Today marks the 500th birthday for the great Reformer, John Calvin, born July 10, 1509. Regardless of your theological convictions, every minister of the gospel should recognize the gift that John Calvin was to the Church of Jesus Christ. If you have never read any of Calvin’s writings, I would suggest you begin by reading some of his sermons, which are readily available online, or in book form.
It is significant that we recognize that above all, Calvin was a preacher. He preached for almost twenty-five years at St. Peter’s church in Geneva, Switzerland. Furthermore, it was his diligent practice to preach expositionally through books of the Bible. Even as busy as he was in writing and giving lectures, for years, Calvin preached 10 times every two weeks. This is astounding, when you think about it.
John Piper, in his short biography, entitled, John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God, discusses Calvin as a preacher. Piper writes,
To give you some idea of the scope of Calvin’s pulpit, he began his series on the book of Acts on August 25, 1549, and ended it in March of 1554. After Acts, he went on to the epistles to the Thessalonians (46 sermons), Corinthians (186 sermons), the Pastoral Epistles (86 sermons), Galatians (43 sermons), Ephesians (48 sermons)—until May of 1558. Then there is a gap when he was ill. In the spring of 1559, he began the harmony of the Gospels and was not finished when he died in May 1564. On the weekdays during that season, he preached 159 sermons on
Job, 200 on Deuteronomy, 353 on Isaiah, 123 on Genesis, and so on.One of the clearest illustrations that this was a self-conscious choice on Calvin’s part was the fact that on Easter Day of 1538, after preaching, he left the pulpit of St. Peter’s, banished by the city council. He returned in September of 1541—over three years later—and picked up the exposition in the next verse. (John Piper, John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008, 47-48)
What a faithful model for those of us who stand to deliver God’s Word to God’s people every Sunday! By the grace of God, Calvin’s faithful expository preaching changed lives in Geneva for eternity, and raised up missionaries to take the gospel to unreached people groups. By God’s grace, expository preaching still has the power to do the same in our day. It was Calvin’s goal to preach God’s Word throughout his life, and this should be our goal as well. In his biography, Piper also includes Calvin’s last will and testament, which reads, “I have endeavored, both in my sermons and also in my writings and commentaries, to preach the Word purely and chastely, and faithfully to interpret His sacred Scriptures” (Ibid, 46).
In light of all of this and so much more, today, we at P4P thank God for John Calvin: for his theological mind, for his part in the Protestant Reformation, and for his example as a faithful expositor of the Bible. Brothers, preach the Word!
UPDATE: Check out Abraham Piper’s article, “Celebrating Calvin’s Birthday For Christ” over @ Desiring God.
