John Calvin speaks about the purpose of preaching. For Calvin it is the main means of grace, it is the dynamic of Godʼs grace, enabling repentance and faith. Calvin never despaired, even when he went back to Geneva, he hated the place, didnʼt want to go, but he never despaired of the circumstances in which …
Preaching & the Presence of God!
For John Calvin this was a very important matter, it was for him the driving force of preaching. The word of God is not divorced from the very and dynamic presence of God. God he said, is in fact, in the preaching. Properly preached, he said, though coming through the agency of a man, it …
Chocolate Soldiers!
How is it possible to be a true soldier for Jesus Christ and to be a pacifist, not fight? The Christian life is a fight, from start to finish, we are exhorted to do so, are we not? There seems to be little affinity in today’s Church with the Apostle Paul, a true warrior for …
A Free or Dysfunctional Society!
When a nation's religion is false, it is not only on the path to destruction, it is dead. The nation that has the Lord for its God, is a nation that is alive, that flourishes, prospers. I attended a lecture at Keele University in Staffordshire some time ago. The lecturer was discoursing on Middle Eastern …
No Such Thing as Popular Christianity!
John Calvin did not want to return to Geneva, he and his confederate, William Farrell, were thrown out of Geneva and John Calvin had found a lovely, comfortable place in Strasbourg. He loved the place, he had found a congregation that loved him and loved his ministry. He had time to write his books, to …
Antinomianism is Legalism!
Antinomianism means against the Law. It sees God's Law as a real enemy, legalism is, paradoxically, a type of antinomianism. It proposes that since the believer is saved by grace alone, he must henceforth have no dealings with the moral Law. The age of the Spirit, it is said, has superseded the age of the …
The Preaching of Christ & the Apostles!
Before you would discount Calvin's teaching on the Law, for a New Covenant attitude as they call it today, grace, do remember that threaded throughout our Lord Jesus Christ's preaching, is the theme of the Law. It is embedded in his ministry. If your right eye offends you, he says, pluck it out. That is …
