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Prayer: The Chief Exercise of Faith
The student of John Calvin is aware of his extensive writing on the subject of prayer in his famous, The Institutes for the Christian Religion. Calvin understood prayer to be vital in the Christian life and viewed it as the "chief exercise of faith." For centuries, with few exceptions, Calvin's instruction on prayer has remained buried within the Institutes. Given that this work seems daunting for most, Calvin's practical teaching on prayer has been extracted from his larger work and is now available to you in, The Chief Exercise of Faith. Calvin never thought prayer was a vain exercise to a God unconcerned with the welfare of his people. He saw prayer as an intimate communion with the living God who cared enough about his own people that he sent his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be the mediator between God and man. Use this little volume as a tool for yourself and others as you ascend to God in prayer without ceasing.
74 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 14, 2020
About the author
John Calvin
1,813 books563 followersFrench-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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 23, 2024
Good but reading Book 3 of the Institutes is the best option. (Canon Press sells the Institutes in 4 different books).
Read this with a group of friends, which was a blessing!
Read this with a group of friends, which was a blessing!
December 29, 2020
2020: It is quite handy to have, in a little book, what John Calvin wrote about prayer in his Institutes. 2024: Revisited this gem with the ladies in a book group.
February 23, 2021
2021 Reading Challenge - A book about prayer
December 8, 2022
This is a collection of Calvin’s writings on prayer taken from his Institutes. I really liked this.
July 14, 2021
Rich and instructive little book on prayer. The passages from Calvin's writings on prayer are well selected by the editor. The chapters are short and contain a trove of helpful, encouraging, and convicting insights into talking to God. My only criticism is the English translation used is a bit "archaic" in diction and syntax. No doubt the publisher was looking for a public domain translation, but I found this version obtuse at times. This underscores the need for a contemporary translation of Calvin's work.
April 5, 2023
Some really helpful thoughts within this book. I would recommend to ask Christians as a way to be thoughtful of our time going before the Lord.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews