Chapter 3 is divided into subheadings Biography, The
Servetus Incident, Calvin’s Writings, The Institutes, Calvin’s Theology, and Conclusion.
Biography. I had learned decades ago that John Calvin (pictured) was French, that he had for a time studied for the Catholic priesthood, and that he then turned to a study of the law. I did not know that his departure from France was intended to move to Basel, Switzerland, to become a private scholar. He had no intention of entering the ministry when he went to Switzerland.
In Geneva, Guillaume Farel recruited him to work
with him in ministry in Geneva’s Protestant church. Of course, Calvin’s
doctrine of the church was never correct[1], and
his resulting efforts in connection with the practice of the communion service
resulted in Calvin and Farel leaving Geneva. He would be gone for three years.
While living in Strasbourg, Calvin met and married
the widow of an Anabaptist who was two children’s mother. Following their
marriage, she delivered Calvin’s only child, who died as an infant. After nine
years of marriage, Calvin’s wife died. He never remarried and suffered from bad
health for the remainder of his life.
Back in service in the Geneva church, Calvin
preached and taught and developed a charity and care outreach for the poor and
the aged of the city. Interestingly, he also helped to create a public sewer
system, as well as other projects. He helped develop what is known as free
enterprise economics or capitalism to succeed the medieval feudal system of
that era. Of course, I had heard of the “Protestant Work Ethic,” but had not
known it was a product of Calvin’s theology and ministry.
Most people are aware of those who flocked to
Geneva to be trained by John Calvin (such as Scotland’s John Knox) and escape
persecution in their home countries. What was a surprise for me to learn was
that from Calvin’s Geneva ministry were sent to France hundreds of pastors and evangelists and missionaries
to faraway Brazil!
The Servetus Incident. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone rail
against Calvinism without making mention of Michael Servetus. He was a
physician from Spain, a heretic who embraced pantheism and denied both the
Trinity and Christ’s deity. New to me was that before he arrived in Geneva,
Servetus had already been condemned to death by the Roman Catholic Inquisition
and had been warned by Calvin to stay away from Geneva or face the
consequences. Geneva was as hostile to those who deny the Trinity and the deity
of Christ as any Roman Catholic jurisdiction of that day.
What was also new to me when reading this book was
the realization that Calvin was in no position in Geneva to decide who was and
who was not prosecuted for heresy. Had Calvin not been in Geneva, Servetus
would still have been arrested, tried, and executed. Therefore, any mention of
the Servetus incident connected with Calvinism is entirely bogus and does not
reflect intellectual honesty.
The Servetus incident was unfortunate. But it is
likely that Servetus would have been arrested, tried, and executed in almost
any city in Europe of that day.
Calvin’s Writings. The first edition of The Institutes of the
Christian Religion was published when
Calvin was in Geneva the first time, in 1533. Upon his return to Geneva, he
updated, refined, and published numerous subsequent editions. Calvin was a
prolific author, having written a massive commentary on almost the whole Bible (I
have the set), he preached at least five times a week and lectured on theology nearly
every day. Calvin also wrote 4000 letters, some of them giving advice to persecuted
Christians in other countries, and some of them written to foreign heads of
state.
The Institutes. The Institutes of the Christian Religion, first written in Latin, is a systematic
theology centered around the theme of God’s knowledge. I have had The Institutes for about 30 years but have never gotten
around to reading it. I suppose I will read The Institutes after I finish this book.
Calvin’s Theology. Martin Luther is most famous for his position
on the doctrine of justification by faith. John Calvin is most famous for his
position on the doctrine of the knowledge of God. Of course, he was a
Protestant. He was also evangelical, stood strongly for the five solas, and accepted the infallibility and inerrancy
of Scripture. New to me was that Calvin was one of the first to teach the Holy
Spirit’s internal testimony to authenticate the Bible’s inspiration.
Conclusion. I did not know John Calvin died at the age of 55.
I did not know that when he died, he was in the arms of his successor Theodore Beza.
I did not know that he requested no marker to identify his grave when he was
buried.
[1]
See my book The Church of Jesus Christ: 28 Truths Every Christian Ought
To Learn, (Monrovia, CA: Classical Baptist Press, 2019) available at
www.ClassicalBaptist.Press
