“When the truth was suffocated by such pervasive, thick darkness; when religion was polluted by so many godless superstitions; when the worship of God was corrupted by horrid sacrilege and His glory was lying prostrate; when the benefit of redemption was buried under many twisted opinions, people drunk on the destructive confidence of works sought salvation elsewhere than in Christ, the administration of the sacraments was partly mangled and destroyed, partly corrupted by many human inventions mixed in, partly defiled by for-profit markets; when the government of the church had degenerated into a totally confused wasteland; when those who were sitting in the place of pastors first damaged the church very much by a loose way of living; when they exercised harsh and especially harmful tyranny over souls, the people were led like a herd of cattle to destruction by every kind of error—Luther emerged, then others appeared, who with united devotion sought out reasons and ways by which religion could be freshly purged from so many corruptions, the doctrine of godliness be restored to its purity, and the church be brought together out of such distress into a tolerable condition. We still proceed in this course today.” (Calvin, The Necessity of Reforming the Church, 22-23)
— Dr. Marcus J. Serven
Source: John Calvin. The Necessity of Reforming the Church (1544). Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishing, 2020.
Here is a short summary statement of John Calvin’s argument for applying the sign of baptism to the children of Believers:
John Calvin (1509-1564)
“Reason would tell us that baptism is rightly administered to babies. The Lord did not give circumcision long ago without making them (infants) partakers of everything represented by circumcision. He would have been deceiving his people with a sham, if he had reassured them with false signs. The idea is very shocking. He distinctly states that the circumcision of the infant is the seal of covenant promise. If the covenant remains firm and unmoved, this is just as relevant to the children of Christians today as it was to the children of the Jews under the Old Testament…The truth of baptism applies to infants, so why do we deny them the sign? The Lord himself formally admitted infants to his covenant, so what more do we need?”
John Calvin, Institutes of the christian religion, 4:16:5 (Beveridge Edition)
Most Reformed and Presbyterian families embrace Calvin’s way of thinking when it comes to our “Covenant Children.” We understand that God has given each child to the Christian family as a “heritage,” a “reward,” and a “blessing” (Ps. 127:3-5). And, that the sign and seal of the Old Testament–which was circumcision (Gen. 17:7-9; Rom. 4:11)–has now been replaced by baptism in the New Testament (Col. 2:11-12). Standing on the promises of the Covenant of Grace, Christian parents are solemnly tasked by Jesus Christ “to make disciples” of their children by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Lastly, they are instructed by the Apostle Paul to “bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4; Matt. 28:20). This is serious business!
An Infant Baptism at Covenant Family Church in Troy, MO
Therefore, it is imperative that Christian fathers and mothers embrace the promises of God for each one of their children (Ps. 78:1-8). Consider the Apostle Peter’s striking admonition to his fellow Jews on the day of Pentecost, “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:39). In other words, those who follow Jesus Christ as His disciples are responsible by faith to entrust the spiritual awakening of their own children to God’s gracious work (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5-7). We do this by presenting our “Covenant Children” for baptism and by instructing them in the truths of the Gospel as they mature.
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. ” 1 Cor. 11:27
St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland–Calvin’s pulpit is at the center-left
Who possesses the authority to admit a person to the Lord’s Supper or to ban the unrepentant sinner from it—the civil magistrates or the officers of Christ’s Church? This central question plagued the city of Geneva for several decades during the time of the Reformation. The Ecclesiastical Ordinances, written by John Calvin in 1541 and received by the Small Council of Geneva in that same year (November 20th), clearly specifies that the Church retains the right to properly order the Lord’s Supper. This would include who is admitted to the Table and who is banned from the Table. Many of Calvin’s biographers have commented on these controversial events, but what original documents can be found to show exactly what happened? Two sources are notable (1) The Resister of the Company of Pastors in Geneva in the time of Calvin: 1546-1564, translated and edited by Philip E. Hughes (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), and (2) Life of John Calvin, written by Theodore Beza in 1564 immediately following Calvin’s death (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983).
William Farel
The citizens of Geneva formally decided for the Reformation, against Roman Catholicism, on May 21, 1536. With right hands raised, they swore to live by the Word of God and to reject Romanist idolatries. This initial effort was led by two missionary evangelists, William Farel (1489-1565) and Pierre Viret (1511-1571). Shortly after this, John Calvin was also added to the team of Reformers working in Geneva. These ministers of the gospel envisioned a reformation that would not only bring about the adoption of a new Protestant Statement of Faith, which was presented to the Small Council in January 1537, but also a complete reformation of the morals of the town. They rightly reasoned that for any reform effort to be successful a change in doctrine (orthodoxy) must always be accompanied by a change in behavior (orthopraxy). Geneva had been long known for its loose morals. Dr. John T. McNeill, a highly regarded Reformation historian, comments,
Moral conditions were, indeed, such as to invite drastic reform. Medieval Geneva, by common consent of historians, abounded in centers of dissolute pleasure. Even contemporary opponents of the Reformation freely accuse the pre-Reformation clergy and friars of appalling misbehavior; and while this was resented by the people, it was also imitated by them. Genevese gaiety was often associated with intemperance, obscenity, and licentiousness.
McNeill, The History and Character of Calvinism, 166
John Calvin as a young Pastor
Calvin drafted a plan for the reformation of the church and society of Geneva and he called it the Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541). It was composed by Calvin right after his return to Geneva. His basic plan was to establish four offices within the church—pastors, doctors, elders, and deacons. These men had the spiritual responsibility to advance the teaching of biblical doctrine and behavior. Violations of these biblical standards would be enforced by the Genevan Consistory; which was made up of representatives from both the church and civil government. If the violations were of a serious nature and recurrent then a person could be suspended from the Lord’s Table. What breaches might lead to suspension from the Lord’s Table? Here are seven stipulations listed in the Ecclesiastical Ordinances,
(1) If anyone speaks critically against the received doctrine”, (2) “If anyone is negligent to come to church in such a way that a serious contempt of Christians is apparent”, (3) “if any one shows himself to be scornful of the ecclesiastical order”, (4) “those who mock at the specific admonitions of their neighbor”, (5) “for those notorious and public vices which the Church cannot condone”, (6) “for those crimes which deserve not only verbal rebuke but correction with punishment”, (7) “If through contumacy or rebelliousness such a person attempts to intrude himself contrary to the prohibition.
Hughes, Ed. The Register, 48-49
The length of the suspension, whether it was temporary or permanent, would depend upon the offending person’s repentance. Accordingly, the pastor who was responsible for administering the Lord’s Supper was also responsible to “fence the Table” so that those who were “unworthy” partakers would not be able to receive the Lord’s Supper. The Reformers insisted that the “three marks of a church” are these: (1) the true preaching of the Word of God; (2) the right administration of the Sacraments (Baptism and the Lord’s Supper); and (3) the faithful exercise of church discipline (cf. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 576-578). Calvin strongly resolved that upon these three foundational marks the Church of Jesus Christ in Geneva would be built.
Here is a “primary source” that reveals the reforming work of the Genevan Church
During the fourteen years that followed the approval of the Ecclesiastical Ordinances by the City Council (November 20, 1541) wide-ranging conflicts raged throughout Geneva. It proved far easier to reform the doctrine of the people than to reform their behavior. As a result an opposition party was formed by some of the key families of Geneva (the Perrins, Favres, Vandels, Bertheliers, etc.). They called themselves the Libertines (also known as the Enfants de Geneva). Here is an example from The Register of the Company of Pastors (December 23, 1552) where a certain individual complained to the Small Council (referred to as the Messieurs or Senate) about being suspended from the Lord’s Table.
On the same day and at the same hour Messieurs proposed to us that some reconciliation should be made in the case of those who had been banned from the supper by the Consistory. Monsieur Calvin replied at once in the name of all the brethren, making two requests on our behalf: firstly, that they should not give the ministers the authority which belonged to the whole Consistory, of which each was a member, since it was not for us as individuals to deprive anyone of the supper, nor did we have authority, apart from the decision of the Consistory, to readmit those who had been deprived; and, secondly, that they should exhibit the same impartiality to all. Philibert Berthelier was then sent into our presence. He showed the same or even greater rebelliousness than before, saying that it was not his understanding that the Consistory possessed such authority nor that the people were bound by its decisions. Messieurs therefore confirmed the sentence of the Consistory and pronounced him unworthy of the supper.
hughes, ed. The Register, 205
Who exactly was Philibert Berthelier? Dr. Philip E. Hughes, a capable and well-known Calvin scholar, writes,
Philibert Berthelier, son of the hero and martyr for Genevan freedom, was one of Calvin’s most intransigent adversaries in Geneva. Communion was forbidden him in 1551 because he had publicly declared that he was “just as good a man as Calvin,” and despite his repeated protestations, this ban was regularly renewed. In defiance of the authority of the Consistory, Berthelier appealed to the Council, and the latter attempted to set aside this ban, to the great offense of Calvin’s followers.
Hughes, ed.The Register, note #39, 205
The decision of the Small Council to uphold the Berthelier’s suspension from the Lord’s Table became a focal point of controversy. The Libertines argued that suspension from the Lord’s Table was an “individual matter”, and at other times they argued that it should be decided by the Small Council and not by the Genevan Consistory.
Michael Servetus
Ten months later in the midst of the heresy trial for Michael Servetus (August 17, 1553 through October 26, 1553), the determined Philibert Berthelier once again requested permission from the Small Council to be readmitted to the Lord’s Supper (September 1, 1553). It should be pointed out that the excommunicate Berthelier was also serving as the defense attorney for Servetus. This stormy trial was utilized by the Libertines as a means for undermining the authority of the Reformers. Bringing up once again the issue of Berthelier’s ban from the Lord’s Supper was simply a way of increasing the pressure on Calvin and the other Reformers. The Register of the Company of Pastors states,
At the beginning of September 1553 this church was greatly troubled since Philibert Berthelier, who had been excommunicated and forbidden the Sacraments because of his rebellion against the Consistory, had been granted absolution by Messieurs, without the Consistory being given a hearing. This action was opposed by the ministers, who unanimously declared that they could not admit this man, or others like him, to the supper until the Consistory had evidence of repentance, and had absolved him. It was objected, moreover, that the order of the Church laid down that authority to forbid or admit to the Lord’s supper belonged to the Consistory, and not Messieurs. Maitre Jean Calvin protested publicly from the pulpit, in the same sermon when the supper was administered, that under no circumstances would he receive such a rebel at the supper, and that it was not for men to compel him to do what was scandalous, but that Messieurs rather should be urged to prevent Berthelier from presenting himself at the sacrament.
hughes, ed. The register, 285-286
The City Hall of Geneva
Why, then, was this precise moment the opportune time to push the point of Berthelier’s excommunication? Several citizens who were members of the Libertine party had recently secured key positions on the Small Council and in the Council of the Two Hundred. With Ami Perrin, one of their own, now in charge as the First Syndic, they reasoned that they could overthrow the power and authority of the Church (and Calvin) at this crucial moment. There had also been several small victories in the Servetus trial for the defense and it was theoretically possible that he could be set free and Calvin held liable for bringing false charges against an innocent man. This political scheme could very well have worked, but they did not reckon with the steel-like resolve of Calvin. Theodore Beza comments,
So far this year seems to have been divided between hope and fear, the former, however, prevailing in the end. But while the cause of Servetus was under discussion, one of the factious, Berthelier by name, a man of the most consummate impudence, whom the Presbytery, for his many iniquities, excluded from the Lord’s Table, comes before the Senate, and prays to be absolved by their authority. Had this been done, there cannot be a doubt that the bond of ecclesiastical discipline being forthwith dissolved, everything would instantly have gone to wreck. Therefore Calvin, in name of the Presbytery, made strenuous and unremitting opposition, showing that magistrates ought to be the vindicators, not the destroyers, of sacred laws. In short, he omitted nothing which a contest of so much moment demanded. However, the false clamors of those who said that the Presbytery were in some things arrogating to themselves the authority of the magistrates prevailed, and it was, accordingly resolved, in the Council of the Two Hundred, that, in excommunication, the ultimate right belonged to the Senate, who were entitled to absolve whom they pleased. In consequence of this resolution having been passed by the Senate, who had then given little attention to the subject, Berthelier surreptitiously obtained letters of absolution under the seal of the Republic. Perrin, with his followers, hoped that one of two consequences would follow—that if Calvin refused to obey the Senate, he would be able to overwhelm him by means of a mob; that if Calvin obeyed, he would have no difficulty in depriving the Presbytery of all authority, in other words, in removing every restraint upon wickedness.
