Help from John Calvin
This past Sunday we finished our first ever “Sunday school” class at Cities Church. It was a six-week course on the “Doctrines of Grace” — or put in theological-historical terms: “The Five Points of Calvinism.”
I realize there is some baggage with the term “Calvinism” because of the ways it’s been misrepresented in the past, but I myself don’t mind the term (and actually, I think it’s worth taking back). That’s largely because in my experience “Calvinism” has not only stimulated my thinking about the Bible and salvation, but it has produced life-changing joy and gratitude deep in my soul. Calvinism has helped me embrace the realness of Jesus and his supremacy over all things — it’s probably been the most pivotal discovery in my personal discipleship, as well as in many others’. So I’m glad we were able to spend some time teaching through truths before our Sunday services over this past month and a half. Thanks to all who were able to make the sessions.
We’re hoping to do the class again in the future — and others like it that dive deeper into relevant theological topics — but maybe the toughest part of the class overall was the limited time we had. It’s mainly just 40 minutes, and we want it to be as interactive as possible, which means we’re leaving out a lot of material. If we had more time, I would have wanted to spend a solid chunk of one session just reading through my favorite selection from John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Far from the caricatures some might imagine, in Book III Calvin presses the sovereignty of God into the rhythms of everyday life. How should we then live if God is in control? — if he is truly faithful and loving? — if he really is ultimate in power?
What does all that mean for me tomorrow? Tonight?
It means, in short, that we are his. We give our all to him. We humble ourselves before his grace and glory. Nobody has said this better than Calvin in Book III, Chapter VII, on “The Sum of the Christian Life.” This section is so rich that I put a copy of the quote in the front cover of my Bible years ago. It’s still there, and every now and then when I need a refresher — a simple snap back to reality — I go here:
And just in case that’s too hard to read, here’s another angle (Battles translation):
