John Calvin's 500th Birthday

John Calvin's 500th "birthday" is being commemorated this year, and especially this week in Geneva. CoincidentallyProvidentially, at our Summer Bible Study, we are using the book "What's so Great about the Doctrines of Grace?" by Richard D. Phillips. This book explains the doctrines of grace, and there is a chapter for each of the Five Points of Calvinism.

I've been much reminded of all this today, as Lisa made cupcakes (Lisa finds many reasons to make cupcakes) in honour of Calvin's birthday, the author of one of the blogs I follow is in Geneva this week at the Calvin500 conference, and is providing daily summaries, and we studied "Total Depravity" at Bible study this evening.

Given all that, I thought it only fitting to have my own Calvin post ;), and to share the words of this song, which we sang in closing at our Bible Study session this evening.

By Grace Alone

Thou are our God, and we thy race
Elected by thy sovereign grace.
Not by the works which we have done
But by the cross the victory's won,
Oh keep this truth within my heart,
That from it I may ne'er depart.

By nature we depraved did dwell
Under thy curse -deserving hell -
Sinful, corrupt in every part,
Not one pure motive in our heart.
Hadst thou not looked on us in grace,
We would remain a perished race.

In love eternal thou did choose
To save thy sheep, their bonds to loose,
No good did we within us have
To claim thy gracious plan to save.
Elected by thy grace alone;
Holy to stand before thy throne.

Incarnate did thy Son appear -
a sacrifice - a Lamb most pure;
To make atonement for his sheep
And perfectly thy will to keep.
Now cleansed from sin and righteous,
We are sons and heirs eternally!

The blood of Christ by grace supplied
Was by thy Spirit's pow'r applied.
Thy Spirit we could not resist, who breathed new life into our breast.
Our souls alive, which once were dead,
Sing praise to Christ, the Lord, our Head!

With all thy sains we are preserved
To enter heav'n - a place reserved.
Secure we're kepth within thy care,
Lest we be lost to Satan's snare.
Oh, Sovereign God, all praise to thee
For our salvation, full and free!

This hymn of thanks, Oh Lord, we bring;
For by thy grace alone we sing.
Employ our lives in every sphere,
They law to keep; thy Name to fear,
"By grace alone" - this doctrine pure -
Our only comfort doth secure.

This was written by Paul H. Treick in 1987, and there's a note in the song book from which I copied this say "The first stanza is an introcduction and the seventh the conclusion. Verses two through six contain the basic teachings of the Five Points of Calvinism."

It can be sung to the tune "Melita" (#232 in the Psalter and #393 in the blue Psalter Hymnal).