10 Distinguishing Marks of John Calvin’s Preaching

Published in celebration of the five hundredth anniversary of John Calvin’s birth (2009), John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology corrects the many caricatures of John Calvin, as each chapter progressively paints a portrait of a man who truly had, as the title suggests, a heart for devotion, doctrine, and doxology.

Steven Lawson contributed a chapter on John Calvin as “The Preacher of God’s Word.” Here is a summary of that chapter, outlining what Steven Lawson suggests are the ten distinguishing marks of Calvin’s preaching.

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1.    John Calvin’s preaching was biblical in its substance.

“The Reformer stood firmly on the chief cornerstone of the Reformation—sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”). … The preacher, Calvin believed, has nothing to say apart from Scripture.”

2.    John Calvin’s preaching was sequential in its pattern.

“For the duration of his ministry, Calvin’s approach was to preach systematically through entire books of the Bible. … Calvin preached from the New Testament on Sunday mornings, from the New Testament or the Psalms on Sunday afternoons, and from the Old Testament every morning of the week, every other week. In this consecutive fashion, Calvin preached through most of the books of the Scriptures.”  Continue at Nathan W. Bingham