Reading John Calvin

January 1, 2009

Reading God’s Word is central to delighting in God. Of secondary but still of great importance: Reading other works that help us understand God’s Word and to delight in the God of the Word.

John Calvin was born July 10, 1509. This year is thus the 500th anniversary of his birth. His Institutes of the Christian Religion is of great importance historically, being one of the most influential books ever written. It is also one of the most original books ever written, becoming the pattern for all subsequent systematic theologies.

But I encourage you to join me in reading The Institutes in 2009 not for those reasons. Instead, read The Institutes because there is little else you could do with that amount of time that will deepen your love for God more.

I have never read The Institutes cover to cover; I’ve only used it as a reference. So this will be new to me also. I look forward to following the five-day a week. 5-8 pages a day reading schedule put out by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals; on their blog, scholars and pastors such as Sinclair Ferguson, Ligon Duncan, and Carl Trueman will post short comments on each day’s reading. See this post by Ligon Duncan for ten reasons to read The Institutes.

Numerous new and used copies of The Institutes are available; the book is also available online. If purchasing a copy, make sure you buy the 1559 edition, unabridged. Most unabridged editions consist of two volumes – make sure if buying used that you get both!

Join me in this commitment. And fulfill Philippians 4:4 more fully in 2009.

Posted by Coty Pinckney | Filed Under Blog, Reading Recommendations 

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Comments

2 Responses to “Reading John Calvin”

  1. Fred Brillante on January 1st, 2009 2:53 pm

    Do we chose God, or does God chose us?

  2. Coty Pinckney on January 19th, 2009 12:06 pm

    Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16). Paul says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
    Scripture can’t be broken. How are both true?
    To see how Calvin answers that question, see Institutes Book 3 sections 21-24. If you’ve only read about Calvin and not read him, you’ll be surprised at what he says.
    But we won’t get there via this reading plan until August . . .

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