John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French theologian and religious reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His influence has been felt not only in the religious sphere but also in politics and society. He is known for his works on theology, most notably “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” which is considered one of the most influential books of Protestant theology.
Early Life and Education
John Calvin was born on July 10, 1509, in Noyon, some sixty miles north of Paris. His father, Gérard Cauvin, was a notary, or financial administrator, for the bishop of the local diocese, and a member of the professional class, and his mother, Jeanne Lefranc, was the daughter of a wealthy and prominent family in Noyon. Calvin was the second of three sons.
At age fourteen, John entered the leading educational institution of Europe, the University of Paris, to study theology in preparation for the priesthood. He graduated with a master’s degree in 1528, having received the finest education of the day. His study included Latin, literature, logic, theology, rhetoric, and philosophy.
Calvin’s father wanted him to study law, after he had a falling-out with the church. So, John was sent to the University of Orléans in 1528 and later to Bourges in 1529. Calvin learned Greek and sharpened his skills in analytical thinking and persuasive argument, skills he would come to use with great effect in Geneva. But when his father died unexpectably in 1531, he decided to switch his focus to the study of classical literature. So, he transferred back to the University of Paris in 1528 to pursue this interest. He would later return to Bourges to complete his law degree in 1532.
Calvin’s conversion to Christ
It is thought that in 1533, Calvin experienced the sudden and unexpected conversion that he writes about in his foreword to his commentary on the Psalms. For the next three years, Calvin lived in various places outside of France under various names.
Calvin’s recounting of his conversion is taken from the preface to the Commentary on the Psalms:
“So it happened that I was called back from the study of philosophy to learn law. I followed my father’s wish and attempted to do faithful work in this field; but God, by the secret leading of his providence, turned my course another way.
First, when I was too firmly addicted to the papal superstitions to be drawn easily out of such a deep mire, by a sudden conversion He brought my mind (already more rigid than suited my age) to submission [to him]. I was so inspired by a taste of true religion and I burned with such a desire to carry my study further, that although I did not drop other subjects, I had no zeal for them. In less than a year, all who were looking for a purer doctrine began to come and learn from me, although I was a novice and a beginner.”
John Calvin1ed. and trans. Joseph Haroutunian and Louise Pettibone Smith. Calvin: Commentaries, vol. XXIII in The Library of Christian Classics (London: SCM Press; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958).
John Calvin’s exile
After his conversion, Calvin is believed to have collaborated with Nicolas Cop, rector of the University of Paris, in writing Cop’s opening address for the winter term. The message was a plea for reformation on the basis of the New Testament and a bold attack of the Scholastic theologians of the day. Cop encountered strong resistance to his Luther-like views. As a result, Calvin was forced to flee Paris before he could be arrested.
Calvin withdrew to the estate of Louis du Tillet, a man who was sympathetic to the Reformation cause. Through his five month stay, Calvin was able to spend time in du Tillet’s extensive library, where he read the Bible and the writings of Augustine and other Church Fathers. Calvin was becoming a self-taught theologian.
In 1534, Calvin moved to Basel, Switzerland, which had become a Protestant stronghold, so he could study in solitude.
Religious works
That same year, Calvin began to work on his theology and published his first book, “Psychopannychia,” The book was a response to the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, which Calvin rejected.
Calvin’s most famous work, “Institutes of the Christian Religion” was originally published in Latin in 1536, and it was intended as an introductory textbook on theology for students. However, it quickly became much more than that. It summarized biblical theology and became the normative statement of the Reformed faith. The Institutes was first published in 1536 and in Calvin’s native French in 1541. It was revised and enlarged by Calvin in several editions before the definitive edition was published in 1559.
Calvin’s detour through Geneva
In 1536, Calvin decided to move to Strasbourg, Germany, to further his studies as a scholar. But a war between Francis I and Charles V, the Roman emperor, prevented him from taking the most direct route. So, he stopped in Geneva, Switzerland, for what he thought would be one night. However, that same night, he met with William Farel, who had led the Protestant movement in Geneva for ten years.
