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church and the authority of the magistrate, both of which are
secondary authorities under the Word and to which the believer
owes secondary obedience insofar as they are faithful to the Word.
Where they are, obedience to them is obedience to Christ.
In summary, then, the biblical imperatives ―trust‖ (faith) and
―obey‖ (obedience) are thoughtfully developed, biblically defined
foundations of Calvin‘s theology from the outset. In his
commentaries—for which The Institutes are the doctrinal
framework and summary—his catechism, church polity, polemical
essays, and sermons, Calvin consistently works with the notions of
faith and obedience outlined in this first edition. The material is
amplified, clarified, deepened, and rearranged in the many
subsequent editions of The Institutes. But the basic contours of
faith and obedience remain unchanged.
The 1559 Edition
In Calvin‘s final, 1559 edition of The Institutes faith and
obedience are discussed at length in book three, which deals with
the appropriation or receiving of the salvation brought by Christ.
In this edition book one deals with God the Father and his works of
creation and providence, and book two treats God the Son and his
work of redemption. Book three examines God the Holy Spirit and
his work of applying salvation to the believer. The last book
explains the church (and the state). At the outset of book three
Calvin introduces the Holy Spirit, faith as the main work of the
Spirit, and the obedient life as the expression of faith. This
represents a different setting or context and a different sequence
than in the 1535 edition. Now obedience follows faith as subjects
for consideration; there obedience preceded faith. Here the two
ideas are not explained in the context of the decalogue and the
Apostles‘ Creed, as they were there; they are embedded in the
dynamic life and activity of the third person of the Trinity.
Since we are incapable of the obedience that honors and
glorifies God and is articulated in his law, Calvin begins, God has