Category: Book Reviews

A Brief Review–Three New R. C. Sproul Books!

May 17, 2024 / marcusserven

Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

It is remarkable to think that new books continue to be published from the pen of Rev. Dr. R. C. Sproul. How is this possible, since unfortunately Dr. Sproul died in 2017? I can only imagine that this is possible given a loyal and industrious staff at Ligonier Ministries who are capitalizing on the large trove of unfinished manuscripts and sermon recordings available to them. We are the happy beneficiaries of this effort! I suspect there will be many additional books published in the years ahead, and, frankly-speaking, that would be wonderful with me. R. C. Sproul had a unique gift for making difficult portions of the Bible understandable for the average person, and obscure concepts in theology less formidable and daunting. We can all thank God for that! Here are his three newest books:

#1 — R. C. Sproul. Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary. Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2023. [99 pages] — This particular book is an additional volume in the expositional commentary series highlighting R. C. Sproul’s preaching ministry at St. Andrew’s Chapel. Nine volumes have been produced altogether: Matthew, Luke, Mark, John, Acts, Romans, Galatians, 1-2 Peter, and now Ephesians. If you are looking for an in-depth exegetical commentary on Ephesians, you will be disappointed. These commentaries are not a detailed verse-by-verse explanation of the text. They are an edited collection of R. C.’s sermons on these passages. Hence, they are filled with many of R. C.’s signature stories and illustrations, plus his unique ability to explain difficult terms and concepts. Here is an example of his effort to make the challenging concept of Predestination much more understandable:

“Does predestination indicate that God is arbitrary? That question is asked because the Bible makes clear that the reason that He chooses particular individuals is not found in those individuals. He didn’t choose Jacob because He saw in Jacob some kind of righteousness that was not present in Esau, but as Paul indicates in Romans 9, before either one of them was born, without a view to anything that they had done or would do, God chose to give His grace to one and not the other, to show mercy to Jacob and not to Esau. That sounds arbitrary. But to do something arbitrarily is to do it for no reason at all. And there is a reason for God’s electing grace–first of all to show forth His love, because His election flows out of His love. It is done for a purpose–to redeem people and take that which is unholy and that whhc is blameworthy and to make it holy and blameless. When God redeems us, He redeems us not because we are perfect but so that we may become perfect.”
Sproul, Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary, 13

Overall, I think most readers of Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary will benefit from R. C.’s thoughtful analysis of the text. He deals with all of the major aspects of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church and leaves the minor technicalities to other biblical scholars to explain. In my opinion, this is nicely done and it will serve as a fine introduction to the letter to the Ephesians.

#2 — R. C. Sproul. Hard Sayings: Understanding the Difficult Passages of Scripture. Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2023. [165 pages] — Out of the three new books, this is the one that I enjoyed the most. It takes twenty-seven difficult passages–from both the Old and New Testaments–and sets forth well-reasoned explanations of each one. Sproul is not given to presenting every possible explanation for each text. Instead, he concentrates on the most popular explanations and evaluates them in three ways: (1) on the basis of other Bible passages (“Scripture interprets Scripture”), (2) by focusing on settled theological beliefs, and (3) by showing inconsistencies in logic in various substandard explanations. Here is an example from Genesis 6 on “the sons of God”:

“Many Hebrew scholars believe that chapter 6 describes not the intermarriage between angels and human women but the intermarriage between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth. One line had been growing in godliness and the other one had been intensifying in wickedness. Suddenly this is disrupted when the two lines come together; now everybody is caught up in this relentless pursuit of evil, and the desires of their hearts are only wicked continually. Only Noah is left from the sons of God–that is, those who are obedient to God. Because of Noah’s obedience, God grants Noah grace and spares him as God decides to destroy the rest of mankind. The problem in Genesis 6 of the apparent intermarriage between the sons of God and the daughters of men serves a broader purpose for us, and that’s to warn us to be very careful about the inferences that we draw from Scripture that are not necessarily warranted. The descriptive terms “sons of God” and “daughters of man” do not give us license to make the assumption of interaction between heavenly beings and earthly beings. We have to be very careful when we look at a difficult text like this to see how the same language is used in the broader context of all Scripture. It’s a very important principle of interpretation to interpret Scripture by Scripture.”
Sproul, Hard Sayings: understanding the difficult passages of Scripture, 25

Once again, Sproul is not exhaustive in his comments about each one of these texts. He deals with a few alternative explanations, shows why they need to be rejected, and then clearly sets forth the preferred explanation. This book could have been strengthened by the inclusion of footnotes (or endnotes), an author index, an index of Bible passages, a subject index, and a bibliography. Nonetheless, it is a very fine resource that I am sure to use for many years to come.

#3 — R. C. Sproul. Joseph: From Dreamer to Deliverer. Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2023. [185 pages] — Even though this hardbound book has the most pages when compared to the other two volumes, it is the smallest and most compact. In many respects it is a “booklet” that could easily fit into a backpack or a briefcase. The chapters are lined out neatly according to the text in Genesis (Ch. 37-50), and essentially they are edited versions of R.C.’s sermons on the life of Joseph. Nonetheless, R.C. brings up many related issues in theology, philosophy, psychology, and history. He has a wonderful way of expounding the text, but also bringing out into the open many insights on the flaws of human character and the impact of sin in people’s lives. In particular Sproul addresses the issues of conscience, guilt, lies, and sorrow over sin. Here is a sample from Genesis 42:

“They had watched Jacob’s grief and anguish when they reported to him that Joseph had been slain by a wild animal. They had kept this deception from Jacob all these years, but it was still bothering them. Like the pagan who trembles at the rustling of a leaf when meeting his first adversity, they were afraid that they were experiencing the vengeance of God for their sin through what was happening with this powerful ruler of Egypt. Sin is a burden to carry. Joseph’s brothers were bearing a burden of guilt that had not been forgiven or redeemed, and it was haunting them. We must not assume that unbelieving, impenitent sinners, even thought they may acquire a hardness of heart or stiffness of neck, are left without any conscience. The conscience is still God’s inner voice by which even unbelievers are accused of their sin. It does not bring them to true repentance, but it does bring them to fear–to being frightened of the judgment of God. In the perilous situation before the stern prime minister of Egypt, who was accusing them of being spies and threatening to keep one of them in prison, Joseph’s brothers began to talk among themselves honestly. They were not trying to conceal from one another their treachery from years ago. They all knew that they had engaged in this conspiracy against Joseph. They were admitting their guilt, which is one of the hardest things for a human being to do. As fallen people, even when we are clear in our own minds about our guilt, we try, like Lady McBeth, to wash that stain from our hands, to remove the spot and blemish from our souls–but we can’t do it. So we lie to ourselves and conceal from ourselves and from everyone else what we really are, because ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick’ (Jer. 17:9).”
Sproul, Joseph: From Dreamer to Deliverer, 105-106

Sproul’s colorful commentary on the life of Joseph does a wonderful job of showing the depth of human misery, the consequences of sin, and the blessings of forgiveness and reconciliation. All of these episodes in Joseph’s life point toward the person and work of Jesus Christ, and Sproul is quick to point this out (cf. John 5:39). Although this is a small volume that may be overlooked on the burgeoning book tables at Ligonier conferences, I think it will prove to be a welcome commentary on the life of a significant Old Testament figure, namely Joseph. God providentially directs all the details of Joseph’s life, and that is a very good lesson for each and every Christian to take to heart.

Rev. Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin

G. I. Williamson’s “Westminster Confession of Faith” (2nd Edition)

May 9, 2024 / marcusserven

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!” Romans 8:15

Written by Dr. Marcus Serven

One of the earliest books I ever read that explained the details of the Westminster Confession of Faith was written by the Rev. G. I. Williamson (1925-2023). At the time I was a young man serving in my first solo ministerial position as the Pastor of Campbell Presbyterian Church (PCA) in San Jose, CA. A compassionate Ruling Elder at our church gave me my first copy of The Westminster Confession of Faith: For Study Classes. That copy is now falling apart from many years of usage and I have replaced it with a new copy of the 2nd edition. I found Williamson’s writing style to be simple, direct, filled with an abundance of Scripture, and thoroughly orthodox. Reading through his volume on the Westminster Confession of Faith gave me lots of personal encouragement. I finally realized that I wasn’t the only one who embraced the doctrines of God’s sovereignty, the grace of God in salvation, and the progress of God’s kingdom throughout history. In short, it was “a breath of fresh air” for a young red-haired Presbyterian pastor! Even though I never met Rev. G. I. Williamson in person, through his books I welcomed him into my life as a “spiritual father.” It is appropriate, then, for me to quote Pastor Williamson on the subject of adoption. Here is a citation that clearly states his views on the role of the Holy Spirit in the doctrine of adoption:

God chose his elect not only to be regenerated, justified, sanctified, and glorified, but also to be adopted. Therefore, we note that the Lord Jesus did this work in order that we might be adopted, as well as called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). To receive the Holy Spirit is to receive “the Spirit of adoption” (Rom. 8:15). One cannot receive the Spirit nor can one trust in Christ apart from adoption. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become Children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). But what is adoption? “Adoption, as the term clearly implies, is an act of transfer from an alien family into the family of God himself” (John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1955). It means that those who were by nature children of wrath, children of darkness, even children of Satan (Eph. 2:3; Col. 3:6; John 8:44), are constituted children of light and of God.
Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith, 146

Words such as these speak of the wonderful transformation that comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit. Unrighteous sinners are transformed into sons and daughters who are wrapped in the robes of Christ’s righteousness (Rom. 3:24-26; Rom. 5:1-2; 2 Cor. 5:21; Col. 1:13-14). Our sins are forgiven, and our standing before God is made possible through the atoning work of Jesus (Isa. 53:4-6; Heb. 10:22; 1 Pet. 2:24-25). This is not just a hypothetical change, but it is an entirely new reality (Jn. 3:1-8; Rom. 5:18-19; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:1-17). When we come to truly believe the idea that the objective work of Jesus on the Cross has subjective results in our lives, it produces a thankful heart that praises God for our deliverance. Moreover, the Spirit of God indwells the believer and becomes a “guarantee” of our inheritance as the people of God (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 4:4-7; Eph. 1:13-14, 18; 1 Pet. 1:3-5). These are precious doctrines that have comforted many believers in times of distress and trial.

Beyond the indwelling presence of the Spirit of adoption, the believer also has access to God in a way that was never experienced before. In particular, the believer can come into the presence of God through prayer. Williamson notes,

One of the chief privileges belonging to those who receive the grace of adoption is prayer. Only those who are adopted can pray in a manner acceptable unto God. Thus the Spirit given in effectual calling is the Spirit of adoption, whereby believers are enabled to pray (Rom. 8:15). The Spirit enables us to realize that we are sons and to exercise the privilege of prayer as sons. “The Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Finally, we note that God treats such persons as children. They receive his pity and protection (Ps. 103:13; Prov. 14:26). They are under his watchful providence (Matt. 6:30-32; 1 Peter 5:7). He also subjects them to appropriate discipline because they are his sons (Heb. 12:6-11). But above all, he keeps them in safety even to the end (Rom. 8:23, 28, 38-39).”
Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith, 148

It is wonderful to know that the Lord is completely available to us–at any time, in any place, and under any circumstances (Heb. 4:16; 10:23). He hears the prayers of his people, and he delights to assure us that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Moreover, he promises that in the midst of our anxieties we can “let our requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6b-7). It is a great privilege to have access to God. This truth is the foundation of our prayers. God hears his people, and we can be thankful for that fact.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief introduction to the writings of Rev. G. I. Williamson. He had a lengthly pastoral career of over fifty years serving congregations in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Churches of New Zealand, and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. After retiring in 2011, he settled in Iowa and served the regional church by preaching, teaching, and writing. Rev. G. I. Williamson has four noteworthy books that you might want to have in your own personal library. All are in print. In my opinion, all of them are “winners.” Here they are:

Williamson, G. I. The Westminster Confession of Faith: for Study Classes. Second Edition. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2004.
Vos, Johannes G. The Westminster Larger Catechism: A Commentary. Edited by G. I. Williamson. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002.
Williamson, G. I. The Shorter Catechism: For Study Classes. Two Volumes. Second Edition. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003.
Williamson, G. I. The Heidelberg Catechism: A Study Guide. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1993.

Let us give praise to Almighty God for the life and ministry of the Rev. G. I. Williamson (1925-2023). He lived for Christ, and died in Christ. And even though he is “absent from the body,” according to the promise of God he is now “present with the Lord” ( 2 Cor. 5:1-9). Soli Deo Gloria!

Rev. Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin

Schaeffer’s Critique of Modern Culture

January 31, 2024 / marcusserven

“For it is time for judgement to begin at the household of God.” 1 Peter 4:17a

Dr. Francis Schaeffer gave us an insightful critique of modern culture over fifty years ago in his blockbuster book, How Should We Then Live? Who would have thought that his analysis from the past would be as true today as it was in 1976 when his book was first published? The relentless pursuit of peace, prosperity, and personal gain in America appears to have reached its apex in our current society! But the question posed by Schaeffer remains–How Should We Then Live? In particular, how should we live as disciples of Jesus Christ in this self-centered age? Consider Schaeffer’s challenging words,

“As the more Christian-dominated consensus weakened, the majority of people adopted two impoverished values: personal peace and affluence. Personal peace means just to be left alone, not to be troubled with the troubles of other people, whether across the world or across the city–to live one’s life with minimal possibilities of being personally disturbed. Personal peace means wanting to have my personal life pattern undisturbed in my lifetime, regardless of what the result will be in the lifetimes of my children and grandchildren. Affluence means an overwhelming and ever-increasing prosperity–a life made up of things, things, and more things–a success judged by an ever-higher level of material abundance.”
Francis Schaeffer, How Should We Now Live? 205

It is my belief that Christians everywhere should respond to this indictment of modern culture. We cannot ignore it. Perhaps as a first response, personal repentance should be manifested throughout the life of individual Christians. Rather than living only for the acquisition of personal possessions, property, and prestige, Christians should live as those who “seek first his kingdom.” (Matt. 6:33) Possessions, property, and prestige are secondary. The Apostle Peter instructs Christians that “judgement [begins] at the household of God.” (1 Pet. 4:17) These sobering words should move us to sincere repentance from the pursuit of selfish gain. Only by cleansing ourselves from our own quest after personal peace and affluence can future generations be preserved from the same malady.

Beyond that, individual churches should give a hard look at their philosophy of ministry–is it all about the growth and prosperity of the church, or is it all about the growth of Christ’s kingdom here on earth? As a church, our priorities should be in alignment with the kingdom ethics of our Lord. (cf. Matt. 5:13-16; Matt. 28:18-19; Mk. 8:34; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; 1 Tim. 5:1-25)

Moreover, we should find a strategy for living in this fallen world that is consistent with the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. What should that strategy be? Here are some historic approaches: (1) We should remove ourselves into cloistered enclaves where all worldly influences are kept at a safe distance [Monasticism]. (2) We should become political revolutionaries who forcefully impose our beliefs and morals upon this fallen world [Secular Marxism]. Or, (3) We should acquiesce to secular pressures and not impose our beliefs and values upon unbelievers, but live at peace with all [Cultural Relativism]. Let me just say that I do not think retreat, revolution, or acquiescence are the proper Biblical responses.

Instead, I believe that modern culture should be thoroughly engaged by those who have a God-given remedy to the self-centeredness and prideful arrogance of this fallen world. The Lord gives us a better way! This remedy is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The ethics of God’s kingdom, therefore, should become the new standard for life in the 2020’s throughout the world. In short, God’s ways are better than man’s ways, and Christians must lead the way in bringing order to a disordered world. This is not accomplished by retreat, revolution, or acquiescence. It is accomplished by engaging the people and structures of this fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. (cf. Jer. 29:4-7; Lk. 19:11-27; 1 Jn. 2:15-17)

This approach of cultural engagement is traditionally called a “Reformed World and Life View.” In short, all aspects of human culture that are found in this fallen world are to be thoroughly engaged—not retreated from [in monasticism], not overthrown [in Marxism], nor acquiesced to [in relativism], but contended with [in a Reformed world and life view]. The theological world-view of Reformed Christianity seeks to boldly penetrate all spheres of human culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Historically, this view has been popularized by two dutchmen, Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) and Herman Bavinck (1854-1921), and in this current era by Henry Van Til (1906-1961), Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984), Chuck Colson (1931-2012), and David F. Wells (b. 1938). Other theologians–too numerous to be named–have taken-up this important theme as well. I will name some of the most helpful spokesmen in upcoming blog posts.

