Session 5 – John Calvin

In this session we will look in depth at one of the most well know reformers,

John Calvin

In this session, please try to set aside any bias against John Calvin and his ideas of predestination that you may have! He

had a great influence on the reformation and did much good for it

Catholic Encyclopedia: “This man, undoubtedly the

greatest of Protestant divines, and

perhaps, after St. Augustine, the most perseveringly

followed by his disciples of any Western

writer on theology”

He was born at Noyon, France, 10 July, 1509, and died 27 May, 1564.

John Calvin is the next generation after Luther, and they never meet (although Calvin would be familiar with Luther)

Calvin was raised in a middle-class family that was extremely catholic

His father was good friends with the local bishop, his father (an attorney) was

employed as the administrator in the town’s cathedral

John’s father wanted him to become a priest in the Roman Catholic Church

While he was in Paris, he studied liberal arts at the College de Marche, before

moving on and continuing his studies in theology like his father wanted

Towards the end of 1523, Calvin transferred to the more famous

College Montaigu

At this point Calvin is closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church, but has contact with individuals who hold

to reformation ideas

At this time Calvin’s father also had a falling out with the Bishop back home, and he advised him to switch his studies from theology (and being a priest) to law

(like his father)

Around 1528 Calvin moved to Orleans to begin studying law

In 1532 Calvin finished his studies in law and also had published his first book, a

commentary on De Clementia written by the Roman philosopher Seneca

Around this time, Calvin has a sudden conversion from Catholic to Protestant

All that is known about the conversion is what he wrote in the preface to his

commentary on the Psalms:

“To this pursuit I endeavored faithfully to apply myself in obedience to the will of my father; but God, by the secret guidance of his providence, at length gave a different

direction to my course. And first, since I was too obstinately devoted to the superstitions of Popery to be easily extricated from so…”

…profound an abyss of mire, God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was

more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life.” John Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms

Over the next few years he lived in various places outside of France

under different names

There are a lot of minor details about his life that we do not have time to mention, our goal is to mention the major events

that took places

Calvin began to study the Bible for himself and began preaching on these

reformation ideas

At this point he also began on his first edition of Institutes

His first edition of Institutes became an immediate best seller

Calvin planned to leave France after completely breaking from the Roman

Catholic Church, but war broke out and Calvin decided to travel to Geneva instead

Calvin was not planning on staying in Geneva for long, but that all changed when

he got there

When he arrived, a reformer named Farel invited him to stay in Geneva and said God

wanted him to

Because of this pressure, Calvin decides to stay in Geneva and began to preach

and lecture there

After a while (1538) he was asked to leave Geneva because of theological conflicts

From that point, Calvin travelled to Strasbourg until 1541 (3 years)

During his time there, he gladly served as pastor

to French refugees who had come

there for safety

Eventually, Geneva requests Calvin returns

and continues preaching and teaching

Calvin is really enjoying being the pastor to these refugees, and is torn on if he wants to

return to Geneva at this point

In the end his decision is to

return to Geneva, and he spends the

rest of his life (around 23 years)

in Geneva

During those years he lectured, preached, and wrote avidly

The most notable of Calvin’s works was his Institutes of the Christian Religion

Calvin finished the first edition of institutes when he was twenty six years old, and it

was six chapters long

It was intended to be a catechism for

French protestants, and dealt with the law, the apostles creed, the Lord’s

prayer, the sacraments, false sacraments, and Christian liberty

From that point Calvin created a Latin version (edition) in 1539 that was three

times the length of the first edition

He also translated this second edition into French for those who could not read

the Latin version

Another expansion was published in Latin in 1543, which was also followed by a

French translation

The fourth edition came about in 1550, with the final edition published in 1559

The first and last version of Institutes are quite different from each other. The final version was not a manual for believers, but it had developed into a systematic theology book that dealt with Christian

doctrines in light of these new reformation ideas and beliefs

Besides Institutes of the Christian faith, Calvin also wrote commentaries on twenty

three of the Old Testament books, and all of the New Testament books except 2-3 John

and Revelation

His commentaries were brief and did not expound on doctrines like his Institutes

did, his commentaries were published in both Latin and French

In reference to the commentaries by Calvin, even James Arminius suggested you

read them, he said:

“Next to the study of the Scriptures which I earnestly inculcate, I exhort my pupils to

peruse Calvin’s Commentaries, which I extol in loftier terms than Helmich himself (a

Dutch divine, 1551–1608); for I affirm that he excels beyond comparison in the

interpretation of Scripture,…

…and that his commentaries ought to be more highly valued than all that is handed down to us by the library of the fathers; so that I acknowledge him to have possessed

above most others, or rather above all other men, what may be called an eminent spirit

of prophecy. His Institutes ought to be studied after the (Heidelberg) Catechism, as

containing a fuller explanation, but with discrimination, like the writings of all men.”

