My book "John Calvin: For a New Reformation" arrived today. I only have had a chance to have a quick skim but have greatly enjoyed what I have read so far. It is a substantial work.
One of my favourite sections of Calvin's Institutes is on "Word and Spirit" in 1:9. Joel Beeke in the chapter on the Holy Spirit makes some helpful comments. Beeke says "When Word and Spirit are properly coalesced, worship. preaching, and personal experience are enriched and empowered in a way that glorifies the triune God".
Beeke concludes the chapter on Holy Spirit: ".... Calvin teaches us how radically dependent we must be on the Holy Spirit for every temporal, spiritual, and eternal blessing. Without the Spirit, we could not live; our religion would be a sham, and we would be relegated to the abyss of condemnation. Without the Spirit, there would be no real ministry of the word, no real church, and no real commemoration of the sacraments. How much we must thank God for the person and ministry of his precious, indispensable Spirit! And how much we should pray to exercise the faith that the Spirit produces in us as we wait for greater measures of his sovereign outpouring in our lives and in the life of our churches".
The book makes a number of helpful observations about Calvin's contribution to Covenant Theology. The only (small) disappointment for me was that there is no chapter on Calvin's contribution to Worship. Given that Calvin gave very important teaching on this area, convictions that are very important today, I found this omission unfortunate.
Overall though, I am looking forward to a great and weighty read.
One of my favourite sections of Calvin's Institutes is on "Word and Spirit" in 1:9. Joel Beeke in the chapter on the Holy Spirit makes some helpful comments. Beeke says "When Word and Spirit are properly coalesced, worship. preaching, and personal experience are enriched and empowered in a way that glorifies the triune God".
Beeke concludes the chapter on Holy Spirit: ".... Calvin teaches us how radically dependent we must be on the Holy Spirit for every temporal, spiritual, and eternal blessing. Without the Spirit, we could not live; our religion would be a sham, and we would be relegated to the abyss of condemnation. Without the Spirit, there would be no real ministry of the word, no real church, and no real commemoration of the sacraments. How much we must thank God for the person and ministry of his precious, indispensable Spirit! And how much we should pray to exercise the faith that the Spirit produces in us as we wait for greater measures of his sovereign outpouring in our lives and in the life of our churches".
The book makes a number of helpful observations about Calvin's contribution to Covenant Theology. The only (small) disappointment for me was that there is no chapter on Calvin's contribution to Worship. Given that Calvin gave very important teaching on this area, convictions that are very important today, I found this omission unfortunate.
Overall though, I am looking forward to a great and weighty read.