JOHN CALVIN
Calvin_Response
Calvin_Response
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51<br />
God as our righteousness, we must seek Christ; for this cannot be found except in him. The<br />
righteousness of God has been set forth to us in Christ; and all who turn away from him, though<br />
they may take many circuitous courses, can yet never find the righteousness of God. Hence Paul<br />
says that he has been given or made to us righteousness, — for what end? that we might be<br />
made the righteousness of God in him. (1 Corinthians 1:30.) Since, then, Christ is made our<br />
righteousness, and we are counted the righteousness of God in him, we hence learn how<br />
properly and fitly it has been said that he would be Jehovah, not only that the power of his<br />
divinity might defend us, but also that we might become righteous in him, for he is not only<br />
righteous for himself, but he is our righteousness.<br />
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a<br />
son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)<br />
This passage is obscure; but the blame lies partly on the Jews, who, by much cavilling, have<br />
labored, as far as lay in their power, to pervert the true exposition. They are hard pressed by this<br />
passage; for it contains an illustrious prediction concerning the Messiah, who is here called<br />
Immanuel; and therefore they have labored, by all possible means, to torture the Prophet’s<br />
meaning to another sense. Some allege that the person here mentioned is Hezekiah; and others,<br />
that it is the son of Isaiah.<br />
Those who apply this passage to Hezekiah are excessively impudent; for he must have been a<br />
full-grown man when Jerusalem was besieged. Thus they show that they are grossly ignorant of<br />
history. But it is a just reward of their malice, that God hath blinded them in such a manner as to<br />
be deprived of all judgment. This happens in the present day to the papists, who often expose<br />
themselves to ridicule by their mad eagerness to pervert the Scriptures.<br />
As to those who think that it was Isaiah’s son, it is an utterly frivolous conjecture; for we do not<br />
read that a deliverer would be raised up from the seed of Isaiah, who should be called<br />
Immanuel; for this title is far too illustrious to admit of being applied to any man.