Calvin wrote about his encounter with Farel that night:
“Farel, who burned with an extraordinary zeal to advance the gospel, immediately strained every nerve to detain me. And after having learned that my heart was set upon devoting myself to private studies, for which I wished to keep myself free from other pursuits, and finding that he gained nothing by entreaties, he proceeded to utter an imprecation that God would curse my retirement, and the tranquility of the studies which I sought, if I should withdraw and refuse to give assistance, when the necessity was so urgent. By this imprecation I was so stricken with terror, that I desisted from the journey which I had undertaken.“
John Calvin2John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, trans. James Anderson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 1:xlii-xliii.
For the next two years, Calvin lectured and preached in Geneva. Along with Farel, he began to bring the church back into accord with Scripture. One of the reforms he instituted was the exercise of church discipline in controlling access to the Communion table. This angered some of the prominent citizens of Geneva who were living sinful lives. The tensions grew so great that by Easter Sunday 1538, Calvin and Farel were forced to leave Geneva when Calvin refused to administer Communion to certain leading people of the city who were living in open sin.
Calvin’s exile in Strasbourg
Calvin would spend the next three years in Strasbourg, Germany. Although he wanted to pursue his private studies and stay out of the public spotlight, Martin Bucer, the German Protestant reformer from Strasbourg, convinced him to continue his preaching to a congregation of five hundred Protestant refugees from France.
It was from Strasbourg that Calvin wrote his Commentaries on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans. He also expanded his Institutes and translated it into French. And at the same time, Calvin wrote what is probably the greatest apologetic work for the Reformation, A Reply to Sadoleto. This was his response to an open letter Cardinal Jacobo Sadoleto had sent to the people of Geneva, urging them to return to the Roman Catholic Church.
Calvin also married Idelette de Bure. She was a widow with two children, who brought John much happiness during their nine years of marriage. Idelette died after a lengthy illness in 1549.
Calvin’s call back to Geneva
In 1541, Calvin was invited to Geneva to help reform the city’s church. He was initially reluctant to accept the invitation, but he eventually agreed, and he became the leader of the church in Geneva. Calvin implemented a strict moral code in the city, and he worked to establish a church government that was based on the principles of Presbyterianism.
The years of opposition (1541 to 1555)
It was clear from the outset that the preaching of the Word of God would hold the primary place in Calvin’s ministry. In his first sermon upon his return, he resumed his exposition of the Scripture just where he left off before he was exiled. Calvin preached every day, and the city began to be transformed by the power of that preaching.
However, Calvin’s ministry was not without opposition. There were two groups that were opposed to him. The first group, know as the Patriots, consisted of the oldest and most influential families in Geneva. They wouldn’t allow Calvin to become a citizen of Geneva until 1559, twenty-three years after his revival. The second group were the Libertines, who were antinomians and living in open sin and immorality.
But likely the most demanding ordeal was caused by Michael Servetus in 1553. After being condemned by Catholic authorities in France, he fled to Calvinist Geneva where he was denounced by John Calvin himself and burned at the stake for heresy by order of the city’s governing council.
It was also during this time that his son Jacques died only two weeks after his birth, leaving a severe wound in his heart. And his wife Idelette died in 1549.
The final nine years of support (1555 to 1564)
By 1555, much of the initial opposition to Calvin subsided. It was during this time that he was able to establish the Geneva Academy in 1559. This was based on an example he had seen in Strasbourg. His Academy included both a private elementary school and a public school that offered advanced studies in theology and biblical languages to train ministers, lawyers, and doctors.
In 1559, Calvin completed his fifth and final edition of the Institutes, and the Geneva Bible was released the next year. This impressive Bible was the first English Bible with theological notes in the margins. The work was produced by men under Calvin’s teaching. It presented the view that God is sovereign over all creation.
Through the training Calvin provided, French-speaking pastors were dispatched to France and other French-speaking regions in Europe. Overall, 1,300 missionaries who were trained in Geneva went to France, and as many as 2,150 churches, with more than 3 million members, were planted by 1562. In addition, Geneva-trained missionaries planted churches in Hungary, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, the Rhineland, and even Brazil.
Calvin became seriously ill in 1564. The day of his death, on May 27, 1564, he called his fellow ministers to his bedchamber and addressed them for the final time:
“You will have troubles when God shall have called me away; for though I am nothing, yet know I well that I have prevented three thousand tumults that would have broken out in Geneva. But take courage and fortify yourselves, for God will make use of this church and will maintain it, and assures you that He will protect it.”
