Accepted and Renewed in Christ
The Twofold Grace of God and the Interpretation of Calvin's Theology
by Cornelis P Venema
The subject of this book is the understanding of the gospel in the theology of the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. Specifically, it deals with what Calvin terms the twofold grace of God, the justification and sanctification of believers on the basis of the redemptive work of Christ. In treating this subject, the study has a twofold objective: first, to contribute to an understanding of the nature and relation of justification and sanctification in Calvin’s theology; and second, to contribute to the interpretation of Calvin’s theology in general. The thesis of the book is that Calvin views justification and sanctification as the two benefits of the Triune God’s work of redemption in Jesus Christ. These benefits are simultaneously communicated to believers through the office or ministry of the Holy Spirit, who joins them to Christ by faith. The twofold grace of God represents a particular doctrinal theme within the broader framework of the knowledge of God as Creator and Redeemer. Redemption, which remedies the consequences of human sinfulness, includes not only the restoration of sinners to a state of acceptance and favour with God on the basis of Christ’s work as Redeemer (justification), but also the renewal or sanctification of sinners in conformity to Christ (sanctification). The twofold grace of God reveals distinct features of the knowledge of the Triune God as Redeemer, who is merciful and kind in condescending to his creatures’ needy condition and raising them up to newness of life. The twofold grace of God in Calvin’s theology provides a comprehensive perspective upon the knowledge of God and ourselves that peculiarly concerns the redemption of sinful humanity. This study also addresses several controversial questions in Calvin studies. These include Calvin’s view of the relation between the law and gospel, and his understanding of the role of good works in confirming the genuineness of faith.
The subject of this book is the understanding of the gospel in the theology of the Protestant Reformer John Calvin. Specifically, it deals with what Calvin terms the twofold grace of God, the justification and sanctification of believers on the basis of the redemptive work of Christ. In treating this subject, the study has a twofold objective: first, to contribute to an understanding of the nature and relation of justification and sanctification in Calvin’s theology; and second, to contribute to the interpretation of Calvin’s theology in general. The thesis of the book is that Calvin views justification and sanctification as the two benefits of the Triune God’s work of redemption in Jesus Christ. These benefits are simultaneously communicated to believers through the office or ministry of the Holy Spirit, who joins them to Christ by faith. The twofold grace of God represents a particular doctrinal theme within the broader framework of the knowledge of God as Creator and Redeemer. Redemption, which remedies the consequences of human sinfulness, includes not only the restoration of sinners to a state of acceptance and favour with God on the basis of Christ’s work as Redeemer (justification), but also the renewal or sanctification of sinners in conformity to Christ (sanctification). The twofold grace of God reveals distinct features of the knowledge of the Triune God as Redeemer, who is merciful and kind in condescending to his creatures’ needy condition and raising them up to newness of life. The twofold grace of God in Calvin’s theology provides a comprehensive perspective upon the knowledge of God and ourselves that peculiarly concerns the redemption of sinful humanity. This study also addresses several controversial questions in Calvin studies. These include Calvin’s view of the relation between the law and gospel, and his understanding of the role of good works in confirming the genuineness of faith.
- By (author) Cornelis P Venema
Other Titles in this Series
Franciscus Junius d.A. (1545-1602)
Ein reformierter Theologe im Spannungsfeld zwischen spathumanistischer Irenik und reformierter Konfessionalisierung
Volume 3
Why Heaven Kissed Earth
The Christology of the Puritan Reformed Orthodox Theologian, Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680)
Volume 13
The Promise of the Trinity
The Covenant of Redemption in the Theologies of Witsius, Owen, Dickson, Goodwin, and Cocceius
Volume 48
Christ and the Covenant
Francis Turretin's Federal Theology as a Defense of the Doctrine of Grace
Volume 1
Reprobation: from Augustine to the Synod of Dort
The Historical Development of the Reformed Doctrine of Reprobation
Volume 63
Reformed Evangelicalism and the Search for a Usable Past
The Historiography of Arnold Dallimore, Pastor-Historian
Volume 61
Calvinus sacrarum literarum interpres
Papers of the International Congress on Calvin Research
Volume 5
Christ and the Old Covenant
Francis Turretin (1623-1687) on Christ's Suretyship under the Old Testament
Volume 51
Calvinus Pastor Ecclesiae
Papers of the Eleventh International Congress on Calvin Research
Volume 39
Reformed Covenantal Eudaimonism
Wilhelmus à Brakel (1635–1711) on Highest Good, Virtue, and Law
Volume 87
Learning to Pray
The Heidelberg Catechism's Teaching on Prayer in its Sixteenth-Century Context
Volume 82
Histories that Mansoul and Her Wars Anatomize
The Drama of Redemption in John Bunyan's Holy War
Volume 15
Similar Books
A Companion to Christianity and Sport in Europe and North America (19th-21st centuries)
Volume 1: Western and Eastern Europe
A Connecting Polemic in the Medieval Mediterranean
The Correspondence of Leo III and Ê¿Umar II
Volume 6
Ars Prophetica
Theology in the Poetry of Twentieth-Century Hebrew Poets Avraham Halfi, Shin Shalom, Amir Gilboa, and T. Carmi
As Messianism Turns to Heresy
The Regenstein Chair Lectures On Lurianic Kabbalah and Shabbatai Tzevi at Hebrew Union College - Cincinnati
Creating the Woman in Antiquity
Proceedings of the 16th Melammu Workshop, Innsbruck, 2–3 June 2022
Volume 13
Cultic Kisses
Fruitful Encounters Between Deities and Humans. Festschrift for Angelika Berlejung on the Occasion of Her 65th Birthday
De/colonizing Theologies
Glocal Histories, Contemporary Challenges, Theoretical Reflections
Volume 4
Drunk the Potion, No Whit Charmed
The Doctrine of Pure and Perfect Souls from Iamblichus to Damascius
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Fear, Fear of God, God-Fearers
Philological and Historical Perspectives on the World of Ancient Judaism and Christianity
Gender and Iconography in Antiquity
Femininities, Masculinities, Ambiguities, and Beyond in the Ancient Levant, Near East, and Mediterranean