Daily Devotional
December 16
Thine Is My Heart: Devotional Readings from the Writings of John Calvin
by John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)Reproduced from the OPC Website
Bible Text:
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. —Zechariah 13:2
Devotional:
We may deduce that the Word of God not only shows the way to us, but also uncovers the delusions of Satan; for hardly one in a hundred follows what is right, unless he is reminded of what he ought to avoid. It is then not enough to declare that there is but one true God, and that we ought to put our trust in Christ, unless another thing be added, that is, that we warn men of those intrigues by which Satan has from the beginning deceived miserable mortals.
Even at this day he has by various means withdrawn the simple and unwary from the true God and entangled them in a maze of superstitions. Unless therefore men be thus warned, the Word of God is made known to them only in part.
This also ought to be carefully observed; for we see at this day how some unprincipled men adopt this sentiment—that the Church is not free unless every one is allowed with impunity to teach whatever he pleases, and that it is the greatest cruelty to punish a heretic; for they would have all liberty to be given to blasphemies.
But the Prophet here shows that the Church cannot be preserved in a pure state, and, in a word, it cannot exist as a healthy and sound body, except the rashness and audacity of those who pervert sound and true doctrine be restrained. —Commentaries
John Calvin was the premier theologian of the Reformation, but also a pious and godly Christian pastor who endeavored throughout his life to point men and women to Christ. We are grateful to Reformation Heritage Books for permission to use John Calvin's Thine Is My Heart as our daily devotional for 2013 on the OPC Web site. You can currently obtain a printed copy of that book from Reformation Heritage Books.
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