Archive | John Calvin RSS feed for this section

John Calvin – A Distinction Not a Division

5 Dec

That passage in Gregory of Nazianzus vastly delights me: “I cannot think on the one without quickly being encircled by the splendor of the three; nor can I discern the three without being straightway carried back to the one.” Let us not, then, be led to imagine a trinity of persons that keeps our thoughts distracted and does not at once lead them back to that unity. Indeed, the words Father, Son, and Spirit imply a real distinction- let no one think that these titles, by which God is variously designated from his works, are empty- but a distinction, not a division.

~John Calvin~






The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press; 1974) 1.13.17.

Books by John Calvin

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes

Tags: ,

John Calvin – Against the Stoic

30 Nov

2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. – Acts 8:2

Surely that man which denieth that we ought to rejoice over the gifts of God is more like a block than a man; therefore, we may no less lawfully sorrow when they be taken away. And lest I pass the compass of this present place, Paul doth not altogether forbid men mourning, when any of their friends are taken away by death, but he would have a difference between them and the unbelievers; because hope ought to be to them a comfort and a remedy against impatience. For the beginning of death caused us to sorrow for good causes; but because we know that we have life restored to us in Christ, we have that which is sufficient to appease our sorrow.

~John Calvin~







Calvin’s Commentaries – Acts (Spokane, WA; Olive Tree Bible Software; http://www.olivetree.com) Commentary on Acts 8:2

Books by John Calvin

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – Regeneration Precedes Sanctification

21 Nov

It is in vain to teach righteousness by precept, until Christ bestow it by free imputation, and the regeneration of the Spirit.

~John Calvin~






The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press; 1974) 2.7.2.

Books by John Calvin

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes

Tags: ,

John Calvin – God’s Eternal Election

30 Oct

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. – Eph. 1:4

God’s eternal election is the basis both of our calling and of all the benefits that we receive from him… The timing of our election shows that it had to be free and could not have depended on any works of ours. …

Holiness and blamelessness are the fruits of election…. Those who are not elect retain their natural disposition, which cannot change except by divine intervention…. This verse is also a reminder that there is no room of licentiousness among the elect, because holiness of life is tied to the grace of election… Nor does this mean that we attain perfection in this life. We have the goal set before us, but we do not reach it until our race is done. Why do some people think of predestination as a useless and even poisonous doctrine? No doctrine is more useful, as long as it is handled properly, as Paul does here. It reveals the infinite goodness of God and gives us our knowledge of his mercy…. Election is the ultimate proof that we cannot claim any righteousness for ourselves.

~John Calvin~




Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Galatians, Ephesians (Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic; 2012) p. 241.

Books by John Calvin

Kindle Books

Biography

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – The Whole of Our Salvation

4 Oct

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. – Eph. 2:4-5

Paul ascribes the whole of our salvation to God’s mercy, which is as great as it is because of his love for us. Love is what moved God to save us.

~John Calvin~




Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Galatians, Ephesians (Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic; 2012) p. 281.

Books by John Calvin

Kindle Books

Biography

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – The Spectacles of Scripture

28 Sep

Now in describing the world as a mirror in which to behold God, I would not be understood to assert either that our eyes are sufficiently clear-sighted to discern what the fabric of heaven and earth represents, or that the knowledge we thereby derive suffices for salvation. As a matter of fact, because the Lord invites us to himself by means of created things but with no effect except thereby to render us inexcusable, he has added (as was necessary) a new remedy, or at any rate mitigated the coarseness of our disposition by means of other assistance. For with Scripture as our guide and teacher, not only does he make plain those things that would otherwise escape our notice, he virtually forces us to behold them, as if he had assisted our dull sight with eyeglasses.

~John Calvin~







Genesis 1-11: The Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic; 2012) p. 13.

Books by John Calvin

Kindle Books

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – Sheerly by the Grace of God

25 Sep

After Adam had ruined himself and all his posterity by his deadly fall, this is the basis of our salvation, this the origin of the church: that we have been uprooted from the deepest darkness and have obtained a new life sheerly by the grace of God; that the patriarchs have by faith been made partakers of this life (just as it was offered to them by God’s word); that this word, in turn, was founded upon Christ; and that all the pious who have lived since then have, in fact, been sustained by the very same promise of salvation by which Adam was revived in the beginning.

~John Calvin~







Genesis 1-11: The Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic; 2012) p. 6.

Books by John Calvin

Kindle Books

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – Calvin’s Weapon

20 Sep

Calvin had no weapon but the Bible…. Calvin preached from the Bible every day, and under the power of that preaching the city began to be transformed. As the people of Geneva acquired knowledge of God’s Word and were changed by it, the city became, as John Knox called it later, a New Jerusalem from which the gospel spread to the rest of Europe, England, and the New World’

~James Montgomery Boice~







The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Lake Mary, FL; Reformation Trust Publishing; 2007) p. 1.

Books by John Calvin

Kindle Books

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes at the Old Guys

Tags: ,

John Calvin – The Witness of the Holy Spirit

24 Aug

For even if it [Scripture] wins reverence for itself by its own majesty, it seriously affects us only when it is sealed upon our hearts through the Spirit. Therefore, illumined by his power, we believe neither by our own nor by anyone else’s judgment that Scripture is from God. But above human judgment we affirm with utter certainty (just as if we were gazing upon the majesty of God himself) that it has flowed to us from the very mouth of God by the ministry of men.

~John Calvin~


The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Louisville, KY; Westminster John Knox Press; 1974) 1.7.5.

Books by John Calvin

Biography of John Calvin

Online Books Available

Other Calvin Quotes

Tags: ,

Old Guy Top 5: John Calvin

23 Aug

Interested in reading more from John Calvin or learning more about him?






Below is a list of 5 of the best works by Calvin or books written about him.


Here we go:


1. The Institutes of the Christian Religion
How could this not be number 1? One of the foundational theological works ever produced. Calvin completed the initial version in latin in 1536, subsequently completed it in French in 1541, and completed the final editions in 1559 in Latin and 1560 in French.

Definitive translation which collates all earlier editions: Hardback | Paperback
Translation of the 1536 Latin Edition: Paperback
Translation of the 1541 French Edition: Paperback | Kindle
Translation Based on the Latin including thought from French:
Hardback | Kindle | PDF



2. Calvin’s Commentaries 22 Volume Set
These are Calvin’s sermons that cover almost every book of the Bible.

Hardcover Set | Kindle | Crossway Classics | Individual Volumes| Geneva Commentaries |PDF





3. Calvin’s Tracts and Letters 7 Volume Set
Long unavailable there are 3 volumes of tracts and 4 volumes of Calvin’s letters and correspondence.

Hardcover Set | Select Letters | Kindle





4. John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor
Written by Robert Godfrey this short 200 page biography is a great starting point for those wanting to learn more.

Paperback | Kindle | PDF





5. John Calvin: A Biography
This final biography is one of the classics written by T.H.L. Parker.

Paperback | A Portrait of Calvin PDF




Have a different opinion?
Share with us your favorites in the comments below!


Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →