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On Prayer: Conversation with God
This book collects for the first time John Calvin's teachings on prayer, taken from his 1559 classic Institutes of the Christian Religion . Calvin scholar John Hesselink puts Calvin's views in context with an introductory essay for the book. A summary and questions for discussion precede each segment of Calvin's text, making this volume ideal for personal and group study.
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First published December 18, 2002
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About the author
John Calvin
1,710 books541 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 11, 2018
Wonderful. If you have The Institutes by Calvin you can read what he wrote on prayer there, but I think the idea of having it in one small book is great. The introduction by I. J. Hesselink is really good too.
March 31, 2020
Loved it!
Excellent book to refocus your prayer life! I especially enjoyed Calvin's discussion of The Lord's Prayer. Also, it was free.
Excellent book to refocus your prayer life! I especially enjoyed Calvin's discussion of The Lord's Prayer. Also, it was free.
March 20, 2024
(Note: I read this as a part of the Institutes)
Calvin's work on prayer is the best practical treatment I have read on the subject. He approaches this essential blessing of the Christian life exegetically, theologically, and practically.
Of particular value is Calvin's treatment of the affectional elements of prayer as they meet faith unto God in prayer. By weaving the Psalms with common questions Christians face in prayer, Calvin reconciles many of the tensions we feel as we consider conversation with God.
If you want to read Calvin for encouragement, this is an excellent place to start.
Calvin's work on prayer is the best practical treatment I have read on the subject. He approaches this essential blessing of the Christian life exegetically, theologically, and practically.
Of particular value is Calvin's treatment of the affectional elements of prayer as they meet faith unto God in prayer. By weaving the Psalms with common questions Christians face in prayer, Calvin reconciles many of the tensions we feel as we consider conversation with God.
If you want to read Calvin for encouragement, this is an excellent place to start.
January 9, 2022
A great, introductory, solid work on prayer taken from Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Sections 1-3 give a general overview of prayer, in sections 4-16, Calvin comes up with 4 "rules" for prayer. I doubt Calvin meant the word in the manner it is used by American pop evangelicalism. I'm inclined to think that he would have rather wanted to convey that such are the manners or the ways in which a faithful prayer is offered, the path God has ordained to entreat him, rather than rigid rules or mantras of a successful prayer. The four are:
1) Reverence to God
2) Truly feel our wants
3) No place for pride
4)Pray Confidently with Reverential Fear
Then sections 17-20, there is a brief excursion into our wonderful Mediator, Jesus Christ. A wonderful sections indeed. Sections 28-33 deal with the different kinds of prayer and in the final sections Calvin turns to the Lord's prayer as a model for our prayer and exposits the prayer.
"the Lord kindly and spontaneously manifests Himself in Christ, in whom He offers all happiness for our misery, all abundance for our want, opening up the treasures of heaven to us, so that we may turn with full faith to His beloved Son, depend upon Him with full expectation, rest in Him, and cleave to Him with full hope."
" What can be more lovely or soothing than to see God invested with a title that assures us that nothing is more proper to His nature than to listen to the prayers of suppliants?"
"For since, owing to some strange inequality, we feel more concern for the body than for the soul, many who can trust the latter to God still continue anxious about the former, still hesitate as to what they are to eat, as to how they are to be clothed, and are in trepidation[142] whenever their hands are not filled with corn, and wine, and oil, so much more value do we set on this shadowy, fleeting life, than on a blessed immortality."
"Let others if they will confide in the powers and resources of their “free will” that they think they possess; enough for us that we stand and are strong in the power of God alone."
"He is always present with us and will in His own time show how very far He was from turning a deaf ear to prayers,"
Sections 1-3 give a general overview of prayer, in sections 4-16, Calvin comes up with 4 "rules" for prayer. I doubt Calvin meant the word in the manner it is used by American pop evangelicalism. I'm inclined to think that he would have rather wanted to convey that such are the manners or the ways in which a faithful prayer is offered, the path God has ordained to entreat him, rather than rigid rules or mantras of a successful prayer. The four are:
1) Reverence to God
2) Truly feel our wants
3) No place for pride
4)Pray Confidently with Reverential Fear
Then sections 17-20, there is a brief excursion into our wonderful Mediator, Jesus Christ. A wonderful sections indeed. Sections 28-33 deal with the different kinds of prayer and in the final sections Calvin turns to the Lord's prayer as a model for our prayer and exposits the prayer.
"the Lord kindly and spontaneously manifests Himself in Christ, in whom He offers all happiness for our misery, all abundance for our want, opening up the treasures of heaven to us, so that we may turn with full faith to His beloved Son, depend upon Him with full expectation, rest in Him, and cleave to Him with full hope."
" What can be more lovely or soothing than to see God invested with a title that assures us that nothing is more proper to His nature than to listen to the prayers of suppliants?"
"For since, owing to some strange inequality, we feel more concern for the body than for the soul, many who can trust the latter to God still continue anxious about the former, still hesitate as to what they are to eat, as to how they are to be clothed, and are in trepidation[142] whenever their hands are not filled with corn, and wine, and oil, so much more value do we set on this shadowy, fleeting life, than on a blessed immortality."
"Let others if they will confide in the powers and resources of their “free will” that they think they possess; enough for us that we stand and are strong in the power of God alone."
