Calvin's Institutes: March 22

In this section of the Institutes, Calvin presses the argument even further: the hope of eternal life was not a late Christian invention but a reality already known under the Old Covenant. The saints of the Old Testament endured suffering because they believed that God’s favor outlasts every earthly trial—“His anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life” (Psalm 30:5). Calvin points to Job’s bold confession—“I know that my Redeemer liveth”—as a clear testimony that faith looked beyond the grave to resurrection and vindication. As revelation unfolded through Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets, the light grew brighter: Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, Isaiah’s promise that the dead will arise, and Daniel’s vision of many awakening from the dust all testify that God’s covenant was never merely about land, prosperity, or earthly blessings. Instead, it always pointed to Christ and the promise of eternal life. The patriarchs, prophets, and believers of Israel shared the same hope we have today: that through God’s covenant mercy in Christ, death is not the end, but the doorway into the everlasting kingdom of God.

Readings:

John Calvin — Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 10, Sections 18–23

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