In a day when our church histories tend to be two dimensional, by which I mean that we tend to look only at our church structures as they exist today, we do well to remember that all our denominations can be traced back through centuries. I cannot think that there is a single Protestant church in the West, and indeed any other part of the world, whose history is not at some point connected with the life, work, and teaching of this man, Calvin, no matter what we may actually think of him.

Calvin is also a man who is subject to criticism in some ways, and knowing him as a person helps us to understand this better. I shall not be dealing with that criticism here. Calvin was a giant of the Faith and a man rasied up for his, and our times, to stand against evil, and set the church on Biblical foundations.

Things that I have learned about John Calvin, the man, from reading his sermons:

1) Calvin was all about God. He had massive views of the glory, power, and sovereignty of God. If you had pricked him anywhere, his blood would have run with the Biblical doctrine of God.

2) Calvin had a profound view of mankind's duty to such a sovereign God. This is emphasised in his teaching on the Commandments. He is super- acutely aware of mans' responsibility and accountability.

3) Calvin could have preached his sermons in any pulpit today with easy understanding. Even so his sermons are passionate for truth, and I wonder if we today could actually take such an output of intense, profound, teaching on the person and work of God.

4) Calvin had to prepare many sermons often, and so what we see aren't perfectly polished addresses, but evidence of the massive store of truth that was already in his heart and head, and which just seemed to pour forth on demand.

5) Calvin was bound by the authority of the Word of God. This was his life.

6) Passion for the truth!!

7) Evangelical fervour. Calvin was governed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We might tend to think that this man was primarily a profound intellect, but what we also find is that he has received the Gospel as a little child, and that he is above all, a man dedicated to that Gospel and that Saviour. This does not come through in all his sermons, but overall it is most decidedly his governing principle along with the existence and sovereignty of God. Calvin was a man who was unashamed to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a picture of a man of unusual gifts, yet governed by the Spirit of God. A man under authority. A man for whom biblical truth was the thing above all things.

If Calvin were here today I think that he would be a church leader, and that he would be marked for his teaching abilility and personal holiness of life. He would teach his congregation with evangelical fervour and not fail to declare the whole counsel of God, but some, wanting an easier life, would leave to attend a church where they were less challenged and less was demanded of them spiritually. Others would stay, but at times might be forgiven for feeling worn out by the sheer intensity and volume of the truth that was being set forth.

Under God, we owe John Calvin a great debt.