No contrived addition to God's law

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 10 - Power of making laws: Pope's tool of tyranny

19-22 - Accumulation of rites; weak consciences bound

19. Lots of extra stuff has accumulated since the apostles. In the Lord's Supper, they have added "priestly vestments... altar ornaments, these gesticulations, and the whole apparatus of useless things." Augustine listed only celebration of Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost as church-wide holy days. Rome now says "every little ceremony among them is to be considered apostolic!"

20. Even if the apostles did acts of piety not in the Bible that we could imitate, that doesn't mean we are bound by conscience to do them.

21. They say the Jerusalem council of Acts 15:20 gives them warrant to add decisions to Scripture. But "this is no new law laid down." They only required the Gentiles not offend their brethren.

22. We know this from 1 Cor 8:1, 4, 7, 9. Since the council's decision "was framed with a view to love, in it nothing is prescribed except as it pertains to love."

Tyranny of human tradition

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 10 - Power of making laws: Pope's tool of tyranny

9-18 - Frivolous tyranny of Roman laws

9. Therefore the Roman laws on worship and discipline today should be rejected.

10. They nullify God's commands to keep their traditions, breaking Matt 15:3. They forbid priests to marry while winking at their fornication; they forbid work on saints' days while allowing much evil work other days; they command long, foreign prayers at set times, while leaving off rightful prayer; they forbid tasting meat on Friday but wink at gluttony otherwise. See Gal 4:9; Col 2:20.

11. These rules are so many and unhelpful, they make one so "cling to shadows that they cannot reach Christ." They appear wise, because they are man made, press abstinence upon us, and appear humble. See Col 2:23.

12. They are impressed by ceremonial pomp, but they are empty mockeries with "no other use than to benumb the people rather than to teach them."

13. The result is "cruel torment upon pious minds." Col 2:20-21.

14. The many rules and traditions also puts layers on worship that cover up Christ, when we were given few sacraments "easy to observe" (Augustine). They say this is to help the simple understand. But "raising up a Judaism that has been abrogated by Christ is a stupid way to do it." See John 4:23. Jews needd more images and rites since they hadn't seen Christ yet. We want to teach the simple, using the simple means (Word/Sacrament) God has given.

15. They teach these ceremonies are "meritorious for eternal life." "They let the poor folk seek in those outward trifles a righteousness which they may offer to God." Ceremonies in foreign languages are useless. Some ceremonies appear designed "to catch money."

16. This applies to any age where men seek to worship God in their own fictions. Isa 29:13-14.

17. They say the Spirit is leading them to make these rules. But they are not the church if they are disobeying Deut 12:32 so flagrantly. See 1 Sam 15:22-23.

18. Their claim that their ceremonies trace back to the apostles is baseless.

Binding the conscience beyond the Word

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 10 - Power of making laws: Pope's tool of tyranny

1-8 - Church law and Christian conscience

1. Rome lays heavy burdens on people and binds their conscience, like the Pharisees did - Luke 11:46; Matt 23:4. Our spiritual freedom in Christ must be maintained. We can have institutions "which provide for the preservation of discipline or honesty or peace."

2. Paul was careful not to lay a restraint on the Corinthians - 1 Cor 7:35. The conscience is greatly wounded "if in those matters which the Lord left free, necessity were imposed."

3. Conscience is our knowledge; in the Bible it is our knowledge of our guilt, which conscience doesn't allow us to suppress, and knowledge of our pardon - 1 Pet 3:21; Heb 10:2.

4. A good conscience is not just knowledge, though: "it is a lively longing to worship God and a sincere intent to live a godly and holy life." See 1 Tim 1:5, 19; Acts 24:16. In matters not inherently sinful, you may be bound to certain outward actions with regard to others, but your conscience toward God is still free - 1 Cor 10:28-29. In matters inherently sinful, your conscience is bound regardless of the presence of others.

5. Human laws, whether political or church, do not bind our conscience. We must honor the rulers for conscience' sake (Rom 13:5). But the laws we obey aren't obeyed from "inward governing of the soul," nor do they bind the conscience.

6. The church has no right to command obedience to laws she makes up apart from the Bible.

7. God shows us that He is the only lawgiver - James 4:11-12; Isa 33:22. 1 Peter 5:2-3 also applies.

8. The Bible has all the laws and guides we need. God is the only authority over our souls, not men. This is all very clear from Col 1:28; 2:3, 8, 16-23; Gal 5:1-12.

Test all spirits by the standard of God's Word

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 9 - Councils and Their Authority

12-14 - Don't follow blind guides; recent councils faulty in light of Scripture

12. They say we must follow them - Heb 13:17. But they are commanded to follow the Word - Josh 1:7-8 - and we are warned not to listen to false prophets - Jer 23:16; Matt 7:15; 1 John 4:1; Gal 1:8; Matt 15:14.