And so, how do we respond to Dr. Francis Schaeffer’s critique of modern culture? We respond in repentance (both personal and corporate) and by committing ourselves and our churches to thoroughly engaging the people and structures of this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

The Writings of John Calvin

June 30, 2021 / marcusserven

de Greef, Wulfert. The Writings of John Calvin: An Introductory Guide. Translated by Lyle D. Bierma. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993. [254 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Dr. Wulfert de Greef from the Netherlands

I first read this book in preparation for a lecture that I had been invited to give at the Reformed Fellowship of the Southeastern United States in Columbia, South Carolina (April 28, 1998). My chosen topic was “A Reformation Hero: The Life and Theology of John Calvin.” During my time of preparation, it was difficult to find all of the correct dates and facts about the life of John Calvin in the standard biographies I already owned. This slim volume, however, put all of the essential information about Calvin’s life at my finger tips! Dr. de Greef has done us a great service by chronicling Calvin’s life and ministry on the basis of his writings. Moreover, that particular unifying theme (i.e. The Writings of John Calvin) gives the book an orderly, logical, and readable lens by which to examine Calvin’s rich and varied life.

Here are the twenty-two volumes of Calvin’s Commentaries!

One particular question that I have been curious about was “How could John Calvin, the extraordinarily busy pastor of Geneva, find time to write his scholarly Commentaries on various books from the Bible?” After all, these Commentaries total twenty-two volumes in the Baker Books edition (over 30,000 pages)! From the very beginning of Calvin’s ministry in Geneva he solemnly committed himself to teaching the Bible to the population of Geneva. He took his title of “Professor of Sacred Literature” (sacrarum literarum doctor) very seriously and disciplined himself to give regular public lectures on the Bible; oftentimes on a weekly basis in the auditorium (the Auditore) right next to the church building (St. Pierre). Dr. de Greef cites evidence to show that many, but not all, of the Commentaries were taken from lecture notes (praelectiones) given by Calvin and compiled by others. The draft editions of the Commentaries would then be reviewed by Calvin before going to publication. Dr. de Greef notes,

The first commentary Calvin published was on the Epistle to the Romans, which came off the press in Strasbourg in March 1540. The contents are probably a revised summary of lectures he had given in Geneva from 1536 to 1538…The commentary on the Epistle to the Romans was followed by a number of others…These publications were probably lectures that he had given…
de Greef, The Writings of John Calvin, 94-95

Here is a second example of this collaborative effort,

The commentary on Isaiah, which appeared in 1551, was the first commentary in which Calvin engaged in the interpretation of the Old Testament. It was not put together by Calvin himself, however, since he did not have enough time to devote to it then. In 1549 Nicolas Des Gellars (Gallasius) had attended Calvin’s lectures on Isaiah, taken notes, and then developed them at home, letting Calvin read the finished product for possible corrections. Calvin dedicated the commentary on December 25, 1550, to King Edward VI of England (CO 13:669-74), noting that the commentary was not from his own hand, but had been carefully compiled from lectures (praelectiones) that he had given.
de Greef, The Writings of John Calvin, 101-102

In addition, we see from Dr. de Greef’s research the persuasive evidence that the Commentaries also came from the weekly ministerial lectures given by Calvin on Friday mornings at the Congregation, and from certain Sermons that were later edited into the form of a commentary on Scripture. For example,

In Calvin’s forward [from his Commentary on the Psalms] of July 22, 1557, which contains various biographical data, he relates that he had first expounded on the Psalms for “our little school” a practice which, according to Nicolas Colladon (CO 21:75), he had begun in 1552. From 1555 until August 1559 the Psalms were also discussed during the weekly Bible studies (congregations). In addition, Calvin often chose a psalm for the Sunday afternoon sermon. At the repeated insistence of friends, he moved on to the writing of a commentary on the Psalms.
de Greef, The Writings of John Calvin, 105

At times, Calvin expressed a reluctance to have his material published in this manner, but due to the challenges of time he was unable to do otherwise. Dr. de Greef comments,

Calvin has lectured on the New Testament at the gymnasium in Strasbourg, where he covered the Gospel of John and 1 Corinthians. In Geneva he gave exegetical lectures on the Old Testament, addressing in Latin the students, ministers, and other interested persons. He thoroughly prepared for these lectures even though he had nothing written in front of him during the classes themselves; he could not find the time to carefully write everything down….It is striking that in later translations of Calvin’s commentaries and lectures, the differences in character between the two are often not distinguished. Calvin himself wrote the commentaries, following as closely as possible the criteria that he had established for a good commentary. Thus in a commentary Calvin always gives a very concise interpretation of the text. In the lectures, however, he generally discusses the text in somewhat more detail than in his commentaries… Considering the different value that Calvin placed on his commentaries and his lectures, we do him an injustice if we do not clearly distinguish between them…Calvin writes in the forward that originally he was not at all keen about the publication of these lectures. Since he had too little time to give to their preparation, he felt that they were not suitable for publication. But he also could not find the time to write a commentary on Hosea, so he agreed to publish the lectures as an experiment. It appears from a letter to Heinrich Bullinger (dated February 17, 1557—CO 16:412-13) that Calvin was not very happy with the publication. But the experiment proved to be successful, and all his subsequent lectures, therefore, were published in both Latin and French.
de Greef, The Writings of John Calvin, 107-108

Hence, the answer to my question of “How could John Calvin find time to write his scholarly Commentaries on various books from the Bible?” is answered by the research put forward by Dr. de Greef. In short, it was through Calvin’s hard work of preparing and giving weekly lectures on the Bible, and through the editing of the transcriptions of those remarks written down by others, that the large number of Commentaries came into existence.

Besides giving the background of the Commentraries, Dr. de Greef comments on many of the other publications of Calvin: his early writings as a young humanist, his shorter theological tracts, his sermon manuscripts, his letters, and his lengthier books. The history of the five separate editions of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, which stretches from 1536 to 1559, was especially helpful. Over the course of twenty-three years, Calvin’s Institutes steadily grew from a “small book” of six chapters that was designed to be “concealed in one’s pocket,” into a “large volume” containing eighty chapters in four books. This demonstrates the stellar effort that Calvin put into his literary projects over the course of his adult years.

On the left is Dr. de Greef’s fine book “The Writings of John Calvin,” plus two other noteworthy volumes

What can be learned from Calvin’s example? As a busy pastor, his determined effort stimulates me to continue my practice of working hard to fill my sermons and lectures with excellent material. Moreover, it should be my goal to preserve all of my material in personal files and/or by audio recordings. In this way, the work that goes into a given sermon or lecture is not only limited to that particular moment; but it lives on to be used another day. This same principle works well for various theological lectures and conference talks–each presentation can be used in other settings to further the impact of that one effort. May it all be to the Glory of God! Soli Deo Gloria!

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

John Calvin: A Biography

June 30, 2021 / marcusserven

Parker, T. H. L. John Calvin: A Biography. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1975, Reprinted in 2007. [190 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

I have often argued that a good modern biography on the life of John Calvin is very difficult to find. The problem with many contemporary biographers is that they fall into the bad habit of treating their subjects as if they were merely specimens in a petri dish. They metaphorically slice off a little section from the life of that man or woman and analyze a particular characteristic, or event, under the discriminating lens of their own personal microscope. They wonder, “Hmm, what grows on that specimen?” Is it Marxist ideology, Freudian psychoanalysis, Post-Modern narcissism, or perhaps various aspects of the Critical Race Theory? By taking this very narrow and truncated view, however, they miss the overall picture of who the subject of their biography actually was in real life! This way of writing biographies seems to be more subjective speculation than objective history. Moreover, these modern-day biographers tend to discount the opinion of past historians and biographers and rely exclusively upon their own research of the primary sources; and ultimately upon their own opinions.

Professor T. H. L. Parker at work when he taught at the University of Durham

There has to be a better way, but what is it? Here’s my proposal: there should be a balance between researching the primary sources (ad fontes) and a thorough reading of the older well-respected biographers. Both elements are required to produce an interesting and accurate portrayal of the subject. T. H. L. Parker succeeds in his endeavor to write an interesting and accurate biography of John Calvin by doing just that–by interacting with the primary literature and by crediting the insights of past biographers. His current work builds on and expands an earlier volume, Portrait of Calvin (1954), also published by The Westminster Press. It is one of the first biographies I ever read about Calvin and it certainly created a hunger in me to know more about the Reformer of Geneva.

