Book Review: The Expository Genius of John Calvin

I just finished reading The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steven J. Lawson, published by Reformation Trust. It is a subseries of the larger Long Line of Godly Men Series, a five-volume series where Lawson surveys men throughout history (from 1400 BC to present) who have taught and defended the doctrines of grace. This book on John Calvin is part of the "Long Line" Profiles where Lawson will "focus in on the ways in which these [especially gifted] men discovered, honed, and empoyed their gifts, affording insights for God's servants today." Other such profiles in the future will include Luther, Whitefield, Edwards, Suprgeon, and more! This 142-page book is not intended to be a full blown biography of Calvin. Rather, Lawson delves into thirty-two distinctives of his pulpit ministry.

Are you a Calvinist? What an offensive question. What an offensive term. I have been told that you should not use that term because it is very offensive and that it scares people. It gives the impression that you claim allegiance to a man. You are of Calvin. There are many negative things that this man's name has provoked throughout history. Many picture a mean, crusty theologian who like systems more than scripture. As we see in this book, nothing could be farther from the truth. Rather, we see that Calvin's "system" came from years and years of verse by verse exposition of the scriptures. Like Luther before him, his system came from scripture - not the other way around.

Much like Piper's book on Edwards that I read a few years ago, I found this book to be very helpful in that it gave concrete examples of how to preach and different elements to included in sermons without exalting homoletics as the key to Biblical preaching. Biblical preaching must be Biblical. In other words, the meaning of the text is the text. These examples came mostly (if not exclusively) from his sermons on Micah and Galatians. I was again struck with the importance of being God-centered and blood earnest in the ministry. Again, much like when I read the Supremacy of God in Preaching (which surveyed Edwards) it amazed me that these men were not what many would consider outstanding speakers. They weren't the best orators of their respective days. But they were very serious about the task of preaching and they were hyper-theocentric (my word). This gave their words a weight which many today (and apperenty in their day) don't have. We are all too often lighthearted in the assembly. Listen to Lawson on this:

"The preacher must speak, Calvin said, "in a way that shows he is not pretending." This calvin did-he was blood-earnest in his preaching. Listen to him exhort his congregation:

Moreover, let us learn that God does not intend there to be churches as places for people to make merry and laugh in, as if comedy were being acted here. But there must be majesty in His Word, by which we may be moved and affected."

This book accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish, namely, to inspire men and show men how to "return to preaching that is Word-driven, God-exalting, Christ-centered, and Spirit-empowered." Lawson says the need of the day is this: "we need Calvins again to stand in pulpits and boldly proclaim the Word of God." You ask me if I am a Calvinist, I say I am not nearly as much of a Calvinist as I want to be.