Giants of the Faith - A Christian History Podcast

Giants of the Faith is a bite-sized podcast where we’ll explore some of the great figures in Christian history. Expect to hear episodes on Luther, Augustine, Wesley, and more. Some of the folks we talk about will be familiar to you and some will probably not be but all are noteworthy in some way.

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Giants of the Faith - A Christian History Podcast

Episode 38 - The Reformers: John Calvin, Part 1

July 27, 2021 • Season 2 • Episode 38

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With the next two episodes we're finishing up our focus on the Reformers by looking at John Calvin. Calvin remains one of the most influential people in Christian history. He got his start as a pastor almost by accident. In this episode we will look at Calvin's early life and the continue in Part 2 with his ministry and impact.

RESOURCES

Ligonier.org: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/theologian-ages-john-calvin/

Ligonier.org: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/institutes-christian-religion/

The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/9-things-you-should-know-about-john-calvin/

Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/john-calvin-reformer-pastor-theologian

Christian History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/john-calvin-timeline

Calvin University: https://calvin.edu/about/history/john-calvin.html

With the next two episodes we're finishing up our focus on the Reformers by looking at John Calvin. Next season we'll get back to the broader spectrum of Christians. I'm looking forward to it and I hope you are, too.

John Calvin was born in Picardy, France, on July 10, 1509. His parents were Gerard, a notary and registrar, and Jeanne. His father made a good living as a notary, which was a minor position in the hierarchy of the Bishop of Noyon. Calvin had two brothers and two sisters. Gerard wanted all of his sons to enter the service of the Roman church and become priests. To that end they were educated as young lads, receiving private tutelage along with some of the children of the local nobility.

At 14 he was sent to Paris to study at the College de Marche. Here he would focus on the basics like mathematics, grammar, logic, and astronomy. Once he completed his general studies he moved on to the College Montaigu where he studied theology, Latin, and philosophy. Back at home Calvin's father Gerard had a falling out with his Bishop and that led him to instruct Calvin to drop his theological studies and move on to study law. Calvin obeyed and enrolled at the University of Orleans and then at Bourges. Calvin's father died in 1531 and Calvin temporarily gave up the law to study classical literature but he returned to Orleans and completed his law degree in 1532.

Somewhere in this time, and we don't know exactly when but certainly by 1533 at the latest, Calvin was converted. By this time Luther's writings were widely circulated and Calvin had Reformation-minded friends who influenced him to read Luther himself. Whenever it happened, Calvin experienced a sudden conversion. Calvin helped one of his friends, Nicholas Cop who was rector at the University of Paris, write a speech for the opening of the 1533 winter term. In this speech Cop urged students toward reform and an adherence to the New Testament scriptures. This got Cop, and by association Calvin, in trouble.

Calvin was forced to flee Paris to avoid arrest and eventually flee the city. He lived under assumed names in different places around France before he found safe haven at the home of Louis du Tillet. Du Tillet was a wealthy man and Reformation minded and he possessed an extensive library. Here Calvin was able to read Augustine and other Church fathers as well as the Bible itself. It was in du Tillet's library that Calvin's understanding of theology really blossomed. When he finally left du Tillet's home his Reformed faith was securely established.

He moved on to Basel in 1534. Basel had become a reformed city and Calvin believed he would find the time and space he wanted to study the scriptures and the early Church fathers in even more depth. It was in Basel, at the age of only 25, that he began work on one of the most influential and important works of the Reformation period - his Institutes of the Christian Religion. He worked on the Institutes for the next year and the first edition of it was published in 1535 in Latin and then in French in 1541.

The first edition of the Institutes contained six chapters and a longer revised edition published a few years later contained 17 chapters. After a few more revisions the final version was published in 1559 and contains 80 chapters. Keith Mathison at Ligonier Ministries summarizes the content of the Institutes better than I ever could so I'm going to read you his words. A link to Mathison's full article is in the show notes.

John Calvin’s Institutes is, essentially, the first Reformed “systematic theology.” Its influence on the thought of all subsequent Reformed theology is immeasurable. The work is divided into four major sections or “Books.” Book One concerns the knowledge of God the Creator. In this Book, Calvin discusses God, Scripture, and man’s knowledge of God and of himself. Book Two concerns God the Redeemer in Christ. Here Calvin explains, among other things, the biblical doctrine of the fall, the Law, the incarnation, and the atonement. Book Three concerns the way in which we receive the grace of Christ. In this section Calvin discusses faith, justification, the Christian life, and more. Finally, Book Four concerns the external means by which God invites us into the church. Here, Calvin covers subjects related the church, the sacraments, and the civil magistrate.

Calvin left Basel in late 1535 and traveled to Italy where he briefly worked as the secretary to a princess. He gave that up and returned the Paris where he met up with his brother and sister. The French king had issued an edict in July1536 that temporarily suspended Protestant persecution and gave Protestants six months to give up their faith and return to the Catholic Church.

Calvin knew that this meant there was no future for him in France and so he and his siblings decided to travel to Strasbourg in August. They were prevented from taking a direct route, however, because the way was blocked. France and the Holy Roman Empire were at war and there were troops between Calvin and Strasbourg. So the party was forced to take the scenic route that would take them through Geneva before they could continue on their way. Geneva was a Reformation city so Calvin knew they could safely stopover there.

When the group arrived they secured rooms in an inn and settled in for the night. They only intended to stay the one night before they would travel on to Strasbourg. But Calvin's Institutes had brought him a measure of fame and it would not be so easy for the party to move on. The leader of the local church, William Farel, learned that Calvin was in town and he headed straight to the inn to recruit Calvin to help get the church organized. Calvin refused. He told Farel that he was a scholar not a pastor.

Farel didn't give up, though. In fact, he scared Calvin into staying - telling Calvin that God would curse all of his studies and future prospects if he did not stay. At this Calvin agreed. He later wrote “I felt as if God from heaven had laid his mighty hand upon me to stop me in my course . . . and I was so terror stricken that I did not continue my journey."

Calvin took up the position of lecturer and then pastor. He worked with Farel to realign the church with the teachings of the Bible and Reformed doctrine. And he began to gain a practical understanding of the realities of Christian ministry.

And that's where we'll leave off this episode. We'll pick up and conclude Calvin's story next time. Thank you for listening. God bless.

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