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Theologians on the Christian Life
Calvin on the Christian Life: Glorifying and Enjoying God Forever
John Calvin, a man adored by some and maligned by others, stands as a legendary figure in Christian history. In Calvin on the Christian Life, professor Michael Horton offers us fresh insights into the Reformer’s personal piety and practical theology by allowing Calvin to speak in his own words.
Drawing not only from his Institutes and biblical commentaries, but also from lesser-known tracts, treatises, and letters, this book will deepen your understanding of Calvin’s theology and ministry by exploring the heart of his spiritual confident trust and unwavering joy in the sovereign grace of God.
Drawing not only from his Institutes and biblical commentaries, but also from lesser-known tracts, treatises, and letters, this book will deepen your understanding of Calvin’s theology and ministry by exploring the heart of his spiritual confident trust and unwavering joy in the sovereign grace of God.
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First published March 31, 2014
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About the author
Michael Scott Horton
86 books335 followersDr. Horton has taught apologetics and theology at Westminster Seminary California since 1998. In addition to his work at the Seminary, he is the president of White Horse Inn, for which he co-hosts the White Horse Inn, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio talk-show exploring issues of Reformation theology in American Christianity. He is also the editor-in-chief of Modern Reformation magazine. Before coming to WSC, Dr. Horton completed a research fellowship at Yale University Divinity School. Dr. Horton is the author/editor of more than twenty books, including a series of studies in Reformed dogmatics published by Westminster John Knox.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
July 27, 2014
An Overview
Anyone who has read the works of Michael Horton knows how knowledgeable he is when it comes to the 16th century reformers and their works, not least John Calvin’s. Horton’s knowledge of Calvin is masterful and this work demonstrates such. In this work, Horton interacts with several sources: (1) Calvin’s own writings–Institutes of the Christian Religion, treatises and other writings, letters, commentaries on various books of the Bible. (2) A biography by Theodore Beza, Calvin’s successor in Geneva, and what other reformers had to say about Calvin, for example, the older Martin Luther, who knew about Calvin, read his works, admired them, but never met him in person. (3) then other works outside of Calvin’s contemporaries, most notably Herman J. Selderhuis’s Calvin’s Theology of the Psalms.
The first two chapters are introductory chapters (chapter one, “Calvin on the Christian Life: An Introduction” and “Calvin on the Christian Life: In Context”), with the rest of the book being divided into four parts: Part One: Living Before God. Part Two: Living in God. Part Three: Living in the Body. Part Four: Living in the World. Horton ends the book with something of Calvin’s own eschatology, which is summed up in the chapter’s title “Living Today From the Future: The Hope of Glory.”
A Critique
While it’s titled Calvin on the Christian Life, what the reader find is something of Calvin’s theology and how his theology really undergirds his life. In other words, Calvin really attempted to live and model his theology (perhaps a subtitle like “How His Theology Shaped His Life” would have prepared the reader better). Next, while I appreciate Horton’s working knowledge of Calvin on various subjects and the many primary quotes provided (which I truly delighted in), there were times I couldn’t tell if it was Calvin’s thought or Horton’s (perhaps this is a shortcoming on my part).
On the burning of Michael Servetus. I have read a number of works on Calvin (some I’ve reviewed here) where the writers were either dubious or excusing of Calvin’s part in the burning of Servetus. In clear terms, Horton does not try to mitigate or make excuses for Calvin. I found this both welcoming and refreshing. “It is unworthy of the truth he proclaimed to exonerate Calvin in this affair simply as a man of his time, especially when others were appealing to the Reformer’s own writings to defend religious toleration.”
In the chapters “Christ and Caesar” (12) and “Vocation: Where Good Works Go” (13), Horton navigates that social aspect of Calvin’s thought and how such has gone on to influence much of the Western world, in matter’s of politics, the arts, etc. Along the way, Horton is careful to correct much of the caricatures of social Calvinism. I find this a welcoming portion of the book. For most of us, when we think Calvin, we think his soteriology. But there is so much more to Calvin and his works. The last chapter is a fitting end to a work whose focus is on how Calvin’s theology undergirded his very life. Calvin was quite at home with the “Already and Not Yet” of eschatology.” Horton certainly brings this out quite well.
