NOTICE:
I
will post a quote or article from a Christian in favor of capital punishment
every fortnight. One of my favorite theologians, John Calvin,
died on this date, 27 May 1564. He would have been 504 years old if he was
alive today. In loving memory of him, I will post the Christian Quote for the
Death Penalty of the Fortnight from him.
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John Calvin
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QUOTE: In The Institutes of the Christian Religion, John
Calvin viewed the purport of this commandment as the safety of all being
entrusted to each person. All violence and injustice, and every kind of harm
from which our neighbor’s body suffers is thereby prohibited. Christians are
therefore required to faithfully perform that which is within their power to
defend the life of their neighbor, be vigilant in warding off harm, and assist
in removing danger when it comes. Calvin asserts that the same rule must also
be applied in regulating the mind against anger, arguing that since God sees
the heart and mind, the commandment against shedding innocent blood also
prohibits murder of the heart and requires a sincere desire to preserve our
brother’s life. The hand does not commit the murder unless it is conceived by the
mind under the influence of wrath and hatred. According to Calvin, where wrath
and hatred dwell, there is an inclination to do mischief, quoting the Bible,
“whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer”(1 John 3:15) and “whosoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement”
(Gospel of Matthew 5:22).
John Calvin also makes a case that the command against shedding blood is
founded both in the creation of man in the image of God and in the need for a
man to cherish his own flesh.
Scripture notes a twofold equity on which this commandment is founded.
Man is both the image of God and our flesh. Wherefore, if we would not violate
the image of God, we must hold the person of man sacred—if we would not divest
ourselves of humanity we must cherish our own flesh. The practical inference to
be drawn from the redemption and gift of Christ will be elsewhere considered.
The Lord has been pleased to direct our attention to these two natural
considerations as inducements to watch over our neighbour's preservation, viz.,
to revere the divine image impressed upon him, and embrace our own flesh. To be
clear of the crime of murder, it is not enough to refrain from shedding man's
blood. If in act you perpetrate, if in endeavour you plot, if in wish and
design you conceive what is adverse to another's safety, you have the guilt of
murder. On the other hand, if you do not according to your means and
opportunity study to defend his safety, by that inhumanity you violate the law.
But if the safety of the body is so carefully provided for, we may hence infer
how much care and exertion is due to the safety of the soul, which is of
immeasurably higher value in the sight of God.
AUTHOR: John Calvin (French: Jean Calvin, born Jehan Cauvin: 10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564) was
an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation.
He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian
theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he
broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530. After religious tensions
provoked a violent uprising against Protestants in France, Calvin fled to
Basel, Switzerland, where he published the first edition of his seminal work The
Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536. In that year, Calvin was
recruited by William Farel to help reform the church in Geneva. The city
council resisted the implementation of Calvin and Farel's ideas, and both men
were expelled. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to
Strasbourg, where he became the minister of a church of French refugees. He
continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and was eventually invited
back to lead its church. Following his return, Calvin introduced new forms of
church government and liturgy, despite the opposition of several powerful
families in the city who tried to curb his authority. During this time, the
trial of Michael Servetus was extended by libertines in an attempt to harass
Calvin. However, since Servetus was also condemned and wanted by the
Inquisition, outside pressure from all over Europe forced the trial to
continue. Following an influx of supportive refugees and new elections to the
city council, Calvin's opponents were forced out. Calvin spent his final years
promoting the Reformation both in Geneva and throughout Europe. Calvin was a
tireless polemic and apologetic writer who generated much controversy. He also
exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp
Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition to the Institutes, he
wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, as well as theological treatises
and confessional documents. He regularly preached sermons throughout the week
in Geneva. Calvin was influenced by the Augustinian tradition, which led him to
expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in
salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation. Calvin's writing
and preachings provided the seeds for the branch of theology that bears his
name. The Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which look to Calvin as a chief
expositor of their beliefs, have spread throughout the world.
PLEASE GO TO THIS BLOG POST TO SEE HIS COMMENTARY ON ROMANS 13
VERSE 4.
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