Calvin commenting of Colossians 1:12
Again Paul returns to thanksgiving, that he may take this opportunity of enumerating the blessings which had been conferred upon them through Christ; and thus he enters upon a full delineation of Christ. For this was the only remedy for fortifying teh Colossians against all the snares by which the false apostles endeavored to entrap them–to understand accurately what Christ was. For how comes it we are “carried about with so many strange doctrines” (Hebrews 13:9), but because the excellence of Christ is not perceived by us? For Christ alone makes all other things suddenly vanish. Hence there is nothing Satan so much tries to effect as to call up mists so as to obscure Christ; because he knows that by this means the way is opened up for every kind of falsehood. This therefore is the only means of retaining as well as restoring pure doctrine–to place Christ before the view just as He, with all His blessings, that His excellence may be truly perceived.
–Quoted from Calvin’s Commentaries on Colossians in THL Parker’s Portrait of Calvin.
That’s good stuff.
So I’ve discovered that THL Parker doesn’t believe in predestination, and yet listen to this glowing praise of Calvin’s theology:
“Leaving these two blemishes* behind us (and we may note in passing that though each calls for a major operation, it does not demand a removal of the heart of his theology) we can go on with our comparison of the Christology of the New Testament and of Calvin.” (p.68)
*One of these blemishes in theology being predestination
He just said that the central point of Calvin’s theology is that it held true to the NT theology. That’s pretty awesome.