Lift Up Our Minds to God’s Judgment Seat: Free Justification | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - We Must Lift Up Our Minds to God's Judgment Seat That We May Be Firmly Convinced of His Free JustificationSelf-love profoundly impairs human judgment, particularly in assessing one's own righteousness and understanding God's perfect judgment. It acts as a "pestilent self-indulgence" that is inherent in human nature, leading individuals to "pamper and flatter ourselves" and believe their "way is right in his own eyes." This results in the construction of a "vain and airy semblance of righteousness" based on limited understanding, comparison with others, and an "outward mask of righteousness."This self-deception prevents people from recognizing God's true, absolute standard of justice. They "do not think about God’s justice," which is "so perfect that nothing can be admitted except what is in every part whole and complete and undefiled by any corruption." What humans "commonly reckon righteousness is before God sheer iniquity."The false confidence fostered by self-love is temporary, vanishing "in a flash and dies" when confronted with God's scrutiny. Critically, self-love, coupled with arrogance, acts as a significant barrier to genuine humility and the reception of God's grace. It "closes the entry" to God's mercy and "impedes the beneficence of God." To truly receive God's grace, one must "utterly cast out confidence in ourselves and rely only on the assurance of his goodness," demonstrating a deep distrust of self. Ultimately, what is "exalted among men is an abomination to God," highlighting that self-love leads to a deluded judgment that is entirely contrary to divine perfection.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730