Boasting in Works Destroys God’s Praise and Our Assurance | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - Boasting about the Merits of Works Destroys Our Praise of God for Having Bestowed Righteousness, as well as Our Assurance of SalvationRoman theology errs fundamentally by undermining the exclusive and complete sufficiency of Jesus Christ as the sole foundation of righteousness and salvation. This deviation begins by positing that human works can somehow render individuals pleasing to God even before they are fully united with Christ. This contradicts the scriptural teaching that those apart from Christ are in spiritual death, and anything done outside of faith is sin.A major error lies in Roman theology's understanding of Christ's role. It suggests that Christ merely "deserved for us the first grace"—an "occasion of deserving"—but leaves it to humans to then merit favor through their own efforts. This is seen as an "overweening and shameless impiety" that "strip[s] Christ of his power", implying He doesn't alone provide righteousness, but just a starting point for human self-justification. Instead of Christ being our perfect righteousness, as the true foundation, this view makes Him an enabler of human merit.Furthermore, Roman theology is criticized for introducing the concept of "merit" for human works in God's sight. This term is considered "unscriptural and dangerous" because it fosters human pride and "obscure[s] God’s favor." While acknowledging grace as the "principal cause" of good works, they contend that "free will is not ruled out, through which all merit exists," thereby "filch[ing] something from God and turn[ing] it over to man." This contradicts the understanding that all good comes solely from God's grace and regeneration.The consequence of these errors is a diminished assurance of God's favor. By emphasizing human merit and contribution, Roman theology instructs consciences in a way that discourages confidence that their works are truly pleasing to God. In contrast, true Christian teaching offers comfort by assuring believers that their imperfect works are accepted due to God's kindness through Christ, not their own merit, reinforcing that salvation is confined solely to God’s mercy and communion with Christ.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730