Sermons on The Epistle to the Ephesians

by John Calvin

Calvin's Ephesian Sermons, preached on Sundays at Geneva in 1558-59, when he was 49 years of age, were first printed in French in 1562, then in English in 1577. They have long been one of the rarest of all the Reformer's works and merited the comment of C.H. Spurgeon, a century ago, '...The sermons are priceless.'

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, New Testament, Biblical Studies

705 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1974

About the author

French-Swiss theologian John Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1533 and as Protestant set forth his tenets, known today, in Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536).

The religious doctrines of John Calvin emphasize the omnipotence of God, whose grace alone saves the elect.

* Jehan Cauvin
* Iohannes Calvinus (Latin)
* Jean Calvin (French)

Originally trained as a humanist lawyer around 1530, he went on to serve as a principal figure in the Reformation. He developed the system later called Calvinism.

After tensions provoked a violent uprising, Calvin fled to Basel and published the first edition of his seminal work. In that year of 1536, William Farel invited Calvin to help reform in Geneva. The city council resisted the implementation of ideas of Calvin and Farel and expelled both men. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg as the minister of refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and people eventually invited him back to lead. Following return, he introduced new forms of government and liturgy. Following an influx of supportive refugees, new elections to the city council forced out opponents of Calvin. Calvin spent his final years, promoting the Reformation in Geneva and throughout Europe.

Calvin tirelessly wrote polemics and apologia. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as treatises and confessional documents and regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva. The Augustinian tradition influenced and led Calvin to expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation.

Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for the branch of Protestantism that bears his name. His views live on chiefly in Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, which have spread throughout the world. Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major figures and entire movements, such as Puritanism, and some scholars argue that his ideas contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy in the west.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calvin comes alive as an expositor of the Scriptures and as an Evangelist in these pages. This book gives us a more balanced view of the great reformer.

[Peter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the variety in Calvin's writings. There are really five strains: The Institutes, his commentaries, his polemical writings, his letters, and his sermons. Technically his sermons were not written by him, but transcribed by a faithful man in his congregation. Each of these types of writing shows a different aspect of Calvin's ministry though they interconnected. I have now read his sermons on Deuteronomy,Micah,the Beatitudes, and now Ephesians. I find his sermons thoroughly edifying. He does a good job of opening the text. He speaks to the people, which gives the sermons a very different feel from his other writings. There are of lot "let us" and "we must", etc. He is not afraid to take tangents when he feels it necessary. For example,he spends an entire sermon explaining baptism following Ephesians 5:26. The sermons are straight forward and not hard to understand. He repeats himself throughout each sermon to add emphasis. While there are not "points," he will often say something like "And that is Paul's point here." Or "so that is what we need to see for our first point. He will occasionally take shots at the papists or the libertines, but this is not frequent. A good help to anyone preaching through or studying Ephesians.

[Michael Toleno · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an amazing gift of God that so many of John Calvin's sermons were recorded by several dedicated members of his congregation. Calvin's sermons should be required reading for any preacher. He eschews trendy illustrations and analogies that detract from expositing God's word, thereby keeping his sermons timeless—would that today's preachers keep this in mind!

[Andre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite collections of Calvin's sermons.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not say that his sermons on Ephesians are more valuable than his commentary on Ephesians. Still, Calvin is wonderful for never being one to mess around and for always having the Gospel in view.

[Dane Jöhannsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the commentary. These sermons were electrifying to me the first time I read them. Calvin is the prince of commentators, but he is no mean preacher. Unlike the commentary, the sermons are priceless. Take up and read!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a hard read as I'm sure most if not all of Calvin's works are. I'm not sure I was able to absorb what I read.

[Michael Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not put into words how valuable these sermons have been for me in these last few months.

[Deiniol Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used whilst preaching on Ephesians 1:1-14. Both brilliantly theological and pastoral.

[WH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously from a different place and time, but these sermons still speak powerfully today. Calvin's exposition of Ephesians 1:23 is one of the most profound things I've ever read.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

"For such as shun death ... will not hesitate to say something to the purpose, but yet they often so conceal the right, or else speak of it so timidly that the hearers do not know what they wish to say, their discourse being muddled. In shore whereas they should show with loud and clear voice what our Lord Jesus Christ is, what God's service is, what the true religion is, what faith and repentance is, they touch on them, as it were, in passing, but as for going to the root of matters and speaking plainly, there is no attempt at that. And why? Because they see themselves im eminent peril if they were to use such liberty."