"He is always present with us and will in His own time show how very far He was from turning a deaf ear to prayers,"
November 18, 2021
Good Information on Prayer
Although a bit difficult to read at times, Calvin gives the reader good information. For those unfamiliar with Calvin, I the reading could be challenging. The sections are short. Prayer was imperfect to Calvin, and this section from the Institutes reflects this
Although a bit difficult to read at times, Calvin gives the reader good information. For those unfamiliar with Calvin, I the reading could be challenging. The sections are short. Prayer was imperfect to Calvin, and this section from the Institutes reflects this
October 27, 2022
This section from Calvin's Institutes, albeit the reading being akin to drinking from a fire hose, proved to be theologically rich, and I especially appreciated Calvin's exposition on the Lord's Prayer. A great introductory book to the doctrine of prayer.
January 3, 2023
Read this with our church. I haven't read Calvin for many years, and this reminded me how clear and helpful he can be. There were a few things I'd like to discuss with others as I'm not sure I agree, but overall this was helpful.
May 23, 2019
.
It was a good treatment of prayer, its practice, it's purpose, and our responsibility. It is not a very modern translation, so it was stretching for me to read.
It was a good treatment of prayer, its practice, it's purpose, and our responsibility. It is not a very modern translation, so it was stretching for me to read.
June 14, 2018
It has been a strange phenomenon of my reading that I have found Calvin as a writer far more appealing than I have found his followers, and certainly far more interesting. Reading Calvin has not, alas, changed my opinion on Calvinism [1], but it has given me at least some interesting insight concerning Calvin's own thinking and behavior, and has given me at least some degree of interest in how it was that Calvin was so honest about his background as a Hellenistic Christian writer who even viewed the aprocryphal book of Baruch as scripture while those who followed after him showed themselves rather ignorant both about the Greek philosophy that intrigued Calvin as well as the distinction between Calvin's own way of thinking and the biblical one, a distinction which is definitely in evidence here. We may see Calvin as a rather severe thinker inspired by the darker side of Augustine's own thought, and we may see Calvinists in later generations, especially our own, as being deeply influenced by the severe fear religion that Calvin instilled in his audience and which remains the guiding popular understanding of Calvin's religious thinking, without any of the humane philosophy that Calvin (if not his followers) were well-versed in.
This short treatise on prayer is less than 30 pages and is missing several of its sections (for reasons I do not know), and is divided into five parts and a bit more than 50 sections of paragraph length or (generally) longer. This book was taken from Calvin's much longer Institutes of the Christian Religion (which I am in the process of reading), and begins with an overview of prayer (1). Afterwards Calvin discusses some man-made (and some biblical) rules to be observed in prayer (2), although he also helpfully notes that some people in the Bible (like Samson and Jotham in the time of the Judges) made prayers that were effective even if they did not correspond to Calvin's rules. After this Calvin writes at length about how our prayers need to be made through Jesus Christ (3) and then he comments on different types of prayer that can be made, preferring private prayers but acknowledging the legitimacy of public prayer and prayer through singing in services (4) and concludes with an exegesis of the Lord's Prayer as providing an example for believers to follow when it comes to their own prayers to God (5).
All in all, this is a thoughtful if not a perfect guide to prayer. Calvin shows at least some of the harshness that tends to encourage in the reader a certain fearful attitude concerning offending God and gives enough rules concerning prayers as to make his own commentary a talmudic commentary on the subject of prayer that has likely been emulated by many of his followers in the generations and centuries since him. That said, this book is instructive in that Calvin is at least knowledgeable and sensitive enough about the Bible's writing on prayers to comment on God's flexibility when it comes to hearing and responding to prayers, and his interest in philosophy as well as scripture makes him at least more cultured and more sophisticated when it comes to the subject of prayer than one would expect from the founder of the Calvinist tradition. There are, of course, some ways that the guide could have been improved, not least by looking at the example of Jesus' own prayers (especially the lengthy prayer recorded on the Gospel of John), but this would have made the discussion even longer, and I think most people can agree that the shorter one has to read from Calvin, generally the better.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
This short treatise on prayer is less than 30 pages and is missing several of its sections (for reasons I do not know), and is divided into five parts and a bit more than 50 sections of paragraph length or (generally) longer. This book was taken from Calvin's much longer Institutes of the Christian Religion (which I am in the process of reading), and begins with an overview of prayer (1). Afterwards Calvin discusses some man-made (and some biblical) rules to be observed in prayer (2), although he also helpfully notes that some people in the Bible (like Samson and Jotham in the time of the Judges) made prayers that were effective even if they did not correspond to Calvin's rules. After this Calvin writes at length about how our prayers need to be made through Jesus Christ (3) and then he comments on different types of prayer that can be made, preferring private prayers but acknowledging the legitimacy of public prayer and prayer through singing in services (4) and concludes with an exegesis of the Lord's Prayer as providing an example for believers to follow when it comes to their own prayers to God (5).
All in all, this is a thoughtful if not a perfect guide to prayer. Calvin shows at least some of the harshness that tends to encourage in the reader a certain fearful attitude concerning offending God and gives enough rules concerning prayers as to make his own commentary a talmudic commentary on the subject of prayer that has likely been emulated by many of his followers in the generations and centuries since him. That said, this book is instructive in that Calvin is at least knowledgeable and sensitive enough about the Bible's writing on prayers to comment on God's flexibility when it comes to hearing and responding to prayers, and his interest in philosophy as well as scripture makes him at least more cultured and more sophisticated when it comes to the subject of prayer than one would expect from the founder of the Calvinist tradition. There are, of course, some ways that the guide could have been improved, not least by looking at the example of Jesus' own prayers (especially the lengthy prayer recorded on the Gospel of John), but this would have made the discussion even longer, and I think most people can agree that the shorter one has to read from Calvin, generally the better.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2012...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2018...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews