Preaching as Calvin undertook to do it extends far beyond the confines of a carefully written manuscript. It is not bound by the niceties of style, sentence structure, and the like. it is marked by an immeasurably greater degree of intensity, by an obvious determination to instruct and persuade, by an astounding capacity to confront hearers both with the truth of divine revelation and with the implications of that truth for faith and obedience. There are distinct advantages, therefore, in having before us these sermons on Genesis precisely as they were delivered. They let us see and hear a man aflame with love for the lord and his Word, a preacher who spent himself utterly in the work of summoning his people to repentance, faith and holiness.
The feature that has struck me most powerfully is the sermons’ immediacy. As I have read them, it has quite often seemed to me almost as though I were sitting with the congregation in Geneva and listening to Calvin himself as he opened up the passage, and then carefully, deliberately, and sometimes with painful specificity applied its teaching to those who heard him. In his masterful translation Dr. McGregor has quite wonderfully brought the preacher back to life and allowed us the privilege of being able, with a little imagination, to take our places in St. Peter’s Church on those cold autumn and winter days with the Reformer himself in the pulpit.
Table of Contents:
50 God’s Judgment Eventually Strikes the Mighty and Arrogant and Rewards the Humble (Gen 11:5-9) 1 51 God Protects and Increases the Church (Gen 11:10-31) 19 52 Obedience: The Key to Spiritual Progress (Gen 11:31-12:2) 37 53 Confidence in God: Resting on His Promises (Gen 12:1-3) 55 54 The Anatomy of Patience: Hope, Confidence, Resistance, and Endurance (Gen 12:4-7) 73 55 The Meaning and Function of Abraham’s Altar (Gen 12:5-9) 91 56 Weakness and Humiliation, Troubles and Dangers: God’s Invitation to Depend on and Follow His Guidelines (Gen 12:10-13) 109 57 Humility: Holding Desires and Impulses Captive (Gen 12:11-16) 125 58 God’s Punishments Serve to Instruct and Guide (Gen 12:16-20) 143 59 Hardships and the Blessings of Wealth and Poverty; the Prudence of Being Alert in the Presence of One’s Mortal Enemies (Gen 13:1-7) 163 60 Sodom: The Destructive Consequences of Yielding to Ease, Personal Desires and Self-Interest (Gen 13:8-13) 181 61 The Demands and Expediency of Obeying God’s Word (Gen 13:14-18) 199 62 Profiting from Being Corrected by Our Merciful Father for Our Sins (Gen 14:1-13) 217 63 First Sermon on the Story of Melchizedek, Which Treats of Abraham’s Deliverance of Lot (Gen 14:13-17) 233 64 Second Sermon on Melchizedek Wherein It Is Shown How He Was a Figure That Jesus Christ Was to Be Eternal King and Priest at the Same Time (Gen 14:18-20) 251 65 Third Sermon on Melchizedek Wherein Are Treated the Use and Right of Tithes and Also the Oath (Gen 14:20-24) 271 66 God Shields and Leads His People with His Strong Hand (Gen 15:1-4) 291 67 First Sermon on Justification, Wherein Are Discussed the Meaning of Faith (or Believing), Imputing and Righteousness (Gen 15:4-6) 309 68 Second Sermon on Justification (Gen 15:6) 329 69 Third Sermon on Justification (Gen 15:6) 349 70 Fourth Sermon on Justification (Gen 15:6-7) 369 71 Willing Self-Sacrifice Is Required to Achieve God’s Promises (Gen 15:8-10) 389 72 Waiting for God to Act: The Practice of Patience (Gen 15:11-14) 409 73 The Value of a Good Conscience and The Promise Postponed: Waiting Patiently for the Patient God (Gen 15:15-16) 429 74 A Smoking Furnace and a Burning Lamp: Tests of Faith in God’s Covenant (Gen 15:17-21) 449 75 Sarah and Hagar: Conflict Following a Bad Decision (Gen 16:1-4) 467 76 Submitting to One’s Social Status: The Order of the Day God’s Will: Obedience in Marriage, Obedience to Superiors and Parents (Gen 16:5-9) 485 77 The Lesson to Be Learned from Hagar’s Obedience: God’s Grace Comes First (Gen 16:11-16) 505 78 Confidence in God’s Power to Renew and Save, Our Assurance for Obedience (Gen 17:1-4a) 525 79 The Covenant: God’s Initiation of Eternal Salvation (Gen 17:4-8) 543 80 An Explanation of Circumcision and Baptism (Gen 17:9-13) 561 81 By God’s Will, Not by Circumcision and Baptism (Gen 17:10-16) 579 82 Ishmael’s Primogeniture Is Superseded by Isaac’s Election (Gen 17:17-22) 597 83 Confidence in God and the Place of Instruction (Gen 17:22-26) 615 84 Generosity after the Example of Abraham: A Demonstration of Self-Denial (Gen 18:1-8) 635 85 Sarah and the Virtues of Truth, Fear, and Humility (Gen 18:9-15) 653 86 The Coming Judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:16-21) 671 87 The Expediency of Sobriety and Humility When Questioning God’s Actions (Gen 18:22-26) 689 88 God Reveals Only What We Need to Know (Gen 18:24-33) 707 89 Responsibility in Preventing the Prevalence of Evil (Gen 19:1-5) 725 90 Lot Defends His Guests at All Costs (Gen 19:6-9) 743 91 Sodom’s Fate: A Reason to Fear God Righteously and Be Ministers of Salvation (Gen 19:10-14) 761 92 Abandoning the Past without Looking Back: No Small Feat (Gen 19:15-17) 779 93 God Answers Prayer and Brings Judgment (Gen 19:17b-23) 797 94 God Watches Over and Protects His Own Despite Their Faults (Gen 19:24-30a) 815 95 Gluttony, Drunkenness, and Incest (Gen 19:31-38) 833 96 On Adultery, Prostitution, and Sexual Immorality (Gen 20:1-4a) 851 97 Intentional Sins vs Inadvertent Sins and the Role of Prayer for One Another (Gen 20:4-7) 871 Index of Scripture References 889
Author
John Calvin (1509-1564) was a theological giant of the Protestant Reformation. A contemporary of Martin Luther, he had as much influence over this period of history as his German counterpart. In 1536 he published his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was a systematic presentation of the Protestant position. His writings are still cherished and relevant today.
Endorsement
"In his masterful translation Dr. McGregor has quite wonderfully brought the preacher back to life and allowed us the privilege of being able, with a little imagination, to take our places in St. Peter’s Church on those cold autumn and winter days with the Reformer himself in the pulpit." — J.R. DE WITT