Conclusion
It’s time to put an end to the caricatures of John Calvin. He is certainly not the theologian of double destination and killjoy. Neither was he a theological tyrant. Rather, Calvin was bent on a unity of the Body of Christ more than we would ever know or come to appreciate, unless we care to. And while he was complicit in the burning of Michael Servetus, there is so much more to Calvin the theologian and church reformer than that. For those interested in the life of Calvin, Horton’s work is a must read and a welcome addition.
Anyone who has read the works of Michael Horton knows how knowledgeable he is when it comes to the 16th century reformers and their works, not least John Calvin’s. Horton’s knowledge of Calvin is masterful and this work demonstrates such. In this work, Horton interacts with several sources: (1) Calvin’s own writings–Institutes of the Christian Religion, treatises and other writings, letters, commentaries on various books of the Bible. (2) A biography by Theodore Beza, Calvin’s successor in Geneva, and what other reformers had to say about Calvin, for example, the older Martin Luther, who knew about Calvin, read his works, admired them, but never met him in person. (3) then other works outside of Calvin’s contemporaries, most notably Herman J. Selderhuis’s Calvin’s Theology of the Psalms.
The first two chapters are introductory chapters (chapter one, “Calvin on the Christian Life: An Introduction” and “Calvin on the Christian Life: In Context”), with the rest of the book being divided into four parts: Part One: Living Before God. Part Two: Living in God. Part Three: Living in the Body. Part Four: Living in the World. Horton ends the book with something of Calvin’s own eschatology, which is summed up in the chapter’s title “Living Today From the Future: The Hope of Glory.”
A Critique
While it’s titled Calvin on the Christian Life, what the reader find is something of Calvin’s theology and how his theology really undergirds his life. In other words, Calvin really attempted to live and model his theology (perhaps a subtitle like “How His Theology Shaped His Life” would have prepared the reader better). Next, while I appreciate Horton’s working knowledge of Calvin on various subjects and the many primary quotes provided (which I truly delighted in), there were times I couldn’t tell if it was Calvin’s thought or Horton’s (perhaps this is a shortcoming on my part).
On the burning of Michael Servetus. I have read a number of works on Calvin (some I’ve reviewed here) where the writers were either dubious or excusing of Calvin’s part in the burning of Servetus. In clear terms, Horton does not try to mitigate or make excuses for Calvin. I found this both welcoming and refreshing. “It is unworthy of the truth he proclaimed to exonerate Calvin in this affair simply as a man of his time, especially when others were appealing to the Reformer’s own writings to defend religious toleration.”
In the chapters “Christ and Caesar” (12) and “Vocation: Where Good Works Go” (13), Horton navigates that social aspect of Calvin’s thought and how such has gone on to influence much of the Western world, in matter’s of politics, the arts, etc. Along the way, Horton is careful to correct much of the caricatures of social Calvinism. I find this a welcoming portion of the book. For most of us, when we think Calvin, we think his soteriology. But there is so much more to Calvin and his works. The last chapter is a fitting end to a work whose focus is on how Calvin’s theology undergirded his very life. Calvin was quite at home with the “Already and Not Yet” of eschatology.” Horton certainly brings this out quite well.
Conclusion
It’s time to put an end to the caricatures of John Calvin. He is certainly not the theologian of double destination and killjoy. Neither was he a theological tyrant. Rather, Calvin was bent on a unity of the Body of Christ more than we would ever know or come to appreciate, unless we care to. And while he was complicit in the burning of Michael Servetus, there is so much more to Calvin the theologian and church reformer than that. For those interested in the life of Calvin, Horton’s work is a must read and a welcome addition.
April 29, 2022
This was a surprisingly excellent book. I saw it at the Ligonier National Conference, and decided to buy it, because I wanted to get a better grasp on the man who was John Calvin. This book is a wonderful introduction to the thinking of the man behind the Institutes. I feel as if I have had a conversation with Calvin himself, and I empathize with him even more than I did before. This one might be a reread.
