Malachi -- introduction.
Next comes the book of Malachi. Many imagine him to have been an angel, for we know that an angel is called mala'k in Hebrew. But it is easy to see what an absurdity that idea is. At that time, God did not send angels to announce his oracles, but used the regular ministry of men. And since the i, yod, is added at the end of the name, as is usual in proper names, we may conclude that Malachi was the man's name. But I readily admit that there may have been a reason for the name which today escapes us. I am more ready to agree with others who say that he was Ezra and that Malachi is a second name given him because God had called him for a splendid and magnificent work.
But whatever the fact may be, he was certainly one of the prophets and we can assume with reason that he was the last. In the end of the book he urges the people to stand fast in the pure teaching of the law; and this he does because thereafter God was not to continue sending a succession of prophets as he had done before. . . . Now I come to his words:
The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachi. Mal. 1:1.
Those who explain massa' as simply another word for prophecy are
mistaken, as I have said elsewhere. Not every prophecy is called a
burden. Further, whenever the word is used, some impending judgment of
God follows, and it is clear enough from Jeremiah (23:36) that the word was
generally detested. Godless people, when they wanted to insult the prophets,
used to say as a common proverb, "This is a burden,"
Hand, as we have seen, means service. It means that this teaching
is from God, with Malachi as the intermediary. The prophet is bringing nothing
of his own; he is faithfully reporting as God, the author [of the prophecy],
has commanded him.
I loved you, saith the Lord. And you said, How didst thou love us? Was not
Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord. And I loved Jacob, and Esau I held in
hatred. . . . A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master. And if I am
a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? saith the
Lord of hosts. Mal. 1:2-6. (Calvin's wording).
I am compelled to read all these verses together because otherwise the meaning
of the passage would not be clear. God is here remonstrating with a perverse
and ungrateful people who doubly deny him his right since they neither love him
nor fear him. He rightly claims the name and position of both Father and Lord.
When the Jews show him no reverence, he reproaches them for denying him a
father's right; and when there is no fear of him, he accuses them again because
they do not recognize him as Lord, although they cannot elude his authority.
But before he comes to the accusation, he shows that he is both Lord and
Father. And above all he shows that he is a father, in that he has loved them
freely. . . .
God could have appealed to the Jews on other grounds. Even if he did not love
them, they were bound to him by his sovereignty. However, here God is not
speaking of his universal love toward the whole human race. He is reproaching
the Jews because, having been freely adopted by him as a holy and special
people, they had forgotten his honor and despised him and had paid no heed to
his teaching. When, therefore, God says that he loved the Jews, we can see that
in this way he wants to convict them of ingratitude because they have spurned
the singular favor by which he had honored them alone, rather than to convince
them of his universal Kingdom to which all men are subject.
God could have said to them: "I created you and I am your father who feeds you.
The sun shines daily upon you and the earth bears its fruits. In fact I hold
you bound to me by the innumerable benefits I confer upon you by my kindness."
God could have dealt with them in that way; but as I have already pointed out,
he preferred to bring before them the free adoption of Abraham's seed. The
disloyalty of the Jews was all the more intolerable because they were rejecting
an incomparable favor. For God had raised them above all nations not because of
any merit or worth of their own, but because he was pleased to do so.
The prophet begins by saying that God loved the Jews in order to make
them realize that their scorn for God's teaching was the worst possible
response to his love. This is the first point.
Next, it is obvious that he is indirectly reproaching their ingratitude when he
makes them say, How didst thou love us? With this God implies, "If you
should say, or rather, should ask, In what way have I loved you? my answer is,
Truly in that I set aside Esau and chose your father Jacob, although they were
brothers. . . ." We see, as I mentioned above, that the prophet reminds the
Jews of the free covenant to leave them no excuse for their wickedness in
repaying God so badly for his special grace toward them.
He does not accuse them because they were created like the rest of mankind, or
because God has given them the light of his sun, and provided them with food
out of the ground. He says that if they have been set above other peoples, it
is not by their own merit but because God had seen fit to choose their father,
Jacob. The prophet could have named Abraham; but since Jacob and Esau were both
descended from Abraham, with whom God had made his covenant, God's gracious
favor was the more conspicuous in Jacob. First, God chose Abraham alone, and
put the other families of mankind aside. Then, out of this one family whom God
had adopted, one man was chosen and the other rejected.
The point is not merely that Esau and Jacob were brothers. We must notice other
facts which the prophet does not state because everybody knew them. . . . All
the Jews knew that Esau was the first-born, and that it was contrary to nature
for Jacob to obtain the first-born's right. . . . But Jacob was divinely chosen
and his brother, the first-born, was rejected.
