Portrait of Calvin

Somewhat to my regret, I’ve made rather more this year of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth than I have of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’ s birth.

As a small contribution towards putting this right, I draw attention to a biography of Calvin by the noted scholar T.H.L. Parker.  First published in 1954, it is now reissued by Desiring God Ministries and is available online here.

John Piper writes:-

I am eager for people to know Calvin not because he was without flaws, or because he was the most influential theologian of the last 500 years (which he was), or because he shaped Western culture (which he did), but because he took the Bible so seriously, and because what he saw on every page was the majesty of God and the glory of Christ.

Calvin: Nine Preaching Engagements

Peter Adam is Principal of Ridley Theological College in Melbourne, Australia.  In a recent lecture on John Calvin as a preacher, he sets out nine demanding engagements that Calvin sought to fulfil in his own preaching.

There are:-

1.  Engaging with God.  The preacher doesn’t just talk about God in some remote and objective way.  No: the preacher expects God to be present with and in his Word by his Spirit.

2.  Engaging with the 66 texts of the Bible.  The preacher does not use snippets of the Bible merely as mottoes, or as hooks upon which to hang his own thoughts.  No: the preacher will seek to teach the Bible, as it comes to us in the books of the Old and New Testaments.  Calvin was an expository preacher, committed to preaching through entire books of the Bible.

3.  Engaging with theology.  The preacher does this when he deal with his text in the context of the biblical revelation as a whole, and brings it to bear on contemporary questions and issues.  Both biblical theology (the unfolding revelation of Scriptures) and systematic theology (synthesising the Bible’s teaching on the topic in hand).

4.  Engaging with the congregation.  We do not deal only with timeless truths.  Just like Christ and the apostles, we speak to real people, and deal with their real needs and problems.  We should be students of our congregations, as well as students of the Bible.

5.  Engaging with the congregation as hearers.  There is a difference between an essay (to be read) and a sermon (to be heard).  In preaching, Calvin rarely used ‘I’ and ‘you’: he usually identified himself with the congregation by saying, ‘we’.

6.  Engaging in training.  The preacher trains people to read and understand God’s word for themselves, teaches them to honour preaching and preachers, and empowers them to teach others.

7.  Engaging the congregation in gospel ministry.  We adorn the gospel when we do our daily work honestly and conscientiously.  But the church as a whole (not just preachers) has a responsibility to draw the world to God’s kingdom.

8.  Engaging in training future preachers.  The preacher seeks to model good preaching, and thus inspire and instruct the future generation of preachers.

9.  Engaging the humanity of the preacher.  We do not glorify God by diminishing our own humanity, but by being fully human as we have been created (and are being re-created) in God’s image.  Our preaching will reflect our own personalities and personal styles.

Each of these, says Adam, is demanding, and to do all nine in any one sermon is very demanding.  But Calvin provides a notable model.

Calvin on Spiritual Warfare

Calvin took the activities of Satan and his demons very seriously, without falling into the superstitions which sometimes appear in Luther’s writings.  Calvin’s teaching was, above all else, scriptural, as the following extract shows.

All that Scripture teaches concerning devils aims at arousing us to take precaution against their stratagems and contrivances, and also to make us equip ourselves with those weapons which are strong and powerful enough to vanquish these most powerful foes. For when Satan is called the god [2 Corinthians 4:4] and prince [John 12:31] of this world, when he is spoken of as a strong armed man [Luke 11:21; cf. Matthew 12:29], the spirit who holds power over the air [Ephesians 2:2], a roaring lion [1 Peter 5:8], these descriptions serve only to make us more cautious and watchful, and thus more prepared to take up the struggle. This also sometimes is noted explicitly: for Peter, after he has said that the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” [1 Peter 5:8], immediately subjoins the exhortation that with faith we steadfastly resist him [1 Peter 5:9]. And Paul, after he has warned us that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with the princes of the air, with the powers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness [Ephesians 6:12], forthwith bids us put on that armor capable of sustaining so great and dangerous a contest [Ephesians 6:13 ff.]. We have been forewarned that an enemy relentlessly threatens us, an enemy who is the very embodiment of rash boldness, of military prowess, of crafty wiles, of untiring zeal and haste, of every conceivable weapon and of skill in the science of warfare.  We must, then, bend our every effort to this goal: that we should not let ourselves be overwhelmed by carelessness or faintheartedness, but on the contrary, with courage rekindled stand our ground in combat. Since this military service ends only at death, let us urge ourselves to perseverance.  Indeed, conscious of our weakness and ignorance, let us especially call upon God’s help, relying upon him alone in whatever we attempt, since it is he alone who can supply us with counsel and strength, courage and armor.

Institutes, Book I, Ch. 14:13.

Calvin on ‘Common Grace’

Calvinist theology is beset by some unfortunate terminology, which turns many would-be visitors away at the door.

One of those bits of unfortunate terminology is the expression ‘total depravity’.  It is too readily taken to mean that humankind is completely and utterly wicked, and that no good at all can be found in an unregenerate heart, mind or behaviour.

In order to correct this misunderstanding, we can turn to Calvin himself, and his teaching on ‘common grace’.  This doctrine says that God’s Holy Spirit not only works in believers, to effect their salvation, but in men and women generally, to restrain sin, establish a tolerable social order, and enable scientific and artistic achievement.

John Calvin – an appreciation 3

The Genius of Calvinism

The question still remains: What is Calvinism?  For many people, this query is soon answered: Calvin, they say, gave us the doctrine of predestination.  Now it, is certainly true that Calvin believed and taught the doctrine of predestination.  But it is not true that this doctrine lies at the heart of Calvinistic theology.  The simple fact is that all of the Reformers believed and taught this doctrine.  Luther did.  And so did Zwingli.  So this doctrine cannot be the distinguishing mark of Calvinism.

John Calvin – an appreciation 2

Influence

No sane person would claim infallibility for Calvin, any more than he claimed it for himself.  “But certainly I can say this,” he stated at the end of his life, “that I have willed what is good, that my vices have always displeased me, and that the root of the fear of God has been in my heart; and you may say that the disposition was good; and I pray you, that the evil be forgiven me, and if there was any good, that you conform yourselves to it and make it an example.”

John Calvin – an appreciation 1

 I once described myself in print as ‘a cautious, studious Calvinist’.  This led to an invitation to give a talk about Calvin at another church.  What follows is the first part of the text of that talk.  I can’t recall, at this distance of time, what sources I used, so any plagiarism is unintentional.