December 1, 2020
Good introduction to the thought of Calvin and his view of the Christian Life. I was particularly encouraged and challenged on his view of the Lord's Supper and Baptism as essentially gifts of God's grace and not acts performed to show our dedication to God. It is very humbling yet refreshing to hear that the church "is not a product of our reaching out to God, but a gift of God reaching out to us." I wish there were more details about Calvin's life and how he worked out these theologic concepts in his own context, as this is mostly covered in just the first chapter and the closing of the book, but I understand this was beyond the scope of the author's work and I will have to turn to a full biography to learn more.
March 16, 2023
Well done by Horton. It takes some time to establish Calvin’s context but it is necessary.
April 14, 2021
Great survey of Calvin's theology in his context. Offers clear corrections for the range of modern caricatures of Calvin, letting him speak in his own words in his own setting.
October 27, 2025
Very academic, but a good intro to anyone wanting to learn about the views of the Reformers
March 24, 2018
I enjoyed this book immensely, especially as I got a PDF copy for free from Crossway. There were a few minor points here and there with which I did not concur, but, on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised at how good Michael Horton's work on Calvin and the Christian Life actually is. Indeed, I actually think it surpasses Carl Trueman's volume on Martin Luther in the same series.
June 2, 2021
Michael Horton does Calvin's Institutes.
I am fond of Horton's Systematic theology, which is steeped in Calvin. In this volume I noticed what I've noticed in other shorter treatments by Horton, namely, that it's a little unfocused. Unfortunately the introduction is what made me almost give it up!
I'm not sure this book knows what it is. It's not really an exploration of what Calvin has to say about the Christian life, though there are glimpses of what it could've been. For instance at one point Horton leads off a chapter with "How to choose a church". Very much a Christian life kind of question. But that was the exception that proves the rule.
Horton seems to have used the book more as an opportunity to rehash Calvin's institutes, hung around systematic categories. While I was grateful for the chance to retread some Calvin territory via Horton, I don't know that I would recommend it as a primer for the uninitiated. And if you are initiated, the reading is not much less demanding than Calvin himself, so, might as well go to the source, which, in the end, is something that both Calvin and Horton would agree on.
I am fond of Horton's Systematic theology, which is steeped in Calvin. In this volume I noticed what I've noticed in other shorter treatments by Horton, namely, that it's a little unfocused. Unfortunately the introduction is what made me almost give it up!
I'm not sure this book knows what it is. It's not really an exploration of what Calvin has to say about the Christian life, though there are glimpses of what it could've been. For instance at one point Horton leads off a chapter with "How to choose a church". Very much a Christian life kind of question. But that was the exception that proves the rule.
Horton seems to have used the book more as an opportunity to rehash Calvin's institutes, hung around systematic categories. While I was grateful for the chance to retread some Calvin territory via Horton, I don't know that I would recommend it as a primer for the uninitiated. And if you are initiated, the reading is not much less demanding than Calvin himself, so, might as well go to the source, which, in the end, is something that both Calvin and Horton would agree on.
February 26, 2025
John Calvin stands as one of the greatest theological minds in the post apostolic church and is also one of my greatest heroes of the faith. Horton does a masterful job of presenting Calvin's views on the Christian life in a clear and vivid way. I often forgot I was reading Horton and not Calvin himself. Calvin's foundational principle of distinction without separation kept on popping up through the book and helped make sense of so many supposed theological controversies and issues. The Reformed Faith and focuses so clearly on God's eternal sovereignty and love for His people is such a breathe of fresh air that I mourn for those who disagree and choose to not see the freedom that is presents the Christian. Great starter book on Calvin and one I hope to turn too often for devotional use.
Read
October 22, 2024This volume was a little heavier on doctrine, theology, and politics than some of the other books in the “Christian life” series. But, it helped me to get a better picture of who this man was. I’ve heard a lot of talk about Calvinism and little talk of Calvin. He was surprisingly gentle, diplomatic, balanced, and liberal minded— character traits directly attributable to his confidence in God‘s sovereignty.
March 27, 2024
This a great book. Both incredibly practical and helpful for understanding Calvin’s place in history. I especially found the parts on emotions and how Christians differ from the stoics incredibly helpful.