If we seek the reason for this, we shall not find it in a difference of root or
origin. The two men were brothers; and
After having briefly recalled the benefits which should have filled the Jews
with shame, the prophet comes to his main point, which is, as I said above,
that God declares himself defrauded of his right in two ways: the Jews neither
revere him as Father nor fear him as Lord. He could indeed, by right of
creation, call himself both Father and Lord, but I have already explained that
he refers rather to their adoption because God's grace is the more striking
when he out of all mankind chooses some few to be his own people. . . . Those
whom he honors with such an election he binds to himself with a most holy
chain; and if they desert him, there is no excuse whatever for their
treachery.
Since we now understand the prophet's purpose and the aim of the whole reproof,
it remains to adapt his teaching to our own use. We are not descendants of
Abraham or of Jacob, according to the flesh; but God has given us sure evidence
of his adoption, which singles us out from other peoples whom we in no way
excel. Clearly, then, if we do not respond to God's call, we are found no less
guilty than the Jews. I am touching on this briefly now, to point out that this
teaching has no less importance for us today than it did for the Jews at that
time.
Although the method of our adoption differs from that which affected one seed
or one family, it is true of us as it was of them that we are raised above
others not by our own worth but because God has freely chosen us for his
people. Since he has so chosen us, we belong to him, more especially because he
has bought us by the blood of his Son. By granting us participation in his
inestimable grace through the gospel, he has made us both sons and servants.
Therefore, unless we honor him as Father and fear him as Lord, the same (and no
less) ingratitude will be found in us as was found in that ancient people.
Today I dealt with the main points of this passage in a summary way; tomorrow I
shall speak of election, as the text itself requires. It was necessary to
discuss first the prophet's purpose, which I have done. Next I will treat
single topics more fully so far as necessary.
Grant, Almighty God, who hast not only given us life in common with all men in
this world, but hast also separated us and illuminated us by the Sun of
Righteousness, thine only-begotten Son, in order to lead us into the
inheritance of eternal salvation, grant I beseech thee that since we have been
rescued from the darkness of death, we may ever attend to that heavenly light
by which thou guidest and invitest us to thyself. May we walk as children of
light, and never wander from our holy calling, but continually go forward in
it, until we shall at length reach the goal which thou hast set before us, so
that we may put off the uncleanness of the flesh and be transformed into that
ineffable glory of which we have now the image in thine only-begotten Son.
Amen.
Yesterday we explained the purpose of Malachi the prophet. . . . But to
appreciate the justice of his remonstrance, first, we must consider under what
obligation we are to God, because he created us as men, in his own image and
likeness, for he could equally well have created dogs and donkeys instead of
men. We know that Adam was made of the earth as were the other animals, and
therefore as to body there was no real difference between men and the dumb
beasts. God is said to have breathed the breath of life into men, but we should
not take this as the Manichaeans dream about it, as though men receive their
souls by way of transplantation. (By using this word, they teach that
the human soul is of the substance of God.) Moses on the contrary means that
the human soul was created out of nothing. We are born by generation, but our
origin is clay. Still, there is something special in us, a creation from
nothing which is the soul. We see, therefore, that we differ from the beasts
only because God by his gracious favor willed to create us men. Therefore, if
we do not worship him, he has every right to charge us with ingratitude, since
we were created in his image for this very purpose.
This passage, however, has to do with the special favor of
If we look for a reason for this, we shall not find it in men. All men alike
were created out of the earth, and all had souls created from nothing put into
their bodies. If this be so, we see that when God gives precedence to one race
over others, the distinction among them must have its source in his gracious
favor. . . . The prophet speaks here of the third step in election by which God
set apart a branch of Abraham's descendants. But we must keep in mind the first
step, by which mankind was bound to God in a special way, because while he
could have created them donkeys and dogs, he chose to form them after his own
image. The second step was his choice of the race of Abraham, although his
power extended over all peoples without exception. . . . In the third stage, to
which Malachi refers, we must note that, having promised to be the God of
Abraham and his seed, God distinguished also between the sons of Abraham,
rejecting some, taking others for his own. This is emphasized by Paul in the
ninth chapter of Romans. . . .
Now upon the third step follows a fourth. From the sons of Jacob, God chose
whom he would, and rejected others. The Scripture is full of statements like
the words of Moses (Deut. 9:6), "I did not choose you from other nations
because of your virtue, for I knew that you were a rebellious people,
stiff-necked and obstinate." Even while God knew the perverse spirit of this
people, he chose to reveal in them an example of his wonderful kindness.
Therefore, we must not look for the cause of their adoption outside of God.
But if the election of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was a free act of God, we must
conclude that the individuals whom God singles out from the whole body are
freely chosen. And so I come to the fourth step. . . . For when many who are
descended from Jacob according to the flesh are rejected no less than Esau, it
is clear that when God elects individual men his choice is governed by his free
favor and pure compassion. This is the line of argument which the apostle
follows in the letter to the Romans.
It seems harsh to many to think that God chooses some and
As we have said, there is no real difference among men, except in their hidden
election. Some theologians would make foreknowledge the mother of election, and
that very foolishly and childishly. They say that some men are chosen and
others rejected by God, because God, from whom nothing is hidden, foresees of
what sort each man will be. But I ask, Whence comes virtue to one and vice to
the other? If they say, "From free will," surely creation was before free will.
This is one point. Besides, we know that all men were created alike in the
person of Adam. . . . And what does this mean except that the condition of all
who come from the one root is the same?
I am not discussing "special gifts." I admit that if our nature had not been
corrupted and we all had the same assurance of blessedness, we would be endowed
with a variety of gifts. . . . But since in Adam all are sinners, deserving of
eternal death, it is obvious that nothing but sin will be found in men.
Therefore, God's foreknowledge cannot be the reason of our election, because
when God [looks into the future and] surveys all mankind, he will find them
all, from the first to the last, under the same curse. So we see how foolishly
triflers prattle when they ascribe to mere naked foreknowledge what must be
founded on God's good pleasure. . . .
When Moses prays to God not to break his covenant with Abraham, God answers, "I
will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." What does he mean? He
means that the reason for God's keeping some for himself and rejecting
At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, O Father, so it seemed good in thy
sight. Matt. 11:25-26.
It is certain that he gave thanks to the Father on their behalf and for their
sakes, so that they might not be offended because the church appears so lowly
and mean. We are always looking for splendor, and nothing seems more absurd
than that the Heavenly Kingdom of the Son of God, the glory of which is
celebrated with such magnificence by the prophets, should consist of the dregs
and nobodies of low-class peoples. And surely it is an amazing counsel of God
that when he had the whole earth in his hands he chose his people out of the
contemptible folk, rather than out of the upper classes who might have brought
the name of Christ greater credit through their own excellencies. But here
Christ sets his disciples apart from the proud, from the high and mighty, so
that they will not dare to despise the mean and obscure condition of the church
with which he himself is well pleased and happy. Besides, in order to suppress
more effectively the curiosity which is constantly creeping into people's
minds, he goes beyond the realm of cause and effect, and contemplates the
secret judgments of God, in order to lead others to wonder at them with him.
Even though God's judgment shows him certainly to be of a mind quite different
from our own, our pride is nonetheless insanely blind if we cry out against
God's judgment while Christ who is our Head bows his head to it and adores it.
But let us consider further the statement, I acknowledge to thee, O
Father. With these words, he testifies to his acquiescence in the decree of
the Father, which accords so ill with the mind of man. There is here a hidden
contrast between the praise which he renders to God and the malicious
calumnies, and even the insolent barkings, of the world. It is clear that he
glorifies the Father, because even though he is the Lord of the whole world, he
has preferred babies and simple folk to those who are wise. Now, in this
context, it is not without significance that he calls the Father the Lord of
heaven and earth. In this way he declares that
This verse is impressive in two respects. The fact that not all receive the
gospel is not due to the impotence of God, who could readily make all creatures
submit to his empire. Secondly, that some arrive at faith, while others remain
stupefied and obstinate, is due to his free election. He draws some to himself
and passes others by; and in so doing, he himself distinguishes among men,
whose situation by nature is the same. It is for his own glory that he elects
little children rather than the wise. The flesh is much too zealous to set
itself up. If clever and learned men were to have an advantage, then everybody
would assume that faith is acquired by human skill, or industry, or knowledge.
There is no other way in which the mercy of God can stand out more clearly than
in God's way of choosing; for thus it becomes evident that men come to God
empty-handed. Therefore, it is right that the wisdom of men should be
overthrown; because in this way it will not obscure the glory of God's grace.
But someone will ask, Whom does Christ call the wise, and whom, little
children? Experience teaches us clearly that not all those who are ignoramuses
and uncultivated men receive the light and believe; and not all who are prudent
or literate are left to their blindness. Therefore, they who are here called
prudent and wise are those who, inflated with the devil's own arrogance, cannot
bear to hear Christ speaking to them from his own height. And yet, as we are
taught by the example of Paul whose fierce zeal was overcome by Christ, it is
not always the case that God reprobates those who have too high an opinion of
themselves. And when we go down and look at the uncultivated crowd, we find
that the majority of them are poisonously mean, and left for destruction
together with those who are great men and noble. . . . Christ is the master of
the humble, and the first principle of faith is, "Let none be wise in his own
eyes." But what matters is not the willingness of men to become like children.
Rather, Christ's discourse enlarges upon the grace of the Father, who does not
disdain to go down to the weak, and to pull the paupers out of their filth. . .
.
Even so, Father. These words remove every excuse for the
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world. Matt. 25:34.
. . . Christ does not invite the believers to possess the Kingdom as though
they were fit for it by their own merits. He says explicitly that it shall be
given to the heirs (of God's promise). He has also another purpose in saying
these words. Since the life of the godly is nothing but an exile full of sorrow
and misery, so that the earth itself can hardly bear them; since they are hard
pressed by want, and are covered with shame and other afflictions -- the Lord
testifies to them of a Kingdom all ready for them, so that with fortified and
buoyant spirit, they may be able to overcome these odds against them. For it is
no common inducement to patience that men be persuaded with certainty that they
are not walking in vain. Therefore, if our souls are not to be cast down by the
pride of the godless in which they now exult before our face; if our hope is
not to be turned into despair by the troubles we undergo -- we must always keep
in mind our inheritance in heaven, which depends not upon doubtful
contingencies, but was prepared for us by God before we were born. This I say
to each one of the elect, for it is he whom Christ calls the blessed of the
Father. It is no contradiction that here we read from the foundation of the
world, and elsewhere, before the
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the
election hath obtained it; and the rest are blinded. Rom. 11:7.
Since the elect alone by God's grace are drawn away from destruction, it
follows that those who are not elected, in the nature of the case, remain in
their blindness. With regard to the rejected, Paul means that those who are
left aside by God have the principle of their ruin and damnation from
themselves. The Scriptural proofs which he puts together, from not one but
several places, when examined in their proper context, do not seem to serve his
purpose; for in all these passages, the scourges of God, such as blindness and
hardening, are visited upon those who are already wicked. Paul, on the other
hand, is trying in this place to prove that the blinded are not those who
deserve it through their wickedness, but those who have been rejected of God
before the creation of the world.
Let us untie this knot briefly as follows: the source of wickedness which in
itself provokes the wrath of God is in the perversity of natures which God has
left alone. Therefore, it is not without reason that, according to Paul, such
natures proceed from the eternal rejection of God as fruit from the tree or a
river from its source. It is true that the godless are punished by God justly
with blindness because they are wicked. But if we look for the source of their
ruin, we must ultimately come to this, that being cursed by God, all that they
do, say, or intend, only furthers and increases their curse. Yet, the cause of
eternal rejection is so hidden that there is nothing left for us to do but to
be amazed at the incomprehensible mind of God, as will appear finally from the
conclusion of this passage. It is stupid, as soon as an immediate cause is
mentioned, to make this an excuse for trying to deny the ultimate cause which
is hidden from our view; as though, because God condemns the corrupt and
depraved seed of Adam, and then repays individuals with the reward of their
crimes, according to their deserts, God had not freely ordained, before the
Fall of Adam, what seemed good to him for the whole human race.
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after
righteousness, have attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is of
faith. Rom. 9:30.
Nothing seemed more absurd and less congruous [with justice] than that the
Gentiles, who cared nothing for righteousness and wallowed in the debauchery of
the flesh, should have been called to partake in salvation and obtain
righteousness, and that the Jews, on the contrary, who gave themselves
wholeheartedly to doing the works prescribed by the law, should have been
deprived of every reward due to the righteous. Paul states this amazing paradox
boldly so that he may temper its bitterness with the reason he gives for it:
namely, that the righteousness which the Gentiles acquired was by faith, which
depends not upon human worth but upon the mercy of God. The zeal with which the
Jews plied the law was preposterous, because they sought to be justified by
their works; they strove after what no man can attain. What is more, they
stumbled at Christ, who alone opened the way by which we obtain
righteousness.
In the first part of this verse, the apostle intended to exalt the marvelous
grace of God; he looks for the reason behind the call of the Gentiles nowhere
except in that God deigned to embrace those who were unworthy of his favor. He
speaks particularly of that righteousness without which there is no salvation.
But by saying that this righteousness consists in faith, he means that the
righteousness of the Gentiles is effected by the free act of God which
reconciles them to him. For, if anyone fancies that their own faith prepared
the Gentiles for regeneration by the Spirit, he is far from what Paul is
talking about. It could not have been true that they had attained what they did
not even seek after, unless God had freely taken hold of them while they
themselves were lost and wandering, unless God had offered them a righteousness
which they could neither have pursued nor practiced, because they were ignorant
of it. Whence it must be noticed that the Gentiles were made fit for
righteousness by faith, because God had anticipated their faith with his grace.
And if it is by faith that they first aspired after righteousness, it was by
faith also that they followed it. Thus faith itself was an element in grace.
Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if thy mighty works,
which have been done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Matt. 11:21.
Since Tyre and Sidon, being nearby, were infamous for their godlessness, their
pride, debauchery, and other vices, Christ draws this comparison between their
works and those of the Jews, so as to pierce more deeply into the hearts of his
countrymen. There was not one among the latter who did not blame the people of
Tyre and Sidon for their wicked contempt of God. Therefore, Christ intensified
his curse greatly when he said that there was more hope for repentance in those
godless places than in Judea itself.
However, to avoid thorny questions about the secret judgments of God, let us
hold that this discourse of our Lord is intended to apply to the common
mentality of men. By comparing the people of Bethsaida and their neighbors with
those of Tyre and Sidon, he is not arguing that God foresaw what these or those
would do; he is simply stating what the latter would have done, so far as one
can see from the facts of the case. The corrupt ways of their cities and their
unbridled profligacies could be explained as due to ignorance, because they had
not heard the voice of God, and no miracles had been performed to bring them to
their senses. On the other hand, the cities of Galilee which Christ upbraids
had shown a more than iron obstinacy, which had led the people to witness a
multitude of miracles without learning anything from them. In short, the words
of Christ mean nothing except that, in malice and incurable contempt of God,
Tyre and Sidon were surpassed by Bethsaida and Chorazin.
And yet, we are in no position to bring a case against God, because, neglecting
some from whom more might have been hoped for, he revealed his power among
those who were worse and altogether hopeless. God is just when he destines for
perdition those who are not worthy of his mercy. Who is to blame God with
injustice, because he withholds his Word from some and allows them to perish,
whereas he seeks others out in various ways and calls them to repentance to
make the latter all the more inexcusable? Therefore, knowing our weakness, let
us learn to contemplate this high matter with reverence. We must not tolerate
in the least the pride and ill-humor of those who cannot bring themselves to
pay the tribute of praise to God's righteousness, except in so far as their
mind can grasp it, who spurn with disdain those mysteries which they should in
justice adore, because the reason for them is not obvious.
For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have
Now he comes to the second part, which is the rejection of the ungodly. Since
this seems to be quite absurd, the apostle not only tries to make it plainer
than ever that God is without blame in his willing to reject
(reprobando), but also shows the excellence of his wisdom and justice.
Therefore, he makes use of the witness of Ex. 9:16, where the Lord asserts that
it was he who had stirred up Pharaoh and that his purpose in so doing was to
give evidence of his invincible arm, which he did when he overcame and
overthrew Pharaoh, who was obstinate enough to make a great show of resisting
the power of God. There is no power of man which can stand up under the power
of God, much less break it down. God used Pharaoh as an example.
Wherefore, there are two things to be considered: first, the predestination of
Pharaoh to destruction, which must be referred to the just but hidden counsel
of God; and secondly, its purpose, which was to declare the name of God. It is
the latter that Paul wants primarily to bring out. If God's purpose in
hardening Pharaoh's heart was to declare his name, it is wicked to construe
this work of God as unjust. Considering its purpose, it was quite the
contrary.
Since many interpreters pervert this passage by trying to soften it, let us
notice in the first place that the Hebrew word for stir up means
appoint. God wanted to show that in spite of Pharaoh's obstinate
resistance, He would make his people free: not only that He had foreseen the
Pharaoh's obduracy and was ready with the means of restraining it, but that He
himself had ordained it, with the purpose of establishing a shining evidence of
his own power. . . .
But let no one imagine that the Pharaoh acted by an ordinary and indefinite
prodding from God. We must keep in mind the particular reason and purpose in
this matter. This verse means that God not only knew what Pharaoh would do, but
also destined his deed for the special use of declaring God's glory. It follows
that it is futile to quarrel with him, as though he were bound to give a reason
for his ways. In fact, he presents himself to us and, anticipating our
objection, declares that the reprobate appear by his providence, so that by
them he may glorify his name among the people.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor?
Rom. 11:34.
Therefore, since we are utterly incapable of exploring the secrets of God with
our own faculties, we are admitted to a certain and clear knowledge of them by
the grace of the Holy Spirit. And if we are to follow his guidance, where he
puts us there we ought to stop and there as it were put down our foot. And if
anyone sets out to know more than God has revealed, he shall be overwhelmed by
the infinite brightness of his inaccessible light. We must be sure to bear in
mind the distinction I made above, between God's secret counsel and the will of
God revealed in Scripture. Although the doctrine of Scripture is too high for
human ingenuity, still believers are not excluded from access to it when they
follow the guidance of the Spirit with sobriety and reverence. But the secret
counsel of God is something else. It is so deep and so high that no exploration
can attain to it.
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders; in so much that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Matt. 24:24.
