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A flood of books have been published this year about the legacy of a sixteenth-century “Renaissance Man:” John Calvin. Why all this attention? This year is the 500th Anniversary of Calvin’s birth, so that explains the timing. But what makes this one man worthy of so much ink? Calvin’s teaching has been very influential on the faith and life of the western church, especially the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition, and many believe his thought has had a formative influence on western culture generally. But that’s only half of the story. The other half – what is more important – is the profound impact Calvin’s thought could have on us today.
We could highlight many relevant dimensions of Calvin’s thought here, but I've chosen to focus our attention on his understanding of the Gospel as offering a “double grace,” which frees us to live in the “theater of God’s glory.”
The Double Grace of the Gospel
As one of the most significant leaders of the Protestant Reformation, Calvin worked tirelessly to help Christians better understand and live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Protestants began challenging many Roman Catholic teachings about salvation, there were disagreements about what the Bible really does say about the way Jesus Christ rescues us from sin and death. How are sinners restored to fellowship with God? What is the relationship between “faith” and “good works”?These are basic—and vitally important—questions that are still being asked today. In our wrestling for answers, it’s just as easy for us to veer off course as it was for those in the sixteenth-century.
During the Reformation, Lutherans rightly insisted that we are saved “by grace through faith, and this is not your own doing” (Eph. 2:8). This is the key biblical emphasis of the Reformation: we are “justified” (declared righteous by God) not because of good works we do, but by trusting in the “work” Christ has done for us. But sometimes Lutherans were so concerned to safeguard the truth that we are saved by “faith alone” that they considered living a holy life a matter of little importance. Sound familiar?
If Lutherans sometimes de-emphasized the importance of holiness, then many “Radicals” during the Reformation did just the opposite: they so emphasized the importance of living a holy life that, at the end of the day, it appeared as though they believed sinners could find favor with God through their own obedience to God’s Law. This, too, is a common distortion of the Gospel today. If the Lutheran tendency could lead to “license,” the Radicals’ tendency could lead to “legalism.”
John Calvin sought to steer clear of the swamps of legalism and license, encouraging believers to embrace the liberty that comes as a result of adoption as God's children. He taught that the Gospel always comes to us as a “double grace”: it brings both forgiveness of sins and renewal of life; freedom from the guilt of sin and freedom from the power of sin; “justification” and “sanctification.” On the one hand, Calvin insisted we must not confuse the two. For example, we must not think we are considered righteous by God – justified – because we live righteously. No! Christ is our righteousness! (1 Cor. 1:30). On the other hand, he also insisted, following Scripture, that we must not think the Gospel ever brings one without the other. As Paul says: “Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
Calvin summarizes these points this way: "the sum of the gospel is held to consist in repentance and forgiveness of sins [Luke 24:47; Acts 5:31]."
The Theater of God’s Glory
The double-grace of the Gospel puts us on the path to liberty. As we trod this path in faith and freedom we become agents of God's mission in the world, which Calvin calls "the theater of God's glory." Every area of life becomes a potential venue where, in response to God's saving and sanctifying grace, the believer can glorify God through a life of grateful obedience and service.For suggested reading on the life and legacy of Calvin, click here.