One of the most helpful aspects of T. H. L. Parker’s current biography is the careful analysis he does on re-dating the conversion of Calvin. He writes,

On no part of Calvin’s life has so much energy been bestowed, so much ingenuity exercised, as upon the date, the manner, the causes, and the agencies of conversion. The pieces of information which our primary authorities furnish us are often inconsistent among themselves or with the assured or assumed knowledge we have of his early life. Such different views, such different datings have been advanced, and after nigh a century of Calvin-study so little certainty has been achieved, that one would wish a halt to be called were it not that in writing a life of Calvin it is not possible to describe the events of the decade 1525-34 without coming, however provisionally and hesitatingly, to some decision.
T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin: A Biography, 162

Parker draws from his careful analysis of Calvin’s own autobiographical Preface to the Psalms Commentary to come up with a potential date. In addition, he consults the older biographies, not ignoring their learned contributions, and makes some educated guesses. He argues,

From our reading of the Preface, is it possible to indicate a probable date for the conversion? One thing seems to emerge as necessary; if Calvin has remembered the sequence of events correctly, his conversion must be placed during his legal studies. A pre-Orleans date is inadmissible, as is also a date after he had taken his licentiate. If, then 1525 (1526) and March 1531 are the termini, we must allow time for working hard and time (possibly less) for working more coolly. Something between 1528 and early in 1530 would be possible. If however, the migration to Bourges indicates continued enthusiasm for the law studies, we must advance beyond the spring of 1529. If on the other had, there is substance in the stories of his preaching at Bourges, we must allow time for it. The latter end of 1529 or early in 1530 seem to be indicated. After this, Calvin does not break off his law studies altogether. He returns to Orleans in October 1530 (?) for the final part of his course and takes his licentiate. He goes to Paris for further studies and finishes the Commentary on De Clementia.
T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin: A Biography, 165

These arguments are persuasive and point, as well, to the seminal influence of the out-spoken German scholar, Melchoir Wolmar, under whom Calvin studied Greek at Bourges. It is very likely that Calvin was exposed to Luther’s tracts from the hand of Wolmar. Out of gratitude for the studies in New Testament Greek Calvin dedicated his Commentary on 2 Corinthians to Wolmar (August 1, 1546).

Thus, Parker writes a fascinating and colorful “portrait of Calvin” (to utilize his previous book’s title) that is built upon the primary sources, the older and well-respected works, and some shrewd guess-work on his part. Overall, I believe that he finds the proper balance of these elements without becoming overly speculative. I especially appreciated his numerous quotes from Nicolas Colladon’s early biography of Calvin (1565), which is rare to find in print, and his comments about the details of Calvin’s personal life. Parker opines,

Calvin was a good and faithful friend. Like most men, he had his affective casualties; but they were few in comparison with his life-long attachments—de Montmor, Laurent de Normandie, Mathurin Cordier, from his boyhood; Beza, Wolmar, Cop, from his youth; Farel, Melanchthon, Bullinger, from his early manhood. There were always the flatterers and the hero-worshippers, like Jean de L’Espine who would write to say that he wished he could hear Calvin’s “most sweet clear voice” and gaze upon his “most happy face.” But he distrusted praise and preferred to learn his faults. It was perhaps this openness and honesty that kept his friends as much as his evidences of love. And for his part, as he said in a time of distress, he could not live without friendship.
T. H. L. Parker, John Calvin: A Biography, 103

Is this the best modern biography available of John Calvin? In my opinion it is certainly better than William Bouwsma’s (John Calvin: A Sixteenth Century Portrait, Oxford, 1988) which is entirely too speculative in its psychoanalysis of Calvin’s character, and much better than Alister McGrath’s (A Life of John Calvin: A Study in the Shaping of Western Culture, Blackwell, 1990) which tends to be too technical. Thus, I would number it amongst the top two or three biographies on Calvin due to its careful objectivity, in-depth research, and winsome portrayal of the Reformer.

There is no shortage of biographies on John Calvin today. With the recent resurgence of interest in Reformed Theology and a growing reconsideration of the benefits of the Protestant Reformation, a large number of new biographical treatments of the Genevan Reformer have emerged. Here are three that merit a close and careful reading: (1) Bernard Cottret’s lively biography (Calvin: A Biography, Eerdmans, 2000); (2) Bruce Gordon’s encyclopedic biography (Calvin, Yale University Press, 2009); and lastly, Herman Selderhuis’s engaging biography (John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life, IVP, 2009). Perhaps in time one of these three scholarly volumes will replace Parker’s fine work, but until that time I believe it should be celebrated as one of the best overall biographies of John Calvin.

Hmm, why do publishers tend to use the same old pictures of John Calvin on their book covers?

Here are three more biographies showing some of the popular portraits of Calvin

Postscript: I was glad to note that The Westminster Press reprinted T. H. L. Parker’s biography of Calvin in 2007 for the celebration of Calvin’s 500th birthday on July 10, 2009. I trust that this book will continue to have a wide and appreciative readership in the years ahead. Tolle lege! Take up and read!

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Authority in the Christian Life

October 26, 2020 / marcusserven

Berthoud, Jean-Marc. Authority in the Christian Life. R. A. Sheets, trans. Monticello, FL: Psalm 78 Ministries, 2020. [152 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

During the time of the Reformation God raised-up the Reformers to recover the true Gospel and to rekindle a love for God’s Law. We all know their names: Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, Pierre Viret, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox. These men established biblical principles of how Christians properly relate to the authorities of this world. Mankind, though, is forever seeking to promote independence from God’s Law and all human authorities. This selfish effort only results in lawlessness, rebellion, and judgment. Now at this time of radical social upheaval, God is raising-up another spokesman, Jean-Marc Berthoud of Lausanne, Switzerland, to trumpet aloud the need for a sober reevaluation of the extent and limits of human authority. One of the most important themes of this volume, in my opinion, is its clear emphasis on how human authorities are responsible to God to be just and upright. When they are not, then they fall under God’s judgment and are likely to be removed by the “lesser powers.” It is not the responsibility of the individual to avenge wrongdoing, but God’s responsibility. Jean-Marc Berthoud forcefully writes,

By avenging ourselves, by rendering evil for evil, we are strengthening the self-justification of the one who is unjust to us. By patiently bearing with injustice, and by even rendering good for evil, we labor to defuse the self-justification of the wicked and awaken his hardened conscience. We are working toward God’s conversion of the wicked. It is through repentance and regeneration, not mob action and revolution, that God changes injustice into justice.
Jean-Marc Berthoud, Authority in the christian life, 29

Thus, he encourages Christians everywhere to advance the Kingdom of God on earth by utilizing spiritual weapons rather than by physical conflict. In brief, he urges Christians to not fall into the revolutionary patterns of the mob, but to submit themselves to God and trust Him to make all things right. Moreover, Jean-Marc Berthoud thoughtfully provides a number of practical scenarios to illustrate the principles he puts forward in this volume—for the businessman, the doctor or nurse, the policeman, the magistrate, the soldier, the teacher, and the church leader. Finally, he deals with the subject of church discipline and delineates between the separated powers of the magistrate and the leaders of the church. This is biblical exposition and theological analysis at its finest.

I highly recommend this slender paperback volume. It can be purchased directly from the publisher at Psalm 78 Ministries (www.psalm78ministries.com), or on Amazon. Read the book!

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation

September 4, 2020 / marcusserven

Wallace, Ronald S. Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation: A Study of Calvin as Social Worker, Churchman, Pastor and Theologian. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988. Edinburgh, UK: Scottish Academic Press, 1990. [310 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

The theological work of Rev. Dr. Ronald S. Wallace is best known from his two previous books: (1) Calvin’s Doctrine of Word and Sacrament (originally published in 1953, and reprinted in 1982), and (2) Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life (his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Edinburgh [no date], reprinted 1997). I was initially attracted to Wallace’s books by the fact that he served as a pastor in the Church of Scotland for twenty-seven years prior to taking up his responsibilities as a Professor. During this time of intense pastoral ministry he systematically engaged in scholarly research by writing the above books on Calvin’s theology and ministry, and pursued his doctoral degree. Eventually, he became a Professor at Columbia Theological Seminary, in Decatur, Georgia, where he taught theology and church history for fourteen years. Dr. Wallace died in 2006, having enjoyed a lengthy life of ninety-five years (1911-2006).