Calvin was a very prolific preacher, he would preach every day of the week on the Old Testament, and then would preach on Sundays the New Testament, and Sunday

afternoon he would preach on the Pslams

In 1549 his sermons began to be recorded and printed for people who were interested

Calvin was the head of Geneva, and the Catholic Encyclopedia says the following:

“Geneva has long since ceased to be the head of Calvinism. It is a rallying point

for Free Thought, Socialist propaganda, and Nihilist conspiracies. But in history it stands out as the Sparta of the Reformed

churches, and Calvin is its Lycurgus.”

Geneva was the safe place to be if you were a protestant, it was the central hug of

the reformation movement

From Geneva would be sent out pastors to the French congregations, and the influence that Calvin and Geneva has on other areas

would also be great

Geneva (in a way) was to a protestant like Rome was to the Catholic

Many other famous reformers (some of which we’ve discussed) spend time in

Geneva with Calvin (like Knox)

Calvin’s TheologyOn the topic of God

Calvin believes that there can be no knowledge period without the knowledge

of God

He believes that everyone has the idea of God in them and has the evidence for

God in creation, but they choose to suppress it

He believes that man has corrupted this knowledge of him and confused (often

time) the creation with the creator

He taught that it is only when we look at the greatness of God that we see our own

inadequacy and inabilities

God is providentially in control of all things, including evil, but that doesn’t

make God evil

On the topic of mankind

Calvin taught that man is created in God image, but that image has been damaged by

the fall (with Adam and Eve)

According to Calvin, before the fall man’s will was truly free, but after sin entered the world we became slaves to it and no longer are able to seek or choose God on our own

without him first choosing us

Justification by faith was a big deal for all the reformers (including Calvin)

He said justifications (us being saved) is based on the mercy of God, not the

merits of humanity

While election and predestination are heavily linked with Calvin, they were not

all he talked about (by any means)

On the sacraments, Calvin taught that there were two: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

He did not believe that the sacraments contained justifying grace, but instead they

were the badges or marks of a Christian

Calvin sided with infant baptism being practiced, believing that it was much like circumcision which sets them apart for

the New Covenant

He did not see the Lord’s supper and physically containing the blood and body

of Jesus (as did the Catholics, and Luther in a sense)

He said it was symbolic of what Christ did for us, and in a sense we receive spiritual

food and drink when we partake of communion (which is also slightly

different than Zwingli)

When it comes to church government, Calvin is the founder of the

Presbyterian system

This idea has local pastors together in an assembly, they are responsible for teaching

and leading those churches

The Consistory, which is a larger council made up of pastors and lay elders which

are elected according to district

They were responsible for church disciple among other things

At the regional level you had the presbytery, and then above them were the provincial

synod and the national synod

Church discipline has three goals: The glory of God, the purity of the Church, and the

correction of the offender

Calvinism as a theology and the five points associated with it were codified at the

Synod of Dort in 1618-19

These five points form the TULIP:

Total Depravity Unconditional Election

Limited Atonement Irresistible Grace

Perseverance of the Saints

Understand, Calvin died over fifty years before this council took place

Some scholars have argued that Calvin wouldn’t have agreed with all the points in

the TULIP acronym

Some say that nothing in Calvin's writings verify his belief in limited atonement, while others think his writings affirm

all five points

Quotes by Calvin

“We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is

dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up

when it is overthrown.”

“There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to

make us rejoice.”

“There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our

own intelligence.”

“If it seems more horrible to kill a man in his own house, then in a field,...it ought surely to be deemed more atrocious to

destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to light.”

“The gospel is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It cannot be grasped by

reason and memory only, but it is fully understood when it possesses the whole soul and penetrates to the inner recesses

of the heart.”

“There is no knowing that does not begin with knowing God.”

“The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and

thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.”

“men are undoubtedly more in danger from prosperity than from adversity. for when

matters go smoothly, they flatter themselves, and are intoxicated

by their success”

Memory Verse

Psalm 124:8: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

He thought this verse was so vital that he often started off his sermons in Geneva

with it. It’s widely seen as his favorite psalm (and probably Bible verse)