Podcast Summary

In this reading from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3, Chapter 18, Sections 1–3, Calvin addresses the common objection that Scripture repeatedly teaches God will reward people according to their works. He argues that such passages describe the order by which God brings His people into the enjoyment of salvation, not the cause of their salvation. Good works are the path God ordains for His children, but they never become the basis of their acceptance before Him. Calvin then explains that eternal life is called a reward not because believers earn it, but because it is the inheritance of adopted sons. Using Abraham as an example, he shows that God often rewards obedience with blessings that He had already promised long before the obedience occurred, demonstrating that grace al ...