July 10th marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. It seems that no one in Christian history has sparked as much controvery as Calvin. Most who oppose his views have never really read or tried to understand what he taught. Many think of Calvin as a cold-hearted fatalist. I know different.
Here’s a quote from John C. that comes from his monumental work called the Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Assuredly there is but one way in which to achieve what is not merely difficult but utterly against human nature: to love those who hate us, to repay their evil deeds with benefits, to return blessings for reproaches. It is that we remember not to consider men’s evil intention but to look upon the image of God in them, which cancels and effaces their transgressions, and with its beauty and dignity allures us to love and embrace them.