Beza, Life of John Calvin, lxii
Regardless of Calvin’s appeals, the Small Council upheld the decision to restore Berthelier to the Lord’s Table. However, several members of the Small Council began to waver in their convictions—they became afraid that if they defied Calvin and the Genevan Consistory there would be a general uprising leading to a complete collapse of law and order. Therefore, Berthelier was privately ordered by his friends to not partake of the Lord’s Supper; but Calvin knew nothing of this secret decision.
Calvin barring the Libertines from the Lord’s Table as “the despisers of sacred mysteries”
When the day for worship arrived two days later St. Pierre’s Cathedral was unusually crowded (September 3, 1553). All of the Libertines swaggered in with their hands placed on the hilts of their swords, and took their seats near the Lord’s Table. Calvin boldly preached his sermon, and after descending from the pulpit he firmly placed himself behind the Lord’s Table refusing to serve any “despisers of sacred mysteries”. He said, “These hands you may crush; these arms you may lop off; my life you may take; my blood is yours, you may shed it; but you shall never force me to give holy things to the profane, and dishonor the table of my God.” (Wiley, The History of Protestantism, Vol. 2, 327) These words hit the Libertines like a thunder-clap, and those who had entered the church so proudly now left it very ashamed of themselves. Beza reports,
But Calvin, though he had been informed of what was done only two days before the usual period of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, raising his voice and his hand in the course of his sermon, after he had spoken at some length of the despisers of sacred mysteries, exclaimed, in the words of Chrysostom, “I will die sooner than this hand shall stretch forth the sacred things of the Lord to those who have been judged despisers.” These words, strange to say, had such an effect upon these men, however lawless, that Perrin secretly advised Berthelier not to come forward to the Table. The sacrament was celebrated with extraordinary silence, not without some degree of trembling, as if the Deity himself were actually present.
Beza, Life of John Calvin, lxii-lxiii
Later that afternoon Calvin prepared to preach what he thought would be his final sermon in Geneva. It was his firm expectation that he would once again be banished from the tumultuous city as had previously happened in 1538. Thus, he chose for his text Acts 20:17-38, where Paul gives his farewell address to the Ephesian Elders. Beza writes,
Theodore Beza
In the afternoon Calvin, taking for his text the celebrated passage in the Acts of the Apostles, in which Paul bids farewell to the Church of Ephesus, declared that he was not a man who knew or taught others to fight against magistrates; and after exhorting his audience at great length to persevere in the doctrine which they had heard, as if it was the last sermon he was to deliver at Geneva, concluded thus:–“Since these things are so, allow me also, brethren, to use these words of the Apostle, ‘I commend you to the Lord, and to the Word of his grace’.” These words made a wonderful impression even on the most abandoned, while they, at the same time, seriously warned good men what their duty was.
Beza, life of John calvin, lxiii
But, in God’s gracious providence, Calvin was not removed as he feared from his position as head pastor of the Genevan Church. Instead, the Small Council did nothing and the Libertines retreated into their parlors to make further strategies of how they could defeat the Reformers, especially Calvin. This extraordinary standoff at the Lord’s Supper surely can be compared with Martin Luther’s dramatic declaration of faith at the Diet of Worms in 1521. Whereas Luther defied the edict of Charles 5th and the assembled Roman Catholic priests in a great doctrinal battle, Calvin defied the schemes of Berthelier and the Libertines in a great moral battle. Dr. James A. Wylie, the preeminent Scottish historian of the Reformation, summarizes,
We know nothing more truly sublime in the whole history of the Reformation, that epoch of heroic men and grand events. The only thing we can compare with it is Luther’s appearance at the Diet of Worms. If we abstract the dramatic accompaniments of the latter scene—the gorgeous hall; the majesty of the emperor; the blaze of princely and knightly rank gathered around him; the glitter of stars and decorations; the men-at-arms; the lackeys and other attendants—and look only at the principle at stake, and the wide and lasting good achieved by the prompt vindication of the principle, the act of Calvin in the Cathedral of St. Peter’s, in 1553, stands side by side, its equal in spiritual sublimity and heroism, with the act of Luther in the Hall of Worms, in 1521. “I cannot,” said Luther. “I will not,” said Calvin. The one repelled the tyrant, the other flung back the mob; the one stemmed the haughtiness of power, the other bridled the raging fury of ungodliness; in both the danger was equal, in both the faith and fortitude were equal, and each saved the Reformation at a great crisis.
Wylie, The History of Protestantism, Vol. 2, 328
Even though this one battle was narrowly won by Calvin and the Reformers it was only a few weeks later that the Libertines launched a fresh attack (November 7, 1553). This time Berthelier and the Libertines sought to influence the more malleable Council of the Two Hundred.
On Tuesday 7 November the Council of the Two Hundred was convened in connection with the question of the authority of the Consistory and to consider the problem of respecting to whom it belongs to excommunicate and to absolve. Before the Two Hundred had entered, however, Messieurs declared that it was their intention to reserve to themselves the power of absolving those who had been banned from the supper. Thereupon the Consistory asked to be allowed to consult among themselves and, having withdrawn, resolved that they could not possibly consent to the pretensions of Messieurs, which were contrary to the order of the church, and they requested to be heard before the Council of the Two Hundred. In the presence of the Council Maitre Jean Calvin, speaking for the Consistory, stated the case most adequately and explained why it was impossible to acquiesce in the pretensions of Messieurs; and then the declaration which had previously been presented in writing to Messieurs by the ministers was read before all. On the following Thursday, after hearing the decision of the Council of Two Hundred that the whole right of forbidding from and readmitting to the supper should be taken away from the Consistory, the ministers presented themselves before Messieurs and unanimously declared that they were unable to consent to this ruling, and that to compel obedience would be to drive them from their charge, for they would choose death rather than consent to the abandonment of so holy and sacred an order, which had so long been preserved in this church. The ministers—and especially M. Jean Calvin, in accordance with the written promises he had received from Messieurs—requested to be heard before the Council of Two Hundred and the General Council. This was not granted, but they were told the request would receive attention.
hughes, ed. The Register, 291
This apparent defeat suffered by Calvin and the Reformers shows that they did not, in fact, dominate the political affairs of Geneva as some have wrongly asserted. The ongoing struggle shows that there was a lively dissent against the reformation of morals in Geneva, and that the Libertines had every possibility of defeating the Reformers.
A few weeks later on December 21, 1553 the controversy continued on, but this time within the chambers of the Small Council. The Genevan Consistory was summoned to defend themselves against charges of intolerance and spiritual tyranny.
An artist’s conception of the Genevan Consistory at work
On Thursday 21 December the Consistory was summoned before Messieurs in connection with the case of Philibert Berthelier, who insisted on being admitted to the supper. The Consistory opposed this until such a time as Berthelier should give evidence of repentance and humble himself before the Consistory, against whom he had been rebellious. Immediately Francois Berthelier, who had accompanied his brother, burst out, in the presence of Messieurs, with outrageous accusations against the ministers, asserting that they wished to tyrannize and dominate and were disobedient to the Seigneurie. Because of these harmful and monstrous accusations Messieurs commanded him to leave. As for Philibert, no further ruling was given, except that he could continue to abstain from the supper.
hughes, ed. the register, 293
The Genevan Consistory responded to this angry outburst with their own summons for Francois Berthelier to appear before them.
On the same day Francois Berthelier was summoned before the Consistory and asked how he could conscientiously partake of the Lord’s Supper in view of the outrageous things he had uttered that morning in the presence of Messieurs. He, however, continued his calumnies, declaring that so far as the Consistory was concerned he was addressing himself only to the ministers, whose treatment of his brother had been satanical, in holding him to be excommunicated and reprobate, without being able to produce any reason for doing so. He claimed, further, that he had power to give absolution just as much as they had to excommunicate, with a number of outrageous utterances. Thereupon he too was banned from the supper, and it was resolved that on the following Thursday all the members of the Consistory should present themselves before Messieurs to complain of the outrageous charges which had been made by Francois.
hughes, ed. the register, 293
In time, the Genevan Consistory was successful in thwarting the attack of the Berthelier brothers and the Libertines; this later led to Francois Berthelier’s repentance on March 8, 1554.
On Thursday 8 March, by order of Messieurs, Francois Berthelier attended the Consistory where he declared that he had been carried away by affection for his brother, with the result that he had said things against the ministers which should not have been said, and that he was sorry for having said them. He requested that he should be readmitted to the supper, which had been forbidden him. After various exhortations this was granted.
hughes, ed. the register, 294
His brother, though, was unrepentant when he appeared a few weeks later,
On Thursday 22 March Philibert Berthelier also attended the Consistory by order of the Messieurs. He was sent out and recalled three or four times, but refused to acknowledge his fault and his rebelliousness, despite the fact that a number of good and godly admonitions were addressed to him. Accordingly, the ban against his partaking of the supper of our Lord remained in force.
hughes, ed. The Register, 294
The controversy surrounding the Lord’s Supper see-sawed back and forth for several months until the elections of January 1555 changed the political mix of the Small Council and the Council of the Two Hundred in favor of the Reformers. With renewed vigor Calvin and the other ministers persuaded the Small Council to formally adopt the Ecclesiastical Ordinances, and they did so on January 24, 1555. A comprehensive victory for the Reformers was finally achieved!
On Thursday 24 January the Council of 60 and the Council of Two Hundred assemble in connection with the question of the authority of the Consistory and excommunication, and at both Councils M. Jean Calvin, in the name of the Consistory, the ministers of the city also being present with him, very adequately refuted the arguments which had been advanced for the diminution or rather the demolition of the Consistory’s authority, and demonstrated from passages of Holy Scripture and from the practice always found in the Church when it was in a state of purity what was the true use of excommunication, and to whom it belonged to excommunicate and to admit to communion. Thereupon, despite every effort of Satan to overthrow so godly and useful an order, Sr. Amblard Corne, the first Syndic, announced to the ministers in full Council that God had been victorious, and that both the Council of 60 and the Council of 200 had resolved that the Consistory should retain its status and exercise its accustomed authority, in accordance with the Word of God and the ordinances previously passed.
Hughes, ed. the register, 305
John Calvin in his maturity
Following the election and the success of the Reformers, the Libertines became desperate to bring about a change—and they sought to do this through anarchy and revolution. Their fractious spirit culminated in a not-too-secretive plot to foment a public riot (May 16, 1555). It was their hope was to kill Calvin and several other church officers in one swift blow. Thankfully, these murderous plans were discovered and the riot turned out to be a small affair carried out by an inebriated rabble. The rioters were quickly apprehended, yet Perrin and Berthelier fled the city and later were tried in absentia. The Libertines were finally defeated.
