Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that the presence of bad leaders is a sign of divine judgment upon a nation.
John Calvin's quote reflects a belief that when a society is ruled by corrupt or immoral leaders, it is indicative of a deeper spiritual or moral failure within that nation. The implication is that such rulers are not merely the result of political circumstances but are a consequence of a nation's collective actions and attitudes, perhaps as a form of divine retribution or judgment. In this way, the quote invites reflection on the moral character of leadership and its impact on the wellbeing of the society as a whole.
Themes
JudgmentRulersNationWickednessLeadership
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about political leadership during a seminar on ethics.
More from John Calvin
All quotes →The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.
John CalvinRead
Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he has compared himself with God's majesty.
John CalvinRead
Whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of His fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evil.
John CalvinRead
For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there is something written, are scarcely able to make out two consecutive words, but, when aided by glasses, begin to read distinctly, so Scripture, gathering together the impressions of Deity, which, till then, lay confused in our minds, dissipates the darkness, and shows us the true God clearly.
John CalvinRead
Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults.
John CalvinRead
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