The Holy Catholic Church

“. . . the Church, into whose bosom God is pleased to collect His children . . .”“I believe in . . . the holy catholic church, the communion of saints. . . .” This fourth work in Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion deals with three primary topics:The universal Church of Jesus Christ—its unity, government, power, and disciplineThe sacraments of the Church—baptism and the Lord’s SupperThe role of civil government—magistrates, laws, and the peopleCalvin relies heavily on the Scriptures as he teaches about each of these important topics. He provides us with a Protestant understanding of the Church of Jesus Christ as the communion of saints, and in so doing, he takes on certain abuses he sees within Roman Catholicism.“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent” (John Calvin).“However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts” (John Calvin). Read more