Today’s reading presses to the heart of one of Christianity’s most decisive claims: Scripture does not gain its authority from human approval, argument, or institutional endorsement, but from God himself through the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. John Calvin argues that while Scripture bears unmistakable marks of divine majesty and coherence, no amount of reasoning alone can produce the certainty true faith requires. That certainty comes only when the same Spirit who spoke through the prophets and apostles seals God’s Word upon the heart. Against both skeptics who demand rational proof and religious authorities who claim to validate Scripture by decree, Calvin insists that believers rest in Scripture not by blind submission or borrowed judgment, but by a living encounter with God’s own voice—an assurance deeper than argument and firmer than opinion (Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 54:13).

Readings: John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 7, Sections 4–5

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