John Calvin and the Power of God’s Word
Interpreting and proclaiming God’s Word was at the center of John Calvin’s (1509-1564) vocation as a Christian pastor and religious reformer.
Calvin’s commitment to the ministry of the Word was already on display in his preface to his cousin Pierre Olivétan’s French Bible published in the summer of 1535. In his preface, Calvin acknowledged that Olivétan’s Bible was illegal in that it lacked official approval from the Catholic king, Francis I; but even so, “the King of Kings is the guarantor of the privilege [to publish it]!” Calvin went on to insist that all people, men and women alike, were invited to read and benefit from God’s Word, no matter their social rank or training. After all, “since the Lord has chosen prophets for himself from the ranks of shepherds [and] apostles from the boats of fisherman, why should he not even now condescend to choose similar disciples?” The importance of making God’s Word accessible to everyone was thus central to Calvin’s concerns: “But I desire only this, that the faithful people be permitted to hear their God speaking and to learn from his teaching.” With this striking statement, Calvin articulated a vision for ministry that served as his lodestar for the next three decades.
John Calvin’s ministry in Geneva from 1536 until his death in 1564 was saturated in God’s Word. More than 30 sermons were preached each week in Geneva’s three urban churches, with three preaching services conducted on Sundays, and weekday sermons beginning as early as 4:00 a.m. (for servants and maids). As one of five or six ministers in the city, Calvin regularly preached twice on Sundays, and every day of the week on alternative weeks—totaling around 18-20 sermons each month. In addition to these preaching services, Calvin and his colleagues also led a public Bible study (known as the Congrégation) intended for ministers, theological students, and interested lay persons every Friday morning. And, on top of it all, Calvin routinely delivered biblical lectures each week to theological students in the city and Academy. In time, many of these lectures were revised and published as full-length commentaries on Scripture. By the time of his death in 1564, Calvin had published commentaries on every book of the New Testament (except 2 and 3 John and Revelation), and roughly half of the Old Testament.
Clearly, interpreting and explaining God’s Word was central to Calvin’s vision of ministry. But why was this so? For the Genevan reformer, holy Scripture was the timeless, infallible voice of God speaking to his people. The proclamation of the Christian gospel, as announced in Scripture and illumined through the Holy Spirit, was the power of God for salvation, capable of tenderizing and transforming even the hardest of human hearts. Scripture also provided an authoritative guide for living the Christian life as well as a spiritual weapon to vanquish Satan and his minions. Calvin vividly described the power of God’s Word in a memorable passage from the Institutes:
Here, then, is the sovereign power with which the pastors of the church … ought to
be endowed. That is that they may dare boldly to do all things by God’s Word; may
compel all worldly power, glory, wisdom, and exaltation to yield to and obey his
majesty; supported by his power, may command all from the highest even to the last; may build up Christ’s household and cast down Satan’s; may feed the sheep and drive away the wolves; may instruct and exhort the teachable; may accuse, rebuke, and subdue the rebellious and stubborn; may bind and loose; finally, if need be, may launch thunderbolts and lightnings; but do all things in God’s Word. (IV.viii.9)
This present devotional booklet offers a sample of the riches of John Calvin’s interpretation of holy Scripture. The reader will find here choice selections from Calvin’s commentaries, sermons, catechisms, prayers, and the Institutes, drawn from throughout his career as a pastor and reformer in Geneva. Whether read first thing in the morning, at the meal table, or before retiring at night, this collection of John Calvin’s comments on Scripture are sure to inspire, offer insight, and encourage modern readers as they taste and see the Lord’s goodness in his Word.
