Today’s reading from John Calvin confronts one of the most persistent questions in Christian theology: why should Scripture be trusted? Calvin argues that while fulfilled prophecy, historical preservation, apostolic witness, and even the blood of martyrs all provide powerful external confirmation, none of these can create true faith on their own. Isaiah’s naming of Cyrus long before his birth, Jeremiah’s precise prophecy of the seventy-year exile, Daniel’s sweeping vision of centuries to come, the miraculous survival of the Scriptures through Antiochus’s persecution, and the unlikely authority of untrained apostles all testify that Scripture bears marks no human mind could fabricate (Isaiah 42:9; Daniel 9; 2 Kings 22:8; 2 Chronicles 34:15). Yet Calvin insists that these evidences serve only as supports, not foundations. Scripture finally persuades because it carries God’s own voice—and that voice is recognized only when the Holy Spirit seals its authority in the heart. Until then, even the strongest arguments leave faith suspended; but once the Spirit speaks inwardly, Scripture is received not as probable truth, but as the very Word of God.

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How can Scripture be shown credible to natural reason without replacing the deeper certainty given by the Spirit? Calvin carefully answers by pointing to the unmistakable marks of divine majesty woven throughout the Bible itself—its power, simplicity, harmony, and authority—qualities that surpass every human work and pierce the heart in a way no rhetoric can achieve (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). He then turns to the Old Testament, showing how the antiquity, integrity, miracles, and prophecies surrounding Moses bear public, historical witness to God’s hand, from the manna in the wilderness to the judgment on Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and from the preservation of Israel’s law to the long-delayed fulfillment of Judah’s royal promise (Deuteronomy 32; Genesis 49; 1 Samuel 16). These evidences do not replace faith, but serve as strong confirmations once Scripture has been received reverently, showing that God has never left His Word without testimony in history, conscience, and the unfolding of redemption.

Readings:

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 8, Sections 1–7

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Today’s reading presses to the heart of one of Christianity’s most decisive claims: Scripture does not gain its authority from human approval, argument, or institutional endorsement, but from God himself through the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. John Calvin argues that while Scripture bears unmistakable marks of divine majesty and coherence, no amount of reasoning alone can produce the certainty true faith requires. That certainty comes only when the same Spirit who spoke through the prophets and apostles seals God’s Word upon the heart. Against both skeptics who demand rational proof and religious authorities who claim to validate Scripture by decree, Calvin insists that believers rest in Scripture not by blind submission or borrowed judgment, but by a living encounter with God’s own voice—an assurance deeper than argument and firmer than opinion (Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 54:13).

Readings: John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 7, Sections 4–5

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