This is added to fill the faithful with fear, and so to make them more watchful
and on their guard. For, when false prophets are given unbridled freedom and
allowed to flourish, and when they are even given power enough to deceive, the
careless are readily caught in the net of their frauds. Christ therefore calls
and arouses his disciples to stay at their posts. Besides, he admonishes them
not to be troubled when they see the strange spectacle of many all around
abducted into error. As he invites them to be watchful, so that Satan may not
come upon them in their sleep, he adds ample ground for confidence and peace by
promising them that by the help and protection of God they shall be safe
against all the snares of Satan. Therefore, no matter how weak and slippery the
condition of the godly, here they shall find a firm support upon which to
stand, for it is not possible that those who have the Son of God as their
faithful protector should fall away from salvation. It is not that they have at
their disposal arms enough to resist the armaments of Satan, but rather that
they are Christ's sheep, whom no one shall be able to snatch away from his
hands (John 10:28). But we are not to forget that the stability of our
salvation is not in us but in the secret election of God.
And this is the will of him that sent me. . . . John 6:40.
Those who seek their or others' salvation in the labyrinth of predestination,
while they move out of the way of faith set before them, are insane, by such
absurd speculation, they even try to do away with the power and effect of
predestination. For, if God elected us for faith, take away faith, and election
itself is mutilated. It is in fact wicked to break up the continuity and order
of God's counsel, with its beginning and its end. Moreover, since election
carries calling with itself and is inseparable from it, and since it is by
calling us that God makes faith in Christ effective in us, our call should be
to us sufficient evidence of our salvation as though it were his seal cut into
us. For the witness of the Spirit is none other than the sealing of our
adoption. Therefore faith is strong enough proof of God's eternal
predestination. It is a sacrilege to inquire further, because he who refuses
simply to accept the testimony of the Holy Spirit, offers him insult with
injury.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. Eph. 1:4-6.
The ground and first cause of our calling, as well as of all the good things we
receive from God, the apostle presents as the eternal election of God.
Therefore, if anyone asks why God has called us to share in the gospel, why he
honors us with so many blessings every day, why he opens heaven itself before
us, we must always come back to this same principle: that clearly, before the
foundation of the world, he has elected us. But, from the time of election
itself, we gather that it is free. For, how could we have possessed worth, or
how could there have been merit in us, before the world itself was created? It
is a childish
In the second place, he confirms that our election is free by adding in
Christ. For if we are chosen in Christ, the reason for our election is
outside of us; that is, our Heavenly Father has included us in the body of
Christ, not because he saw that we are worthy of it, but by the favor of
adoption. For, if as he says we are chosen in Christ, it follows that we in
ourselves are unworthy of our election.
That we should be holy. Here he considers the proximate, not the
ultimate, purpose of election. For it is not absurd that the same thing should
have two objectives. For instance, the purpose of a building is that it be a
house. But this is the proximate purpose: the ultimate purpose is that it be
used as a home. We touch upon this in passing because Paul speaks constantly of
another purpose, which is the glory of God. There is no contradiction here. Our
sanctification is subordinate to the highest end of election, that is, the
glory of God. Moreover, this leads us to conclude that sanctity, innocence, and
every virtue among men, is the fruit of election. Therefore once again, with
this phrase [as he has chosen us], Paul expressly sets aside every thought of
merit. If God foresaw something in us worthy of election, Paul would have said
the contrary of what we read in this place; which is, in effect, that a holy
and innocent life comes from the election of God. For, how does it happen that
some men live a godly life in the fear of the Lord, and others prostitute
themselves to all manner of wickedness? Certainly, if we are to believe Paul,
there is no other reason for this except that the latter follow their own
disposition, whereas the others are elected for holiness. Surely, the cause
does not come after the effect! Therefore, as Paul testifies, election, which
is the cause of good works, does not depend upon men.
Besides, this verse means that election does not give men any occasion for
license. Impious people blaspheme, saying; "Let us live as we please. We are
safe. For, if we are elect, it is impossible that we should perish." But Paul
protests that it is vicious to separate the holiness of life from the grace of
election; because those whom God elects, he also calls and justifies. On the
other hand, the long-standing inference made from this
Who has predestined us. What follows is a further and greater
commendation of the grace of God. We have already said why it was that Paul
impressed so zealously upon the Ephesians the gratuity of their adoption, and
the eternal election which preceded it. Since there is in truth no other place
in which the mercy of God is declared with such magnificence, we must begin
with a close look at this passage. Here the apostle presents us with three
causes of our salvation, and he soon after adds a fourth; the efficient cause
is the good pleasure of the will of God; the material cause[92] is Christ; the final cause is the
To the first belongs the following complex of ideas: God in himself, by the
good pleasure of his will, has predestined us for adoption, and has, by his
grace, received us to his favor. In the word predestine we must again
notice the sequence. We did not exist when we were predestined; hence, our
merit also was nonexistent! Therefore, the cause of our salvation could not
have been from us, but was from God alone. Paul, still not satisfied, adds
in himself, which in Greek is
Meanwhile, he presents Christ, whom he calls "the beloved," as the material
cause of eternal election as well as of the love now revealed in him. Thus we
are to know that the love of God is poured out upon us through Christ; for he
is well beloved, so that he may reconcile us to God. And immediately Paul adds
the highest and ultimate purpose of election, which is that we glorify God by
praising his wonderful grace toward us. Anyone, therefore, who obscures the
glory of God, puts himself in the position of striving to subvert the eternal
purpose of God. . . .