January 23, 2025
I didn’t know Calvin requested to be buried in an unmarked grave so that no one could idolise him. Eye opening read to really know the man behind the Theology. He definitely practices what he preached.
November 20, 2023
You'd think something more historical would be dry or factual, but I actually found this encouraging and heart warming. Chapter after chapter, Calvin outlined timeless truths that are found in God's Word and the author weaved them together to make the book easy to read and cohesive. Reading this around this time of year seemed actually fitting in a way. Looking forward to glorifying and enjoying God forever.
June 18, 2018
As I read through this series the books become a bit more routine so my reviews are probably a bit more "it is what it is". That doesn't mean the books aren't valuable though! This book provides a good historical explanation of who Calvin was, why he was important, and mostly a lengthy summary of a lot of his key beliefs about the Christian life. I'm sure you'd get a lot more out of reading "The Institutes" but this is a great starter course.
July 18, 2023
Honestly really really dry. Took me forever to read
June 16, 2023
Audiobook Review:
Loved this book. An audiobook doesn’t do justice to how much I learned and want to remember, or the treasure trove of wisdom from Calvin and his fellow reformers. It gives just the right amount of context around Calvin’s life and the historical and present context of each doctrine and practice he speaks to. More than anything, as Calvin would want, it lit my heart on fire with worship and gratefulness for the grace God has shown me in making me His own through Jesus Christ and just how incredibly great Jesus is. There is truly no one like Him!
A couple of things I learned / thoughts (what I can remember at 9:00 on a Thursday night 🙃):
-Calvin invented no new doctrine. He is loaded up on the church fathers and western philosophers, filtering them through the Bible. I would like to get some more church fathers and philosophy in my reading regiment.
-“Justification is the hinge on which all true religion turns.” This is so critical!
-He had ministers rotate in Geneva. This kept the focus on Jesus, the ministry of His word, and the sacraments. It kept people from tying their faith to certain pastors. How often are people’s faiths hurt or even destroyed by fallen leaders they’ve attached their faiths to? How vain are some of these popular pastors, even some of the doctrinally sound ones? We’d be wise to turn our focus to God’s promises through His ordained ministries in the church, not certain ministers who are bound to let us down.
-He encouraged the singing of Psalms. Was a bit weary of new songs/adding music for fear of people being emotionally manipulated. Embracing the singing of Psalms though- there’s a Psalm for every mood and they capture the real experiences of life: highs of praise and lows of despair and doubt. Modern worship music doesn’t always capture this full range, and no one can put it to better words than inspired authors of the Psalms. Anyways, I’m started to get hooked on Psalter music this week.
-Rejection of images: I didn’t know that the church fathers were against the incorporation of church images until the ~5th(?) century when Roman influence probably got a little too strong. Calvin and other reformers made a good case against images, even as teaching tools: God has stooped down to the crude level of speaking to us through His Word in our language and we deem His word insufficient when we need to illustrate its contents. We’re also too quick to idolatry when we make physical images of spiritual persons and realities.
-Interesting, good take on the relationship of church and state. Assumes the state duty to protect the church and the expectation that the states laws will be guided by the moral law of God. Expects people to deal with the government in the channels ordained by God (participation in that government, not rebellion against it).
-Math, science, and the arts flourished in Geneva in the reformation. We must embrace all of God’s gifts and tools, and the smart people he puts in the world!
-Some people aspire to be great and memorable figures of history. They probably get what they’re looking for: their names go down in books, statues are made in their likeness, and some of them make a heck of an impact (positive or negative) on the course of the world around them. Calvin made a colossal impact and stands as a titanic figure in church and world history not resulting from the pursuit of a name for himself, but through a life of faithful service to Jesus Christ and the ministry of His Word. He doesn’t emphasize us changing the world by any crazy means, but simply doing what God has called us to do. I’m reminded to simply do what God has called me to and entrust it to God. He is working his sovereign providential plan through my every endeavor.
These are some of my main takeaways. I think I’d have done better to read this than to listen to it. But the ultimate takeaway is this: Jesus is the greatest and I am so blessed to know Him.
Loved this book. An audiobook doesn’t do justice to how much I learned and want to remember, or the treasure trove of wisdom from Calvin and his fellow reformers. It gives just the right amount of context around Calvin’s life and the historical and present context of each doctrine and practice he speaks to. More than anything, as Calvin would want, it lit my heart on fire with worship and gratefulness for the grace God has shown me in making me His own through Jesus Christ and just how incredibly great Jesus is. There is truly no one like Him!
A couple of things I learned / thoughts (what I can remember at 9:00 on a Thursday night 🙃):
-Calvin invented no new doctrine. He is loaded up on the church fathers and western philosophers, filtering them through the Bible. I would like to get some more church fathers and philosophy in my reading regiment.
-“Justification is the hinge on which all true religion turns.” This is so critical!
-He had ministers rotate in Geneva. This kept the focus on Jesus, the ministry of His word, and the sacraments. It kept people from tying their faith to certain pastors. How often are people’s faiths hurt or even destroyed by fallen leaders they’ve attached their faiths to? How vain are some of these popular pastors, even some of the doctrinally sound ones? We’d be wise to turn our focus to God’s promises through His ordained ministries in the church, not certain ministers who are bound to let us down.
-He encouraged the singing of Psalms. Was a bit weary of new songs/adding music for fear of people being emotionally manipulated. Embracing the singing of Psalms though- there’s a Psalm for every mood and they capture the real experiences of life: highs of praise and lows of despair and doubt. Modern worship music doesn’t always capture this full range, and no one can put it to better words than inspired authors of the Psalms. Anyways, I’m started to get hooked on Psalter music this week.
-Rejection of images: I didn’t know that the church fathers were against the incorporation of church images until the ~5th(?) century when Roman influence probably got a little too strong. Calvin and other reformers made a good case against images, even as teaching tools: God has stooped down to the crude level of speaking to us through His Word in our language and we deem His word insufficient when we need to illustrate its contents. We’re also too quick to idolatry when we make physical images of spiritual persons and realities.
-Interesting, good take on the relationship of church and state. Assumes the state duty to protect the church and the expectation that the states laws will be guided by the moral law of God. Expects people to deal with the government in the channels ordained by God (participation in that government, not rebellion against it).
-Math, science, and the arts flourished in Geneva in the reformation. We must embrace all of God’s gifts and tools, and the smart people he puts in the world!
-Some people aspire to be great and memorable figures of history. They probably get what they’re looking for: their names go down in books, statues are made in their likeness, and some of them make a heck of an impact (positive or negative) on the course of the world around them. Calvin made a colossal impact and stands as a titanic figure in church and world history not resulting from the pursuit of a name for himself, but through a life of faithful service to Jesus Christ and the ministry of His Word. He doesn’t emphasize us changing the world by any crazy means, but simply doing what God has called us to do. I’m reminded to simply do what God has called me to and entrust it to God. He is working his sovereign providential plan through my every endeavor.
These are some of my main takeaways. I think I’d have done better to read this than to listen to it. But the ultimate takeaway is this: Jesus is the greatest and I am so blessed to know Him.
September 1, 2025
This book was five stars in parts and one star in parts, just like John Calvin and his theology. Horton is good, but has a number of Calvinist blind spots, following his forebear. Nor does he write as well as Tim Keller, either stirring our hearts or offering as practical Christian tips for modern life.
Fundamentally, there are elements of Calvin's theology that I find most frustrating, disturbing even, and antagonistic to the Gospel, while at other points he corrects the errors of Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Anabaptists alike.
Calvin is weak and incorrect on the theology of images in worship, instrumental music in worship, and God's work outside of the Word and Sacraments. At times, it feels suffocating and I almost wonder how such a great Christian man could have missed the big picture so badly. But alas he did.
Kenneth Clark, Terry Glaspey, The Reverend David Brown and Nancy Pearcey could correct him on images in worship, Jeremy Begbie or the same Rev Brown could correct him on instrumental music in worship, and Dr Brown could further show him that the Spirit works across cultures.
Calvin is strong on union with Christ, especially in The Lord's Supper and an important critic of Zwingli. More than Luther or Calvin, it is Zwingli is to blame for a lot of modern Protestant Christian nonsense. I'm sure he had his virtues but I always come away from reading church history and theology with a sense of Luther and Calvin's great work beyond their mischief - less so with Zwingli, whose memorialism belongs in the dustbin of history and whose work may be a net negative in Christian history.
