Calvin’s Institutes: Man is to seek God’s salvation in Jesus.

Calvin delves into this topic, even after he has spent two chapters telling the reader that man in his sin cannot seek God because his will is fallen. Furthermore he will not want to seek God because in his sinful state he is estranged from God (Eph 4:18), accursed (Gal 3:10), a child of wrath (Eph 2:2-3), and unable to please God (Rom 5:6; 8:7-8). Where is the hope? Who is the hope?

At this juncture Calvin preaches Jesus Christ. He is always a great sermon.

1. Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man. No man comes to the Father but by Him (Jn 14:6). It has always been Jesus and always been Jesus who saves His people from their sins.

2. The Old Testament saints were to seek salvation only in the atonement of Christ. (Heb 9)

3. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and the others of Hebrews 11 depended on the Mediator’s grace. As Calvin writes, “Since God cannot without the Mediator be propitious toward the human race, under the law Christ was always set before the holy fathers as the end to which they should direct their faith” (Pg., 344). [see all the Scripture references in sect, 2]

4. Scriptures in the O.T indicate “that the hope of all the godly has ever reposed in Christ alone” (Pg., 345) [ Hab 3:13; 2 Kgs 8:19; Jer 23:5-6; Ezek 34:23-25; 37:24-26; Hos 1:11; 3:5; Micah 2:13; Amos 9:11; Ps 28:8-9; Zech 9:9]

5. The law and the prophets proclaimed their message of faith in God which is nothing else but faith in Christ. Calvin says, “God willed that the Jews should be so instructed by these prophecies that they might turn their eyes directly to Christ in order to seek deliverance” (Pg., 346).

6. “God is the object of faith, yet it required qualification. For Christ is not without reason called ‘the image of the invisible God’ [Col 1:15]. This title warns us that, that unless God confronts us in Christ, we cannot come to know that we are saved” (Pg., 346-347).

7. What John proclaimed in 1 Jn 2:23 is eternally true. God is understood and seen in Christ alone. Those who would say that OT saints are not saved by faith in Christ misunderstand the gospel and tear Christ from being the Saviour of all the elect. “Apart from Christ the saving knowledge of God does not stand. From the beginning of the world He had consequently been set before all the elect that they should look unto Him and put their trust in Him” (Pg., 347).