One of his most famous statements, this is also an excellent example of the piety so central to Calvin.

Just above my desk in either direction – like birds perched on a ledge – sit my closest theological friends. Within arm’s-reach I can pull down centuries of biblical insight from Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, Thomas Boston, Richard Sibbes and Charles Spurgeon.

Each of these men remind me of an era when the word “God” was a noun loaded with absolute truth worthy of fear, worthy of love, worthy of obedience, worthy of life-long investigation. The noun “God” demanded bold, absolute statements found in the preaching and lengthy books now looking over my shoulder.

This is not my era.

In my era, “god” is a subjective verb, a relative feeling or sensation available to anyone with little concern for the scope of biblical revelation. With this cultural shift comes a radical shift in the pulpit. The “god” of the verb is captured by little more than catchy stories and warm illustrations. Divine truth becomes secondary. Hearers believe what they want, take what they will and leave what they don’t fancy. The one heresy that remains is the concept of ‘heresy’ (another no-no noun).

To my generation, cultural relevance seems tied to our ability to disguise the noun with a verb.

Institutes

Sitting between Edwards and Owen, in a rich blue cloth binding and ornate embossed spine, perch the 2 volume Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. It was written at a time when “God” was a noun – a real person, with real character and real motives – and written by a man propelled by love to communicate this God to the transformation of his culture.

Calvin’s Institutes remain one of the most significant theological writings in church history. His style is so readable, his scope so broad and the practical implications of his conclusions so relevant that this work remains accessible today.

Sadly there is a tendency to reduce Calvinism into a theological acronym TULIP: Total depravity (or radical depravity); Unconditional election; Limited atonement (or particular redemption); Irresistible grace (or efficacious grace); and Preserving grace. These theological terms are important. But Calvin will not let us develop a theological framework to feed theological cookies to intellectual elites. Among many purposes (like easing the persecution of post-Reformation believers) the repentance of the unregenerate and a growth in godliness of the regenerate are central to Calvin’s monumental work.

Calvin writes because he wants sinners to know God, know Christ and see the value of the Church.

When I turn my thoughts to the topic of ‘Humble Calvinism’ I am thinking of something much bigger than TULIP or predestination, election and foreordination. These theological puzzle pieces fit into a larger framework bordered by Calvin’s desire to see sinners truly cling to God and honor Him in everyday life so that all people – black, white, men, women, artists, teachers, scientists, political rulers – will humble themselves under the one, sovereign God.

Summa Pietatis

In the introduction of the English translation of the Institutes, John T. McNeill writes, “The discerning reader soon realizes that not the author’s intellect alone but his whole spiritual and emotional being is enlisted in his work … He was not, may we say, a theologian by profession, but a deeply religious man who possessed a genius for orderly thinking and obeyed the impulse to write out the implications of his faith. He calls his book not a summa theologiae but a summa pietatis. The secret of his mental energy lies in his piety; its product is his theology, which is his piety described at length.”

Calvin himself defines piety as “that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces. For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him – they will never yield him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him” (1.2.1).

Notice especially Calvin’s emphasis on “reverence.” The common experience of men and women in Scripture who see God is fear. We can measure God’s presence in our lives and culture to the degree that men and women fear God. Reverence towards God is part of what it means to know God and a lack of fear towards God displays the ugliness of human sinfulness (Rom. 3:18). Calvin reminds us of this sovereign God who controls all things and causes men and women to shake in fear and trembling.

Joel Beeke writes, “John Calvin’s Institutes have earned him the title of ‘the preeminent systematician of the Protestant Reformation.’ His reputation as an intellectual, however, is often seen apart from the vital spiritual and pastoral context in which he wrote his theology. For Calvin, theological understanding and practical piety, truth and usefulness, are inseparable. Theology first of all deals with knowledge – knowledge of God and of ourselves – but there is no true knowledge where there is no true piety” (Calvin on Piety paper).

Calvin sounds the unmistakable warning: A Calvinist is not one who merely understands TULIP and the theological framework associated with it. Calvinism – truly humble Calvinism – builds off the assumption that I must fear God for his holiness, love God for His generosity and find all my joy in Him! This throbbing piety is the heartbeat of Calvinism.

But this message is not only for the churchgoer. God’s plan is the transformation of every facet of culture. To accomplish this, God must sovereignty capture the arts, sciences, academics, politics and the pulpit. This transformation of an ignorant cultural was the bull’s-eye John Calvin rested his theological crosshairs.

Transforming Culture

Historian Alister McGrath has traced the impact of Calvin in natural sciences (encouraging astrology astronomy, medicine and the scientific study of nature), human rights, the arts, economic development and how he brought dignity to human labor. “Calvinism was far more than a theology; it was perceived as a progressive worldview which seemed capable of taking that world by storm, and made a deep impact upon the culture of the period” (A Life of John Calvin, p. 247).

Calvin’s goal was cultural transformation, also labeled the “secularization of holiness” (Henri Hauser). While this label is open to misunderstanding it does represent Calvin’s goal beyond seeing the redemption of sinners but also infusing a culture with holistic holiness.

But why this cultural impact? In distinguishing the Reformers McGrath writes, “Calvin was not concerned [as Luther] with the reformation of a university theological curriculum – in the great free cities of Strasbourg and Geneva, the chief enemies were indifference and ignorance, demanding a systematic presentation of reforming ideas rather than an engagement with the intricacies of scholastic theology” (p. 38).

Today we need Calvin, not just the academic reforms sought by Martin Luther in Germany. Through our blogs, churches, sermons, books and articles we need to once again clarify the nature and revealed motives of God and apply these conclusions holistically to a culture marked by theological “indifference and ignorance.”

To Calvin, this “indifference and ignorance” of God was not merely overcome by contextualizing the message but preaching a holistic message. He was driven – not only to plant churches – but to explain “God” (the noun form) to cities being eternally destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). He longed for the earth be “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). He set out to preach the whole council of an all-powerful and absolute God.

And so I am grieved to hear others characterize Calvin as dilapidated, antiquated, obsolete and muted. I disagree. He remains relevant because his source of truth and vision are timeless.

John Calvin’s holistic vision and biblical theology are set forth in the Institutes of Christian Religion. It is a book we need desperately to communicate in today’s language. My prayer in 2007 echoes alongside Calvin’s prayer from 1557: By God’s grace we will pursue Humble Calvinism for the purpose of culturally widespread, God-glorifying piety.

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Click here to access previous posts in the Humble Calvinism index.

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Why John Calvin?

We’re pushing off into a 5-month voyage of the life and thought of John Calvin. Where this boat will float us I cannot say. Augustine said that he wrote to learn and that’s my intention. But I can predict with certainty that these will not be easy seas. Understanding God’s motives and actions require the utmost humility. Calvin leads us off the path of human wisdom to the cliff edge of divine mystery. Scripture leads us here, so we go.

My goal is to uncover the implications of Calvinism for the Christian life (If you want a 20-point defense of limited atonement, you will not find it here). But this will not be a difficult task. Calvin never strays very far into theology without showing the practical implications.

Here are a few answers that come to mind when we ask: Why Calvin? Why now?

1. Because Calvinism is biblical. No system of theology has better (notice I did not say ‘perfectly’) displayed a consistently biblical framework. If you want to be consistent with Scripture, Calvinism is your system. Because of this, Calvinism is a firm confrontation to theological reductionism (those who build theological systems from only parts of Scripture). We must deal with themes like God’s sovereignty, our depravity, His election, etc. These Calvinistic themes are carried throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. Because Calvinism is tested. The greatest theological minds in church history were Calvinists. Augustine, who predates Calvin by centuries, laid a foundation Calvin could easily build on (“Augustine is totally ours!” Calvin once wrote). After Calvin, men like Jonathan Edwards and John Owen stand atop the list of theological elites who were Calvinists which should not surprise since the Puritan movement itself was “a kind of vigorous Calvinism” (Joel Beeke, Meet the Puritans). John Bunyan was a Calvinist. Mathematical genius and philosopher Blaise Pascal was a Calvinist. Great evangelists like David Brainerd and George Whitefield were Calvinists (Whitefield frequently preached of election to non-believers). Calvinist theologians include B.B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen, Charles Hodge, Cornelius Van Til and the other early Princeton Seminary leaders. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Francis Schaeffer were Calvinists. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon equated Calvinism with the gospel itself. Representing several denominations, many contemporary Evangelical leaders are Calvinists (Al Mohler, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, C.J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris, R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, John MacArthur, J.I. Packer and Mark Dever). A ministry producing some of the most powerful sermons and worship music goes by a very Calvinistic name, Sovereign Grace Ministries. And this is just a sampling. For centuries (right up to 2007) Calvinism has caught the eye of the brightest theological minds, evangelists, preachers, philosophers and musicians.

3. Because Calvinism is a relevant worldview. We are not talking merely about theology and doctrine! Calvinism puts every detail of this world – not in the hands of mere men or fate or luck – but in a personal God who is working all of world history towards one final goal. To say it another way, “there is nothing casual nor contingent in the world.” So what does a Calvinist look like? B.B. Warfield wrote, “He [the Calvinist] has caught sight of the ineffable Vision, and he will not let it fade for a moment from his eyes – God in nature, God in history, God in grace. Everywhere he sees God in His mighty stepping, everywhere he feels the working of his mighty arm, the throbbing of His mighty heart.” Calvinism is a worldview that embraces music, art, history, natural sciences, medicine, politics, economics, labor and race relations. Fittingly, McGrath closes his biographical account of Calvin with these words: “Although Calvin lies buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Geneva, his ideas and influences live on in the outlooks of the culture he helped to create” (p. 261).

4. Because Calvinism brings reverence and trust in God. According to Calvin, without reverence towards God and worshipping Him as the giver of all things, we cannot know God. Understanding God is not about scholarship and academic degrees but of piety, submission and love towards God. A true study of Calvin and Calvinism will help us foster these godly characteristics.

5. Because Calvinism protects the church. Whether we are talking about open theism, theological liberalism, religious relativism, emergent church movement, church-growth methods, new perspectives of Paul or misunderstandings of the fundamental differences between the gospels of Evangelicalism and Roman Catholicism, Calvinism will keep our attention on Scripture. In the book The Doctrines of Grace, Boice and Ryken write, “The pathway from Calvinism to liberalism – and even atheism – is well worn, and it usually passes through Arminianism” (p. 66). Churches who preach a god unable to sovereignly manage the world to his own glory become vulnerable to the most grave errors.

6. Because Calvinism brings comfort. When life is tough, there is no comfort in a powerless god. Only when we understand God to be firmly in control of our pain and discomforts can we say with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” And only then can we say with Paul, “All things work together for the good of those who love God.” Only a sovereign God can comfort us in our deepest trials.

7. Because Calvinism is high. If you want to grasp God, you must stand on the highest plateau to get a glimpse of his majesty. Steven Lawson’s newest book reminds us that Calvinism is where “The lofty truths of divine sovereignty provide the greatest and grandest view of God” and “The doctrines of grace serve to elevate the entire life of the church.” Calvinism forces us to climb higher than we imagined, to see bigger things then we thought possible, and elevates the worship and reverence of the church beyond the routine and mundane.

8. Because Calvinism is cool. That’s right. Last Fall Christianity Today called Calvinists, “Young, Restless and Reformed,” which is another way of saying Calvinists are now the cool kids in school. Seriously, people can see through the wafer thin glazing of seeker sensitive church growth movement. Confusing conversations and open theism simply will not do. Christians want the mighty God of Scripture. One who sits high and exalted, who shakes the heavens and whose right hand controls every detail of life to His own glory and to the good of believers. Calvinism is very relevant today.

Conclusion

Loraine Boettner wrote of John Calvin that he “ventured boldly but reverently upon the brink of that abyss of speculation where all human knowledge is lost in mystery and adoration.” And in pursuing the depths of Scripture, Calvin has set before us the Christian life as it flows from the most profound theology.

Together we will learn Humble Calvinism. Will you join us?

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Click here to access previous posts in the Humble Calvinism index.

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“The world should realize with increased clearness that Evangelicalism stands or falls with Calvinism.”

– B.B. Warfield

Between January and May here at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook we will be focusing our attention on French reformer John Calvin (with other posts and topics scattered along the way).

Calvin was a lawyer-turned-Reformer whose written works provide readers a 51-volume depository of Reformed theology and exegesis of Scripture. His commentaries, systematic theology (The Institutes), letters and sermons continue in print nearly 500 years after his birth.

We are focusing on Calvin, but not because he was perfect. He had character faults. Calvin was irritable, distant and a bit cold (not unlike myself at times). Nor was Calvin infallible. At some secondary points in his teachings I must disagree. John Owen said of the patristic writers we should take the gold and leave the dung. There is much gold in Calvin, but not all of it. Would Calvin want to be considered an infallibly guide anyways?

Why do Calvin’s massive works live on? Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Calvin is a tree whose ‘leaf also shall not wither’; whatever he has written lives on, and is never out of date, because he expounded the word without bias or partiality.” Calvin wrote — not as a man defending an extra-biblical framework — but as an honest man seeking to discover the biblical framework.

Calvin is an incredible example for us today. He buffeted his body and made it his slave for the sake of the gospel. Calvin strove to be a great preacher, a great theologian and a diligent pastor to his flock. He is an example for all pastors. His testimony exhorts me to preach boldly, think clearly and minister personally. When I reflect on Calvin (or Spurgeon for that matter) I am reminded just how fruitful one life can be for the gospel. Bearing the fruit of Calvin requires the self-denial of Calvin.

So whether were looking at his radical self-discipline, sober critical thinking, careful exegesis of Scripture, command of the Greek and Hebrew languages, clear and simple expositions from the pulpit or his brilliant theological framework, Calvin remains a giant of church history.

The life and teaching of John Calvin (and the many books in print about him and by him) we believe are worthy of extended study.

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Click here to access previous posts in the Humble Calvinism index.

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