The Pastoral Emphasis

of Calvin's Ministry
'The Reformation ... was a
pastoral care movement
growing directly out of care
for the salvation of the sou\."
-Ronald Wallace
Though Calvin is best
known for his Institutes and
Commentaries, his desire to
be a faithful pastor of God's
people was perhaps
well as fight off those who
lead them away from Christ.
Calvin' s emphasis upon
the pastor's teaching
obligations is not surprising.
It is the tenderness with
which he pursued that goal
that is not as well known.
The testimony of Calvin's
own generation respecting
his compassion for members
of his congregation is
moving. Des Gallars, one of
Calvin's colleagues in
Geneva, wrote of Calvin's
pastoral ministry: "No
Calvin's pastoral ministry
included a vast amount of
correspondence with
Christians all over Europe. I
These letters reveal Calvin's
deep sensitivity to the plight
of his persecuted brothers,
and demonstrate a true
pastor' s heart. One such,
series of letters was written
to five French theological
students who were arrested
in Lyons. They were
imprisoned, tried, and
eventually martyred for their
commitment to the Reformed
the driving
motivation of his
niinistry. Calvin's
high estimation of the
pastorate was,evident
~ o h n (halvin: Theologian of
the Burning Heart
faith. A sample of
Calvin' s
correspondence
reveals a man whose
heartbeat
passionately for
Christ's persecuted
body.
when he wrote, "For
neither the light and
heat of the sun, nor
food and drink, are so
necessary to nourish and
sustain the present life as the
apostolic and pastoral office
is necessary to preserve 'the
church on earth." (IV:3:2)
According to Calvin, the
pastor has two respons-
ibilities: ''Then only do
pastors edify the Church,
when, besides leading docile
souls to Christ, placidly, as
with the hand, they are also
armed to repel ,the
machinations of those who
strive to impede the work of
God." The Christian pastor
is to "instruct the people to
true godliness" (IV:3:6) as
Rev. Chis Strewl
words of mine can declare
the fidelity and prudence
with which he gave counsel,
the kindness with which he
received all who came to
him, the clearness and
promptitude with which he
replied to those who asked
his opinion on the most
important questions, and the
ability with which he
disentangled the difficulties
and problems which were
laid before him. Nor can I
express the gentleness with
which he could comfort the
afflicted and raise the fallen
and the distressed."
(examples from Letters of
John Calvin)
12 t THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon t March/April, 1997
"Meanwhile, all
the children of God pray for
you as they are bound to do,
not only on account of the
mutual compassion which
ought to exist between
members of the same body,
but because they know well
that you labour for them, in
maintaining the cause of
their salvation. We hope,
come what may, that God of
his goodness will give a
happy issue to your captivity,
so that we shall have reason
to rejoice .... ln conclusion, I
beseech our good Lord that
He would be pleased to make
you feel in every way the
worth of His protection of
His own, to fill you with His
Holy Spirit, who gives you
prudence and virtue, and
brings you peace, joy, and
contentment.. .
"And now, my brethren,
after having besought our
good Lord to have charge
over you, to assist you in
everything and through
everything, to make you taste
by experience how kind a
Father He is, and how careful
of the salvation of his own, I
pray to be remembered in
your prayers.
"We who are here shall do
our duty in praying that He
would glorify Himself more
and more by your constancy,
and that He may, by the
consolation of His Spirit,
sweeten and endear all that is
bitter to the flesh, and so
absorb your spirits in
Himself, that in
contemplating that heavenly
crown, you may be ready
without regret to leave all
that belongs to the world.
