The necessity of reading Scripture

The following is a quote from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion where he is discussing the necessity of reading Scripture lest we fall into error by following our own thoughts and superstitions.

“Suppose we ponder how slippery is the fall of the human mind into forgetfulness of God, how great the tendency to every kind of error, how great the lust to fashion constantly new and artificial religions. Then we may perceive how necessary was such written proof of the heavenly doctrine, that it should neither perish through forgetfulness nor vanish through error nor be corrupted by the audacity of men. It is therefore clear that God has provided the assistance of the Word for the sake of all those to whom he has been pleased to give useful instruction because he foresaw that his likeness imprinted upon the most beautiful form of the universe would be insufficiently effective. Hence, we must strive onward by this straight path if we seriously aspire to the pure contemplation of God. We must come, I say, to the Word, where God is truly and vividly described to us from his works, while these very works are appraised not by our depraved judgment but by the rule of the eternal truth. If we turn aside from the Word, as I have just now said, though we may strive with strenuous haste, yet, since we have got off the track, we shall never reach the goal” (1.6.3, pg 72-73).

The humor of John Calvin

While reading through The Institutes I often times find myself chuckling at some of Calvin’s remarks about his contemporaries or those whom he disagrees with. In talking about the prophets in particular, and the Scriptures as a whole more generally, Calvin said,

“Consequently, those for whom prophetic doctrine is tasteless ought to be thought of as lacking taste buds” (1.8.2, pg 83).

I don’t know if you find this humorous, but I did.