We know that all things work together for good in them that love God, to
them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he
did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he
also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified,
he also glorified. Rom. 8:28-30.
Now we know. From the preceding he now concludes that the bitter things
of this life, far from hindering our salvation, rather
But we must recognize that here Paul is speaking only of adversities. What he
is saying is that, whatever comes to believers, even if it be harm as the world
sees it, God intervenes in their behalf; and the outcome shows that it was
useful for them. Even though it is true, as Augustine says, that by the guiding
providence of God even the sins of believers, instead of harming them, serve
rather the purpose of their salvation -- this has nothing to do with this
passage, which concerns rather the cross. . . .
To them who according to his purpose. This phrase seems to be added as a
correction, in order to keep one from thinking that the good fruit which the
faithful gather from their adversities is due to any merit in their love for
God. For we know that when it comes to salvation, men are all too inclined to
begin with themselves, and to fancy that they have gone ahead of God's grace
with preparations of their own. This is why Paul teaches that those whom he
calls true worshipers of God have already been elected by him. Surely this is
why the sequence in this passage is brought to our attention. We are to know
that all things which issue in the salvation of the saints depend upon the free
election of God as their first cause. Certainly, Paul intends to show that
believers do not love God before they are called by him, as in another place he
points out that the Galatians were known of God before they knew him (Gal.
4:9). Indeed, for Paul it is true that afflictions further the salvation of
none
The word purpose clearly excludes everything that might be imagined as
devised among men. Thus Paul denies that the causes of our election can be
sought anywhere except in the hidden good pleasure of God. This is even clearer
in the first chapter of Ephesians and the first of 2 Timothy, where the
contrast between God's purpose and the righteousness of man is expressly and
clearly stated. However, no doubt when Paul here says explicitly that our
salvation is founded upon the election of God, he does so in order to go on to
the next point, which he adds immediately: namely, that our sufferings which
conform us to Christ have been obviously appointed for us by the same heavenly
decree as our election, so that our salvation might be connected necessarily
with carrying the cross.
For whom he had foreknown. He then shows, by the sequence in election,
that all the sufferings of the faithful are nothing but the way in which they
are led to conform to Christ; and he has already testified that such conformity
is essential to the Christian life. Therefore, we are not to be sorrowful, or
to suffer with heavy hearts or in bitterness, unless we would despise the
election of the Lord by which we have been foreordained for life, or unless we
cannot bear to have in us the image of the Son of God which prepares us for his
heavenly glory. The foreknowledge of God, therefore, which Paul mentions here,
is not a mere knowing beforehand, as some ignorant people imagine in their
stupid way. It is rather the act of adoption, by which God has always
distinguished his children from those who are reprobate. In this same sense,
Peter says that believers have been elected for the sanctification of the
Spirit according to the foreknowledge of God. Whence, those mentioned above
reason foolishly when they infer that God has elected those whom he foresaw as
worthy of his grace. Peter does not flatter the believers, as though each one
of them owed his election to his own merit. On the contrary, by recalling them
to the eternal counsel of God, he denies that they are worthy of God's grace.
So, Paul here repeats with other words what he had said about God's purpose
elsewhere. It follows that God's knowing the elect rests upon his own good
pleasure, because he foreknew nothing outside of himself which led him to will
the adoption of sons. He marked some for election according to his own good
pleasure.
The verb
And those whom he has predestined (praefinivit), them he has
also called. He now proceeds step by step to establish with a clearer
argument the truth that, if we are to be saved, we must conform to the
humiliation of Christ. He teaches us that our call, and our justification, and
finally our glory, are bound up with our association with the cross and cannot
by any means be separated from it.
To make sure that the reader understands the mind of the apostle better, it is
well to repeat and remind him of what I have stated before: that the word
predestinate refers not to election but to that decree or purpose of God
by which he has ordained that his own bear the cross. In teaching that they are
now actually called, he brings out that God has not kept his purpose concerning
them hidden in his own hands, but has rather laid it open that they may submit
to the rule imposed upon them with a calm and good-tempered spirit. For,
calling is here distinguished from hidden election as coming after it. Now,
someone may object that a man cannot ascertain for himself what destiny God has
appointed for him. The apostle answers that God himself has testified openly
concerning his secret counsel through our call. This testimony of God is given
truly not only through external preaching, but also through the accompanying
power of the Spirit. Here we have to do with the elect, whom God does not so
much compel with an outward voice as draw to himself from within.