13. Councils should convene "if anyone disturb the church with a strange doctrine, and the matter reach the point that there is danger of greater dissension." This was the case against Arius, Eunomius, Nestorius, etc. But there isn't always an Athanasius to prevail against the false. "Truth does not die in the church, even thought it be oppressed by one council."

14. Councils have contradicted Scripture, ruling that Communion be forbidden to all but the priest (Matt 26:27-28), and that marriage may be prohibited to some [priests] (1 Tim 4:1-3; Heb 13:4. They say councils had the power to approve Scripture. But why then did councils appeal to Scripture before an official list was ruled the canon?

Provisional judgments

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 9 - Councils and Their Authority

8-11 - Councils have deteriorated; even Nicea defective

8. This doesn't mean councils have no authority. One "may have its weight and be like a provisional judgment" subordinate to Scripture. It is not as if "every man has the right to accept or reject what the councils decide. Not at all!" The first four councils, from Nicea to Chalcedon were "pure and genuine," but "as affairs usually tend to get worse," recent ones have deteriorated.

9. Councils contradict each other. Constantinople forbade worship through images; Nicea later endorsed it. Ephesus II endorsed the Eutychean heresy; Chalcedon denounced it. We have to judge these by Scripture.

10. Nicea upheld "the chief article of our faith:" Christ's full incarnation and Deity, against Arius. But even the orthodox at Nicea were filled with other errors and intemperate dissension. Councils can certainly err.

11. Leo said Chalcedon was rash; Rome backtracks: councils are only infallible only in matters of salvation. But then they still claim we are bound to agree with all they say. The Spirit left enough error in councils, "lest we should put too much confidence in men."

Where is the Church?

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 9 - Councils and Their Authority

1-2 - Their authority

1. Calvin honors the councils, and isn't afraid of them, just because he gives them less credit than his opponents.

2. To have authority a council must be gatered in Christ's name - Matt 18:20. This can't be the case where they "concoct some novelty out of their own heads." Deut 12:32; Prov 30:6; Mal 2:7.

3-7 - Councils fallible due to defective pastors

3. The church remained during the prophets' time, while God railed against her unfaithful prophets and priests - Isa 56:10-11; Jer 6:13; 14:14; 23; 40; Ezek 22:25-26; Isa 9:14; 28:7; 29:10; Jer 2:8, 26; 5:13, 31; 6:13; 8:10; 13:13; 14:14; 23:1; 27:9.

4. This isn't confined to the OT. The NT warns of error from pastors, too - 2 Pet 2:1; Matt 24:11, 24; Acts 20:29-30; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1; 4:3; 2 Thess 2:4.

5. This isn't to degrade the authority of pastors, though. "But the pope" thinks he can say and do anything, because he has the name of pastor. The prophets faced evil men "singing the same song," fighting God's Word with the name of "pastor." Zech 11:17; Jer 18:18.

6. They say priests can err, but not councils. But Scripture shows plenty of erring councils. Jer 4:9; Ezek 7:26; Micah 3:6; 1 Kings 22:6, 22, 26-27; Jer 20:2; 32:2; 37:15; Matt 21:35; 23:29.

7. It was a church council that condemned Christ - John 11:47. So we can't say "the church consists in the assembly of the pastors."

Not permitted to coin any new doctrine

Calvin's Institutes (1559)
Book 4 of 4 - External Means by which God Invites Us into the Society of Christ and Holds Us Therein

Chapter 8 - the Power of the Church

10-16 - Rejection of infallibility apart from the Word

10. This power of the church doesn't fit at all with what Rome contends. "They would have our faith stand and fall on their decision" at every last council, all of which they say are infallible: "they do not count a man as a Christian unless he firmly consents to all their dogmas."

11. They claim John 16:13 for this, but this promise is meant for all believers individually, as much as for the church corporately.

12. The Church has the gifts she needs (Eph 4:7), but not to perfect infallibility. They claim Eph 5:26-27, but Christ is still cleansing His bride, the church. They claim 1 Tim 3:15. This means the church preserves the Word of God in truth in the world, not that the church establishes the Word.

13. The church's authority is found in the Word, where Christ her head has spoken. We can't say we have the Spirit and thus go beyond the Word. Jesus says the Spirit will remind us of what Jesus already said - John 14:26. Jesus did not speak from Himself, either - John 12:49; 14:10. We are not to go beyond the Word - Deut 4:2; Rev 22:18-19.

14. They claim from John 16:12 that there is an oral authoritative tradition to follow, beside the Scriptures. But "they had already been led into all truth by the Spirit of truth when they put forth their writings."

15. They claim from Matt 18:17 but this relates only to moral discipline from the Word, not setting new doctrine. We should listen to the church, because she speaks the Lord's Word. "The church is not permitted to coin any new doctrine." Anyone can see the danger if we were given this authority.

16. They say the church established infant baptism and Christ being consubstantial with the Father, but these doctrines they exposited from Scripture, not new doctrine they made up.