"Now, at this present hour,
necessity itself exhorts you
more than ever to turn your
whole mind heavenward. As
yet, we know not what will
be the event. But since it
appears as though God
would use your blood to sign
His truth, there is nothing
better than for you to prepare
yourselves to that end,
beseeching Him so to subdue
you to His good pleasure,
that nothing may hinder you
from following
whithersoever he shall
call .... Even so, my brothers,
be confident that you shall be
strengthened, according to
your need, by the Spirit of
our Lord Jesl,ls, so that you
shall not faint under the load
of temptations, however
heavy it be, any more than
He did who won so glorious
a victory, that in the midst of '
our miseries it is an unfailing
pledge of our triumph. Since
it pleases Him to employ you
to the death in maintaining
His qUlIlTel, He will
strengthen your hands in the
fight, and will not suffer a
single drop of your blood to
be spent in vain .. .. Forlet
enemies do their utmost, they
never shall be able to bury
out of sight that light which
God has made to shine in
you, in order to be
contemplated from afar.
"I shall not console you,
nor exhort you more at
length, knowing that our
heavenly Father gives you to
experience how precious His
consolations are, and that
you are sufficiently careful to
meditate upon what He sets
before you in His Word .. He
has already so shown how
His Spirit dwells in you, that
we are well assured that He
will perfect you to the
end .... There now remains the
conflict, to which the Spirit
of God not only exhorts us to
go, but even to run. It is
indeed a hard and grievous
trial, to see the pride of the
enemies of truth so
enormous, without its getting
any check from on high; .
their rage so unbridled,
without God's interfering for
the relief of His
people ... While it pleases ,God
to give His enemies the rein,
our duty is to be quiet,
although the time of our
redemption tarries.
Moreover, if He has
promised to be the judge of
those who have brought His '
people under thraldom, we
need not doubt that He has a'
horrible punishment prepared
for such as have despised His
majesty with such enormous
pride, and have cruelly
persecuted those who call
purely upon His name."
(exerpts from the Letters of
John Calvin)
As gentle and comforting
as Calvin could be to his
brothers in the faith, he was
equally fierce in denouncing.
those who sought to cOlrupt
sound doctrine and mislead
or persecute Christ's flock.
He maintained that a faithful
pastor should be alert to the .
dangers with which Satan
and evil men seek to
overthrow the Church. In the
dedicatory of his
commentary on the book of
Psalms, Calvin wrote,
"These be no days for
dalliance; for Satan, the
March/April, 1997 t THE C;:OW'lSEL of Chalcedon t 13
workmaster of all mischief,
being grieved 'that his own
kingdom draweth to an end,
not only'goeth about like a
roaring lion to' devour folk '
by open'force, but also like a
sly seIpent 'setteth snares and
pitfalls innumerable, to
entrap men and bring them to
deStnicti'on by policy, laying
wait for all men, but
speCially fot ,such as are of
high estilte, as who always
carry greatest numbers with
them When they
decline:"
not only dishonors God and
his Word, but it inevitably
tends to practical errors and
impiety. The faithful pastor
must warn his people of error
and beat off those who lead
the people astray through
false teaching. In Calvin's
mind, it is unthinkable that
wolves should be scared
away with anything less than
clubs and shouts.
Calvin came to the
defense of God's people
very soon break out against
many poor souls, that foreign
peoples might at least be
touched with some
compassion and care for
them."
As Albert-Marie Schmidt
wrote in his biography of
Calvin, "In that text Calvin
shows clearly nobody
would think of questioning
his good faith" that it was
not out of a vain wish to '
attract attention that he
Calvin strong
language against
enemies of Christ and
truth throughout his
writings. He had no
quahns against calling
the Roman popes
"False doctrine not only
dishonors Cod and his Word,
but it inevitably tends to
praclical errors and impiety. "
decided to hasten the
publication of his
theological views, but
out of the burning zeal
of his love."2 "
Perhaps the greatest
expression of Calvin's
pastoral concern for
"ignorant asses" (IV:5:8).
Calvinl1,arshly denounced
, Rome?s system of
as robbing
Christ of. his, glory, for
forcing unqualified pastors
upon the people, giving
multiple benefices to.
absentee. pastors, and for
other ;serious doctrinal and
practical errors . . Some
Reforme,d men cringe at
Calvin'suse of strong
language in defending a
theological'position. It is
quite understandable,
however, once we remember
Calvin' s view of God's Word,
the Church, and the pastor's
responsibility. False doctrine
throughout his ministry.