This current volume was originally published in 1988. It fulfills Dr. Wallace’s desire to write a biography on the life of John Calvin, but limits that larger project to a smaller scope. In essence, it is a study on Calvin’s pastoral theology; specifically his role as a social worker, churchman, pastor, and theologian. Wallace states,

For several years I read and collected material for a biographical work on Calvin. I discovered eventually, however, that I was engaged too much in parish work, and in other studies, to be able to master the complicated details of affairs in Geneva to the extent necessary for such a task. Since I was in the ministry myself, I was especially interested both in the kind of ministry which Calvin set himself to fulfill in his city Church (or Church-city), and in the way in which he actually succeeded in fulfilling it. This book therefore is an account, chiefly drawn from the material I collected, of Calvin’s ministry as a social reformer, churchman, and pastor in the sixteenth century. It cannot be called a “Life of Calvin”, but is, rather, a series of essays on his work and on the thought and devotion which he put into it.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, Forward, vii

What do I like best about this book? Here is a faithful pastor-scholar (Ronald Wallace) writing sympathetically and wisely about the life and ministry of another faithful pastor-scholar (John Calvin). In my opinion, nothing could be better than this!

Following a brief introduction to the major issues and events of the sixteenth century, plus a review of Calvin’s call and early ministry, Dr. Wallace then launches into his four main topics. The book is, therefore, segmented into three sections which explicate the four major themes of his study: (Part 1) The Reformer and his City, (Part 2) Churchman and Pastor, and (Part 3) The Theologian.

Section one speaks of Calvin’s role as a “social worker.” The use of this term today garners images of one who unnecessarily meddles in people’s lives. Perhaps a more appropriate term for American readers would be “social reformer,” for in many ways that was exactly what Calvin set out to be. In this serious responsibility of cultural change, he earnestly sought the transformation of his entire city by the power of the gospel. Wallace describes Calvin’s approach in the following manner,

His program could be described as one of social sanctification rather than of social reconstruction. A transformation first had to be brought about in the personal lives of Geneva’s citizens. This was to be achieved chiefly by two means: through social discipline, and through the sacramental power of the Word of God.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 31

Specifically regarding the practice of the Lord’s Supper, Wallace identifies the primary reason why Calvin guarded it so jealously, and why in time it came to grip the people of Geneva so strongly. He argues,

It was a visible enactment of the mystery that Christ was theirs, and they were his. What was made visible by Christ at the Lord’s Table did not mock those present. The forgiveness, new life and power which each person present, therefore, received by faith through the sacrament could be come the most powerful force for the transformation of individual character, of social and family life within the city…He thus enforced his moral and social Gospel from the Lord’s Table.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 33-34

Yet, it seems evident that additional structures were needed to fully reform and regulate the unruly citizens of Geneva. Thus, upon his return to the troubled city on September 13, 1541, following his forced exile in Strasbourg, Calvin set out to perfect the ideas that were never fully implemented during his initial years in Geneva (1536-1538). He wrote a formal plan for civil and ecclesiastical reform which he called the Ecclesiastical Ordinances, which was approved by the City Council on November 20, 1541. He also established an organization of church and civil authorities who would uphold it.

Calvin now proposed, in his Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) that there should be set up in Geneva a court which could have authority and make judgment on such matters of Church discipline. It was to be called a Consistory…”The duty of the Consistory was to summon, admonish or excommunicate those who lives were regarded as incurring such censures.” (Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 35) In this endeavor of social reform, the Minister and the Magistrate worked together to uphold the laws of the city and to further the effect the reform. Wallace notes,

Calvin was emphatic that ecclesiastical discipline was not enough by itself to produce the healthy society. Social discipline for moral and religious ends enforced by the civil magistrate with civil legal sanctions was also required and had to be distinguished from Church discipline.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 36

John Calvin (1509-1564), Pastor to the people of Geneva

It would be easy for those looking back upon the reformation of 16th Century Geneva from the lofty position of their own century to be overly critical. For this reason, Calvin has often been accused of being the “dictator of Geneva” who delighted in controlling the lives of others. It must be remembered, however, that Calvin’s stated goal was to bring transformation to society. The light of the gospel had to drive the darkness of moral depravity out of the culture all together. This would mean that all forms of public drunkenness, prostitution, usury, gambling, and youthful promiscuity should be radically curtailed, and that all of this change would be for the benefit of the people. It was not a matter of controlling the lives of the “free citizens of Geneva,” as the Libertines later made it out to be. It was bringing the lives of the people of Geneva into conformity with the benefits of the gospel and the sanctions of biblical law. Wallace puts it this way,

His aim was also positive. The minutes of the consistory show only the negative side of the city discipline. Calvin’s program involved the active promotion of the good life by the exaltation of virtue. He encouraged the city fathers of Geneva not to become too absorbed with “law and order”. They were there to set up and maintain a good system of public education, to encourage wholesome culture, and to create, even by regulation, an environment for healthy social attitudes. He believed that good morals can be produced by good legislation and good social organization. His experiment proved in the long run that people who were carefully driven into living virtuously began to prefer virtue to vice.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 51

In summary, Calvin achieved his goal of social transformation by the following means: (1) through preaching and teaching the Word of God (twice every Lord’s Day and on several days throughout the week), (2) through the regular administration of the Lord’s Supper (in time this happened monthly), (3) through the regulating power of the Consistory (with weekly meetings on Thursday mornings), and (4) through the complementary and harmonious relationship that existed between the civil magistrates and the ecclesiastical authorities.

Section two of Wallace’s book deals with Calvin’s role as a Pastor and Churchman. Specifically, he set out to reform the church in such a way that it would not only uphold correct doctrine (orthodoxy), but it would also closely conform to biblical patterns of life (orthopraxy). This was a reconstruction project of the highest order.

Calvin thought of himself in relation to the Church as an architect of reconstruction. In the letter dedicating his Commentary on Isaiah to King Edward VI he described the state of the Church. It had become like the ruined temple of God, utterly deformed, having lost all the glory of the early centuries of its life. But God had begun to raise it up so that men might begin again to see the beauty and glory of the former outline, and Calvin describes himself as one of many inconsiderable persons selected by God “as architects to promote the work of pure doctrine”. In his important letter to the King of Poland, he refers again to his call to “buildup he Church now lying deformed among the ruins of Popery.”
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 134

Calvin did not just promote his ideology on paper, but he actually implemented it in Geneva and demonstrated to others that his plan could work. He cared for the welfare of the people by visiting them in their own homes, and by training-up others who would share in this on-going responsibility (e.g. Ruling Elders and Deacons). Wallace says,

Moreover if he has a true pastoral concern for those to whom he is preaching he will seek not to fail to visit them in their homes. Calvin believed that Paul gave a pattern for the ministry of the Word when he spoke of how he did not cease to admonish both “publicly” and “from house to house”. “Whatever others may think,” Calvin wrote, “we do not regard our office as bound within so narrow limits that when the sermon is delivered we may rest as if our task was done. They whose blood will be required of us if lost through our slothfulness, are to be cared for much more closely and vigilantly.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 173

What of Calvin’s role as a Theologian? Much could be said, but it is important to note that Calvin did not pursue theology because he delighted in abstract thinking, biblical speculation, and dwelling on lofty subjects over and above the ordinary Christian. Instead, Wallace suggests a more personal motivation. He states,

Theology for Calvin, was always an affair of the heart. Christianity, he insisted “is a doctrine not of the tongue but of the life and is not apprehended merely by the intellect and memory, like other sciences, but is received only when it possesses the whole soul, and finds its seat and habitation in the innermost recesses of the heart” [Institutes 3:6:4].
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 233

And again, Wallace perceptively declares,

Therefore the theological quest involves the theologian not simply in an effort to know about God but also in a growing desire for union and communion with God himself. Even as we meditate, for example, on the nature of the Trinity we are reminded by Calvin that God offers himself to our faith not only to be heard and tested, by to be contemplated, and we are urged to “look upon the one God, to unite with him, and to cleave to him” [Institutes 1:13:2, 1:13:16].
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 234

Upon what did Calvin build his theology? He could have started with a scathing critique of all the medieval scholastic theologians and then moved on to what was wrong with the church in his time. Yet he does not fall into this purely negative approach. Rather, he consciously and purposefully bases his theology upon the Word of God. And from this unassailable foundation, he constructs a timeless pastoral methodology that is immune to philosophical speculation and the ever-changing trends of contemporary theology.

His theology was a theology of the Word of God. It can be argued that his contemporary influence was as much due to the circulation of his Commentaries as to the Institutes, which after all he regarded simply as a key to help people to know what to look for in the scriptures. His chief aim, therefore, as a theologian was simply to give a faithful and systematic account of what he himself had found there.
Ronald Wallace, Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation, 222

Hence, I find that Dr. Ronald Wallace has very capably revealed Calvin’s role as a social worker, churchman, pastor, and theologian. He does this with numerous citations from the Institutes, the Commentaries, and the Letters. I appreciated his emphasis on Calvin’s pastoral ministry and his passion in presenting his research. I have read this book several times and continue to dip into it from time to time. In brief, I highly recommend it.

