Calvin's Controversial Vivifying Flesh Doctrine

John Calvin taught that by virtue of the incarnation and hypostatic union of Christ, our Lord's flesh was enabled to be a channel for the divine life of the Godhead, that we as Christians need for salvation, to flow through and then be given to us by the power and agency of the Holy Spirit. Since Christ's flesh was so enabled it can rightfully be called "life-giving" and not just in the sense that this flesh is united to the Logos or because the second person of the Trinity did His work of accomplishing redemption in that very flesh. No, the flesh of Christ can be called life-giving chiefly because it functions as a channel of divine life that is given to us when we are united to Christ by faith and it is this life that regenerates us, sanctifies us, and eventually brings us to glorification. Calvin often uses the word "vivify" or its derivatives to describe the flesh of Christ and its specific efficacy. This work argues that Calvin did clearly articulate this doctrine, that his doctrine is in error, that the fact that the Reformed community in large part abandoned his doctrine was a good thing, and all calls for a return to Calvin on this point are misguided.