I will resume to my study in 1 Timothy in coming days, but I want to blog about something that has been on my heart for quite some time and it was inflamed once again upon reading this excellent little work by my hero, Steve Lawson, The Expository Genius of John Calvin.In this book, Lawson gives a brief biography of Calvin in the first chapter. But the entire rest of the work is devoted to observing Calvin's ways of preaching and heralding the Word of God. One thing I now know for sure. Calvin was an absolute believer in the sufficiency of Scripture.
I want to post a few quotes from the book. Hopefully it will be an encouragement and challenge to your soul as it was to my own.
"Calvin's deeply embedded convictions about the supreme authority of the Bible demanded an elevated view of the pulpit. He believed the pulpit must be primary in the life of the church because Scripture is sovereign over the lives of the people" (24).
"As a result [of holding to 'sola scriptura' - that is, the Sole Authority of the Bible] he held that the minister's chief mandate was to preach the Word of God. he wrote, "Their [minister's] whole task is limited to the ministry of God's Word; their whole wisdom to the knowledge of His Word; and their whole eloquence, to its proclamation"" (25).
"He said it is the expositor's task, he believed, to bring the supreme authority of the Divine Word to bear directly on his listeners" (26).
"This understanding of the preacher's role produced a profound sense of humility in Calvin as he rose to preach. He saw himself as standing under the authority of the Word...he believed that as the preacher, he himself was preaching the Word of God. Thus, he saw himself to be the servant of the Word...For Calvin the message of Scripture is sovereign, sovereign over the congregation and sovereign over the preacher. His humility is shown by his submitting to this authority" (26-27).
For Mr. John Calvin, the word of God was absolutely sufficient and wholly authoritative. How do we treat the Word of God in our churches, in our families, in our lives, in our very hearts? Do we hold it above all else as the absolutely sovereign revelation of the Almighty Creator God? If not, may be repent and fall more in love with the God of the Word who has revealed Himself through the Word of God.
