Thomas / Tweeddale John Calvin (Afterword by R. C. Sproul)

For a New Reformation
1. Auflage 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4335-2399-1
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 608 Seiten

More than 500 years ago, 16th-century Reformer John Calvin was born-a theologian whose teachings set the stage for reformation of the church around the world. The modern world is in continual need of his Christ-exalting doctrine and vision of the Christian life. In 20 essays by leading Reformed pastors and scholars, this primer explores Calvin's life, teaching, and legacy for a new generation. This book is a clarion call to Christians everywhere to take seriously the ongoing need of theological reformation across the globe.

Derek Thomas (PhD, University of Wales, Lampeter) is the Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and senior minister at First Presbyterian Church (ARP) in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the author of many books, including Calvin's Teaching on Job, and serves as a teaching fellow with Ligonier Ministries.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Thomas, Derek

Tweeddale, John W.

Leseproben

Preface

More than five hundred years after his birth, John Calvin (1509–1564) remains an important figure for understanding the modern world. A remarkable scholar, organizer, preacher, and churchman, Calvin emerged as a leading second-generation Reformer in the sixteenth century. While many outstanding theologians shaped the Protestant Reformation, Calvin’s labors in Geneva in particular set the stage for reformation around the world. Since his death, admirers and despisers alike have reflected on his legacy. His protégé, Theodore Beza, captured this dynamic in the conclusion of his biography on Calvin: “In [Calvin] all men may see a most beautiful example of the Christian character, an example which it is as easy to slander as it is difficult to imitate.”1 To put the matter less starkly, whether as an object of criticism or as a model to follow, Calvin is a man worthy of consideration.

In this book, leading Reformed pastors and scholars reflect on the significance of the ministry and teaching of John Calvin for the church today. Part 1 focuses on “the life and work of John Calvin” and gives specific attention to his pastoral ministry. Chapters 1 and 2 sketch the contours of Calvin’s biography. Michael Haykin begins by surveying the formative years of Calvin’s life prior to his ministry in Geneva, concentrating on his education, conversion, and earliest publication and on the events that led to his joining the ranks of the Reformation. Steve Nichols then picks up the story with Calvin’s call to Geneva and shows how he and his colleagues struggled for the cause of orthodoxy in seeking to reform the church according to the teaching of Scripture.

The next five chapters provide case studies from Calvin’s life and ministry. In chapter 3, David Calhoun gives a portrait of Calvin as a pastor. Relying on an extensive cross section of sources, he shows that Calvin’s primary calling in life was to serve as a “minister of the word of God in the Church of Geneva.” Building on this theme, Doug Kelly makes the case in chapter 4 that Calvin viewed the Reformation primarily as a pastoral-care movement. Although we learn much from Calvin’s writings, Kelly contends that we can never really know what kind of pastor he was until we study the “session minutes” of the Consistory in Geneva. Bob Godfrey reminds us in chapter 5 that the work of reforming and pastoring the church was not the work of one man or city. Godfrey demonstrates how friendship was an important way for Calvin to extend the reach of the Reformation. In chapter 6, Steve Lawson contends that Calvin was primarily a preacher. He surveys the expository method of Calvin’s preaching by identifying the central theological principles that undergirded his preaching while also noting several distinctives of his pulpit ministry. Rounding out this section, Derek Thomas explains in chapter 7 why Calvin wrote the Institutes of the Christian Religion. He traces its development throughout Calvin’s ministry, provides an overview of key themes, and gives suggestions for first-time readers of Calvin’s classic work. Taken together, the chapters in part 1 provide a biographical mosaic of Calvin’s life as a theologian and pastor, and chapter 7 serves as a bridge to the focus of part 2.

Part 2 considers “the teaching of John Calvin.” Using the Institutes as a rough guide, this section incorporates analysis of Calvin’s commentaries, sermons, and other writings to introduce readers to his views on theology and the Christian life.

Scott Oliphint begins this discussion by tackling the organizational rationale of Calvin’s doctrine of Scripture, focusing especially on the role of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, he draws attention to the importance of Calvin’s view of Scripture for the development of a Reformed apologetic. In chapter 9, John Fesko surveys the broad contours of Calvin’s doctrine of creation and humanity and explores the relationship of this doctrine to related topics, such as government, natural law, science, art, and music. In particular, he explains how Calvin viewed creation as the theater of God’s glory. Related to this point, Burk Parsons summarizes Calvin’s teaching on the providence of God in chapter 10 by examining its place in the Institutes and its relationship to the doctrines of predestination and creation. He reminds us that for Calvin, the doctrine of providence leads us to worship. The following chapter, by Guy Waters, takes up Calvin’s teaching on the law in relation to creation, sin, and redemptive history. He notes how the Reformer’s sensitivity to the unfolding of Scripture affected his understanding of biblical law and its application to the contemporary church.

