John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 23 (Sections 1–7)

In this reading, Calvin addresses a critical theological question: Did the believers under the Old Testament share the same salvation that Christians experience today? His answer is clear—yes. Calvin argues that the covenant made with the patriarchs was not fundamentally different from the covenant believers enjoy now. The substance of the covenant was always the same: salvation through the grace of God and through the Mediator, Christ. What differed was the administration—the Old Testament revealed these realities through shadows, promises, and types, while the New Testament reveals them clearly in the person of Christ.

Calvin strongly rejects the idea—held by Servetus and some Anabaptists—that Israel’s hope was merely eart ...