The Expository Genius of John Calvin [Hardcover]

Steven J. Lawson (Author), Greg Bailey (Editor), Kent Barton (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Long Line of Godly Men Profile | Publication Date: March 1, 2007

In The Expository Genius of John Calvin, Dr. Steven J. Lawson delves into the practices, commitments, and techniques that made John Calvin, the great Reformer of the sixteenth century, such an effective preacher during his long pastorate at Saint Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Lawson identifies thirty-two distinctives of Calvin s preaching, providing comments from Calvin s writings, quotations from Reformation scholars, and examples from Calvin s own sermons to reinforce his points. In the end, Dr. Lawson finds in Calvin a strong model for expository preaching and calls on modern pastors to follow the Reformer s example.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Refocuses your Preaching
As I read the book I found that it caused me to take a hard look at my own preaching. I was reminded that God's Word is the focus rather than some skillfully crafted sermon that is pleasing to the ears yet lacks true Biblical meat. May God's Word be THE central focus of our ministry. --Ligonier Website

About the Author

Steven J. Lawson is the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. Dr. Lawson serves on the board of directors of The Master's College and on the ministerial board for Reformed Theological Seminary, and teaches with Dr. John MacArthur at the Expositor's Institute. In addition, Dr. Lawson has written numerous books, including Foundations of Grace and Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call for Expository Preaching.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Reformation Trust Publishing (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567690858
• ISBN-13: 978-1567690859
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Encouragement for Preachers from the Life of John Calvin, September 4, 2007

By 

Derek Brown (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Hardcover)

Steve Lawson, senior pastor at Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, has started a project - a big project. The project, "A Long Line of Godly Men" is a book series that will survey the doctrines of grace as they have been taught and defended from the time of Moses, to the apostle John, to Augustine, to Luther and Calvin, to Warfield, to present day teachers such as A.W. Pink, Martyn Lloyd Jones, John Piper and John MacArthur. The first installment of this series entitled Foundations of Grace (1400 BC - AD 100) resides on my reading list and hopefully will soon be plundered!

Companion to this series are Lawson's "Long Line of Godly Men Profiles." The first book from this Profile series is "The Expository Genius of John Calvin." In this meaty little book, Lawson, after a short overview of Calvin's birth, early life and conversion, first examines his approach to the pulpit. Here we learn that Calvin's unwavering belief in Biblical authority profoundly shaped his preaching ministry. Calvin himself stated, "We own to the Scripture the same reverence which we owe to God because it proceeded from Him alone, and has nothing of man mixed with it" (27). It was this foundational conviction that propelled and shaped Calvin's ministry. When Calvin when to the pulpit, it was to preach the actual words of God.

Lawson continues from here to outline a total of 32 distinctives of Calvin's preaching, examining everything from Calvin's preparation for the pulpit to the actual sermons themselves. Lawson looks at how Calvin introduced his messages, with what care Calvin took to ensure his message was truly and consistently from the text of Scripture, how he applied the truth to his hearers, and how he concluded his messages. At the end of each chapter, Lawson offers a short prayer to God to raise up men who will be characterized by the previous distinctives he had just laid out in that particular chapter, thus demonstrating that this is not, for Lawson, merely an interesting walk through church history - it is a longing for men of this generation to be found boldly, accurately, and passionately preaching the Word and only the Word.

Lawson is not seeking Calvin clones - Calvin was in his own league - but he is endeavoring to provide preachers with a glimpse of what made this man great, so that we might learn from him and thus become better preachers ourselves for the glory of God and the good of our people. This is an edifying and helpful little book and I recommend it to you.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captures Calvin's essence, July 31, 2007

By 

Frank Selden "Back to Iraq - Round 2" (Bellevue, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Hardcover)

I started reading this book wanting to know John Calvin better, hoping for a read that would bring history to life. This book contains some biography but, more importantly, Steven Lawson demonstrates how John Calvin brought the Bible to life to his parisheners. This book is broader than reformation theology. In fact, it really isn't about theology at all. Lawson's distillation of the mechanics, content and structure of Calvin's message, combined with spiritual preparation and conviction, show any interested Christian how to reveal a living God in our time. Buy one for yourself and for any pastors you know.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Allow me to offer a dissenting opinion., February 10, 2008

By 

LEE OKELLEY (Mt. Juliet, TN, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Hardcover)

I was given this book as a gift from my pastor. And, on my second attempt I managed to read it (all in one sitting, during a flight across the Atlantic from the States to Ireland).

Although I appreciate the spirit in which Erik Raymond wrote his review, I find the Calvin presented in this particular book to be a polished-up version of what most of today's pastors are (or aspire to be): a better-than-average rhetorician who crafts his "sermon" from 1 oz. Gospel, 1/2 cup Law, 1 pound personal opinion and just a dash of theology and/or original language. The result may be a religiously inspiring talk, but it isn't what ministers of the Word are called to do.

From what I know of Jean Cauvin, I don't get the impression that he was about the business of producing an expositional sermon. Rather, I think his focus was on placarding Christ before Christ's Church so that it could and would intelligently worship the Triune God through the Son and His finished substitutionary work on their behalf. This Calvin did by carefully and methodically examining the Scriptures in front of his congregation(s).

Maybe I missed the author's point. Maybe this book does see a 1:1 correlation between one's theology and one's preaching. Did I miss it? If so, the problem is mine and my agenda.

Or perhaps, any time we attempt to dissect a frog into its parts and then put all the similar parts together, we run the risk of producing a dead monster rather than understanding the living animal. If my analogy holds, then maybe the author's intent was to perform an autopsy. If so, then I should apologize.

The real Calvin, from what I have read of his work, was thorough, typically clear-sighted, aware of his detractors, loved his congregation(s) and was (first and foremost) committed to loving God in gratitude for the saving work of Christ on his behalf. And, because he correctly understood the relationship between the Law and the Gospel, he was also aware that he was a wretched sinner (not just theoretically, but in reality) who was saved by Grace alone both in his justification and in his sanctification.

All that being said, if you truly desire to be a "great" preacher, don't expect that reading this book will permanently change your life and ministry. Instead do what Calvin did: dive into a good systematic theology (e.g. Berkhoff), outline the books of the Bible as you read them, memorize lengthy passages of Scripture so that you can meditate on them while you cut the lawn ... and by all means, buy and study a good introduction to logic.

Allow me to repeat what you already know - there is no other way to become a "valuable" preacher than to devote a few decades to learning Scripture and learning how to think clearly. Don't read about how others excelled at baseball - get out there and get down on your hands and knees so you can taste the clay.