Who Rules the Church? Authority, Limits, and Papal Abuse | John Calvin

Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - The Jurisdiction of the Church and Its Abuse as Seen in the PapacyJohn Calvin critiques the Roman Papacy for its usurpation of worldly power, arguing that its claims to universal supremacy are based on robbery and fraud rather than divine right. Drawing on historical and theological arguments, he asserts that the apostolic office is one of ministry, not lordship. Citing Bernard of Clairvaux, Calvin explains that the "keys to the Kingdom" involve the spiritual duty of forgiving sins, not the secular authority to divide estates or rule kingdoms. Peter could not have passed down a temporal dominion that he himself never possessed.Calvin dismisses the Donation of Constantine as a "fabulous" and "absurd" fiction. He highlights that early church leaders, such as Gregory the Great, recognized the emperor as their "most serene Lord" and viewed themselves as subjects. This contradicts the later papal claim that the Western Empire was legally turned over to the Roman pontiff. The shift toward papal dominance occurred much later, primarily through the actions of Gregory VII (Hildebrand), who exploited the instability of Emperor Henry IV’s reign to subject the empire to the church’s will.Furthermore, Calvin rejects the clerical immunity from civil courts claimed by the papacy. He notes that ancient bishops like Ambrose submitted to the jurisdiction of emperors in secular matters, such as taxes and land disputes, reserving the church’s authority strictly for matters of faith. Calvin argues that the church has no mandate for civil coercion; instead, it is the duty of godly princes to sustain religion through law and order. The papacy’s obsession with territorial expansion and secular "lordship" is characterized as a blind lust for dominion that violates ancient canons and distracts from the true glory of Christ.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730