John Calvin3Calvin, Tracts and Letters, Part 4, 1559-1564, ed. Jules Bonnet, trans. Marcus Robert Gilchrist (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009), 375.
Legacy and Influence
The following excerpts from R. C. Sproul’s article on John Calvin’s legacy helps to place his unique role as a Reformer in proper perspective:
He [John Calvin] stands head and shoulders above the rank and file of theologians, scholars, and biblical experts down through the ages. He abides in the elite company of men like Saint Augustine, Thomas Acquinas, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards. As Aristotle received the epithet “the philosopher,” so Calvin received a similar sobriquet from Philipp Melanchon, who referred to Calvin simply as “the theologian.”
John Calvin stands alone in church history as the master of systematizing biblical truth with doctrine. He was driven by a desire to interpret all the details of biblical revelation… Calvin mixed his mastery of linquistics with his heart set on fire by the word of God.
Looking at Calvin’s role in church history, we notice that no theologian seems to be more villified, so hated, so caricatured as John Calvin. Because of people’s basic indisposition to the doctrines of grace in general and the doctrine of predestination in particular… The irony is that there’s nothing in Calvin on these doctrines that was not first in Luther… Lutherans modified the doctrines of Luther after his death, but these modifications did not affect the Swiss arm of the Reformation, and Calvin’s teaching became seen as the only branch of Christendom that taught these great doctrines.
God continues to use Calvin’s teaching to lead the church to truth and out of the abyss of error.
R. C. Sproul4R.C. Sproul, “John Calvin’s Legacy”, Crossway Articles, Crossway.org, pub. Nov. 25, 2019
Reflections on the life of John Calvin
Belief in God’s Word leads to further understanding
Trusting God always leads to loving Him and yearning to know Him better.
John Calvin wrote that after his sudden conversion, he was so inspired by a taste of true religion and he burned with such a desire to carry his study further. This desire led him to quietly pursue his studies in the du Tillet’s extensive library, and then to move to Basel, a Prostestant city, to further his studies. After Basel, Calvin attempted to move to Strasbourg, where he thought he could live a quiet, non-public life as he immersed himself in study and writing.
The revelation of God’s Word is consistent, rational, and understandable
God communicates with us through holy Scripture, which He intends for us to understand through our normal ways of thinking.
Calvin’s brilliant mind and fine education led him to conclude that God’s Word to mankind must be intelligible to them. Therefore, there must be no inconsistencies, contradictions or other fallacies in logic within them. Otherwise, His creation would not be able to make sense of what He was trying to communicate. This is what seems to have propelled Calvin to write and edit his Institutes over the course of his Christian life. This magnificent work became the core reference for the system of doctrine adopted by the Reformed churches, usually called Calvinism.
God may test our love for Him by means of our willingness to submit to Him
Loving obedience to God is more clearly expressed when it becomes more important to us than following all of our other desires.
God appointed Calvin to help reform the church. While Calvin most of all wanted to pursue quiet studies and avoid becoming a public figure, God chose him to use his intellect to preach, teach, train, and lead others. So, Calvin somewhat reluctantly chose to serve God by submitting to His plan over his own strong desires. His fear of God’s disapproval by following his own way demonstrated his selfless love for God.
God has a purpose for every twist and turn in our lives
Though we may think that our varied circumstances in life are naturally caused, our sovereign God is the primary cause and can use them for His good purpose.
Calvin was born and educated in France. He was forced out of Paris, spent time with the du Tillet’s, moved to Basel, and then was detained in Geneva on his way to Strasbourg. He was later forced out of Geneva, exiled in Strasbourg, and then compelled to return to Geneva.
In each phase of his life, God had his own purpose. Sometimes his purpose is hidden from us and at other times they are quite apparent. For example, if Calvin had not been exiled to Strasbourg, he would never have seen the academy that inspired him to eventually establish a similar academy in Geneva, once he returned. God would then use the Geneva Academy to train the multitude of missionaries, who would plant thousands of Protestant church throughout the French-speaking world.
Scripture has the power to transform lives
Jesus said “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (See John 8:31-32)
Calvin had a very high view of Scripture. He knew God’s Word must be proclaimed to the people for lives to be transformed through faith and repentance. Therefore, Calvin resumed his exposition of the Scripture immediately upon his return to Geneva, following his exile to Strasbourg. And as the people of faith were taught the truth, their lives became more godly.
Those who love living in darkness oppose those who love the light
There is an ongoing battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Unless the Holy Spirit changes the heart of sinful man, he will resist the good because he is unwilling to come into the light.
Not everyone cared for Calvin and the impact he was having in Geneva. The oldest and most influential families in Geneva opposed him and his efforts to change their lives. And the Libertines wanted the grace of God, but without the duty to live godly lives. Faith in Christ calls for us follow Christ and His ways. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” (See John 14:15-17)
God can keep his people humble by revealing His power through them
God can do great things through His people, while keeping them humble. This is possible because He reminds them that it is His power that works through them.
In Calvin’s farewell address to his ministers on his deathbed, he told them that they would experience troubles like he did, but they should be encouraged by the assurance that God will use the church, maintain it, and protect it. He reminded them that though he knew he was nothing, yet he had prevented 3,000 tumults from breaking out in Geneva. Thus, he gave God all the glory for what he knew that God had done through him.
Give all the glory to God
All the great theologians of Christian history were driven to their knees with a sense of woundrous awe for the majesty and glory of God, and so should we.
Start with the end in mind.
Any good project manager knows that it’s helpful to start with the end in mind. When we apply this principle to the spiritual realm, we start with the idea that everything exists for the glory of God. Since God is the essence of love, He chose to love His one and only Son by creating a particular people for Him. This people would be so in love with His Son that they would bring glory to both the Father and the Son forever. So, God wisely chose mankind to be the people from whom this particular people would be chosen.
The gift of God
For the chosen people to love His Son forever, they must know that He gave them the most precious gift of all, eternal life with God. This gift would have to be something they were not entitled to. It had to be something they could not get for themselves. Otherwise, their gratitude and love for the Father and the Son would have its limits. There must be no room to boast in anything other than the undeserved love of God.
To make their joy complete, they must know that God’s gift of His Son caused them to escape a terrible fate that they otherwise would deserve. So, God permitted mankind to choose life or death based on whether their representative Adam would obey God’s command. Adam sinned, and it caused all mankind to inherit a sin nature and incur the wrath of God. His wrath leads to our condemnation and eternal punishment. The only way out of this terrible fate is to accept God’s offer of forgiveness. And God removes our guilt, based on what His Son suffered on our behalf.
Rejecting God’s way of salvation seals the eternal destiny of those who are unwilling to receive God’s gift. And since we are all sinful, the only people who will receive the free gift are those for whom God has changed their heart to do so. They must be reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Examine yourself
Knowing God’s eternal purpose for calling a people for Himself should awaken us to examine ourselves to see if we are living by faith. The Bible calls God’s people to no longer live for themselves, but for Christ (Galatians 2:20). If you’re unsure about your spiritual condition, click here to view God’s saving message to mankind. Visit How to Begin Your Life Over Again to learn more about God and reasons to believe in Jesus.
Sources, references, and related blogs
Sources
Steven J. Lawson. Pillars of Gracd: AD 100-1564, A Long Line of Godly Men. Ligonier Ministries, Sanford, FL. 2011. pp.427-462.
Jugh T. Kerr, John M. Mulder. Famous Conversions. William B. Eerdmans Publishing,Grand Rapids, MI. 1983, pp. 24-28.
Diana Kleyn, Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Heroes: A Simple, Illustrated Overview of People Who Assisted in the Great Work of the Reformation. Reformation Heritage Books, Grand Rapids, MI. 2009. Chapter 20: John Calvin.
References
- 1ed. and trans. Joseph Haroutunian and Louise Pettibone Smith. Calvin: Commentaries, vol. XXIII in The Library of Christian Classics (London: SCM Press; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958).
- 2John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, trans. James Anderson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 1:xlii-xliii.
- 3Calvin, Tracts and Letters, Part 4, 1559-1564, ed. Jules Bonnet, trans. Marcus Robert Gilchrist (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009), 375.
- 4R.C. Sproul, “John Calvin’s Legacy”, Crossway Articles, Crossway.org, pub. Nov. 25, 2019
