Pastor’s Blog

Today marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, Picardy, France. As a young man he studied theology and law. Calvin lived in several places, notably Strasbourg (where he married Idelette de Bure) and Basel, but he is best known for his work in Geneva, after being persuaded by William Farel to come minister in that city. He resided in Geneva twice, having fled the city after controversy arose over communion but later returning.

Calvin’s preaching, teaching, and writing provided a major impetus to the Protestant Reformation of the 1500’s. Men such as John Knox of Scotland came to Geneva, sat under his ministry, and returned home to spread the reformation in their own lands. Calvin also sent more than 100 reformed missionaries to his home country of France. Through correspondence he influenced political leaders as well as ecclesiastical leaders in the Reformation.

His most influential writings, still published today, are his Institutes of the Christian Religion—a systematic theology with a strong emphasis on the Christian life—and his Commentaries on the Scriptures. Calvin’s commentaries, with their close grammatical, historical, and theological interpretation of the text of Scripture, set the course for commentaries up to the present day,.

Perhaps Calvin is best known today for the theological system that bears his name—Calvinism—a system associated with predestination. We should note that Calvin did not have an obsession with predestination. He preached it and defended it, as he did the other doctrines of Scripture, as it arose in his consecutive preaching of books of the Bible. The “Five Points of Calvinism”—a summary of the Reformed understanding of salvation—were formulated well after Calvin’s time (though he would have agreed with them). Calvin loved the doctrine of predestination as he did the other truths of Scripture, as any Christian should. His preaching was as broad (and narrow) as the Bible itself.

In the 1550’s Calvin’s health began to fail. He spent his remaining time revising and enlarging his Institutes, publishing the final version in 1559. It was immediately reprinted and translated throughout Europe. He became ill in early 1564 and preached his final sermon on February 6 of that year. He died on May 27, 1564. Thousands came to see his body, forcing the Geneva Council to bury him in an unmarked grave. In the 19th century a stone was placed by a grave traditionally thought to be Calvin’s.

Though we most often think of him as a theologian (and he was, par excellence), Calvin saw himself as a pastor who loved his Lord and tried to preach, teach, and live the Gospel as best he could. What would he think of the various conferences, seminars, and commemorations taking place this year to remember his life? I think he would be astounded that 500 years after his birth people would know who he was, let alone still be reading and referring to his writings.

In God’s grace and providence, he gave John Calvin a ministry that would influence not only the church, but arguably western civilization, for the next half-millennium. That influence has not yet run its course! On his 500th birthday we do not give gifts to John Calvin. We recognize that he himself was a gift, and we thank God for him.

(posted 7/10/09)