Today’s Calvin reading, Section: 4.17.2 features a lovely description of the benefits mystically conferred to the saints through communion:
“Union with Christ as the special fruit of the Lord's Supper:
Godly souls can gather great assurance and delight from this Sacrament; in it they have a witness of our growth into one body with Christ such that whatever is his may be called ours. As a consequence, we may dare assure ourselves that eternal life, of which he is the heir, is ours; and that the Kingdom of Heaven, into which he has already entered, can no more be cut off from us than from him; again, that we cannot be condemned for our sins, from whose guilt he has absolved us, since he willed to take them upon himself as if they were his own. This is the wonderful exchange which, out of his measureless benevolence, he has made with us; that, becoming Son of man with us, he has made us sons of God with him; that, by his descent to earth, he has prepared an ascent to heaven for us; that, by taking on our mortality, he has conferred his immortality upon us; that, accepting our weakness, he has strengthened us by his power; that, receiving our poverty unto himself, he has transferred his wealth to us; that, taking the weight of our iniquity upon himself (which oppressed us), he has clothed us with his righteousness.”
The more I read of the Institutes, the more I wonder how the modern caricature of him came to be.
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Tim Challies let’s his hair down in major way today with a brilliant, hilarious parody of the state of Christian fiction. He manages to spear three genres at once: Amish Romance, End Time Action and Vampire Love Stories. Here’s an excerpt from his proposed back cover:
“Meanwhile, the strength of the Antichrist grows as he consolidates his power and seeks to destroy the peace-loving people of Pennsylvania. A blossoming romance unfolds between Cassidy and Slade as the world around them changes forever. They must fight to stay alive, they must fight to keep their forbidden love a secret, but, as Amish, they must not fight at all.”
Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing (and try not to snort toward your keyboard.)
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