Calvin's Instutes: January 31

In today’s reading from Calvin’s Institutes, we are confronted with one of the most decisive claims of historic Christianity: that the Word is eternally God, without beginning, change, or diminution. Calvin shows that denying the eternity of the Word—even while claiming to honor Christ—introduces change into God Himself and collapses the doctrine of divine immutability. Drawing from Moses, the prophets, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the apostles, Calvin traces a single, unbroken testimony: the Son who becomes incarnate is the same Lord who spoke in creation, appeared as the Angel of the Lord, led Israel in the wilderness, and now reigns as eternal Judge. From Psalm 45 to Isaiah 9, from Jeremiah’s “The Lord Our Righteousness” to Thomas’s confession, “My Lord and my God,” Scripture does not merely suggest Christ’s divinity—it insists upon it. This reading presses us beyond vague affirmations and forces a clear conclusion: the one God of Israel has fully revealed Himself in the eternal Word, Jesus Christ.Readings:John CalvinInstitutes of the Christian ReligionBook 1, Chapter 13, Sections 8–9Explore the Project:Through the Church Fathers – https://www.throughthechurchfathers.comPatreon – https://www.patreon.com/cmichaelpattonCredo Courses – https://www.credocourses.comCredo Ministries – https://www.credoministries.org#ThroughTheChurchFathers #JohnCalvin #Institutes #DoctrineOfGod #Trinity #Christology #EternalWord #ReformedTheology #HistoricChristianity