each New Testament book and in particular considers their teaching on Jesus Christ.  He proposes that the lecture series is appropriately called ‘The Incomparable Christ’, for there is nobody – past, present, or future – like Jesus. 

calvin’s institutes: book 1, chapter 6

 

Ch 6: The need of Scripture, as a guide and teacher, of God as Creator.  

(follows from previous post)

 

We need more than the heavens and earth to guide us properly to God.  So, to this God added the light of his Word, to make himself known unto salvation.  

He bestowed this privilege on the elect.  “For, seeing how the minds of men were carried to and fro and found no resting place, he chose the Jews for a peculiar people, and then hedged them in that they might not, like others, go astray.”  In the same way he retains us in his knowledge – if he didn’t, even those who appear the strongest among us might fall away.  

 

The Scriptures work like spectacles.