John Calvin and the Reformation (1509-1564)

John Calvin (1509-1564) was the great organising brain behind the development of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth century Europe.  His enormous output of writings - sermons, commentaries, Institutes, tracts, letters, etc was exhausting to think about.  It was Calvin who taught John Knox who was then lumbered with the blame for establishing Presbyterianism in these islands and throughout the world. 

We can read Calvin's Institutes, something I would recommend, explore his excellent commentaries, be encouraged and challenges by his letters, be armed to dispute with heretics of variious kinds threough his tracts, but of you want to get to know the real John Calvin, then you must read his sermons.  It is Calvin and Gospel preacher who is the authentic John Calvin.

It is very sad that people who hold to Arminianism do so because they have been tainted by ill-informed preachers who thought they were Calvinists, but in fact were not.  What these preachers presented was an extrapolation of Calvin's teaching and this ended up being something Calvin would not own as his.

Calvin was an excellent preacher and one only has to read his published sermons to see the depth of his grasp of the biblical revelation.  If preachers reading this want to learn how to apply the message of the Bible to their own day and generation, listen to Calvin in his sermons.  Timid or frightened preachers ought to be deeply challenged when they compare their feeble preaching with Calvin's bold expositions.  He took on even the greatest opponent in the cause of truth, but many in today's pulpits are restricted in their preaching to what the people will accept.  They only minister by the consent of the people - called the concent principle.  How this works itself out is that they only preach what their people want to hear.  If they do otherwise, you know they will be removed from their pulpit.  They preach what the people want to hear and are prepared to tolerate. 

Calvin preached what was intolerable to many in his day, and even to come in his church.  But he declared "the whole counsel of God" and thereby delivered his conscience before God.  Pray to God to raise up men like Calvin who will do likewise.