Subscript: This is the one book in all my reading on John Calvin’s role as a Pastor that deeply delves into the specifics of Calvin’s pastoral theology; and so, over the years it has been of immense interest and value to me. Inspired by Wallace’s perceptive book, I completed my own doctoral dissertation on Calvin’s pastoral theology at Covenant Theological Seminary (DMin, 2011). Several notable quotations from Wallace’s book find a prominent place in my dissertation, “Seeking the Old Paths: Towards a Recovery of John Calvin’s Pastoral Theology Amongst Reformed and Presbyterian Pastors Today.”

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Calvin: Origins and Development of his Religious Thought

September 4, 2020 / marcusserven

Wendel, Francois. Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought. Translated by Philip Mairet. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1950. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997. [383 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

This is the one book that everyone who writes on the subject of Calvin’s thought likes to quote from. Over the past twenty-five years I found myself regularly coming across footnotes referring to Wendel’s Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought. Since I do not read French—nor could I find an English edition at the theological bookstores I frequented—it became a personal quest to find a copy of Wendel’s book in English. Perhaps, the academic attraction to this book is due to Wendel’s European credentials. He served as the Dean of the Protestant Faculty of Theology at Strasbourg for many years during the last century. In that capacity he developed into one of the foremost European scholars on the history and literature of the Reformation. This present volume is the capstone of his efforts. At any rate, my joy knew no bounds when I received a book catalogue in the fall of 1996 advertising an English edition to be published by Baker Books. I immediately ordered the book at its pre-publication price. Finally, after waiting for three months the much wanted book arrived in the mail! I grabbed my coat and went down to my favorite coffee shop and dove right into the book. I was not disappointed, as Wendel sparkles in his academic expertise on all things related to Calvin and in his easy to read prose.

The book divides neatly into two parts: (1) a one-hundred and seven page biographical outline of Calvin’s life; and (2) a two-hundred and fifty-two page investigation of his central theological doctrines (based upon the Institutes, Calvin’s Commentaries, Calvin’s Sermons, Calvin’s Letters, and the writings of other Reformation personalities such as Theodore Beza, Martin Bucer, Martin Luther, and Phillip Melanchthon,). Professor Wendel has a wonderful grasp of the secondary literature and gives numerous citations from past and current Calvin scholars.

Two particular questions that I have always wondered about were these: (1) “How exactly did the Institutes of the Christian Religion come about?”, and (2) “Why did the Institutes develop and grow over time through its successive editions?” Wendel gives a whole stream of answers to the second of these two questions, plus he thoroughly answers a variation of the first question by considering “What were Calvin’s sources for the Institutes?” The Bible was certainly Calvin’s primary source, as the Institutes absolutely brims with biblical citations wherein Calvin demonstrates his comprehensive understanding of its most significant doctrines. Beyond that, references from the secular Greek philosophers such as: Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Themistius, and Cicero abound. Also, quotations and allusions from the early Church Fathers: Chrysostom, Cyril, Origin, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Eusebius, and Augustine; and well-known medieval theologians such as: Anselm, Lombard, Bernard of Clairvaux, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Ockham are also clearly evident. At the time Luther’s pamphlets were readily available, as well as his Larger and Shorter Catechisms. Moreover, Phillip Melanchthon’s work of dogmatics, Loci Communes, had been in print since 1521, with a new edition appearing in 1535. Undoubtedly Calvin profited from reading these materials and wrestling with their central theses, yet he also saw the urgent need for a fresh treatment of the basic theological beliefs of the Reformation.

Here is my own well-worn copy of Calvin’s masterwork: The Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559) plus a fine devotional volume by Dr. David Calhoun expounding it.

From early November 1533, once he became a fugitive, Calvin evidently had time to reflect upon the necessity of producing a book that would thoroughly explain the doctrines of the Evangelical movement. Perhaps, he laid the initial foundations for this project in his mind while riding on his horse and seeking a place of refuge. Or, perhaps the motivating event was that he heard a report about the “Affair of the Placards” and the subsequent martyrdom of many of his personal friends in Paris (October 17-18, 1534). Surely, he was strongly motivated not only by his own suffering, but also the gruesome deaths of those whom he knew and loved. It is with the last thought in mind that Calvin resolved to address his Preface to King Francis 1st in the hope that he might persuade the French King to a more moderate attitude towards the Protestant cause. In this Preface he demonstrated his skills as a well-trained lawyer, through careful argumentation, and as an articulate and convinced theologian, through his passionate defense of biblical orthodoxy. At some point, likely in January of 1535, Calvin determined that he should be the one to actually produce the Institutes. Most of Calvin’s biographers look to Louis du Tillet’s library in Angouleme, France as the place of genesis. It was there, apparently, during the winter months that Calvin began outlining the Institutes of the Christian Religion, conducting his research, and writing his initial drafts. In this sense, this library became Calvin’s “Wartburg”. One year later, in January of 1536 we find Calvin dwelling in Basle with Oswald Myconius where he completed his “little book” and finally submitted it for publication. About this first edition Wendel states,

The first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion was published in March 1536 by the Basle printers Thomas Platter and Balthasar Lasius. This was in one volume of 516 pages of small format, such as could be easily slipped into the vast pockets of the clothes then worn. The work at that time consisted of six chapters: the first four were devoted to the Law, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper—which was the classic order of Luther’s Catechisms. And the work was, in fact, conceived as a catechism; that is what the publishers and Calvin himself called it. A fifth and a sixth chapter, one dealing with false Sacraments and the other with the liberty of the Christian, were inspired by the special reasons which had also given birth to the ‘Epistle to the King’ printed at the head of the work.
Francois Wendel, Calvin, 112

The success of this first publication of the Institutes must have been considerable, for we learn that the copies of this first edition were completely exhausted in less than a year after it had appeared. This is all the more noteworthy of consideration since the book was written in Latin, and its appeal was therefore limited to a relatively small cultured public who could read Latin. Later editions, in both Latin and French, are fully chronicled by Wendel with all the salient details of their publication. Finally, of course, Calvin is able to produce the penultimate Latin edition of 1559 and the French edition of 1560. Wendel notes,

Yet whatever its defects, this edition of the 1559-1560 remains monumental work; truly a theological summa of Reformed Protestantism. Even in Calvin’s lifetime its success was immense, and it was never discredited afterwards. It was indubitably one of the causes of the very rapid rise of a Calvinist orthodoxy, strictly adherent to the formulas of the Institutes, which even the later controversies have only with difficulty managed to modify.
Francois Wendel, Calvin, 122

On the lasting influence of those ultimate editions, Wendel favorably quotes the opinion of Imbart de La Tour who published his own study on Calvin in 1935,

The whole of Calvinism is in the Institutes—a work of capital importance, the work most valued by Calvin, who spent all his life revising and reshaping as well as enriching it. All his other works—commentaries, controversies, smaller dogmatic or moral treatises—are related to it like advanced redoubts meant to defend the heart against the enemy.
Imbart de La Tour, Calvin et l’Institution Cretienne, 55; quoted by Francois Wendel, Calvin, 111

In conclusion, I believe that Wendel’s volume, Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought, is one of the most significant Calvin studies of the past century. It may in time be surpassed by Derek Thomas and John Tweeddale’s penetrating and comprehensive volume, John Calvin: For A New Reformation (2019); but only time will tell if that becomes true. In the meantime, though, I sincerely expect that I will return to Wendel’s book many times over to consider the constituent elements of the Institutes, and to dive deep into a cogent analysis of Calvin’s thought. Now I know why everyone likes to quote from this book; it is simply a goldmine of material on Calvin and the development of his thinking.

I am most grateful that Baker Books chose to reprint the English edition of Wendel’s book in 1996. Reading it laid the foundation for my own doctoral work on Calvin’ pastoral theology that I would commence ten years later in 2006. Wendel’s Calvin: Origins and Development of His Religious Thought reveals much about the Reformer that would be very difficult to discover apart from the exhaustive research contained in this noteworthy volume. In summary, I say “Bravo!” for a superlative study on Calvin and his theological development.