Robert E. Webber's Ancient Future Faith offers hope for a post-Christendom, Post-Calvinist Christian faith that takes the good of Calvin and leaves the rot.
Onwards...
Fundamentally, there are elements of Calvin's theology that I find most frustrating, disturbing even, and antagonistic to the Gospel, while at other points he corrects the errors of Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Anabaptists alike.
Calvin is weak and incorrect on the theology of images in worship, instrumental music in worship, and God's work outside of the Word and Sacraments. At times, it feels suffocating and I almost wonder how such a great Christian man could have missed the big picture so badly. But alas he did.
Kenneth Clark, Terry Glaspey, The Reverend David Brown and Nancy Pearcey could correct him on images in worship, Jeremy Begbie or the same Rev Brown could correct him on instrumental music in worship, and Dr Brown could further show him that the Spirit works across cultures.
Calvin is strong on union with Christ, especially in The Lord's Supper and an important critic of Zwingli. More than Luther or Calvin, it is Zwingli is to blame for a lot of modern Protestant Christian nonsense. I'm sure he had his virtues but I always come away from reading church history and theology with a sense of Luther and Calvin's great work beyond their mischief - less so with Zwingli, whose memorialism belongs in the dustbin of history and whose work may be a net negative in Christian history.
Robert E. Webber's Ancient Future Faith offers hope for a post-Christendom, Post-Calvinist Christian faith that takes the good of Calvin and leaves the rot.
Onwards...
September 4, 2019
Though I have seen the Bible and Christianity through a reformed lens for several years now, I have yet to actually read anything by any of the Reformers and knew very little about the actual writings of Calvin. I know this book is not 100% Calvin's words, but it gave a great picture of who he was, what he believed, and, what was so important to him, most of the time, from the words that he himself wrote and spoke over a long life in ministry.
Michael Horton did an excellent job of summarizing and bringing many of the most important issues to the forefront. With someone who has written so many works, it was great to get a bite-sized summary version of what he wrote. It also wet my appetite to now go in and begin to read Calvin. It is clear from Horton's treatment of the man, that Calvin loved God, His Word, the newly (re)formed church, and the people around him.
Reading this book has opened my eyes to how much we today rely (and rightly so) on the faithfulness of past men and women before us who gave great amounts of time to studying God's Word as they tried to think deeply and consistently about what it says and what it means for us. We owe a great debt to them and, though they were not perfect in their thinking or lives, we need to be more aware of the faithfulness that brought the faith thousands of years from the founding of the church to us.
Michael Horton did an excellent job of summarizing and bringing many of the most important issues to the forefront. With someone who has written so many works, it was great to get a bite-sized summary version of what he wrote. It also wet my appetite to now go in and begin to read Calvin. It is clear from Horton's treatment of the man, that Calvin loved God, His Word, the newly (re)formed church, and the people around him.
Reading this book has opened my eyes to how much we today rely (and rightly so) on the faithfulness of past men and women before us who gave great amounts of time to studying God's Word as they tried to think deeply and consistently about what it says and what it means for us. We owe a great debt to them and, though they were not perfect in their thinking or lives, we need to be more aware of the faithfulness that brought the faith thousands of years from the founding of the church to us.
February 25, 2025
This book is sadly a victim of being listened to at work. Portions of it just went in one ear, and out the other. I can say, however, that this title didn't grip me as much as others in the series, namely Lloyd-Jones on the Christian life.
However, what I do remember, I was very pleased by. It is so obvious from this book that Calvin would have been baffled--if not slightly embarrassed--to learn that the basic doctrines of the historical Christian faith would become associated with his name in centuries to come.
He was not some dry and dusty academic curmudgeon who wanted everyone to be pessimistic. This was a pastor who had a gift for explaining how all of the Bible connects, and a pastor who cared deeply for his flock, the way any pastor should. The faith that Calvin taught bore its vibrant fruit--a steady stream of Christian missionaries from his Geneva to Catholic Rome.
