Deep Dive into Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin - The True Church with Which as Mother of All the Godly We Must Keep Unity

The church is understood in two distinct ways: the Invisible Church, which consists solely of the elect known only to God, whose foundation is secret election and whose membership passes human understanding; and the Visible Church, which is the multitude spread across the earth who outwardly profess to worship one God and Christ.

The Visible Church is indispensable, serving as the "mother of all the godly." God instituted the church to accommodate human weakness, ignorance, and sloth, providing the outward helps necessary to beget, increase, and advance faith. These divine aids include pastors and teachers (instituted by God as Christ's co-workers) and the sacraments (highly useful aids to foster faith). The church is also the "pillar and ground of the truth," entrusted with keeping the gospel pure.

For human recognition, the visible church is identified by two unchanging marks that act as a "touchstone": the pure preaching and hearing of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments according to Christ’s institution. As there can be only one universal church (lest Christ be torn asunder), unity is essential. Believers are commanded to revere and keep communion with the church, even though it necessarily mingles many hypocrites and wicked persons. Leaving a church that retains these essential marks is considered a denial of God and Christ.

Following the mention of the church in the Creed is the article concerning the forgiveness of sins, which is deemed the "sole anchor of salvation." This signifies that pardon is a continuous benefit limited to the household of the church. God alone perpetually forgives sins through His mercy and Christ's merit, sustaining believers who carry the traces of sin throughout life. This forgiveness is perpetually dispensed through the ministers of the church via the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

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