Summary of Book 2 - Chapter 2

The title of this chapter: Man, in his present state, despoiled of freedom of will, and subjected to a miserable slavery.

This is a long rather wordy chapter. Calvin was a lawyer after all! But I think there are two essential ideas Calvin is trying to get across here.

First, man, being made in the image of God, should have an inherent will to do good. However, due to "The Fall", we have been corrupted. So, even in the exercise of free will, man tends toward evil. Humans can do good when God's spirit works within us. God molds our hearts and minds to perform His Will. We, of ourselves, can do nothing. We must surrender our wills to the Will of God. And by His Grace, we will create goodness.

This reminds me of the teaching of Jesus that we must become as little children to enter the Kingdom of God. If we make ourselves receptive, only then can God enter our hearts and minds. If we are full of ourselves and our egos, God has no way to enter us. However, there is no guarantee that God will do this. It is His Will and Grace to enter into the lives of whomever He chooses.

Second, towards the end of this chapter, Calvin makes it plain and simple. All goodness comes from God. All evil comes from men. As I have seen it stated by another author, we have a simple choice in life. You can choose Jesus or you can choose yourself.