He was still wrong on baptism tho :P
However, what I do remember, I was very pleased by. It is so obvious from this book that Calvin would have been baffled--if not slightly embarrassed--to learn that the basic doctrines of the historical Christian faith would become associated with his name in centuries to come.
He was not some dry and dusty academic curmudgeon who wanted everyone to be pessimistic. This was a pastor who had a gift for explaining how all of the Bible connects, and a pastor who cared deeply for his flock, the way any pastor should. The faith that Calvin taught bore its vibrant fruit--a steady stream of Christian missionaries from his Geneva to Catholic Rome.
He was still wrong on baptism tho :P
August 4, 2023
This was my least favorite in this series. I’m not dunking on Horton whom I deeply respect. But maybe because Calvin so despised the spotlight it makes for a dry read. The theological developments are interesting and necessary but the biographical parts didn’t really deliver as the rest of the series did.
July 3, 2017
The content was good, but oddly arranged in some ways. Horton's writing style is pretty dry and this is more of a commentary on The Institutes rather than a reflection on Calvin's life. Other volumes in this series have been better written.
September 12, 2019
Solid Material well written
Although I have read much about John Calvin I learned many new facts about him from this volume. The material was well written, engaging, and helpful. I reccomend.
Although I have read much about John Calvin I learned many new facts about him from this volume. The material was well written, engaging, and helpful. I reccomend.
March 15, 2024
For the many who have misconceptions about the person and work of John Calvin, this work by Michael Horton will take you back to the primary sources to learn who the reformer really was. Horton is always worth reading. And Calvin is a worthy subject.
November 27, 2018
Great addition to the series. Excellent summary of Calvin and his view of the Christian life.
June 2, 2022
I didn’t think I was going to like the book but it was actually pretty good. I definitely gave me a desire to read through the Institutes.
August 18, 2023
Great book!
August 4, 2025
A truly wonderful summary of Calvin’s thought.
February 24, 2024
Theologically rich, historically sound, pastorally significant. Horton has provided a wonderful overview of the life and thought of Calvin. Some excellent and beautiful realities came to light reading this. Calvin’s understanding of Coram Deo (everything we do is before the face of God) is exactly what I needed to hear as I go to work each day. His being enraptured by nature is a lovely reminder of God’s creativity in common revelation. And his gems on the centrality of the Gospel are just fantastic for all of life.
August 10, 2024
Calvin’s outlook and piety was shockingly bleak, according to Horton. A hard life to live, no doubt, but I pity his lack of joy and optimism in his work.
January 28, 2019
Michael Horton does a great job in helping the reader to realize John Calvin as much more than merely the theologian in whose name the doctrine of election became so well known. Those who dig even a little more deeply into Calvin's life will see a man who placed very high value on God and on His word, and who was very humble except when it came to standing up for what he believed was doctrinally sound. I won't begin to argue for or against the tenets of Calvinism (though from what I do grasp of it, I do agree with much of what it stands for), since I'm not qualified to do so, but it would seem that those who get to know the man more fully will not be so quick to judge him as one who coldly divides humanity into the elect and the damned.
Horton takes ample time and effort to help us understand Calvin in the context of his culture, clarifies Calvin's agreements and disagreements with some of his well-known contemporaries like Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, and helps us realize his courage in standing against some of the views of Roman Catholicism at a time when doing so could bring about harsh penalties.
Horton's study into Calvin's personal life as well as his religious views clearly reveals a man who sought to adore and honor God, a man whose humility would cause him to cringe whenever others tried to place him on a pedestal. I hope others will read this wonderful book so they can be better able to make an informed decision about their views about him and his beliefs.
Horton takes ample time and effort to help us understand Calvin in the context of his culture, clarifies Calvin's agreements and disagreements with some of his well-known contemporaries like Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli, and helps us realize his courage in standing against some of the views of Roman Catholicism at a time when doing so could bring about harsh penalties.
Horton's study into Calvin's personal life as well as his religious views clearly reveals a man who sought to adore and honor God, a man whose humility would cause him to cringe whenever others tried to place him on a pedestal. I hope others will read this wonderful book so they can be better able to make an informed decision about their views about him and his beliefs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews