The Expository Genius of John Calvin

Calvin's name probably stands at the top of the list of the magisterial reformers, including Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli. Steve Lawson's big idea in this book is: you should get to know the guy and his preaching. In The Expository Genius of John Calvin, Lawson gives a terrific profile of John Calvin. He covers Calvin's life and road to Geneva, including his college years and his fascination with learning Greek and Hebrew (and other skills he would later use in his Genevan pulpit). However, Lawson's intro to Calvin's life really takes off when he relates Calvin's conversion (in Calvin's own words): "God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therein, that although I did not altogether leave off other studies, I yet pursued them with less ardour." It wouldn't be long before Calvin would join the ranks of Luther and Zwingli as a leader in the Reformation. The Expository Genius of John Calvin focuses on Calvin's pastoral ministry and preaching. Calvin's God-given brilliance, according to Lawson, and study of law and logic sharpened his precision and language. (And if you know anything about the 16th century, he needed it!) He could talk intelligently with the town council of Geneva, and he had a remarkable writing style that makes his writings a tremendous read even today--400 years later. Calvin, according to Lawson, was passionate about the things of God, and he was a careful Bible expositor. He was committed to the great doctrines of the Reformation, which are terrifically summed up in the Five Solas. I'll say this: He certainly was no perfect man, but today's pastor can learn much from this long-dead theologian, genius writer, and diligent reformer. Here are a few things from Lawson that impressed me about Calvin's preaching: "Upon his return [from exile]," says Lawson, "Calvin hit the town preaching. Reassuming his pulpit ministry precisely where he had left off three years earlier--in the very next verse of his earlier exposition--Calvin became a mainstay, preaching multiple times on Sunday and, during some weeks, each weekday" (13). His preaching was relentless exposition (something Lawson quotes well): "God will have His church trained up by the pure preaching of His own Word, not by the contrivances of men [which are wood, hay and stubble]" (30). In a chapter on Calvin's preaching, Lawson records, in a similar book (John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, Doxology), Calvin's sermons as he preached through entire books of the Bible. Some of the numbers are amazing: 107 sermons in 1 Samuel, 48 in Ephesians, and 189 in Acts. He preached every paragraph with careful precision, as Lawson says, in a "lively fashion" while "excavating the biblical text" (75f).

Introduction: This is by far one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I never knew there was so much to say about the preaching-style of John Calvin. This book is both for the layman and the pastor. As a layman, myself, I have come to greatly appreciate the expository preaching of my own pastors. I never knew/acknowledged the level of study and preparation required to preach a solid expository sermon. I thank God for my pastors and for saints like Calvin who have poured out their lives to teach people like me the truths of God and His Word. Things I liked: The book stays true to the title. Every aspect of the book is tailored to the preaching-style of John Calvin. Not only is his preaching-style discussed, his pastoral heart is mentioned because his heart as a pastor is what established his preaching-style. Dr. Lawson establishes the fact that Calvin's extreme devotion to the scriptures and careful delivery of his sermons were not for the reasons many non-Calvinists characterize Calvin (and his followers) with - haughtiness, arrogance, pride, etc. No. Why Calvin studied and preached the way he did was primarily for his flock. He wanted to clearly and thoroughly teach and explain every verse of the Bible. Amazingly, he almost accomplished the feat. Dr. Lawson does not leave us with an interesting bit of history while leaving our minds satisfied with this newly acquired (for many of us) knowledge. He does an amazing job in laying out reasons why Calvin's example is important to us today. In an age where pastors are entertaining more than teaching and churches seems more like social clubs than a place for iron to sharpen iron, church history has several lessons for us so that we do not continue to make the same mistakes. As Dr. Lawson states, "There are no new remedies for old problems. We must come back to old paths." And what better way than to turn to a "Word-driven, God-exalting, Christ-centered, and Spirit-empowered" method of preaching through the exposition of the Word? Things I didn't like: Nothing! Final thoughts and Conclusion: RECOMMENDED. Every Christian should read this book. If your pastors are expositing the Bible every Sunday, you will thank God for their devotion to preaching. If your pastors are not expositing the Bible every Sunday, you will realize what you are missing out on and will be convicted to approach him about the issue. However, if you are looking for a thorough biography on John Calvin or a theological study on Calvinism, this book may not be for you. For a deeper study on Calvinism, I recommend "Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism" by Joel R. Beeke. If you enjoyed this book, I recommend checking out the other books in the "Long Line of Godly Men" series. I can't wait to get my hands on the Jonathan Edwards one.

The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steven J. Lawson, published by Reformation Trust (Lake Mary, FL: 2007), is part of Lawson's Long Line of Godly Men series. The main volumes are large works dealing with the Doctrines of Grace, one of which has been published so far (Volume One: Foundations of Grace). There are also smaller books looking at some particular aspect of a particular historical figure's life and/or ministry. There are two such books published so far, the one in question and also a book on Jonathan Edwards. This excellent little book is not another biography of John Calvin. Rather, it is study in homiletics, a text book for preachers, if you will. Dr. Lawson argues for our need of solid, biblical, expository preaching, and what such preaching should look like. It just so happens that John Calvin is a model example, and so this book examines the preaching of John Calvin. Lawson does provide us with a brief biographical look at John Calvin. Of all his many titles and accomplishments, Calvin was primarily a teacher. He is often remembered for his theological precision, his polemics, and his weighty text books, but Calvin thought of himself simply as a preacher who must feed the flock entrusted to him with the Word of God. And this he did, day in and day out, as well as training other men to do the same. To properly understand Calvin's sermons and preaching, we must first understand his foundations and presuppositions, which Steven Lawson lists as follows. First, Calvin's reliance upon the Bible as the sole authority in all matters. It is the preacher's duty to expound the Scripture, and to say nothing that is not within its pages. Secondly, God is present when His word is preached. Thirdly, preaching the pure Word is the main priority of the worship service. That is when God's people come to hear Him speak to them. Fourth, a verse-by-verse exposition of books of the Bible guarantees that the whole counsel of God will be preached. Calvin prepared for his sermons by diligently studying and learning of the Scriptures. He lived and breathed the Bible. He devoted himself to godliness because he did not think that a preacher should ask anything of his congregation that he does not demand of himself. Also, he had a relentless will to preach and pastor continuously, all for the glory of God. John Calvin began his sermons by diving directly into the text he was preaching from. No silly anecdotes preceded the word of God. He would briefly recap what had been previously preached to remind his listeners of the context of the whole argument of the author of the book he was preaching from. Calvin also delivered his sermons extemporaneously, without notes. This provided for a lively exposition rather than a dry reading of a manuscript, as was often done in those days. To make sure that his hearers knew what to expect, he would also start his sermon with a thesis statement for his sermon. It was Calvin's method to preach from a specific text. H

Overview Expository Genius of John Calvin coverThis wonderful book is written as a plea to modern-day preachers and teachers to return to the practice of expository preaching of the Word of God. From Dr. Lawson: "As we consider Calvin's life and work, we will survey the distinguishing marks of his pulpit ministry, consider the core presuppositions that undergirded his biblical preaching, and examine his personal preparation for the pulpit. Along the way, we will gain an overview of his preaching itself--his sermon introduction, interpretation, application, conclusion, and final intercession. In short, we will explore the distinguishing marks of Calvin's expository genius. The goal here is not to take a sentimental journey--the hour is too desperate for such a triviality. Rather, the aim of this book is to raise the bar for a new generation of expositors. If you are a preacher or teacher, may you be challenged to a higher standard in your handling of the Word. If you are a supporter of one called to this ministry, may you know how best to pray." Outline The book is divided into two parts. The first section gives a brief biographical sketch of John Calvin and the state of the church in Europe during his lifetime. The second section provides the reader with an overview of John Calvin's preaching methods. The biographical section, while not meant to be complete, is a great introduction for those who have not studied the life of John Calvin. It provides just enough detail to get a sense of what Calvin would have struggled with during his lifetime of opening the Word of God for himself and for others. The second section, the majority of the book, details Calvin's habits of expository preaching. Dr. Lawson begins with John's thoughts toward what should be said and done in the pulpit and moves on to cover his study habits and how he prepared his sermons. It is interesting to note that Calvin, like many other preachers who spoke multiple times during the week, preached out of an overflow of his studies. He did not have to prepare his sermons in the typical manner because they were already formed in his mind. After pouring over the Scripture passage he was studying, preaching became, to him, simply relating that knowledge back to his audience in a manner that was easily understandable. Dr. Lawson continues and describes how Calvin began his sermons with a brief review of the previous sermon (Calvin preached verse-by-verse each week, continuing right where he left off in the previous message) and then gave his audience an overview of the text before preaching on the text itself. The book then discusses how Calvin went about his exposition of the text and how he crafted his words towards his audience and delivered his message. John Calvin's sermons would end with an explanation of how to apply the text to their lives and, finally, a plea to his audience to take God's Word to heart and live it in their daily lives. Summary Dr. Lawson's work

Steven Lawson's series called A Long Line of Godly Men has made me awfully excited. I love Reformed theology and am thrilled to see the effort Lawson is expending in proving that this theology, seen as so new and so radical by such a large number of Christians, has been consistently taught by courageous and biblical Christians from the time of the writers of the Bible all the way to today. There truly is a long line of godly men testifying to God's sovereignty in these doctrines of grace. And someday I look forward to having a long line of these books on my shelf. While the main series will encompass five volumes each measuring several hundred pages, there will also be a subseries known as "Long Line of Godly Men Profiles." These books will narrow in on some of the most important figures in church history, attempting to show how they held to these doctrines. It also wieghs and measures the impact of these individuals in one particular area. As I understand it, future volumes will cover Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon and other giants of the faith. Each volume will focus on a particular aspect of that person's ministry and legacy. Preachers will be the key focus for, as Lawson says in his introduction, "I can think of no better discipline for preachers today, apart from the study of Scripture itself, than to examine the biblical exposition of spiritual giants from the past." The first book in this series is The Expository Genius of John Calvin. Affirming that to step into the pulpit is to enter onto holy ground, Lawson bemoans the fact that we live at a time when so many churches have compromised the sacred calling to preach. "Exposition is being replaced with entertainment, preaching with performances, doctrine with drama, and technology with theatrics. Desperately does the modern-day church need to recover its way and return to a pulpit that is Bible-based, Christ-centered, and life-changing." The goal of the book is simply to allow others to see what a commitment to biblical preaching looks like in the life and ministry of a man who was sold out to this duty. For those who preach, this book ought to call you to a higher standard in handling the Word. If you are a supporter of one called to this ministry, the book will teach you how to pray for the one who teaches you. The book begins, as we might expect, with a short biography of Calvin but quickly turns to his unsurpassed expository ability. Lawson discusses Calvin's approach to the pulpit, his preparation, his introductions, his method of expounding the text, the way he crafted his delivery, his application of the truth and his concluding statements. In short, it examines each of the components that together formed his sermons. It focuses not only on function, but also on form. The book is written in a way that is very logical, building around a consistent point-by-point framework as Lawson looks at 32 distinctives of Calvin's preaching. And though the subject may appear