mercy run

Here's a beautiful piece from Calvin's "Institutes" II.7.7+8. It speaks to God's mercy, in light of humanity's weakness. I found this passage encouraging, because we often try to make things happen to better ourselves or our situation, but by our own efforts we fall short. Despite our imperfections, we find perfection in Christ's grace.

Calvin in this section is speaking of the how the law is a mirror, where we see our deficiencies. He continues in II.7.7 saying, the law "gives a brighter display of the divine goodness... [and]additional sweetness is given to divine grace, which comes to our aid without the law, and additional loveliness to the mercy which confers it, because they proclaim that God is never weary in doing good, and in loading us with new gifts.

[II.7.8] "But while the unrighteousness and condemnation of all are attested by the law, it does not follow (if we make the proper use of it) that we are immediately to give up all hope and rush headlong on despair... The Apostle testifies that the law pronounces its sentence of condemnation in order “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,” (Rom. 3:19). In another place, however, the same Apostle declares, that “God has concluded them all in unbelief;” not that he might destroy all, or allow all to perish, but that “he might have mercy upon all,” (Rom. 11:32); in other words, that divesting themselves of an absurd opinion of their own virtue, they may perceive how they are wholly dependent on the hand of God; that feeling how naked and destitute they are, they may take refuge in his mercy, rely upon it, and cover themselves up entirely with it; renouncing all righteousness and merit, and clinging to mercy alone, as offered in Christ to all who long and look for it in true faith."