Calvin's Institutes: May 19
John Calvin's Institutes in a Year by Christopher Michael Patton
Episode notes
Podcast Summary
In this episode, John Calvin delivers a blistering critique of Osiander’s "mystical" righteousness, which threatened to rob the Christian of peace by confusing the status of the believer with their internal substance. Calvin clarifies that justification is a forensic act—a courtroom acquittal where God, the Supreme Judge, pardons the guilty and imputes the righteousness of Christ to them. We explore why this righteousness must be found specifically in the "flesh" and obedience of Christ’s human nature, rather than a transfusion of divine essence. Ultimately, Calvin reveals that our assurance rests not in being "righteous in ourselves," but in being "deemed righteous out of ourselves" through the burial of our sins and the perfect obedience of our Mediator.
Today’s Readings:
...