Against the persecution of a tyrant the godly have no remedy but prayer.
John CalvinRead
The Lord has given us a table at which to feast, not an altar on which a victim is to be offered; He has not consecrated priests to make sacrifice, but servants to distribute the sacred feast.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the idea of abundance and sharing rather than sacrifice and ritual.
In this quote, John Calvin presents a perspective on spirituality and faith that focuses on divine provision and communal sharing. Instead of viewing religious practices as rituals of sacrifice, he suggests that they should be seen as opportunities for celebration and distribution of blessings among all people. Calvin's words advocate for a relational approach to faith, centering on service and communal dining rather than hierarchical sacrifice.
Themes
FeastServiceSharingSpiritualityCommunity
In practice
Example use cases
A church sermon discussing the importance of community and generosity.
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
When God wants to judge a nation, He gives them wicked rulers.
John CalvinRead
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