Chapter 12 covers the person and work of Christ in Calvin’s thought. Paul Wells highlights the theme of mediation to reflect on Calvin’s development of related topics, such as reconciliation, union with Christ, and the promise of new creation. In chapter 13, Joel Beeke addresses the topic of the Holy Spirit in Calvin’s theology. He summarizes Calvin’s thinking on the Spirit in relation to the Scriptures, Christ, the order of salvation, the assurance and application of redemption, and spiritual gifts. Next, Ted Donnelly introduces readers to Calvin’s well-known Golden Booklet. He shows that for Calvin, the Christian life entails cross bearing and self-denial. Then, in chapter 15, Derek Thomas takes us deeper into Calvin’s understanding of Christian living by exploring his sermons on the book of Job. Thomas connects the incomprehensibility of God, a critical theme in Calvin’s theology, with Christian endurance through adversity. In chapter 16, Paul Helm outlines Calvin’s view of predestination. After considering how this doctrine intersects with themes such as providence and union with Christ, Helm demonstrates that Calvin never intended for his teaching on predestination to promote speculation but rather for it to encourage us to be sure of our relation to Christ, who is the mirror of election.

The next two chapters cover aspects of Calvin’s ecclesiology. In chapter 17, John Tweeddale explains that Calvin describes the church as mother in order to refine arguments of church fathers on the role of the church, promote the Reformation doctrine of salvation, develop a theological framework for the ministry in Geneva, and urge fellow Christians not to forsake the means of grace in the visible church. Then Keith Mathison situates Calvin’s views on the sacraments in their historical context, probes possible influences on his doctrine, considers the relationship of the sacraments to union with Christ, and sketches the broad contours of his teaching on baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

The last two chapters draw on Calvin’s eschatology. In chapter 19, Robert Peterson explores the topic of God’s preservation of his people in Calvin’s writings. He considers how Calvin’s view differed from Roman Catholic teaching, what biblical texts Calvin relied on to develop his thought, and how Calvin applied this doctrine. Finally, Cornelis Venema provides a comprehensive treatment of Calvin’s eschatology. By examining topics such as the intermediate state, the signs of the times, the second advent of Christ, the antichrist, the millennium, the resurrection, and the consummation of all things, Venema shows that Calvin’s teaching on the last things pervades his writings. While Calvin’s theology extends beyond what is covered in this book, the chapters in part 2 give readers an overview of the scope of his biblical and theological writing.

As can be seen in this overview, the goal of this book is to encourage you to read and study Calvin. Our aim is to provide an accessible one-volume introduction to his life and teaching. We hope that these chapters will serve both as a primer for those who have never read Calvin and as a resource for students of Reformed theology. While each chapter reflects exceptional scholarship, this book is not intended for the academy but for the church. We have in mind pastors, elders, Sunday school teachers, Bible college students, seminarians, and serious lay readers who are interested in learning about Calvin and his theology. For those wanting to know more about Calvin than what is covered in the pages of this volume, we have included a bibliographic essay in the hopes of helping readers navigate the world of Calvin and his many interpreters.

We would like to express our profound thanks to the contributors of this volume, and the editors and staff at Crossway, for their hard work and uncommon patience as we sought to bring this book to completion. “Thank you” does not begin to articulate how much we appreciate each person who supported this project.

By introducing a new generation of readers to the writings of John Calvin, we want to urge Christians to continue the work of reformation today. One way we can help further the reformation is through theological education. Toward this end, all royalties from this book will be given to African Bible University in Uganda, led by Paul Chinchen as chancellor and, until recently, O. Palmer Robertson as vice-chancellor, who has returned to the United States to begin a new ministry. He has served in the role of vice-chancellor since 2004 but has been teaching in Africa since 1992. Their vision for training African leaders through a biblically based education represents the kind of work that is needed to carry out reformation in our own day. For a new reformation, we need new reformers. This is why we are especially grateful to include in this volume an afterword by R. C. Sproul. It is a fitting tribute to his ministry to have one of his...