Barrett’s Book Notes: Calvin’s Sermons on Genesis, his Institutes, and the WCF
John Calvin. Sermons on Genesis: Chapters 1-11. Translated by Rob McGregor. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009.
John Calvin. Sermons on Genesis: Chapters 11-20. Translated by Rob McGregor. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2012.
Banner of Truth has now released two volumes consisting of Calvin’s sermons on Genesis. Whether you are an armchair historian on Calvin or a pastor preaching through Genesis, these volumes are worth your investment. In my mind, Calvin is one of the great preachers in church history. His preaching played a key role in the reform of Geneva, and his sermons certainly set a trajectory for future generations when it came to doctrinal fidelity. Though they can never be a substitute for hearing Calvin in person, these sermons place you in Calvin’s congregation as you listen to this Reformer’s exposition of God’s Word and the implications it had for faith and practice.
Here is Banner’s description:
Preaching as Calvin undertook to do it extends far beyond the confines of a carefully written manuscript. It is not bound by the niceties of style, sentence structure, and the like. It is marked by an immeasurably greater degree of intensity, by an obvious determination to instruct and persuade, by an astounding capacity to confront hearers both with the truth of divine revelation and with the implications of that truth for faith and obedience. There are distinct advantages, therefore, in having before us these sermons on Genesis precisely as they were delivered. They let us see and hear a man aflame with love for the lord and his Word, a preacher who spent himself utterly in the work of summoning his people to repentance, faith and holiness. The feature that has struck me most powerfully is the sermons’ immediacy. As I have read them, it has quite often seemed to me almost as though I were sitting with the congregation in Geneva and listening to Calvin himself as he opened up the passage, and then carefully, deliberately, and sometimes with painful specificity applied its teaching to those who heard him. In his masterful translation Dr. McGregor has quite wonderfully brought the preacher back to life and allowed us the privilege of being able, with a little imagination, to take our places in St. Peter’s Church on those cold autumn and winter days with the Reformer himself in the pulpit.
John Calvin. Institutes of the Christian Religion: A New Translation of the 1541 Institutes. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2014.
Few books in the history of Christian thought are as monumental as Calvin’s Institutes. Most readers of the Institutes, however, are only familiar with the final 1559 edition. How many are acquainted with his 1541 French edition? Robert White has translated this edition into English in order to provide readers with a more accessible, less technical, version. This volume is not only of major historical importance, shedding light on the historical development of the Institutes, but may also be a new way to introduce the novice to Calvin given its clear, concise, and attractive layout.
Here is Banner’s description of the book, along with a blurb from the translator:
The Institutes of the Christian Religion is Calvin’s single most important word, and one of the key texts to emerge from the Reformation of the sixteenth century. Yet, as many who have purchased an English translation of the final Latin edition of 1559 know only too well, the sheer size of the work and the proliferation of technical details and polemical themes do not make for easy reading. It has left many wishing for an edition that avoided such things but yet kept intact the very heart and soul of Calvin’s teaching.
Such an edition is now available, and it is not the work of an editor or an abridger, but of Calvin himself. The Reformer’s 1541 French edition of his Institutes really ought to be better known than it is because it offers the reader a clear yet comprehensive account of the teaching of the Bible—of the work of Father, Son and Holy Spirit in creation, revelation and redemption, in the life of the individual Christian and in the worship and witness of the church. Here is doctrine but here too is life–shaping application, for the practical use of Christian doctrine is always Calvin’s abiding concern. The author of the Institutes invites us both to know and to live the truth, and thus allow God’s Spirit to transform us.
Robert White’s new translation of the 1541 French edition of the Institutes makes Calvin live once again, and the reader will be truly amazed at both the power and the relevance of the Reformer’s doctrine and application for Christian living in the 21st century
“Calvin’s Institutes remind us that there is a good and bad way to do theology. Speculative theology, which asks questions the Scriptures do not answer, or intuitive theology, which works upwards from man to God, is bad theology. The human mind cannot fathom the unfathomable. Calvin is adamant that only God can speak of God, and in words which accommodate themselves to our weakness. Since we do not recognize God in his works of creation and of providence, we must seek him in his written word, whose witness is sealed to us by his Holy Spirit. The Institutes of 1541 contain well over 2,000 biblical references, widely spread but with a marked concentration on the Psalms, Isaiah, the first and fourth Gospels, Romans and 1 Corinthians. Nor is Scripture a convenient peg on which doctrine may be hung, more or less at will; it is the indispensable foundation on which doctrine rests, the standard by which it is judges and the rule by which it is corrected.“
– Robert White (translator)
Chad Van Dixhoorn. Confessing the Faith: A Reader’s Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2014.
Some good books have been published of late on the WCF. Chad Van Dixhoorn’s is one to add to that reading list. As the subtitle indicates, this volume isn’t an academic treatment of the WCF, but rather guides lay readers and pastors through the WCF. Certainly the WCF has been one of the most important (some might argue the most important!) confessional statement of Reformed churches. I use it often in my classes because it so beautifully summarizes Christian doctrine (for example, read its statement on the attributes of God). This volume will not only help you understand the WCF better, but it will aid you in further comprehending Christian doctrines as well.
Also, check out Banner’s “Pocket Puritans,” which include:
Here is Banner’s description of Confessing the Faith:
In Confessing the Faith, Chad Van Dixhoorn offers a fresh look at a classic statement of the Reformed faith. The Westminster Confession of Faith finds itself in the first rank of great Christian creeds. Presbyterian and Reformed churches employ its doctrine for instruction; others acknowledge few texts to be so useful in the Christian’s quest to glorify and enjoy God.
This accessible, biblical, and thoughtful work digests years of study and teaching into bite-sized sections. Van Dixhoorn’s work is historical and practical in its focus. It deliberately presents readers with more than another survey of Reformed theology; it offers a guide to a particular text, considers its original proof-texts, and seeks to deepen our understanding of each paragraph of the Confession.
Challenging hearts and minds, Confessing the Faith hopes to edify and instruct both advanced and general audiences, as the authors of the Confession of Faith surely hoped their magnum opus would do.
Matthew Barrett (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at California Baptist University, as well as the founder and executive editor of Credo Magazine. Barrett is also Senior Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church. He is the author and editor of several books, including Salvation by Grace: The Case for Effectual Calling and Regeneration. Two forthcoming books include, Owen on the Christian Life and God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture. You can read about Barrett’s other publications at matthewmbarrett.com.
Advertisment