Who, then, possesses the authority to admit a person to the Lord’s Supper or to ban the unrepentant sinner from it—the civil magistrates or the officers of Christ’s Church? In answer to this question it is helpful to remember that God has given each one of the separate jurisdictions an implement to accomplish its mission:
the civil magistrate is given the “sword” to enforce the laws of the land (Romans 13:4)
the family is given the “rod” to enforce the laws of the home (Proverbs 13:24)
the church is given the “keys” to enforce the laws of the Bible (Matthew 16:19)
Specifically, the Lord Jesus said to his Apostles, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19). A few chapters later our Lord powerfully states the doctrine of excommunication that his Church should always follow. He gives precise instructions about how to treat an unrepentant sinner,
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
matthew 18:17-18
It is clear, then, that our Lord gave authority to the Apostles to admit the believer to the Lord’s Table or to ban the unrepentant sinner from it—these men and their fellow church officers are given authority from the Lord both to “bind” and to “loose”. In this way they are using the “keys of the kingdom”. It is also helpful to recall what Calvin wrote that is based upon these biblical principles. He says,
The church does not assume what is proper to the magistrate; nor can the magistrate execute what is carried out by the church…Their functions ought to be so joined that each serves to help, not hinder, the other.
calvin, institutes, 4:11:3
And so in conclusion, who possesses the authority to admit a person to the Lord’s Supper or to ban the unrepentant sinner from it—the civil magistrates or the officers of Christ’s Church? It is not the civil magistrate, nor the family, but the officers of Christ’s Church who have the sole authority from God to admit to the Lord’s Supper or to ban the unrepentant sinner from it.
Resources for Further Study:
Berkhof, Louis. Systematic Theology. Fourth Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1939.
Beza, Theodore. Life of John Calvin. Edited and translated by Henry Beveridge, included in the Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters. Volume 1. Originally published in Edinburgh by the Calvin Translation Society, 1844. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Library of Christian Classics, vol. XXI. Edited by John T. McNeill and translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1960.
Hughes, Philip E., ed. and trans. The Register of the Company of Pastors of Geneva in the Time of Calvin. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966.
McKim, Donald, ed. Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1992.
“Authority”, by W. Stanford Reid
“Beza, Theodore”, by Philip C. Holtrop
“Calvin, John”, by Hughes O. Old
“Calvinism”, by W. Stanford Reid
“Confirmation/Admission to the Lord’s Supper”, by James A. Whyte
“Church”, by Jack L. Scotts
“Discipline, Church”, by J. Wayne Baker
“Ecclesiastical Ordinances”, by Robert D. Linder
“Elders”, by Elsie Anne McKee
“Farel, William”, by Charles Partee
“Geneva Company of Pastors”, by Robert M. Kingdon
“Geneva Consistory”, by Robert M. Kingdon
“Genevan Reformation”, by Robert M. Kingdon
“Liturgy, Reformed”, by David G. Buttrick
“Lord’s Supper”, by Geoffrey W. Bromiley
“Sacraments”, by M. Eugene Osterhaven
“Servetus, Michael”, by Nathan P. Feldmeth
“Theology, Reformed”, by John H. Leith
“Viret, Pierre”, by Robert D. Linder
“Worship”, by Hughes O. Olds
McNeill, John T. The History and Character of Calvinism. London: Oxford University Press, 1954.
Wylie, James A. The History of Protestantism. 3 Volumes. Kilkeel, N. Ireland: Mourne Missionary Trust, 1990.
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
The Genevan Foundation – Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
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!
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
Melchior Wolmar
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
John Calvin at mid-career
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!
What exactly is Presbyterianism? A belief in Presbyterianism is distinguished by three essential marks: (1) a belief in the sovereignty of God, (2) a belief in covenant theology, and (3) a belief in a church government led by elders. Presbyterian doctrines and practices are summarized in the historic Westminster Confession of Faith(1647) and the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The practical outworking of these beliefs can be found in the Book of Church Order used by various Presbyterian denominations. The church historian, Dr. S. Donald Fortson III, describes who Presbyterians are in this way,
Being Presbyterian involves multiple layers of identity and connection. As Christians, Presbyterians are “catholic,” sharing the common heritage of ancient Christianity with all believers, of all times, in all places. Presbyterians are Protestant by conviction sharing the rich spiritual heritage of the sixteenth century in reaffirming the primacy of Scripture and the rediscovery of the Gospel. Within the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation, Presbyterians identify themselves uniquely with one of the church families known as the “Reformed Tradition.” In this stream, Presbyterians view themselves in special connection to the reforms of John Calvin, John Knox and the English Puritans. Historically, Presbyterians are also part of the evangelical movement; that is, they have embraced the legacy of the eighteenth century revivals (awakenings) in America and Britain and thus believe in the necessity of conversion experience, personal holiness and being missional. Each of these historic layers is equally important to Presbyterian identity…
S. Donald Fortson III, The Presbyterian Story, 7
The Sovereignty of God:
The Bible teaches that God is in control of all events, both the good and the bad. Sovereignty means that God rules and reigns in the midst of all circumstances, accomplishing all of his holy will (Genesis 50:19-21; Psalm 103:19; Proverbs 16:4; Ecclesiastes 7:14; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 8:28; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-9). This does not mean that God is responsible for the evil behavior of men, rather that all men are “without excuse” for their sins and will answer to God for their wicked behavior (Matthew 25:31-32, 46; Romans 2:1-16, 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). The doctrine of sovereignty in regard to salvation is best summarized by the “Doctrines of Grace” (which are also known as The Five Points of Calvinism):
John Calvin (1509-1564)
T – Total Depravity or Total Inability (Genesis 3:1-24, 6:1-8; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:14-23; John 1:12-13; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-18, 23, 6:23, 9:16). [Versus Human Ability or Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism]
L – Limited Atonement or Definite Atonement or Particular Redemption (Isaiah 53:4-6; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 20:28; John 10:1-5, 14-15, 27-29). [Versus Universal Redemption or General Atonement or Amyraldianism]
I – Irresistible Grace or Efficacious Grace (John 11:43-44; Acts 9:1-19, 16:14; John 6:44, 10:1-5, 27; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 2:15-16). [Versus Resistance of the Holy Spirit by Human Ability]
P – Perseverance of the Saints or Eternal Security (Matthew 6:16-20, 24:13; John 3:3-8, 6:37, 39, 47, 10:27-29, 15:8; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 5:13). [Versus Falling from Grace or Losing One’s Salvation]
A Covenant Theology:
Johannes Cocceius (1603-1669)
God has related to a certain people throughout history—His people. Thinking of National Israel as the people of God was the initial pattern for understanding this doctrine. However, it is clear that, “…they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel” (Romans 9:6). Thus, God’s people are those who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham rather than the physical descendants of Abraham (cf. Romans 2:28-29, 9:6-8; Galatians 3:7-9, 29; Ephesians 2:13-22). The relationship that God has enjoyed with His people has been shown through a series of expanding covenants. Each covenant had blessings that came with obedience and curses that came with disobedience. Each covenant is progressive, in that through time God has revealed more of His redemptive plan to successive generations. The ultimate expression of God’s covenantal relationship is revealed in the New Covenant which is accomplished by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. God’s covenant people are Believers, their children, and all who are in the visible church (cf. Genesis 12:2-3, 17:7-11; Deuteronomy 5:1-21, 7:7-9, 10:16; Psalm 103:17-18; Jeremiah 31:27-34; Acts 2:39; Romans 2:28-29; 1 Corinthians 7:14; Galatians 3:6-9, 29; Ephesians 2:14-16, 3:6-7; Hebrews 9). There are two Sacraments ordained by Jesus Christ: the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial feast where Christ is spiritually present in the hearts of every Believer–as taught by Martin Bucer, John Calvin, John Knox, Charles Hodge, A. A. Hodge, etc. Believers, both adult and children, are admitted to the Lord’s Table upon giving a credible confession of faith to the elders of the local church. Both adult Believer’s baptism and infant baptism are practiced in Presbyterian churches as a sign of our identification with Christ and and our entrance into the visible church. Infant baptism is based upon the covenant made by God with Abraham and all of his descendants (Genesis 17:7-14). The children of Believers are part of the covenant by virtue of their birth and are thereby entitled to its benefits and liable under its sanctions (cf. Acts 2:38-39; 1 Corinthians 7:14; Ephesians 6:1-4). In the New Testament the practice of circumcision has been superseded by baptism (Colossians 2:11-12).
A Church Government Led by Elders:
John Knox (1514-1572)
The Old Testament speaks of the practice of appointing elders. For example, Jethro gave his son-in-law Moses wise advice concerning the difficulty of leading the entire nation of Israel all by himself (Exodus 18:17-27). He urged Moses to pick out men of sound character to oversee all of the minor disputes. Moses would then be able to decide the major disputes that the elders could not handle. This practice was a prelude to the New Testament paradigm that would be developed by the Jesus Christ when he selected his disciples (Mark 3:13-19). The New Testament uses the Greek word presbuteros to refer to “elders,” and “older men” (Titus 2:2). For example, Paul instructed Timothy and Titus, both of whom were younger pastors, to seek out mature men to serve the local church as overseers or elders (2 Timothy 2:2). The specific qualifications for these local church leaders are given so that the character of each candidate might be thoroughly evaluated by the congregation (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). After evaluating a man’s life, doctrine, family, and character the church confirms the calling of God by electing that man an elder. Duly elected elders can serve Christ’s Church in several different capacities, such as Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers (Ephesians 4:11). There are two other Greek words implying Church authority that the Bible speaks of as well: diakonos (deacon) and episkopos (overseer or bishop). Within a Presbyterian form of government deacons are elected by the congregation for the purpose of meeting the physical needs of the people, visiting the sick, and administering the possessions of the Church. In many respects, the Presbytery serves as the episkopos over a group of churches in a specific region, and is made up of the all the regional elders. Rather than investing authority in a single individual to serve as a bishop, the collective wisdom of a plurality of godly elders is emphasized in decision-making for the whole Church. Beyond that, the Church has an annual meeting of elders from all the regional Presbyteries for the purpose of gathering together in a General Assembly (Acts 15:1-35).
American Presbyterian Denominations (Current List):
— Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) [1,302,000 members]
— Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) [384,000 members]
— Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) [145,000 members]
— Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO) [121,000 members]
— Cumberland Presbyterian Church (CPC) [87,000 members]
— Korean Presbyterian Church in America (KPCA) [55,000 members]
— Korean American Presbyterian Church (KAPC) [53,000 members]
— Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) [39,000 members]
— Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) [30,000 members]
— Reformed Presbyterian Church US (RPC) [7,800 members]
— Bible Presbyterian Church (BPC) [3,500 members]
— Covenant Presbyterian Church (CPC) [13 churches]
— Reformed Presbyterian Church, General Assembly (RPCGA) [7 churches]
— Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States (RPCUS) [3 churches]
Source: “List of Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in North America” (Wikipedia, Accessed 4-29-2021) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presbyterian_and_Reformed_denominations_in_North_America
Select Bibliography:
Dr. Loraine Boettner (1901-1990)
Boettner, Loraine. The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 1932.
Clouse, Robert G. “Covenant Theology” in The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. J. D. Douglas, ed. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
Fortson III, S. Donald. The Presbyterian Story: Origins and Progress of a Reformed Tradition. 2nd Edition. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2017.
Hart, Darrel G. and John R. Muether. Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2007.
Hodge, Archibald A. Outlines of Theology. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, Reprint, 1972.
Jellema, Dirk. “Predestination” in The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. J. D. Douglas, ed. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
Lawson, Steven J. Foundations of Grace (1400 BC – AD 100): A Long Line of Godly Men. Volume One. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishers, 2006.
Lawson, Steven J. Pillars of Grace (AD 100 – 1564): A Long Line of Godly Men. Volume Two. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust Publishers, 2011.
Dr. John H. Leith (1919-2002)
Leith, John H. An Introduction to the Reformed Tradition. Revised Edition. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1977.
Loetscher, Lefferts A. A Brief History of the Presbyterians. Third Edition. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1978.
Lucas, Sean Michael. On Being Presbyterian: Our Beliefs, Practices, and Stories. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006.
McKim, ed., Donald K. Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992.
McNeill, John T. The History and Character of Calvinism. London, England: Oxford University Press, 1954.
Reid, W. Stanford. “Presbyterianism” in The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. J. D. Douglas, ed. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
Reymond, Robert L. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith. Second Edition. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1998.
Dr. R. C. Sproul (1939-2017)
Sproul, R. C. What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding the Basics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997.
Steele, David N., Curtis C. Thomas, S. Lance Quinn. The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented. Second Edition. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2004.
Wells, David F., ed. Reformed Theology in America: Southern Reformed Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989.
Wells, David F., ed. Reformed Theology in America: The Princeton Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1989.
Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. Willow Grove, PA: The Committee on Christian Education of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Reprint, 2008.
White, Henry A. Southern Presbyterian Leaders 1683-1911. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, Reprint, 2000.
Wylie, James A. The History of Protestantism. 3 Volumes. Kilkeel, N. Ireland: Mourne Missionary Trust, 1990.
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
The Genevan Foundation – Copyright 2021 – All Rights Reserved
Who was John Calvin? Many Christians today have distinct impressions of who John Calvin was, but most have never read a single line from his Institutes of the Christian Religion, or benefited from the careful exegesis found in his Commentaries on the Bible, or reflected upon a single salient point from one of his many published sermons. In brief, it must be noted that the reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) has often been misinterpreted, misread, and misunderstood. He is, perhaps, best known for his views on the doctrines of election, predestination, and reprobation. He is also known for his pivotal role in the prosecution of the arch-heretic Michael Servetus (1511-1553) who rejected the Trinity and the deity of Jesus Christ. But, none of these disconnected pieces of information can demonstrate, in my opinion, the true character of the man. And so, who really was John Calvin? Hughes O. Old, a noted scholar of Calvin’s life and theology, states the opinion that, “John Calvin is chiefly remembered as a biblical scholar and a systematic theologian.” (Old, “John Calvin,” in Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith, 45-48) While it is clear that Calvin distinguished himself through his theological writing and teaching ministry, he also, however, was the preeminent pastor of the city of Geneva during the time of the Protestant Reformation. John T. McNeill notes,
“The office of a true and faithful minister is not only publicly to teach the people over whom he is ordained pastor, but as far as may be, to admonish, exhort, rebuke and console each one in particular.” So wrote John Calvin in a section on Visitation of the Sick in his Liturgy. This is traditional and scriptural language, but Calvin gave to it rare emphasis in many utterances and in the organization of the Church in Geneva. Jean Daniel Benoit, the expert on Calvin’s work in the cure of souls, states boldly that the Genevan Reformer was more pastor than theologian, that, to be exact, he was a theologian in order to be a better pastor. In his whole reforming work he was a shepherd of souls.
McNeill, A History of the Cure of Souls, 197-198
Thus, it was Calvin’s role as a “shepherd of souls” that serves as the best lens by which to explain his indefatigable preaching, his voluminous writings, and his strenuous efforts at reforming the City of Geneva according to the Word of God.
HIS EARLY YEARS: BIRTH AND PREPARATION (1509-1531)
1509 – Jean Cauvin is born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, France; he was the second of six children born in the Cauvin family.
1513 – Jean’s mother, Jeanne, suddenly dies when he is just 4 years old; his father, Gerard, remarries
1521 – with his father’s help on May 19th the young Jean Cauvin, a budding scholar, receives a generous financial benefice from the altar of Gesine in the Cathedral of Noyon
1523 – in August he is sent by his father, Gerard, to study at the prestigious University of Paris (14 years old)
1526 – the young Jean Cauvin changes his name to reflect his growing ability and expertise in Latin–he becomes known as Johannes Calvinus
John Calvin’s signature
1528 – Calvin finishes his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College de Montaigu in the University of Paris early in 1528 (18 years old)
1528 – Calvin is sent by his father to study law at the University of Orleans
1529 – Calvin moves to the University of Bourges to study law under the fiery Italian jurist, Alciat; here he begins a lifetime study of NT Greek
1531 – on May 26th Calvin’s father dies, allowing him to return to the University of Paris to study the Bible and Christian theology
IN PARIS: HIS THEOLOGICAL TURNING-POINT (1531-1533)
1531 – Calvin enrolls at the College de France studying Greek, Hebrew, the Bible, Church History, and Theology
1532 – He returns briefly in May to the University of Orleans and graduates with a degree in law, the Juris Doctorate
1532 – Calvin experiences a “sudden conversion” (the exact date is uncertain)
1533 – on November 1st Nicolas Cop, Calvin’s friend from Noyon, preaches his inaugural address as the new Rector of the University of Paris; but immediately flees Paris in the ensuing controversy over his evangelical message
1533 – following this Calvin is associated with the fugitive Nicholas Cop and he flees Paris dressed as a farmer
IN FLIGHT: ON THE ROAD AS A FUGITIVE (1534)
1534 – “Calvin’s Wartburg”: during the cold and lengthy Winter months Calvin lays the foundations for the Institutes of the Christian Religion inLouis du Tillet’s library in Angouleme, France
1534 – on May 4th Calvin returns to Noyon and formally resigns his benefices breaking with Roman Catholicism (imprisoned for a short time?)
1534 – The “Affair of the Placards” occurs on the night of October 17-18th with an ensuing persecution by King Francis I of many French Evangelicals (Huguenots); sadly Calvin loses several close friends
IN BASLE: WRITING THE IMMORTAL “INSTITUTES” (1535-1536)
1535 – in January Calvin is safely dwelling in Protestant Basle with the Reformer Oswald Myconius
1536 – on March 21 a theological disputation lead by Guillame Farel and Pierre Viret results in the City of Geneva deciding for the Reformation; the Roman Catholic Bishop, monks, and nuns depart
1536 – in March Calvin publishes his “little book,” the Institutes of the Christian Religion (1st edition), in Basle
Here is my well-worn copy of the Institutes of the Christian Religion (5th edition) and a devotional commentary on the Institutes by my doctoral mentor, Dr. David B. Calhoun
IN GENEVA: THE FIRST REFORMATION (1536-1538)
Guillame Farel
1536 – Calvin detours to Geneva in July—he plans to stay just one night, but is strongly persuaded by Guillame Farel to remain in Protestant Geneva as a co-worker and fellow Reformer
1536 – on September 5th Calvin is hired as a “sacarum literarum doctor” by the City Council of Geneva to teach the Bible
1536 – on November 10th the Genevan Confession, written by Calvin, is formally adopted by the City Council of Geneva
1537 – in January a Protestant Statement of Faith is presented to the City Council of Geneva; all of the citizens raise their right hands and pledge agreement
1538 – on April 25th, after a growing dissension regarding the Lord’s Supper, the three ministers of the city, Farel, Calvin, & Coralt, are suddenly banished from Geneva for not being willing to serve the Lord’s Supper
IN STRASBOURG: PASTOR, TEACHER, WRITER (1538-1541)
Martin Bucer
1538 – in the spring Calvin flees from Geneva and travels through Berne and Zurich; he settles in Strasbourg with the Reformer Martin Bucer
1539 – in August Calvin replies to the letter written by Bishop Jacopo Sadolet’s seeking to convince Geneva to return to Roman Catholicism
1540 – in March Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Epistle of the Romans in Strasbourg
1540 – on August 6th Calvin marries the widow Idelette de Bure in Strasbourg
BACK TO GENEVA: THE YEARS OF STRUGGLE (1541-1548)
Idelette Calvin
1541 – after many unsuccessful invitations from the City Council to return to Geneva, Calvin finally arrives in Geneva on September 13
1541 – on November 20th the “Ordannances Ecclesiastiques” are established in Geneva to bring order and reform to the Genevan Church
1542 – the birth and death (July 28th) of John and Idelette Calvin’s son—”Jacques”
1543 – the establishment of the “Libertines” (enfants de Geneve) in Geneva
1543 – a plague rages in Geneva; the City Council votes to remove Calvin from “plague duty” even though he is willing to serve
1543 – in December a conflict erupts with Sebastian Castellio over his qualifications for ministry in Geneva—he was not accepted and leaves Geneva
1544 – on May 30th Sebastian Castellio returns and interrupts the weekly Pastor’s Bible study, Le Congregation, over the question of his ministerial qualifications; he is rejected and bitterly resolves to make trouble for Calvin
1545 – on April 8th Pierre Ameaux is sentenced to public repentance for libeling Calvin and the Genevan Church
1546 – on January 24th Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Epistle of 1 Corinthians in Geneva
1546 – in February Michael Servetus begins correspondence with John Calvin on a multitude of theological subjects—these letters are later printed, without Calvin’s approval, in Servetus’ heretical book (1553)
1546 – problems with the wife of Ami Perrin erupt over public dancing
1546 – on August 1st Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Epistle of 2 Corinthians in Geneva
1547 – on June 27th a letter threatening Calvin was found attached to the pulpit at St. Pierre Cathedral
1547 – after an investigation, Jacques Gruet, the author, confesses his guilt and is sentenced by the Genevan City Council to suffer death by beheading on July 26th; his crime is sedition against the city and the church
1548 – on February 1st Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Epistles of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, & Colossians in Geneva
1548 – on July 25th Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Epistles of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy in Geneva
IN THE CRUCIBLE: SEVERE TRIALS IN GENEVA (1549-1555)
Pierre Viret
1549 – in February Ami Perrin, leader of the Libertines, is chosen as the first Syndic of the Genevan City Council
1549 – on March 29th, Idelette, Calvin’s beloved wife dies after a brief illness; he is heartbroken, but is consoled by his dear friend, Pierre Viret the minister of Lausanne, Switzerland
1550 – Calvin publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion (4th edition) in Geneva
1551 – Calvin publishes his Commentary on James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1 John, and Jude in Geneva
1553 – on January 1st Calvin publishes his Commentary on John in Geneva and dedicates it to the syndics and City Council of Geneva
Michael Servetus
1553 – in January Michael Servetus’s heretical book, Christianismi Restitutio, is secretly printed in Lyon; he is discovered, tried, and imprisoned by the Roman Catholic Inquisition
1553 – Michael Servetus escapes his prison cell in Lyon and is drawn to Geneva “like a moth to light” to justify his theology before Calvin. Key Question: was Servetus recruited by the Libertines to threaten and displace Calvin?
1553 – on August 13th Michael Servetus is recognized and arrested after attending public worship at St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva
1553 – on September 3rd a crisis at the Lord’s Supper is narrowly averted when Calvin steadfastly refuses to serve any who have been excommunicated
1553 – after a lengthy trial by the City Council, Michael Servetus, is found guilty of heresy and executed by burning on the Plain Palais on October 27th
1555 – on January 24th the City Council of Geneva formally adopts the “Ordannances Ecclesiastiques” written by Calvin
1555 – on May 16th a public riot instigated by the “Libertines” utterly fails and the key leaders are arrested or flee the city
Calvin barring the Libertines from the Lord’s Table as “the despisers of sacred ordinances”
IN GENEVA: THE YEARS OF TRIUMPH (1555-1564)
Theodore Beza
1555 – on August 1st Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels in Geneva
1557 – on July 22nd Calvin publishes his Commentary on the Psalms in Geneva
1559 – on June 5th the Genevan Academy is founded with Theodore Beza as Rector
1559 – on August 1st Calvin publishes his penultimate version of the Institutes of the Christian Religion (5th edition) in Geneva; it consists of eighty chapters in four thick volumes
1560 – the Geneva Bible, with notes written on key verses under Calvin’s supervision, is published in Geneva
1562 – the Genevan Psalter is published in Geneva, with metrical tunes written by Clement Marot and Theodore Beza for all 150 Psalms
1564 – on February 6th Calvin appears for the last time in the pulpit of St. Pierre’s Cathedral
Calvin’s simple grave at Geneva
1564 – on May 27th John Calvin dies in his own bed at Geneva; he is buried per his wishes with a simple grave in the city cemetery
1564 – Theodore Beza, Calvin’s chosen successor, writes his Life of Calvin & posthumously publishes Calvin’s Commentary on Joshua
Books for Further Research:
John Calvin in his maturity
Beeke, Joel R., David W. Hall, Michael A. G. Haykin. Theology Made Practical: New Studies on John Calvin and His Legacy. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2017.
Benoit, Jean-Daniel. “Pastoral Care of the Prophet.” In John Calvin Contemporary Prophet. Edited by Jacob T. Hoogstra. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1959.
Beza, Theodore. “The Life of John Calvin.”In Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters. Edited and translated by Henry Beveridge. Volume 1. Originally published in Edinburgh by the Calvin Translation Society, 1844; reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Bucer, Martin. Concerning the Care of Souls. Translated by Peter Beale. Strasbourg, 1538; Reprint edition, Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009.
Calvin, John. Calvin’s Commentaries. 46 vols. Various translators. Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1847-55; reprint edition in 22 volumes, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1998.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Edited by John T. McNeill. Translated by Ford Lewis Battles. 2 vols. Library of Christian Classics, no. 20-21. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960.
Calvin, John. Letters of John Calvin. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1980.
Calvin, John. Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters. 7 volumes. Co-edited by Henry Beveridge and Jules Bonnet. Originally published in Edinburgh by the Calvin Translation Society, 1851; reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Calvin, John. The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Reprint, Dallas, TX: Protestant Heritage Press, 1995.
de Greef, Wulfert. The Writings of John Calvin: An Introductory Guide, Expanded Edition. Lyle D. Bierma, trans. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.
Dillenberger, John, ed. John Calvin: Selections from His Writings. Scholar’s Press, American Academy of Religion, 1975.
Gordon, Bruce. Calvin. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.
Hughes, Philip E., ed. and trans. The Register of the Company of Pastors of Geneva in the Time of Calvin. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966.
McKim, Donald ed. Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992.
“Beza, Theodore,” by Philip C. Holtrop
“Bucer, Martin,” by David F. Wright
“Calvin, John,” by Hughes O. Old
“Ecclesiastical Ordinances,” by Robert D. Linder
“Farel, William,” by Charles Partee
“Geneva Academy,” by Robert M. Kingdon
“Geneva Bible,” by Dan G. Danner
“Geneva Catechism,” by Charles Partee
“Geneva Company of Pastors,” by Robert M. Kingdon
“Geneva Consistory,” by Robert M. Kingdon
“Institutes of the Christian Religion,” by Hughes O. Old
“Ordination,” by Thomas D. Parker
“Preaching, History of,” by Hughes O. Old
“Psalmody,” by LindaJo H. McKim
“Predestination,” by Dewey D. Wallace, Jr.
“Servetus, Michael” by Nathan P. Feldmeth
“Viret, Pierre” by Robert D. Linder
McNeill, John T. A History of the Cure of Souls. New York, NY: Harper Brothers Publishers, 1951.
Monter, E. William. Calvin’s Geneva. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1967; Reprint, Huntington, NY: Robert E. Krieger Publishing Company, 1975.
Parker, T. H. L. Portrait of Calvin. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1954.
Reymond, Robert L. John Calvin: His Life and Influence. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2004.
Selderhuis, Herman J. John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life. Translated by Albert Gootjes. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Stickelberger, Emanuel. Calvin: A Life. Translated by David Georg Gelzer. London: James Clarke & Company, 1959.
Wallace, Ronald. Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation: A Study of Calvin as Social Worker, Churchman, Pastor and Theologian. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988 and Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1990.
Books full of Calvin’s sermons and a tract on God’s Providence
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
The Genevan Foundation – Copyright 2020 – All Rights Reserved
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)
John Calvin
Mention the name “John Calvin” in a crowd and oftentimes it will elicit remarks of contempt on the one extreme and deep admiration on the other. Simply stated, some people “abhor” him while others “adore” him! Such is the variety of responses to this complex and multi-talented man who served God during the Protestant Reformation (c.1517-1650). John Calvin (1509-1564) was clearly second in rank only to Martin Luther (1483-1546) during this crucial era. Traceable to Calvin and the church in Geneva are several unique and distinguishing aspects of Protestantism: the development and popularization of expository preaching, the Reformed view of the Lord’s Supper, the practice of home visitation by the elders, an extensive organization of social welfare, a comprehensive pattern of church discipline, and representative church government. Moreover, it is to Calvin that the modern church owes a great debt for developing with precision a number of key Christian doctrines: sovereign election and predestination, the providence of God, the penal-substitutionary view of the atonement, the mystical union that we enjoy with Christ, and the spiritual presence of Christ at the Lord’s Supper. Unfortunately, some people today consider Calvin’s theological system as rigid and uninspiring as an austere legal document. This is an unfair charge, for Calvin, like many of the Reformers, has been harshly reinterpreted by others. When one actually reads Calvin’s writings in his Bible Commentaries or from the Institutes of the Christian Religion, the warmth and piety that flows from Calvin’s prose stands in sharp contrast to the cold characterizations presented by his critics. Consider these colorful comments from the young reformer regarding the purpose of the Bible, a definition of faith, and the responsibilities of pastoral ministry,
Just as old or bleary-eyed men and those with weak vision, if you thrust before them a most beautiful volume, even if they recognize it to be some sort of writing, yet can scarcely construe two words, but with the aid of spectacles will begin to read distinctly; so Scripture, gathering up otherwise confused knowledge of God in our minds, having dispersed our dullness, clearly shows us the true God.
John Calvin,Institutes 1:6:1
Now, the knowledge of God’s goodness will not be held very important unless it makes us rely on that goodness. Consequently, understanding mixed with doubt is to be excluded, as it is not in firm agreement, but in conflict, with itself. Yet far indeed is the mind of man, blind and darkened as it is, from penetrating and attaining even to perception of the will of God! And the heart, too, wavering as it is in perpetual hesitation, is far from resting secure in that conviction! Therefore our mind must be otherwise illumined and our heart strengthened, that the Word of God may obtain full faith among us. Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence towards us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
John Calvin, Institutes 3:2:7
Christ did not ordain pastors on the principle that they only teach the Church in a general way on the public platform, but that they care for the individual sheep, bring back the wandering and scattered to the fold, bind up the broken and crippled, heal the sick, support the frail and weak.
John Calvin,Commentary on Acts 20:20
In such passages as these we witness a depth of biblical understanding, a theological precision, and an evangelical zeal for the things of God.
Jean Cauvin was born at Noyon in northern France on July 10, 1509. He was the second of six children. Physically, he possessed a slight frame, he stood approximately five feet six inches tall, his face was etched with sharp Gaelic features, and his head was crowned by black hair. His father, Gerard Cauvin, served as the financial secretary and notary for the Bishop of Noyon. While his mother, Jeanne Lefranc, was a woman of quiet piety who sought to raise all of her children to be faithful to the practices and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Sadly, before his fourth birthday John’s mother died. The exact reasons for her death are unknown although it may have been that she died while giving birth to his younger brother Antione. After a brief period of grieving his father remarried, but it appears that this new mother had little lasting influence in shaping John’s life; that was a role primarily dominated by his father. Recognizing his second son’s keen intellectual gifts Gerard purposed that John should get a quality education and pursue the priesthood. He reasoned that this was the way to both earthly and eternal prosperity. Utilizing his many high connections Gerard arranged for John’s enrollment in a local preparatory school, the College des Capettes.
College de La Marche, part of the University of Paris
Having distinguished himself academically, when Calvin was only fourteen years old he was sent off to Paris to attend the College de La Marche. This school was part of the burgeoning University of Paris and it was here that Calvin further developed his abilities in Latin and began to study theology. During the course of his studies with Mathurin Cordier, a well-known teacher of languages, he Latinized his name to “Johannes Calvinus” and in time he became known as “John Calvin.” It was a common practice of the day to finance the education of promising young students from the collection of offerings at a chapel near their homes. These were called “ecclesiastical benefices.” Calvin was no exception to this custom, and his father secured for him the offerings from the altar of Gesine and several other chapels as well. After a transfer to the College of Montaigu in 1525, which was also in Paris, Calvin continued his studies and was finally awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree. This notable achievement occurred early in 1528 when Calvin was just eighteen years old. Further studies in theology ensued, but these were interrupted when his father had a sudden falling-out with the local church authorities back in Noyon. As a result, Gerard Cauvin encouraged his son to move away from theology to the study of law. As an obedient son, he moved south and enrolled in the law program at the University of Orleans. Here he excelled in his studies, oftentimes serving as a substitute lecturer for absent professors. During this period Calvin associated himself with a group of fellow students who were beginning to question the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. He was undoubtedly influenced by these earnest friends to develop a working knowledge of the Bible and to thoughtfully consider the gospel of Jesus Christ. At this point, though, his interest in spiritual matters was solely intellectual.
Calvin’s NT Greek Teacher
In 1529 Calvin transferred to the University of Bourges where he studied law under the fiery Italian jurist, Andrew Alciat. Calvin and his friends were not overly impressed with Alciat’s flamboyant style of teaching, and Calvin wrote a Preface for his friend’s pamphlet critiquing Alciat’s “acid tongue.” More importantly, while here in Bourges, he undertook the study of New Testament Greek from an enthusiastic and outspoken German instructor, Melchior Wolmar (1496-1561). Thus began for Calvin a life-long fascination with koine Greek and the New Testament. Theodore Beza (1519-1605), later Calvin’s close friend, confidant, and successor, also studied under Melchoir Wolmar. He happily noted,
I have the greater pleasure in mentioning his name, because he was my own teacher, and the only one I had from boyhood up to youth. His learning, piety, and other virtues, together with his admirable abilities as a teacher of youth, cannot be sufficiently praised. On his suggestion, and with his assistance, Calvin learned Greek. The recollection of the benefit which he thus received from Wolmar, he afterwards publicly testified by dedicating to him his Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians.
Theodore Beza, Life of Calvin, 23-24
Moreover, it was under Wolmar’s diligent tutelage that Calvin began first to read the Early Church Fathers. As a result of this period of study a great foundation was laid for Calvin’s appreciation for the orthodox Christian faith and his excellent familiarity with the Church Fathers and Ancient Creeds. But had he become a true Christian? Not yet.
In 1531 Calvin’s father suddenly died. This untimely event released him from his father’s strict command to pursue law, and he quickly returned to Paris in order to indulge his growing interest in theology and biblical languages. It was in a Master of Arts program at the College de France he came under the evangelical influence of Jacques Lefevre d’Etaples (1455-1536). Here he undoubtedly read the controversial pamphlets of Martin Luther and was further stirred to consider the claims of the gospel upon his own life. He also began studying Hebrew under Francois Vatable and opened himself to the beautiful complexities of the Old Testament. Perhaps out of deference to his deceased father, or out of a desire to finish what he had already started, in 1532 Calvin briefly returned to the University of Orleans to finish his law studies. He was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree and was licensed to practice law. But what was his true spiritual condition—had he yet put his trust in Jesus Christ alone? No not at this time.
Calvin’s conversion is very difficult to pinpoint, primarily because he did not talk much about it. Besides his daily study of the Scriptures, and the solid academic influences of Wolmar, Lefevre, and Vatable, there was one additional influence; the growing number of martyr’s deaths. As the evangelical faith grew throughout France, the Roman Catholic Church responded with a brutal persecution of its adherents. It is likely that the horrible deaths Calvin witnessed in Orleans, Bourges, and Paris deeply affected the young mind of John Calvin. They planted a seed of doubt regarding the truth claims of the Roman Catholic Church, and this doubt grew until it resulted in his”sudden conversion” to the gospel. Consider this brief autobiographical passage from the Preface of his Commentary on the Psalms. Calvin candidly wrote these remarks in 1557,
When I was yet a very small boy, my father destined me for the study of theology. But afterwards, when he considered that the law commonly raised those who followed it to wealth, this prospect suddenly induced him to change his purpose. Thus it came to pass that I was withdrawn from the study of philosophy and set to the study of law. 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 sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, though I was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therein, that I did not altogether leave off other studies, I yet pursued them with less ardor.
John Calvin, Preface, Commentary on the Psalms, xl-xli
From this revealing testimony we see that his heart indeed became inflamed with the gospel message. He was profoundly changed by spiritual regeneration. And although he did not fully attach himself to the growing evangelical movement, he nonetheless firmly identified himself from this point on as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After receiving his licensie es loix he returned to Paris as a practicing attorney, young Renaissance scholar, and budding teacher of the Bible. He tried his hand at writing and published his Commentary on Seneca’s Treatise on Clemency. This effort was not a success and only a few copies were sold. However, the future direction of his life took a surprising turn when he reconnected with Nicolas Cop, a family friend from Noyon. In God’s providence, he was the newly appointed Rector of the University of Paris. On November 1, 1533 Cop gave a stirring inaugural address to the assembled students and professors in the University Chapel. As a result, he was accused of heresy, not only for criticizing the Pope but for endorsing the works of Martin Luther. When Cop realized what great danger his life was in, he immediately fled the city. It was suspected by the church authorities that Calvin was the “ghost-writer” of Cop’s speech and they determined to arrest him as well. Calvin barely eluded their grasp as the police came to his lodgings late one evening. As they were pounding on his door he narrowly escaped out the second-story window while his friends lowered him down to the street on a rope made of bed sheets tied together. He fled into the night and sought refuge from Queen Margaret of Navarre (1492-1549), sister of the French King, who was sympathetic to the Protestant cause. Thus, the timid and mild-mannered Calvin could no longer safely consider his allegiance to the Reformers without personal commitment. His lot was permanently cast; he was now a fugitive and a member of the Protestant Reformation!
Calvin’s Motto and Seal
The persecution of Protestants in France became the order of the day during the reign of King Francis I (1494-1547). The French Protestants, called Huguenots, often met for worship at hidden locations during these purges. For a short time, Calvin actually pastored a small congregation in Poitiers that met secretly in a cave. His final separation from the Roman Catholic Church came in 1534 when he gave up all of his ecclesiastical benefices, since his conscience would not allow him to receive this money any longer. Thus, he became totally submissive to the Lord Jesus Christ. Calvin crafted his own personal motto during this time as a fugitive. He resolved to be Prompte et Sincere in Opere Domini (translated, “Prompt and sincere in the work of God”). In addition, he drew a personal seal that encompassed a flaming heart on an outstretched hand that was offered to God. These two insignias, the motto and seal, served him well for the rest of his life and became a fitting legacy to his sincere evangelical faith.
After clandestinely traveling throughout France from place to place he finally settled in Basel, Switzerland and began work on his Institutes of the Christian Religion (initially published in 1536). This short booklet comprised of six chapters went through five major revisions throughout Calvin’s life and expanded into its exhaustive form, eighty chapters in all, by the year 1559. John T. McNeill notes that the Institutes,
. . . holds a place in the short list of books that have notably affected the course of history, molding the beliefs and behavior of generations of mankind. Perhaps no other theological work has so consistently retained for four centuries a place on the reading list of studious Christians . . . It has, from time to time, called forth an extensive literature of controversy. It has been assailed as presenting a harsh, austere, intolerant Christianity and so perverting the gospel of Christ, and it has been admired and defended as an incomparable exposition of Scriptural truth and a bulwark of evangelical faith. Even in times when it was least esteemed, its influence remained potent in the life of active churches and in the habits of men. To many Christians whose worship was proscribed under hostile governments, this book has supplied the courage to endure. Wherever in the crises of history social foundations are shaken and men’s heart’s quail, the pages of this classic are searched with fresh respect. In our generation, when most theological writers are schooled in the use of methods, and of a terminology, widely differing from those employed by Calvin, this masterpiece continues to challenge intensive study, and contributes a reviving impulse to thinking in the areas of Christian doctrine and social duty.
John t. McNeill, “Introduction” to the Institutes, xxix
In the Preface to the Institutes, Calvin dedicates his “little book” to King Francis I with the hope that the persecution of the Protestants would be eased. In God’s providence this was not to be, and the nurturing of the nascent Protestant movement would have to take place in other countries that would be more sympathetic to the cause.
Guillame Farel
In 1536 the twenty-eight year old Calvin was returning from a quick journey to Noyon in order to bring his brother Antoine and his sister Marie safely out of France. They were on their way to Strasbourg, but were providentially detoured to Geneva, Switzerland. The armies of Francis I were on maneuvers and Protestant reformers, especially those of Calvin’s notoriety, would want to avoid the King’s troops at all costs. This figured to be a turning point in his life for it was here in Geneva that he met the ardent Swiss reformer Guillame Farel (1489-1565) and was recruited to remain in Geneva to help with the reform of that troubled city. It was Calvin’s plan to stay only one night in Geneva, and so while eating dinner that evening at a local inn Calvin innocently remarked to Farel that he felt his place in life was to pursue a “quiet life of scholarship” in Strasbourg. Farel abruptly stood up—some have suggested that he actually jumped on the table sending all of the dishes clattering to the floor in a loud series of crashes!—and with fiery eyes flashing and red-beard wagging he angrily denounced Calvin with an accusing finger. He loudly shouted,
You are following your own wishes, and I declare, in the name of God Almighty, that if you do not assist us in this work of the Lord, the Lord will punish you for seeking your own interest rather than his.
Theodore Beza, Life of John Calvin, 29
God moved through Farel’s impassioned exhortation and from that point on Calvin’s ministry became inextricably tied to Geneva.
Idelette Calvin
The efforts at reform of Farel and Calvin were not always appreciated by the townspeople of Geneva. In 1537 it was planned that the population of the entire city would swear allegiance to a Protestant Statement of Faith, however, there was strong opposition and Geneva remained in a state of agitated unrest. Months later when Calvin and the other ministers of the city refused to reinstitute the Lord’s Supper to the townspeople, there was a revolt. Finally, in 1538 all three ministers, Farel, Calvin, and the aged Elie Coraud, were banished from the city altogether. Calvin fled to Strasbourg where he pastored a large congregation of French refugees and taught in Johann Sturm’s Bible Institute. While there, he married the widow Idelette de Bure and adopted her two children as his own. Life was not always easy in Strasbourg for his family. Even though Calvin served as a pastor, represented the city at international conferences, taught classes, wrote books, took in boarders, and served as a lawyer, he was so poor at times that he was forced to sell some of his precious reference books in order to put food on the table. Better times, though, were only a short season ahead.
Calvin as a young Pastor
In 1541 Calvin was miraculously called back to Geneva. At first he did not desire to return to the town that had so cruelly rejected him. However, with encouragement from Farel and several delegations from Geneva, he was persuaded that God would use him in bringing lasting change to the city. With his most antagonistic critics gone, through death or by exile, he settled down to a lifetime of productive work. On his first Sunday back in the pulpit at St. Pierre he gave no reproaches to the local population, he simply picked-up with the very next Bible passage from where he had left off two and half years prior. And so, he resumed his ministry of expositional preaching. The town council accepted his recommendation that every person should be governed by the moral law of the Bible. Laws were rewritten and codes of conduct were upheld by the local magistrates. On the personal side, John and Idelette took up residence at a home provided by the city (#11 Rue de Calvin). Here they enjoyed a small garden in the yard, entertained many guests, and carried on the work of the church. Only one child was born to John and Idelette, a boy names Jacques. He was born prematurely and died in infancy on July 28, 1542. Idelette herself, died after a brief illness on March 29, 1549. After several short years of marital happiness, Calvin was heart-broken but pressed forward with his busy schedule of church and civic responsibilities.
Some people have formed negative impressions of Calvin because of the controversies that surrounded his life and ministry. One such controversy erupted over the arrival in Geneva of the apostate Spanish physician Michael Servetus (1511-1553). Servetus had moved beyond his training in medicine to study theology, and had adopted a heretical view of the Trinity. If Servetus had kept his anti-Trinitarian thoughts to himself he would have occasioned no wrath from the church, however, he widely published his findings and actively entered into debate with the leading theologians of the day. The most capable of these theologians was, arguably, John Calvin. Years before, Servetus and Calvin had actually met in Paris where he challenged Calvin to debate the doctrine of the Trinity. Servetus earnestly hoped to win Calvin to this unorthodox position, but when the appointed hour came Servetus failed to show up for the debate. Calvin was ready at the proper location, at great personal risk to himself, but his detractor never came. In God’s providence these same two young men would meet nineteen years later in a another city by a different river to argue the same theological subject that were they unable to debate on that day in Paris.
During the intervening years, Servetus and Calvin corresponded by letter on several different occasions. Finally, Servetus secretly published his unorthodox book, Christianismi Restitutio, in Vienne where he was quickly discovered, put on trial by the Roman Catholic authorities, found guilty of heresy, and sentenced to death by burning. Before the sentence of death could be carried out he escaped from jail, and for an unknown reason he unwisely sought refuge in Protestant Geneva. In fact, Calvin had warned him previously by letter to not come to Geneva. But, when he did come, without hesitation Calvin filed a warrant for his arrest with the civil authorities.
Michael Servetus
It might be wondered by some Christians today as to why Calvin would seek to have Servetus arrested; after all wasn’t this just a theological dispute? It must be remembered that Geneva had declared itself a Protestant city in 1536, and there were still many citizens who resented the reform effort. They had organized themselves into a political party called the Libertines or the Enfants de Geneve. This conflict between doctrine and morals had raged on amongst the people of Geneva for many years and the Libertines sought to strategically enlist Servetus to their aide. One of their own, Philibert Berthelier, defended Servetus in his trial before the City Council. The Libertines reasoned, “If Calvin’s theology can be proven wrong, then he will be permanently removed from his position and thrown out of the city.” Calvin and his supporters were fully aware of this possibility. Moreover, the civil authorities and the church leaders were tied together much more closely in that day than in our own. Therefore an attack on any one of the doctrines that the city formally endorsed was an attack on the city itself. As a result, a stormy trial ensued that pitted the two opposing men against one another—Servetus versus Calvin and heterodoxy versus orthodoxy—with an outcome that resulted in Servetus’ condemnation by execution. Specifically, the City Council ordered that he was to be burned alive by a petite fur, a “small fire”. Although Servetus was a hardened and bitter critic of Calvin and his belief system, the zealous Reformer urgently appealed to the civil authorities for a more humane form of execution; but in this request Calvin was denied. In the end, he could only stand by and submit to the decree of the City Council. After a conciliatory visit to Servetus in his cell by Calvin, the earnest Farel accompanied Servetus to the place of his execution on Champel Square in Geneva. There was no repentance, and Servetus’ last words were consistent with the same heresies that he wrote about. He appealed to “Jesus, Son of the eternal God” to save his soul, rather than to “Jesus, the eternal Son of God”. In death he doggedly held to his heretical views.
Calvin visits Servetus in jail in an effort to introduce him to Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God
To imply that Calvin was personally responsible for the death of Servetus would be stretching the truth. Servetus had already been sentenced to death by the Roman Catholic authorities in Vienne, and as to be expected he found no sympathy amongst the Protestants in Geneva. The magistrates of Geneva condemned him to death with the full approval of the neighboring Protestant cities; Basle, Berne, Schaffhausen, and Zurich. All four of these City Councils unanimously condemned Servetus for his heresies, yet left it up to Geneva to determine the appropriate means for putting him to death. In summary, consider this sober evaluation of Calvin’s actions in the Servetus affair by the preeminent Swiss Reformation historian, Merle D’Aubigne,
There are indeed, writers of eminence who charge this man of God with despotism; because he was the enemy of libertinage, he has been called the enemy of liberty. No body was more opposed than Calvin to that moral and social anarchy which threatened the sixteenth century, and which ruins every epoch unable to keep it under control. This bold struggle of Calvin’s is one of the greatest services he has done to liberty, which has no enemies more dangerous than immorality and disorder. Should this question be asked, “How ought infidelity to be arrested?” we must confess that Calvin was not before his age, which was unanimous, in every communion, for the application of the severest punishments. If a man is in error as regards the knowledge of God, it is to God alone that he must render an account. When men—and they are sometimes the best of men—make themselves the avengers of God, the conscience is startled, and religion hides her face. It was not so three centuries back, and the most eminent minds always pay in one manner or another their tribute to human weakness. And yet, on a well-known occasion, when a wretched man whose doctrines threatened society, stood before the civil tribunals of Geneva, there was but one voice in all Europe raised in favor of the prisoner; but one voice that prayed for some mitigation of Servetus’s punishment, and that voice was Calvin’s.
Merle J. H. D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 1, 5-6
Here we have a clear testimony to the humanity of Calvin and the on-going progress of personal liberty in the Western world that he started. In time, these individual freedoms would continue to grow and mature so that heirs of Calvin would enjoy their full expression. Hence, we should be thankful for the example of Geneva and Calvin.
Besides engaging in various theological disputes and controversies, Calvin had the personal joy of witnessing the completion of several long-term projects that benefited the church and the city of Geneva. In 1559 he completed the fifth edition of his highly-regarded Institutes of the Christian Religion; in 1560 he oversaw the publication of the Geneva Bible; and in 1562 he witnessed the publication of the Genevan Psalter. Taken in isolation each one of these is a notable achievement, but taken all together they are a stunning testimony of persistent and tenacious labor. Perhaps, one of Calvin’s greatest triumphs was the founding of the Genevan Academy in 1559 for the training of pastors and missionary evangelists. In a very short time four distinguished professors were recruited and an international student body was assembled. Remarkably, in a quarter of a century Geneva had become the center of the Protestant Reformation. John Knox (1514-1572), the courageous Scottish Reformer, wrote the following tribute about the city of Geneva in a personal letter to his friend, Mrs. Locke, in London,
In my heart I would have wished, yea and cannot cease to which, that it would please God to guide and conduct yourself to this place, where I neither fear nor shame to say is the most perfect school since the Apostles. In other places, I confess Christ to be truly preached; but manners and religion so sincerely reformed, I have not seen in any other place.
Henry Sefton, John Knox: An Account of the Development of His Spirituality, 22
In brief, what system of theology did the students learn in Geneva from Calvin’s preaching, lectures, and books? They firmly held to the “Doctrines of Grace”, which are also known today as Reformed Theology. These beliefs can be summarized by the following popular acronym (i.e. Calvin’s “five points”),
T — Total Depravity or Total Inability (cf. Genesis 3:1-24, 6:1-8; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Mark 7:14-23; John 1:12-13; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-18, 23, 6:23, 9:16). [In contrast to Human Ability, Pelagianism, and Semi- Pelagianism]
U — Unconditional Election (cf. Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23, 24-30, 36-43, 24:22, 24, 31; Ephesians 1:3-5, 2:8-9; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29- 30, 33, 9:6-18; 2 Timothy 2:10). [In contrast to Conditional Election by Foreseen Faith]
L — Limited Atonement or Definite Atonement or Particular Redemption (cf. Isaiah 53:4-6; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 20:28; John 10:1-5, 11, 14- 15, 27-29). [In contrast to Universal Redemption, General Atonement, and Amyraldianism]
I — Irresistible Grace or Efficacious Grace (cf. John 11:43-44; Acts 9:1-19, 16:14; John 6:44, 10:1-5, 27; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 2:15-16).[In contrast to the Resistance of the Holy Spirit by Human Ability]
P — Perseverance of the Saints or Eternal Security (cf. Matthew 6:16-20, 24:13; John 3:3-8, 6:37, 39, 47, 10:27-29, 15:8; Romans 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6, 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 John 5:13). [In contrast to Falling from Grace, or Losing One’s Salvation]
As an enduring legacy, Calvin left behind written commentaries on twenty-four Old Testament books, and for every New Testament book of the Bible except 2 & 3 John , and the Book of Revelation. His theological magnum opus, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, made a significant impact on European culture and eventually to a majority of the Protestant churches scattered throughout the entire world. He preached daily and carried on a great correspondence keeping as many as four secretaries busy transcribing his words. Calvin’s health problems throughout his life were legion. He suffered prolonged afflictions of asthma, headaches, gout, gall stones, and various digestive difficulties. John Calvin finally succumbed to his illnesses on May 27, 1564 and died having lived 54 years, 10 months, and 17 days. His dying words were, “Thou, Lord, bruisest me; but I am abundantly satisfied since it is from Thy hand.” He was buried in an unmarked grave in the old cemetery of the Plain Palais in Geneva. Those who study his life wholeheartedly agree that he was “Prompt and sincere in the work of God” to the very end, and this faithful pastor, theological genius, and humble servant of Christ simply “burned-out” for God. Therefore, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth (July 10, 2009) let those of us who are his theological heirs enthusiastically affirm: Soli Deo Gloria!
Here are five of my all-time favorite books on John Calvin’s life and ministry
John Calvin’s signature
Select Bibliography:
Beza, Theodore. The Life of John Calvin. Edited and translated by Henry Beveridge, included in the Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters. Volume 1. Originally published in Edinburgh by the Calvin Translation Society, 1844. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Calvin, John, Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Originally published in 1557. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Library of Christian Classics, vol. XXI. Edited by John T. McNeill and translated by Ford Lewis Battles. Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1960.
Calvin, John. Selected Works of John Calvin: Tracts and Letters. 7 volumes. Co- edited by Henry Beveridge and Jules Bonnet. Originally published in Edinburgh by the Calvin Translation Society, 1851. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
D’Aubigne, J. H. Merle. History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin. Volumes 1-10. Originally published in 1863. Reprint, Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 2000.
de Greef, Wulfert. The Writings of John Calvin: An Introductory Guide. 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008.
De Koster, Lester. Light for the City: Calvin’s Preaching, Source of Life and Liberty. Eerdmans, 2004.
George, Timothy. Theology of the Reformers. Nashville: The Broadman Press, 1988.
Hall, David W. A Heart Promptly Offered: The Revolutionary Leadership of John Calvin. Nashville, TN: Cumberland House, 2006.
Hughes, Philip E. ed. and trans. The Register of the Company of Pastors of Geneva in the Time of Calvin. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966.
Hunter, A. Mitchell. The Teaching of Calvin: A Modern Interpretation. London: Maclehose, Jackson & Co., 1920. Reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1999.
Kelly, Douglas F. The Emergence of Liberty in the Modern World: The Influence of Calvin on Five Governments. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1992.
Parker, T. H. L. John Calvin: A Biography. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975.
McNeill, John T. The History and Character of Calvinism. London: Oxford University Press, 1954.
Reymond, Robert L. John Calvin: His Life and Influence. Ross-shire, Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 2004.
Sefton, Henry R. John Knox: An Account of the Development of His Spirituality. Edinburgh, Scotland: Saint Andrew Press, 1993.
Selderhuis, Herman J. John Calvin: A Pilgrim’s Life. Translated by Albert Gootjes. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009.
Steel, David N., Curtis C. Thomas, and S. Lance Quinn. The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented. Second Edition. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publications, 2004.
Stickelberger, Emanuel. Calvin: A Life. London: James Clarke & Company, 1959.
Van Halsema, Thea B. This Was John Calvin. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959.
Vollmer, Philip. John Calvin: Man of the Millennium. Edited by Wesley Strackbein. San Antonio, TX: The Vision Forum, Inc. 2009.
Wallace, Ronald S. Calvin, Geneva, and the Reformation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990.
Walker, Williston. John Calvin: Organizer of Reformed Protestantism. New York: Schocken Books, 1969.
Wendel, Francois. Calvin: The Origins and Development of His Religious Thought. New York: Harper and Row, 1963. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, reprint 1997.
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
The Genevan Foundation – Copyright 2009 – All Rights Reserved
John Calvin (1509-1564) is best known as a distinguished theologian and leading Protestant Reformer. However, it must be remembered that he functioned first and foremost as a pastor to the congregation of believers at Geneva for 25 years, and at Strasbourg for a brief interlude of 3 years. The esteemed Calvin scholar Jean-Daniel Benoit had the following to say about Calvin’s pastoral ministry,
The work of Calvin is immense and varied. Theologian, churchman, organizer of Protestantism in France, founder of the Academy of Geneva, public lecturer, Bible commentator, preacher at Saint Peter’s – Calvin was all of these. But to forget or to neglect the fact that Calvin was essentially and above all a pastor would be to misunderstand precisely that aspect of his personality which discloses the essential unity of his work, and to overlook the deep source of those waters which fecundate the entire field of his activity. In fact, theologian though he was, Calvin was even more a pastor of souls. More exactly, theology was for him the servant of piety and never a science sufficient unto itself. His thought is always directed towards life; always he descends from principles to the practical application; always his pastoral concern occurs.
Jean-Daniel Benoit, “Pastoral Care of the Prophet”, quoted in John Calvin Contemporary Prophet, 51
John Calvin as a young Pastor in Strasbourg
In this consolatory letter, written by Calvin to Monsieur de Richebourg, he shows the caring heart of the young minister of the gospel. Calvin was only thirty-one years old at the time he penned this letter, and he was away on an important mission to Ratisbon, Germany where he represented the city of Strasbourg at an ecclesiastical gathering. Two deceased men are mentioned in Calvin’s benevolent letter; (1) Louis – the young son of Monsieur de Richebourg, and (2) Claude Ferey – the distinguished Professor at the Academy of Strasbourg and Louis’ personal tutor. Sadly, both men were carried away by the Plague that swept through Strasbourg with deadly consequences in April, 1541. Calvin writes,
The son whom the Lord had lent you for a season, he has taken away. There is no ground, therefore, for those silly and wicked complaints of foolish men: O blind death! O horrid fate! O implacable daughters of destiny! O cruel fortune! The Lord who had lodged him here for a season, at this stage of his career has called him away. What the Lord has done, we must, at the same time, consider has not been done rashly, nor by chance, neither from having been impelled from without; but by that determinate counsel, whereby he not only foresees, decrees, and executes nothing but what is just and upright in itself, but also nothing but what is good and wholesome for us…
In what regards your son, if you bethink how difficult it is, in this most deplorable of ages, to maintain an upright course through life, you will judge him to be blessed, who, before encountering so many coming dangers which were already hovering over him, and to be encountered in his day and generation, was so early delivered from them all. He is like one who has set sail upon a stormy and tempestuous sea, and before he has been carried out into the deeps, gets in safety to the secure haven…
But what advantage, you will say, is it to me to have had a son of so much promise, since he has been torn away from me in the first flower of his youth? As if, forsooth, Christ had not merited, by his death, the supreme dominion over the living and the dead!…However brief, therefore, either in your opinion or in mine, the life of your son may have been, it ought to satisfy us that he has finished the course which the Lord had marked out for him. Moreover, we may not reckon him to have perished in the flower of his age, who had grown ripe in the sight of the Lord…Nor can you consider to have lost him, whom you will recover in the blessed resurrection in the kingdom of God…
Neither do I insist upon your laying aside all grief. Nor, in the school of Christ, do we learn any such philosophy as requires us to put off that common humanity with which God has endowed us…set bonds, temper even your most reasonable sadness; that having shed those tears which were due to nature and to fatherly affection, you by no means give way to senseless wailing…May Christ the Lord keep you and your family, and direct you all with his own Spirit, until you may arrive where Louis and Claude have gone before.
John Calvin, Selected Works: Letters, vol. 4, 246-253
Here we have an open window into the heart of John Calvin. And surprisingly, for some skeptical readers, it reveals a heart that is warm and tender towards those who suffer through the trials of life rather than one which is cold and hard. It is the heart of a true shepherd and pastor to his people. May we learn from Calvin’s compassionate example.
Select Bibliography:
Benoit, Jean-Daniel. “Pastoral Care of the Prophet,” from John Calvin Contemporary Prophet. 450th Anniversary volume celebrating the birth of John Calvin. Jacob T. Hoogstra, ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker book House, 1959.
Calvin, John. Selected Works of John Calvin: Letters. Vol. 4. Jules Bonnet, ed. David Constable, trans. Reprint, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983.
Calvin, John. Letters of John Calvin. Selections from the Bonnet Edition, 1851. Reprint, Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1980.
Henderson, Henry F. Calvin in His Letters. Reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1996.
Walker, Williston. John Calvin: Organizer of Reformed Protestantism. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1904. Reprint, New York: Schocken Books, 1969.
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, Scotland: Scottish Academic Press, 1990.
Wendel, Francois. Calvin: The Origins and Development of His Religious Thought. New York: Harper and Row, 1963. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1997.
Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
The Genevan Foundation – Copyright (2012) – All Rights Reserved
“Old Town” Zurich and the River Limat in Switzerland
Written by Dr. Marcus J. Serven
Ulrich Zwingli
Conrad Grebel
It was on the 21st of January, 1525, that a dozen disillusioned men trudged through the snow near the city of Zurich, Switzerland to a dwelling where they could consult together in private. These men were known amongst themselves as the Swiss Brethren, or by their enemies, as the Anabaptists (“ana” = again + “baptist” = baptized). Central in this group of zealous young reformers were Conrad Grebel (1498-1526), Felix Manz (1498-1527), and Georg Blaurock (1492-1529). Each had recently participated in a heated public disputation with the renowned Swiss Reformer Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) concerning the biblical basis of infant baptism. The city council of Zurich had declared Zwingli the victor, hence the men would have to either change their views on the matter, flee the city, or suffer the consequences. After discussing their options, they chose the latter—to suffer for the sake of their convictions. That night they boldly separated from the main stream of the Protestant Reformation by re-baptizing themselves as adult believers. William Estep describes the scene in this way,
After prayer, Georg of the House of Jacob stood up and strongly urged Conrad Grebel for God’s sake to baptize him with the true Christian baptism upon his faith and knowledge. And when he knelt down and with such a request and desire, Conrad baptized him, since at that time there was no ordained minister to perform such work. Following their re-baptism they vigorously began to preach and teach about their new found beliefs.
William Estep, The Anabaptist Story
Anabaptists are drowned in the River Limat
The Anabaptist message spread rapidly to Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands resulting in a growing number of new congregations. Since the connection between the organized church and the civil government (i.e. the Magistrates) was very strong, any dissenters on theological grounds were quickly apprehended and sometimes even persecuted by the local authorities. Within a few short years, Conrad Grebel had died in prison (1526), Felix Manz had been arrested and sentenced to death by drowning (1527; his enemies caustically referred to this as his “third baptism”), and Georg Blaurock had been burned at the stake as a heretic (1529). Amazingly, Protestants had begun to persecute fellow Protestants! Swift martyrdom would become the norm for the Anabaptists for the next several centuries. In addition, many of the Magisterial Reformers began to forcefully speak out against the Anabaptists. Timothy George notes,
Heinrich Bullinger, for instance, called them “devilish enemies and destroyers of the church of God.” Luther’s preferred term was Schwarmer, which recalls the uncontrollable buzzing of bees around a hive, and which the German reformer applied indiscriminately to a wide host of adversaries. Calvin’s epithets were no less pejorative: “fanatics,” “deluded,” “scatter-brains,” “asses,” “scoundrels,” “mad dogs.” Interpreting the radicals in terms of dissent and nonconformity has skewed efforts to understand their own spiritual motivation.
Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers, 2nd edition, 267-268
God, however, in the midst of the persecution would raise up many courageous spokesmen to replace those who had suffered martyrdom for their faith. One such leader would be—the peaceable and articulate Dutchman, Menno Simons.
Menno Simons
Menno Simons (1496-1561) was born to a peasant family in the Friesland region of northern Holland. At twenty-eight years of age he became a Roman Catholic Priest in the village church at Pingjum, Friesland. While serving as priest a nagging question developed in his mind regarding the doctrine of transubstantiation (that belief that the bread and the wine actually become the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ). As a result, he began to have doubts as to the validity of the miracle of the Mass.
My reader, I write to you the truth in Christ and lie not. In the year 1524, being then in my twenty-eighth year, I undertook the duties of a priest in my father’s village, called Pingjum, in Friesland. Two other persons of about my age, also officiated in the same station. The one was my pastor, and was well learned in part; the other succeeded me; both had read the scriptures partially; but I had not touched them during my life, for I feared, if I should read them they would mislead me. Behold! such a stupid preacher was I, for nearly two years. In the first year thereafter a thought occurred to me, as often as I handled the bread and wine in the mass, that they were not the flesh and blood of the Lord. I thought that it was the suggestion of the devil, that he might lead me off from my faith. I confessed it often—sighed and prayed, yet I could not be freed from this thought.
Complete Works of Menno Simons, 668
Menno’s apprehension over the issue forced him to turn to the Bible. He searched for texts that would convincingly prove the doctrine of transubstantiation, but he was not satisfied with the explanations that he read and heard. Finally, he concluded that such doctrines were the fabrication of the Church and promoted idolatry. He wrote following his conversion these words of personal chastening,
Yes, I have said to a weak, perishing creature that came forth from the earth, that was broken in a mill, that was baked by the fire, that was chewed by my teeth and digested by my stomach, namely, to a mouthful of bread, Thou hast saved me…O God, thus have I, a miserable sinner, toyed with the harlot of Babylon for many years.
Complete Works of Menno Simons, 76
Another doctrine which came under Menno’s scrutiny was the practice of infant baptism. In 1531 a Dutch Anabaptist, Sicke Snijder, was beheaded for being “re-baptized.” This shocking event caused Menno to rethink the whole issue of baptism and to question what practices were truly biblical. Menno had been taught in Roman Catholic theology that infants are born with original sin which must be covered by grace through the sacrament of infant baptism (ie: ex opere operato = the giving of grace is “done in the doing”). The sacrament, when administered by a Roman Catholic Priest, would confer upon the infant sufficient grace that if the baby should die it would avoid Limbus Infantum and reside in Purgatory or Heaven. As the baby grew into an adult that person’s faithful participation in the Church would result in the forgiveness of sins and the accrual of enough grace to enter Purgatory or Heaven. The Anabaptists completely rejected Roman Catholic sacramentalism as unscriptural, and thereby infant baptism as practiced in the Roman Catholic Church.
As a side note, it should be acknowledged that many other Protestants also reject the Roman Catholic sacramental system of baptism. Presbyterian and Reformed churches, for example, base infant baptism upon the Old Testament covenantal promises to parents (Deuteronomy 7:6-9). This promise is realized in the practice of circumcision (Genesis 17:7-14) and its clear connection with New Testament baptism (Acts 2:39; Colossians 2:11-12). Reformed believers reason that baptism in and of itself does not confer any grace–it is a sign and a seal of that grace. Baptism emphasizes God’s covenantal promises to the believing parents and identifies their baptized child as a member of God’s covenant community (i.e. the Church). Baptism, thereby, becomes an impetus for faithful Christian parents to evangelize and disciple their “covenant children” whom God has graciously given to them. It is also a significant reminder for baptized individuals (no matter what age they may be) to live up to the promises that God has placed upon their life.
Even with these doctrinal changes Menno remained a Roman Catholic Priest. He characterized his life at that time as “full of gambling and drinking.” However, in April 1535 three hundred armed Anabaptist believers overthrew the Old Cloister near Bolsward in Northern Holland. For eight days they withstood the assault of troops loyal to the Roman Catholic Church. However, they were utterly defeated and mercilessly slaughtered. Among these radical Anabaptists were several whom Menno had taught in his own congregation, and even more disturbingly—the brother of Menno, Peter Simons. Peter’s death had a profound effect upon Menno. This event, and the earlier debacle at Munster, Germany, where several thousand revolutionary Anabaptists where killed by both Lutherans and Roman Catholics alike, caused Menno to develop his firm opposition to warfare in every situation. He became an ardent and persuasive pacifist who repudiated taking up arms.
After this had transpired, the blood of these people, although mislead fell…hot on my heart…I reflected upon my unclean, carnal life, also the hypocritical doctrine and idolatry which I still practiced daily in appearance of godliness, but without relish. I saw that these zealous children, although in error, willingly gave their lives and their estates for their doctrine and faith. And I was one of those who had disclosed to some of them the abominations of the papal system. But I myself…acknowledged abominations simply in order that I might enjoy physical comfort and escape the cross of Christ.
Compete Works of Menno Simons, 670-671
He confessed his own hypocrisy, and finally his conversion came about in 1535 at age thirty-nine. He writes of this decisive experience,
My heart trembled within me. I prayed to God with the sighs and tears that He would give to me, a sorrowing sinner, the gift of His grace, create in me a clean heart, and graciously through the merits of the crimson blood of Christ forgive my unclean walk and frivolous easy life and bestow on me wisdom, Spirit, courage, and a manly spirit so that I might preach His exalted and adorable name and holy Word in purity.
Complete Works of Menno Simons, 671
On January 30, 1536, Menno preached his final sermon as a Roman Catholic Priest and formally sought out the fellowship of “peaceful” Anabaptists. Later that year, he identified with the small group led by Obbe Philips (1500-1568) where he was first baptized (1536), and then ordained (1537). When Obbe Philips stepped-back from his role as leader, due to his internal conflict over the death of so many of his followers, Menno stepped-up and filled the void along with Obbe’s younger brother Dirk Philips (1502-1568). This fledgling group grew in prominence so that most Anabaptists, in time, became known as Mennonites.
The Complete Works of Menno Simons
As successive Anabaptist leaders met their deaths by martyrdom, Menno survived them all and enjoyed a fruitful twenty-five year ministry throughout the Netherlands and Northern Germany. He often preached his gospel in small “home churches” and fled the authorities who sought to imprison him. His wife and children suffered great poverty from the rigors of living on the road. At one point the Emperor, Charles 5th, offered a reward of one hundred gold guilders for his capture. Nevertheless, Menno eluded every potential “Judas” and continued to preach, teach, and write. His most significant and systematic work was The Foundation of Christian Knowledge, which was published in 1539. His last years were spent in relative peace at Holstein; he died in his own bed at Wustenfelde, near Lubeck, in northern Germany and was buried in his garden.
Young Mennonite Women
Historically, Mennonite beliefs could be summarized in the following way: (a) the community of believers is stressed (so that marriage only among Anabaptist believers is encouraged); (b) each disciple commits themselves to a new way of life in Christ (which is sealed through adult baptism); (c) baptism is only offered to adult believers (usually by pouring); (d) foot-washing is often times practiced along with the Lord’s Supper (which is observed twice a year); (e) each individual and family is to withdraw from the secular world (so that participation in politics, higher learning, and the military is discouraged); (f) Scripture is taken literally and non-scriptural terms are generally not used (ie: the Trinity; (g) although it is affirmed as the teaching of the Bible the term is not used); (h) dogmatic theology is rejected (instead, personal experience is emphasized); (i) pacifism is encouraged (rather than nationalism, which leads to militarism); (j) each congregation is considered to be a “free” church (instead of having a hierarchical form of church government); (k) the “ban” (i.e shunning) is placed on those who have rejected the moral code of the church; (l) an imminent return of Jesus Christ is expected. Dress for men and women is to be modest, plain, and practical, so that clothing covers the majority of a person’s body. The modern-day proponents of Anabaptist theology are the following groups: the Mennonites, the Hutterites, the Amish, the Moravians, some Baptists, and the German Pietists.
Young Mennonite Men
Resources for Further Study:
Bainton, Roland H. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Boston, MA: The Beacon Press, 1952.
Broderick, Robert C. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Revised Edition. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1987.
Calvin, John. Treatises Against the Anabaptists and Against the Libertines. Benjamin W. Farley, ed. and trans. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1982.
Douglas, J. D., ed. The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church. Revised Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.
“Anabaptists,” by Robert C. Clouse
“Baptists,” by Ernest F. Clipsham
“Blaurock, Georg,” by Robert D. Linder
“Grebel, Conrad,” by Peter Toon
“Hutterites,” by Ian Sellers
“John of Leyden,” by Dirk Jellema
“Manz, Felix,” by J. G. G. Norman
“Mennonites,” by J. C. Wenger
“Menno Simons,” by Dirk Jellema
“Philips, Dirk,” by Kenneth R. Davis
“Philips, Obbe,” by J. G. G. Norman
“Radical Reformation,” by Haddon Willmer
“Zwingli, Ulrich,” by Robert C. Walton
Douglas, J. D., ed. Who’s Who In Christian History. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992.
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“Menno Simons,” by J. C. Wenger
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Dr. Marcus J. Serven, ThM and DMin
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