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

The Calvinistic Concept of Culture

September 3, 2020 / marcusserven

Van Til, Henry R. The Calvinistic Concept of Culture. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1959. Forward by Richard J. Mouw, 2001. [245 pages]

Reviewed by Dr. Marcus J. Serven

I have wanted to read this particular book for a very long time, but never made it a priority to do so. Having now carefully read it through, I can see that this is a very deep volume that represents Henry R. Van Til’s entire life work. It certainly bears reading a second time, and perhaps even a third time, to fully comprehend its message. The concepts that are presented on cultural transformation from Augustine (The City of God), Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion), and Kuyper (Lectures on Calvinism) follow in a straight line; with each man’s thoughts neatly building upon the others. However, when Van Til includes the blistering critique of Klaas Schilder (Wat is de Hemel) against the central theme of God’s common grace (i.e. Kuyper); it is a strategy that leaves me thoroughly puzzled. I believe that this juxtaposition of views on common grace weakens the overall progress of the book and its conclusion. In my opinion, Schilder’s critique should have been left out entirely, or positioned in some other manner.

Nevertheless, despite this flaw (and I do not believe it is a fatal flaw), The Calvinistic Concept of Culture retains its place as one of the seminal books of the twentieth century to set forth a theology of culture. It should surely be read alongside other similar books, some of which do not share Van Til’s conservative biblical theology, such as: Jacque Ellul’s Meaning of the City, H. Richard Neibuhr’s Christ and Culture, and Paul Tillich’s Theology of Culture. There are, of course, several contemporary evangelical authors who embrace Van Til’s conservative biblical theology that could also be read with profit on this subject, such as: D. A. Carson’s Christ and Culture Revisited; Charles Kraft’s Christianity in Culture; Francis Schaeffer’s How should We Then Live?; and David F. Well’s penetrating four volume analysis and critique of the modern church: (1) No Place for Truth or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology? [1993], (2) God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams [1994], (3) Losing Our Virtue: Why the Church Must Recover Its Moral Vision [1998], and (4) Above All Earthly Powers: Christ in a Postmodern World [2005]). Beyond this, William A. Dyrness has written a very helpful introductory article on “Christianity and Culture” in the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001). This fine article helped me to get my bearings on this complex subject.

It should be stated first off, that the author of The Calvinistic Concept of Culture was Calvin College Professor, Henry R. Van Til (Th.M. degree from Westminster), the nephew of the better-known Dr. Cornelius Van Til (Professor of Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary). Professor Henry R. Van Til died suddenly in 1961 at the age of 55 (1906-1961). This was his first and only book, which was distilled from his extensive class notes, and written while on sabbatical. Throughout, Van Til gives a large number of illustrations showing the positive historical impact of Calvinism. He also illuminates the underlying presuppositions that motivate the Calvinist to influence this fallen world with the gospel: (1) our need to obey the creation mandate (Genesis 1:27), (2) our need to fulfill the cultural mandate (Genesis 1:28; Matthew 28:18-20), and (3) our need to claim all things for our reigning King, the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:15-20, 3:17).

Dr. Richard J. Mouw, formerly President of Fuller Theological Seminary, writes an insightful Forward which reveals, in summary, the major points of Van Til’s thesis. Mouw introduces the subject of cultural transformation in this way,

In a world distorted by sin, redeemed people must seek to bring all areas of human life into conformity with the Lord of creation. The mandate is all-inclusive. As Abraham Kuyper—whose influences looms large in this book—once declared, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry ‘Mine!’” And the Lord who claims all culture as part of his kingdom also calls his redeemed people to show forth his divine rule in the patterns in their cultural involvement. Here the standard Calvinistic discussion of divine cultural election is extended to emphasize the point of that election: believers who have been elected by sovereign grace are thereby called to participate in the life of a redeemed community of believers who together must find ways of bearing witness to the sovereign rule of God over all things.
Richard Mouw, Forward, x

Van Til’s book is laid out as follows,

The theological meta-narrative of The Calvinistic Concept of Culture is about subsequent Christian thinkers who have, in Van Til’s telling of the tale, best described the profound implications of this biblical plot for the understanding culture: Augustine, Calvin, and Dutch Reformed “neo-Calvinists” of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries…Van Til chooses to focus on two prominent Dutch thinkers—Abraham Kuyper and Klaas Schilder—devoting a chapter to each of them.
Richard Mouw, Forward, xi

The two following questions are central to this book: (1) “What is the definition of the word culture?”, and (2) “What is the relationship of culture to religion?” Van Til defines “culture” with the following definition,

The term “culture” has meant many things to many people. In this book I use the term to designate that activity of man, the image-bearer of God, by which he fulfills the creation mandate to cultivate the earth, to have dominion over it and to subdue it. The term is also applied to the result of such activity, namely, the secondary environment which has been superimposed upon nature by man’s creative effort. Culture, then, is not a peripheral concern, but of the very essence of life. It is an expression of man’s essential being as created in the image of God, and since man is essentially a religious being, it is expressive of his relationship to God, that is, of his religion…My thesis, then, is that Calvinism furnishes us with the only theology of culture that is truly relevant for the world in which we live, because it is the true theology of the Word.
Henry Van Til, Preface, xvii

This very fine definition brings up some salient points: (1) it roots all human culture in the truth that we are creatures made by God, (2) as creatures, we must be in right a relationship with our Creator, and that is only accomplished through faith in Jesus Christ, the Father’s eternal Son, and finally, (3) all human culture is a reflection of our covenantal relationship with God (i.e. our religion) and the blessings of God’s common grace shown to all of his creatures. Van Til would describe religion with the following words,

Religion is the inescapable covenantal relationship between God as Lord and his image-bearer, man. This relation follows from that other basic one of Creator and creature, and rests upon the faithfulness of God to the covenant which he ordained as constituting the religious relationship. This relationship extends to the whole of life; it is all-permeating; it radiates from its center in the heart out to every area on the periphery of man’s existence.
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 37

The covenantal aspects of our relationship with God are inescapable. All human beings alike are held to the overarching “Covenant of Life” (i.e. required obedience to God’s Law under penalty of death), and Christians are called to live out their faith in this fallen world as representatives of God’s Gospel (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21). They are to be light in the midst of darkness (cf. Matthew 5:14-16). In this respect it would normative for members of Christ’s Church to live in such a way that darkness is driven from culture by the progress of the gospel. Van Til summarizes his central thesis with his oft-quoted phrase, “Culture…is religion externalized.” Just to be factual, though, it is necessary to quote the whole sentence,

But basically the antithesis is just as absolute in culture as it is in the sphere of religion, for culture is simply the service of God in our lives; it is religion externalized.
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 200

Van Til puts forward the life and ministry of Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430) as an example of one who set out to transform fallen culture with the gospel. He states,

In short, Augustine is not a cultural optimist, who believes in culture as such, to redeem man and society. Neither is he a cultural pessimist in the Tertullian sense of condemning every form of culture simply because of its pagan origin and association. Augustine believes that the achievements of cultural striving must be permeated and transformed by Christian principles so that we develop a truly God-fearing and God-glorifying culture instead of the corrupt, God-defying culture of the world (civitas terrena).
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 67-68

Just what are the areas of life that might be influenced by the gospel? Or, stated in other words, where should the Christian seek to exercise “sphere-sovereignty”? There are many areas, but let one example, in particular, serve as an application of Van Til’s thesis of cultural transformation; and that is the area of music. Music is a medium that seems to transcend all cultural differences and times. In this “sphere” the sovereignty of God must also be brought to bear. Van Til powerfully contends,

Music is the foremost of the arts in its adaptability to worship. The object of music is God and his creation. The glory of God and the elevation of man are its goal, and the inspiring Psalms are its means. Since it is the goodness of God emanating through the universe that makes men sing, God ought to be the center of man’s thoughts and feelings when he sings. Seriousness, harmony, and joy must characterize our songs to God. And, although Calvin does not reject the use of hymns, he prefers to use the Psalms of David in public worship. Song is the unlimited reservoir of power, since it moves our hearts to call upon the name of God more earnestly. By it we are strong in temptation and in the face of persecution (witness the Huguenots and many martyrs who went to the stake singing), and it renews the soul. By singing the church is builded (sic) and its members united in the holy bond of love. Calvin did not condemn secular music, namely, that which had the creation of God as its object, out of hand. But the secular may not be godless; it must serve to glorify God indirectly through our joy and elevation. Therefore, music that degrades, that corrupts good manners, that flatters the flesh, must be rejected. For music has a secret and incredible power to move the hearts. When evil words are accompanied by music, they penetrate more deeply and the poison enters as wine through a funnel into the vat.
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 110-111

