From the DesiringGOD Blog:
Happy birthday, John Calvin. Today we celebrate your 499th birthday. Your preaching inspires me to press on with this great and glorious task of heralding the Word of God.
T. H. L. Parker’s 1975 biography tells why:
And so we trace him preaching on Sundays with one hundred and eighty-nine sermons on the Acts between 1549 and 1554, a shorter series on some of the Pauline letters between 1554 and 1558, and the sixty-five on the Harmony of the Gospels between 1559 and 1564. During this time the weekdays saw series on Jeremiah and Lamentations (up to 1550), on the Minor Prophets and Daniel (1550-2), the one hundred and seventy-four on Ezekiel (1552-4), the one hundred and fifty-nine on Job (1554-5), the two hundred on Deuteronomy (1555-6), the three hundred and forty-two on Isaiah (1556-9), then one hundred twenty-three on Genesis (1559-61), a short set on Judges (1561), one hundred and seven on 1 Samuel and eighty-seven on 2 Samuel (1561-3) and a set on 1 Kings (1563-4).
Before he smiles at such unusual activity of the pulpit, the reader would do well to ask himself whether he would prefer to listen to the second-hand views on a religion of social ethics, or the ill-digested piety, delivered in slipshod English, that he will hear today in most churches of whatever denomination he may enter, or three hundred and forty-two sermons on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, sermons born of an infinite passion of faith and a burning sincerity, sermons luminous with theological sense, lively with wit and imagery, showing depths of compassion and the unquenchable joyousness of hope. Those in Geneva who listened Sunday after Sunday, day after day, and did not shut their ears, but were “instructed, admonished, exhorted, and censured,” received a training in Christianity such as had been given to few congregations in Europe since the days of the fathers. (92)
Thank you, John Calvin, for believing in the majesty of the word and for demonstrating by your life the glory of preaching the Bible.
Yes, Arthur, I have read Calvin’s works…my conclusion…he read the same Bible I read…*: ) I fell in love with New Testament Jesus, at 14 *: )
When I was a bit older and begain reading through the Bible, Gen – Rev each year, and I found Him written throught out the Old Testament as well… I loved Him even more.
By then, we had had many ‘personal talks’…I learned to listen with my heart…and mark the results when I wasn’t obedient…I learned to walk in forgiveness, be thankful in heart and to repent quickly. The Joy of the Lord IS my strength and He is evident to me in even the smallest of things.
Ed, quite right. Calvinism is not about Calvin, it is about Christ. His sovereign atoning work, His grace, His perfect obedience, the Good Shepherd laying down His life for His sheep.
Nancy, have you read Ca;vin’s works? His grasp and scholarship of the Scriptures is unparalled in today’s milk fed churches. I read Calvin not to replace reading the Bible, but to enhance my understanding by leaning on the great men upon whose shoulders we all stand.
I truly believe, if more Christians actually majored on the reading of the Bible instead of books written about the Bible by others…our differences would soon fade…Consistant Bible reading brings our minds and beliefs in line with the Living Word of God…instead of bending the Living Word to fit into our beliefs. Even so, there are many great books by Christian authors that are beneficial. We just shouldn’t make them our main fare.
It is important to note that John Calvin did not come up with Calvinism, he preached it, but did not preach just 5 points associated with it today. He preached the whole Bible, and only gets credit for 5 points. This shows the true breadth of his ministry, his preaching genius, followed only by a few precious preachers today.
Thanks to those preachers, and Happy Birthday John!
But I don’t know if I can stand 340 sermons on the book of Isaiah, almost 7 yrs!