Justification may rightly be extended to the uninterrupted continuance of God's
grace, from our calling to our death. But since, throughout the epistle, Paul
uses this word for the free imputation of righteousness, there is no necessity
for turning aside from this meaning of it. The real purpose of Paul is to show
that we stand to gain much more through suffering than
Therefore, he adds immediately that those who at the present time are weighed
down by the cross shall be glorified, that they shall lose nothing by the
bitter trials they now suffer. Although so far our Head alone is glorified, we
already discern in him somewhat the inheritance of life eternal; his glory
brings us such assurance of our own coming glory that it is right to regard our
hope as the equivalent of a present possession.
We may add that Paul, following the Hebrew style, puts his verbs in the past
tense instead of the present. But certainly there is no doubt that he is
speaking of a continued action. What he means is: those whom God now exercises
under the cross, according to his purpose, are at the same time called and
justified, in the hope of salvation; even while they are humiliated, they
suffer no loss of glory. Even though their present miseries disfigure their
glory in the sight of the world, yet before God and the angels it shines
without diminution.
Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our
Savior Jesus Christ. . . . 2 Tim. 1:9-10.
This gift of grace, of which Paul reminds us, is nothing other than the
predestination by which we are adopted to become sons of God. With regard to
this matter, I have wanted to bring to the attention of my readers that often
God is said to give his grace when we perceive its effect. But here Paul is
speaking of it [grace] as God has had it from the beginning. . . .
But is now made manifest. Notice how properly he ties up the faith we
have through the gospel with the secret election of God, and assigns to each
its proper place. Now, God calls us through the gospel because he has set
himself to the purpose of saving us, not suddenly and without forethought, but
from the beginning in eternity. And now Christ has appeared for our salvation,
not because he has just received the power to save us, but because before the
foundation of the world this grace had been bestowed upon him for our sakes;
but this we know by faith. The apostle is wise to connect the gospel with the
most ancient promises of God; otherwise it would be treated with contempt as a
novelty. But someone will say: "Was grace concealed from the fathers who lived
under the law? For if it is
In the hope of eternal life (or, according to the hope) which
God, who cannot lie, promised before the times of the ages (ante tempora
saecularia). Titus 1:2. (Calvin's wording.)
Which God promised. Because Augustine understood eternity as prior to
the temporal ages, he troubled himself a great deal about the eternity of
times, and finally explained eternal times as preceding all antiquity.
Although I do not reject this exposition, when I weigh everything properly, I
am forced to take a different view of the matter: that eternal life was
promised to men many ages ago not only for those who lived at that time, but
for our generation as well. It was not only for Abraham that God said: "All the
nations shall be blessed in thy seed" (Gen. 22:18); it was also for all those
who came after. And this is not inconsistent with the first chapter of 2
Timothy where, in another sense, salvation is said to have been given "before
the times of the ages" (pro tempera saecularia). Nonetheless the word
means the same thing in both places. Now, since the Greek word
If anyone prefers, in short, the times of the ages may be taken to mean
the ages themselves. Since salvation was given by the
. Ethics and the Common Life; VIII. Ethics and the Common Life
[90]Calvin's paraphrase bears little verbal
resemblance to anything in Deut., ch. 32, although the main point is made in
the Song.
91Catharists (Cathari) was a name given to members of various
heretical sects of the Middle Ages, including the Albigenses and the Bogomils.
They were dualistic and ascetic and in many ways resembled the earlier
Manichaeans. Their leaders were known as the Perfect, who were supposedly free
from all the sins of the flesh and had become the dwelling of the Holy
Spirit.
The Donatists were a schismatic church originating in North Africa at the time
of the Diocletian persecution. They believed that the sacraments valid only
when administered by clergy who had remained wholly faithful to their trust.
Celestines. Calvin probably meant not the Benedictine Order founded by Pope
Celestine V in 1294, but an extreme group of the Spiritual Franciscans, who
took the name in gratitude for the permission to live as hermits given them by
the same pope. They were persecuted after his abdication and continued under
the ban of the Roman Church until 1466.
All three groups assumed the possibility of perfection in this life.
[92]Aristotle's classification of causes. See
note 1, Chapter V.
2. PREDESTINATION
Sister Projects: Wikichristian | WikiMD
BelieversCafe is a large collection of christian articles with over 40,000 pages
Our sponsors: 