Thus, John Calvin (1509-1564) endeavored to promote godly music in Geneva that would build-up the culture rather than tear it down. He encouraged the singing of Psalms from the Bible in the worship service and around the family table. These were to be sung without instrumentation to metered-tunes that were easily learned. An initial version of the Psalter was published in Strasbourg (1539), and this was followed by numerous editions and perfections to the Psalter published in Geneva. The Psalter was a powerful tool of cultural transformation and cultural domination. Later psalm-singing developed from only singing the melody into four-part harmony (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass). That perfection became the mainstay of the Dutch Reformed Christians, the Scottish Covenanters, and the English and American Puritans. Van Til explains,

Calvin has been called the father of the Psalter. Before him the French Reformed churches knew no congregational singing. In 1537 Calvin had already proposed the introduction of congregational singing in Geneva, in order to stir up the cold hearts to prayer and to move them to praise. However, the first edition of the Psalter appears in Strasbourg in 1539, where Calvin was in exile. It contained his own metrical version of the Psalms of Strasbourg. Later Calvin eliminated his own poetry and took Marot’s version of the Psalms, while the tunes were either composed or arranged by Bourgeois and published in 1562. This version of the Psalter enjoyed twenty-five editions the year of its publication and a total of 1,400 editions.
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 111

To further apply this thinking of “sphere-sovereignty” to cultural transformation, Van Til explains Kuypers’ determination to establish parallel institutions that would clearly show the antithesis to those secular institutions. Van Til states,

The regenerated man must live Pro Rege, for the King, in every cultural activity, in every societal relationship, and every communal organization. Marriage, the family, the educational institutions, the state, and society as a whole must be organized along Christian principles…This has been called the organizational antithesis. Kuyper was convinced that there was no other way for the Christian to work and witness successfully in society than through separate organizations. He goes so far as to call this the third instrument, next to church and school, by which Christ maintains his hegemony in society.
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 131

Today, some Christians would object to Kuyper’s aggressive strategy, and would assert their desire to remain neutral rather than to inflame the opposition by being overly aggressive. Van Til strongly argues that neutrality is impossible; for what do light and darkness have in common? He contends,

Scripture allows no neutrality with respect to the claims of God and of his Christ. For the affirmation of neutrality assumes that the subject is independent of God to the point that he can safely, with impunity, disregard the claims of the Lord. This the Bible will not allow. No man has the right to ignore God; in fact, God is the ever-present, inescapable Presence that no man can ignore. Therefore, the neutrality concept of the world is a form of denial; it says in effect, “God, stay away from my door; I can get along well enough on my own.” This is the philosophy of Esau, a profane person. Neutrality is profanity, it is godliness, it constitutes the secular mind, which tries to make of religion a thing apart from life. But this is blasphemy!
Henry Van Til, The Calvinistic Concept of Culture, 201

The final analysis provided by Van Til is that cultural engagement and transformation is the duty of the Christian. Whereas, there may be subtle refinements to this theology of culture, as proposed by Schilder and others, it is nonetheless the responsibility of Christians everywhere to live as light in this dark world. We are called to retake the ground that has been too easily surrendered to the enemy. We are to do this by living a life of antithesis and cultural engagement.

Thus, it is a privilege to commend The Calvinistic Concept of Culture to a new generation of thoughtful reading Christians who wish to implement the imperatives of the gospel in this fallen world. There will certainly be opposition, both from without and within, but this does not diminish our call to be salt and light. And so, we are to live Pro Rege (for the King) and Coram Deo (before the face of God). May it be so.

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

A Review: Authentic Christianity

August 25, 2020 / marcusserven

*Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism,* 2nd Edition, in 8 Volumes written by Dr. Joseph C. Morecraft III

There are some notable theological works that have clearly stood the test of time. You know the authors—Anselm, Augustine, Bavinck, Berkhof, Calvin, Dabney, Hodge, Luther, Machen, Murray, Rushdoony, Turretin, Van Til, and Warfield. The books that these insightful men have written are widely read, constantly reprinted, and lovingly treasured. With the publication of this second edition (2019) of Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism, I believe that Dr. Morecraft’s work is well on its way to becoming a classic of the same stature.

My initial copy of Authentic Christianity (1st edition, 2009) is well-worn, and I welcome the prospect of utilizing this new set for future reflection and serious study of the Westminster Larger Catechism. Keep in mind that these comprehensive volumes represent a lifetime of work by Dr. Morecraft. They show his love for the Bible and for the accurate summary of Christian doctrine that is contained in the Westminster Larger Catechism. Here are a few samples from the pages of Authentic Christianity regarding the Lord’s Prayer:

“The First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer as a Prayer for the Conversion of the Whole World: When we pray “hallowed be Thy Name,” we are not praying only for our own personal and individual situation, we are praying for the hallowing of God’s name generally and globally and universally, “that he would prevent and remove atheism, ignorance, idolatry, profaneness, and whatsoever is dishonorable to him.” Throughout the history of the church, men of God have recognized this inescapable implication of the first petition of the Lord’s Prayer. If we are to pray that God would “enable and incline us and others to know, to acknowledge, and highly to esteem,” and glorify God, then we are, by implication, praying that God “would prevent and remove atheism” (WLC 190).”
Morecraft, Authentic Christianity, Vol. 7, 3579

And, here are Dr. Morecraft’s remarks on the 5th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer (And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors):

“We and others are debtors to the Justice of God: Because of our guiltiness before God for disregarding the transgressing His Law, all human beings are “debtors to the justice of God.” God’s justice demands that all sin be punished: “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Why? God’s justice is “that perfection of God by which He maintains Himself over against every violation of His holiness, and shows in every respect that He is the Holy One…Divine justice is originally and necessarily obliged to punish evil…Luke 17:10; 1 Cor. 4:7; Job 41:11” (Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 74-75). Sin is a real “debt.” It is an offense and insult to the holiness of God. It is a violation of His holy Law, making us deserving of everlasting punishment. We owe God the “debt” of complete obedience to God’s Law, which God demands of all intelligent creatures. We failed in our obedience to Him; therefore, God’s Law denounces us and threatens us with punishment. Thus, we owe God the “debt” of eternal punishment. Therefore, we should pray the Fifth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer continually, because, as we shall see, we cannot pay the debt we owe God. If it is not fully paid, we will perish eternally in our sins, because “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness of men” (Rom. 1:18). Without forgiveness of sins by God, each day of our lives we are “storing up wrath [for ourselves] in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:5-6).”
Morecraft, Authentic Christianity, Vol. 7, 3666-3667

Both citations, I trust, will give the reader a distinct impression of the depth of theological analysis and practical application that flows out of every volume. Dr. Morecraft not only loves the doctrines found in the Bible, but he also loves the people of God that he serves in pastoral ministry. His entire project of expounding the Westminster Larger Catechism is built upon the premise that God wants His people to become mature and stable disciples of Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 1:28-29; Heb. 5:12-14). Hence, there is no better way to accomplish this goal than to steep them in the riches found in the Bible. Since the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Catechisms accurately summarize the teachings of the Bible, that, of course, makes them an extremely valuable resource for all believers to study.

Last of all, it is important to note that Dr. Morecraft cites many great theologians throughout his exposition. You will find beneficial quotes from Augustine, Louis Berkhof, John Calvin, Charles Hodge, Martin Luther, William G. T. Shedd, Cornelius Van Til, and Benjamin B. Warfield, plus many others. This fact adds to the richness of these eight volumes. Where can you get these books? Here is the complete reference info:

Morecraft III, Joseph C. Authentic Christianity: An Exposition of the Theology and Ethics of the Westminster Larger Catechism. 8 Volumes. Second Edition. Centreville, AL: Four Falls Press, 2019.

And a link to a website where copies of Authentic Christianity can be found:

Authentic Christianity

I pray that an entirely new generation of thoughtful pastors, students, and readers will benefit from Dr. Morecraft’s fine exposition of the Westminster Larger Catechism. Soli Deo Gloria!

— Dr. Marcus J. Serven

Category: Book Reviews

A Brief Review–Three New R. C. Sproul Books!

G. I. Williamson’s “Westminster Confession of Faith” (2nd Edition)

Schaeffer’s Critique of Modern Culture

The Writings of John Calvin

John Calvin: A Biography

Authority in the Christian Life

Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation

Calvin: Origins and Development of his Religious Thought

The Calvinistic Concept of Culture

A Review: Authentic Christianity

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