Institutes 3.18.3 — THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF WORKS IMPROPERLY INFERRED FROM REWARDS.

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**THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF WORKS IMPROPERLY INFERRED FROM REWARDS.**

And yet the Lord does not act in vain, or delude us when he says, that he renders to works what he had freely given previous to works. As he would have us to be exercised in good works, while aspiring to the manifestation, or, if I may so speak, the fruition of the things which he has promised, and by means of them to hasten on to the blessed hope set before us in heaven, the fruit of the promises is justly ascribed to those things by which it is brought to maturity. Both things were elegantly expressed by the Apostle, when he told the Colossians to study the offices of charity, “for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,” ( Col. 1:5 ). For when he says that the gospel informed them of the hope which was treasured up for them in heaven, he declares that it depends on Christ alone, and not at all upon works. With this accords the saying of Peter, that believers “are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time,” ( 1 Pet. 1:5 ). When he says that they strive on account of it, he intimates that believers must continue running during the whole course of their lives in order that they may attain it. But to prevent us from supposing that the reward which is promised becomes a kind of merit, our Lord introduced a parable, in which he represented himself as a householder, who sent all the laborers whom he met to work in his vineyard, some at the first hour of the day, others at the second, others at the third, some even at the eleventh; at evening he paid them all alike. The interpretation of this parable is briefly and truly given by that ancient writer (whoever he was) who wrote the book De Vocatione Gentium , which goes under the name of Ambrose. I will give it in his words rather than my own: French, “Pource que c’est un Docteur ancien, j’aime mieux user de ses paroles que des miennes;”—Because he is an ancient Doctor, I prefer making use of his words rather than my own.

Source

• source-manifest/institutes — Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, tr. Beveridge 1845 (PD)
• evidence_grade: D_doctrinal_textbook