“We never truly glory in him until we
have utterly discarded our own glory,”[1]
John Calvin wrote and genuinely lived by those words. He was a man of discipline
in his ministry work unto the Lord and, therefore, he has left for the church
an abundance of deep theological doctrine recorded through his writings,
preaching, and teaching. His influence extended over nations and continents and
is still making an impact in the lives of people around the world to this day.
Childhood and Education
John
Calvin was born in Noyon - Picardy,France on July 10, 1509. His mother was
devoted to the Roman Catholic Church while his father worked as the secretary
to the bishop and as procurator of the cathedral chapter. Calvin left home at
12 years old to study in Paris with the ambition of becoming a priest. By 1526
Martin Luther’s influence was arriving in France and Calvin’s father felt the
need for a transfer into the study of law and away from theology. Calvin spent
time in Orléans and Bourges where he learned Greek, taught at an Augustinian
convent, and preached at a local church. Upon learning of his father’s death
when he was 21, he returned to Paris to continue the development of his
literary skills. His focus was on preparing for a quiet life spent studying and
writing in the academic world. He launched his writing in 1532 with, a
commentary, De Clementia, on the
Stoic philosopher Seneca.[2]
Calvin
gives no date for his conversion, but he does refer to it in his Commentary on
the Psalms as “sudden”[3].
His reformed convictions were known publically by 1533. While at the University
of Paris, Calvin became friends with Nicholas Cop, Rector of the school, who
also was aligning himself with Reformed Theology. Cop took an opportunity
behind the pulpit to persuade the school to follow Luther’s reforms and to make
small reformations from within. This was a bold move that was not welcomed and
cost Cop his job. When the authorities sought him out for arrest, he had
already fled the city. Calvin also left because he was associated with Cob. After
disguising himself and taking on a new name, Calvin then spent time in Southern
France and Orléans.
Calvin
did not leave France until after the affair of the Placards and the ensuing
arrest of all the Lutherans who were apprehended by the Kings order. After arriving
in Basel, Switzerland with other French exiles, Calvin took on yet another
name. This time he chose the name Martianus
Lucianus.[4] Here
Calvin’s writing became the forefront of his ministry with the first
publication of the Institutes (see
“Writings”). After a quick trip back to Paris to wrap up his life there and
gather his brother and sister, Calvin intended to move to Strasbourg. However,
that was not the Lord’s plan.
The
road to Strasbourg was blocked because of a war between the King of France and
the Holy Roman Emperor. Calvin was
forced to detour for a night in Geneva, Switzerland. The main leader of the Reformation
in Geneva, Guillaume Farel, took this as his opportunity to convince Calvin to
stay. Calvin agreed after being convicted by Farel that God would curse him if
he left. He started his ministry there by gathering people for singing,
expository preaching and communion.
The
city council was not happy with the reforms that he was proposing. The
magistrates (members of the city council) believed that Calvin was venturing too
far away from Catholicism and therefore they ran for office specifically
against him. After denying the whole church communion because of their support
of the magistrates, Calvin and Farel were exiled and went to work with Martin
Bucer in Strasbourg. In Strasbourg Calvin preached at a large French church,
taught at a ministry school, married a widow of an Anabaptist, and adopted her
children.
Under
a new city council Calvin hesitantly returned to Geneva where he received a
warm welcome and started to preach from the next verse in the Bible where he
had stopped three years earlier. He was able to put into affect his
Ecclesiastical Ordinances, was appointed to civil reform and he preached many
times a week. He taught through books of the Old Testament on weekdays and the
New Testament on weekends. Although, over time he had much more freedom to
reform, opposition came again through a group called the Libertines.
Calvin
confronted more opposition from a Spanish physician, Michael Servetus, that
rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and was convicted of heresy. He wrote letters to Calvin and Calvin
responded with a warning to not come to Geneva, but he came anyway and was
convicted to death by the civil court. Calvin pleaded with him in prison
begging him to repent and Calvin fought for beheading instead of burning
because it was faster and less painful. Servetus was burned at the stake in 1553 an incident that
continues to negatively effect Calvin’s reputation even though other reformers,
such as Bucer, Melanchthon, and the court approved the death as well.[5]
After
the end of more opposition - including the defeat of the Libertines and
disputes between the church and state over authority - Calvin was ready to use
his time to start a school to train up men for ministry. He had been planning
and raising money for an academy for a long time, but it was not until 1555
that it came to fruition. Theodore Beza was the Rector and taught theology
alongside Calvin. The school was a wonderful success with almost every nation
in Europe represented among the 900 plus students in the first year. The
success of the school is reflected in Calvin being called the founder of the
free school system because all students were tuition-free.[6]
His
work in the academy was met with continual health issues. In February of 1564
Calvin gave his last sermon and last lecture and in the following months
prepared a will, told his friends goodbye and died on May 27.[7]
External Influences
Calvin
had many external influences because he lived during a time of constant war,
illness and death. He experienced hardship and physical pain first hand, but continually
desired that God be glorified above all. Both his parents died while he was
young, his wife and three of his children died, the King of France was killing
anyone that was sympathetic to Lutheran theology, and the Plague killed millions
of people. His entire ministry took place outside of his homeland because of
the persecution of Protestants in France. He was very passionate about bringing
the Gospel to his people even though he served in his adoptive home. He never
returned home to France and his last years of life were endured with constant
pain.
Other
reformers and theologians such as Martin Luther, Erasmus and Augustine
influenced Calvin. His work in the New Testament can be directly related to
Erasmus and his humanistic schooling. His knowledge of the original language,
the principle of interpretation of obscurity based on that which is clear,
historical interpretation and the authority of the Holy Spirit through the Word;
all can be attributed to the influence of Erasmus.[8]
Calvin acknowledged Augustinian influence throughout his writing and credits
him for accurate Biblical interpretation.
Writings
Calvin’s
life brought glory to God through his dedication to writing. The amount of work
and time he gave to complete the quantity of qualitative writing is almost
impossible to imagine alongside his preaching and teaching schedule. His collection of fifty-nine volumes of
works titled Corpus Reformatorum includes
commentaries and sermons that he preached. The commentaries consist of thirty-eight
books of the Old Testament and fifteen books of the New Testament. The only
books not covered in his New Testament commentaries are II John, III John and
Revelation. The book of Romans was his first commentary. The volume on
Exodus-Deuteronomy as well as the volume on the Gospels exemplifies Calvin’s
work of not only quantity, but also quality. He was able to clearly organize
and harmonize the narratives of Moses and the narratives of the life of Jesus.[9]
Calvin
also wrote and edited the Institutes of
Christian Religion and wrote letters and tracts. He produced the Institutes initially
in 1536, but expanded five times until the completion in 1559. He wrote this
work to bring awareness of those being persecuted and killed for their faith in
France by the king. The Institutes
are the doctrines of the Reformation explained and expanded with great
attention to the Spirit throughout the Scriptures.[10]
He interpreted the Bible literally by seeking the original meaning not the
allegorical meaning. He addresses each doctrine through the Scripture expanded
and The Spirit of God within Calvin is exemplified through his large amount of
letters that he wrote to other pastors.
Theology
Central
to John Calvin’s theology is his
Doctrine of Providence. He believed that God is sovereign over all creation in
a way that he is actually controlling all aspects, big and small, positive and
negative, of all time. God is completely involved in every detail across all
nations and throughout all past, present and future. “Calvin clearly taught
that in order for man to be saved, the Holy Spirit had to work efficaciously
and irresistibly to bring him from a state of spiritual death to spiritual
life.”[11]
Another
significant doctrine was his accommodation and illumination of Scripture.
Calvin believed that God reveals himself to us through the Bible, which is true
and inspired. However, being all knowing, God knew they we would not be able to
understand the depth of God so he accommodates Himself to persons in his Word.
The Holy Spirit is the one that illuminates the Word to us and helps us to
apply it to our lives. Calvin said, “without the illumination of the Spirit the
word has no effect…”[12]
Similar
to Augustine, Calvin’s theology of sin and grace is confirmed in his belief of
double predestination and effectual calling. In book three of the Institutes Calvin defines the doctrine
of predestination in Chapter 21 entitled Eternal Election. He said that Scripture explains that
the eternal unchangeable God by his pleasure determined whom to save and whom
to “doom to destruction”.[13]
Only by the free mercy of God are the elect called and justified. The elect are
effectually saved by God without doing anything by themselves to earn their
election.
Calvin
said, “It is plain how greatly ignorance of this principle detracts
from the glory of God, and impairs true humility.”[14]
Again he is concerned about the glory of God. He laid out the Old Testament Israelite
nationalism as evidence for God’s salvation of only the elect. Then, he went on
to emphasized the individualist election in the New Testament by quoted Paul
from Romans 11:6. He was committed to a Biblical understanding of
predestination.
Calvin’s
belief of penal substitution had not been argued prior to his engagement. Penal
substitution is the fact that Jesus paid the sin debt that we owe and absorbed
the wrath of God that we deserve. On the cross Jesus subjected himself to the
wrath of God that we deserve for our sin so that we might be receive the
blessing of salvation. Calvin
references Isaiah 53:5, 10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; and 1 Peter
2:24. Christ’s righteousness has
been credited to us though we are sinners and unrighteous. Then, Calvin
proceeds to his belief of imputation, which he explains is what God does when
he sees us as righteous through Jesus Christ.[15]
The
Holy Spirit is the subject of more of Calvin’s writings than any other. He
believed that the Spirit was actively working in the believer to increase
holiness and thus making him progressively more sanctified. He writes four
sections in chapter one of book three on the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is at work
bringing the believer the joys of knowing Christ and the delight of many
blessings. The ministry of the Spirit is defined by Calvin through 1 Pet. 1:2
and 1 Cor. 6:11 as a seal of cleansing and purifying for salvation. The Spirit
continues to make us like Christ in our sanctification because he is “the seed
and root of heavenly life in us”.[16]
Calvin
did believe in Covenantal Paedobaptism, the regulative principle of worship, the
centrality of preaching, and the spiritual presence of Christ in the Lord’s
Supper. Although he did not complete a decisive theology on the extent of the
atonement, he acknowledged that the Bible contains language that would
constitute both the limited and general view of the atonement of Christ. His
followers would debate this subject after his death.
Major Contributions
Calvin
wanted the glory of God to be enjoyed by people in Geneva as well as around the
world. He trained and sent out missionaries
and welcomed persecuted believers that he would then train and send back
out. Calvin’s students planted churches in France, Scotland, England, the
Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Germany and Brazil. The churches planted underground
in his homeland of France numbered more than three million members.[17]
Through
Calvin’s academy in Geneva he provided education to the pastors and
missionaries before they were sent out. The school would prepare them to plant
and pastor churches with a solid biblical foundation. This alone impacted
generations across the world. However, Calvin also impacted others by his
intense letter writing. He wrote to contemporaries, other reformers, pastors,
government leaders and friends. He would encourage them with Scripture as well
as deepen their relationship by telling about his own joys and struggles.
Calvin
also contributed a wealth of biblical theology to not only the reformed
churches, but to all protestant churches. Doctrines still relied upon and used
to define how someone interprets the Bible. Thankfully for the church today the
church deacons in Geneva hired a man, initially Denis Raguenier, to record
everything Calvin said from 1549 until his death.[18]
These serve as a representation of preaching during the Reformation and provide
a wealth of theological truth.
Legacy to the Church
After
Calvin’s death his successor, Theodore Beza, continued the work in Geneva for
40 years. Beza took Calvin’s earlier teaching and put them into a systematic order
through writing and added his own doctrine. Later reformers used Calvin’s
doctrine as their basis to develop their own theology. The modern five points
of Calvinism were not the work of John Calvin himself, but were developed from
a meeting of his disciples in 1618-1619 called the Synod of Dordt. The summary
of the Dutch Canon of Dordt in English is easily remembered by an acrostic
TULIP signifying: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited Atonement,
Irresistible grace and Preservation of the saints. The five points of Calvinism
give a good starting point, but to really know and learn from Calvin, his
Commentaries and Institutes should be studied.
John
Calvin still plays an active role in the church today through his writing. All
theologians today should consider the works of Calvin and learn from his
commitment to the careful study of God’s Word. He was humble, hard working, and
reflected the glory of God in all aspects of his life. Although he never
desired the role of church reformer he joyfully fulfilled the plan God set for
him. The providential hand of God was at work through Calvin and he was
obedient to the Holy Spirit. He lived a life of worship that brought glory to
God.
Bibliography
Calvin, John. Institutes of the
Christian Religion. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997.Geisler,
Norman L. Systematic Theology, Volume One: Introduction, Bible.
Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2002.
Calvin, John and James Anderson. Commentary
on the Book of Psalms. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.
Calvin, John and
John Owen. Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets. Bellingham, WA:
Logos Bible Software, 2010.
Cross, F. L. and Elizabeth A.
Livingstone. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed. rev.
Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
Haroutunian, Joseph and Louise Pettibone
Smith. Calvin: Commentaries. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958.
Adams, Jay E., Eric J. Alexander, Thabiti
Anyabwili, Thomas K. Aschol, Joel R. Beeke, Jerry Bridges, Sinclair B. Ferguson,
W. Robert Godfrey, D.G. Hart, Michael Horton, Phillip R. Johnson, Steven J.
Lawson, John McArthur, Keith A. Mathison, Burk Parsons, Richard D. Phillips,
Harry L. Reeder, Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W.H.Thomas John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology.
Reformation Trust: Orlando, 2008.
Piper, John. John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God. Crossway: Wheaton,
2009.
Schaff, Philip and David Schley Schaff. History
of the Christian Church. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910.
1. John Calvin, Institutes of the
Christian Religion (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 1997), 3.13.2.
[2] John Piper, John Calvin and the Majesty of God (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009), 21.
[3] John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary
on the Book of Psalms (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), xi.
[4] Derek W. H. Thomas, John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology, ed.
Burk Parsons (Reformation Trust: Orlando, 2008), 22.
[5] John Piper, John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God (Wheaton:
Crossway, 2009), 56.
[6] Philip Schaff and David Schley, History
of the Christian Church (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1910), 804-805.
[7] Schaff, 820.
[8] Joseph Haroutunian and Louise Pettibone
Smith, Calvin: Commentaries (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), 19.
[9] Haroutunian and Smith, 16.
[10]
Piper, 55-56.
[11] Keith A. Mathison, John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology, ed.
Burk Parsons (Reformation Trust: Orlando, 2008), 174.
[12]
Calvin, Institutes, 3.2.33.
[13] Ibid, 3.21.7.
[14] Ibid, 3.21.1.
[15] Calvin, Institutes, 2.16.6.
[16]
Ibid, 3.1.1-3.1.2
[17] Harry L. Reeder, John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion Doctrine & Doxology, ed. Burk
Parsons (Reformation Trust: Orlando, 2008), 68.
[18]
Thomas, 27.
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