The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 267

—

:

VI.

Rome. Socinus, Arminius, *'

And that

ye put on the new man, which

God

after

Calvin.

is

created in righteousness

and true holiness." It

is

Ephes.

iv. 24.

not surprising that believers entertain different views con-

cerning the significance of the image of God.

It is

determining the direction of four different roads.

a starting-point

The

slightest

deviation at starting must lead to a totally different representation

Hence every thinking believer must

of the truth.

deliberately

choose which road he will follow First, the

path of Rome, represented by Bellarminus.

Second, that of

Arminius and Socinus, walking arm-in-arm. by Melanch-

Third, that of the majority of the Lutherans, led

thon. Lastly, the direction

mapped out by

Calvin,

i.e.,

that of the Re-

formed.

Rome

teaches that the original righteousness does not belong to

human nature as a superadded grace. Quoting Bellarminus, first, man is created consisting of two parts, flesh and spirit second, the divine image is stamped partly on the flesh, but chiefly on the human spirit, the seat of the moral and rational consciousness third, there is a conflict between flesh and spirit, the flesh lusting against the spirit fourth, hence man has a natural inclination and desire for sin, which as desire alone is no sin as long as it is not yielded to fifth, in His grace and compassion God gave man, independently of his nature, the original righteousness for a defense and safety-valve to control the flesh sixth, by his fall man has willingly thrust this superadded righteousness from him: hence as sinner he stands again in his naked nature {in puris naturatibus), which, as a matter of course, is inclined to sin, inasmuch as his desires are sinful. the divine image, but to the

;

;

;

;

;

We

believe that the

the current view

Romish theologians

will allow that this is

among them. According to Catechismus Romanus,

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