Status Updates From John Calvin: The Necessity ...

Foreword—“We usually think of the Reformation as so much about the authority of the Bible and about salvation that it comes as a surprise that Calvin in this treatise said worship is the number one issue of the Christian religion.”

“We testify that the Lord promises or symbolizes nothing here in signs that He does not offer in reality. Therefore, we declare that in the supper the body and blood of Christ are both offered to us by the Lord and received by us. Moreover, we do not teach that the bread and wine are symbols without constantly adding that the truth that they signify is united to them at the same time.”

“[A]lthough we do not deny that man acts voluntarily and with free will when he is guided by the Holy Spirit, we nevertheless assert that his whole nature was permeated with that depravity, with the result that it is absolutely useless to do good by himself. Therefore … we only differ from [our opponents] because they neither sufficiently humble man nor extol the benefit of regeneration for its worth.”

Amazing so far. There is nothing new under the sun, man will continuously prop up physical idols for himself and try to excuse the responsibility of giving his heart to God by giving his outward devotion instead.