Although it is often
forgotten, his Institutes had a
pastoral pUIpose. It was
written to inform King
Frances I of the true doctrine
of the Reformation party so
that he would cease
persecuting innocent
Frenchmen.
''These were the reasons
that enduced me to publish
my Institutes of the Christian
Religion. First, to reply to
these wicked accusations that
were being made and to clear
the name of my brethren
whose death was precious in
the sight of the Lord. And
next, since the same could
14 , 'THE COUNSEL of Chaltedon 'I' March/April, 1997
Christ's Church is his
response to the intrigues of
the Roman CathoUc Cardinal
John Sadolet. ,In 1539,
Calvin and Farel were
expelled from Geneva for
seeking to secure for the
elders of the church the right
to admit or exclude men
from the Lord' s Supper.
Hearing of their expulsion, ,
Sadolet sent a letter to the
Genevan Church, "His letter '
was full of friendly
gesticulations to the
Genevese, a people to whom
he was unknown, and
condemnation of the
Reformers, especially Calvin
(though he was unnamed).
His efforts had no other aim
than to regain lost territory
for the papacy. In response
to his letter, Calvin wrote not
only a brilliant defense of the
entire Reformation program,
but sought to encourage the
Genevan Church to remain
faithful to Christ by
remaining separate from
Rome. The following
comments from Calvin's
response demonstrate the
intense zeal and love Calvin
possessed for the Genevan
Church, even tlwugh he had
. been expelled from the city
and was no longer serving 'as
their pastor:
"For though I am for the
present relieved of the charge
of the Church of Geneva,
that circumstance ought riot
to prevent me from
embracing it with paternal
affection - God, when he
gave it to me in charge,
having bound me tO,be
faithful to it forever. Now,
then, when I see the worst
. snares laid for that Church,
whose safety it has pleased
the Lord to make my highest
care, and grievous peril
impending if not obviated,
who will advise me to await
the issue silent and
unconcerned? How
heartless, I ask, would it be
to wink in idleness, and, as it
were, vacillating at the
destruction of one whose life
you are bound vigilantly to
guard and preserve?
.... Besides, without paying
the least regard to the
Genevan Church, (though
assuredly I cannot cast off
that charge any more than
that of my own soul,)
supposing I were not
actuated by any zeal for it,
still, when my ministry
(which, knowing it to be
from Christ, I am bound, if
need be, to maintain with
my blood) is assailed and
falsely traduced, how can it
be lawful for me to bear it as
if I saw it not?"3
Calvin is not only the
most imminent theologian of
the Reformation, but his
indefatigable labors,
voluminous correspondence,
and unending zeal for the
establishment of godliness
among Christian men and
women, earn him respect as
the greatest of Reformed
pastors as well. Calvin's
pastoral ministry teaches us
that those who are most
possessed with theological
accuracy and fervency
should be those who most
earnestly endeavor to feed
the flock of Christ with
sound doctrine and protect
them from false teaching and
profane men.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
IOf Calvin's
correspondence, Ronald
Wallace wrote, "This
pastoral emphasis is all the
more remarkable since such
letters were often written on
Church or national business
with some diplomatic aim, to .
further the Reformation
cause in Europe. But even
the diplomatic gives way
entirely to even an
evangelistic motive and we
find that his first COncem is
with his correspondelJt as a
person. Is he or she keeping
close to God, listening to his
word continually, and likely
to continue to resist the
temptations of Satan in order
to keep running well in the
Christian race - in other
words, how is it with your .
soul?"
2Calvin and the
Calvinistic Tradition,
(Harper: New York, 1960), p.
35.
30f Calvin's letter to
Sadolet, the noted church
historian Philip Schaff wrote,
"There is scarcely a parallel
to it in the literature of that
age, which teems with ' ,
uncharitable abuse and
coarse invective." Of this
letter, Luther wrote to
Cruciger, "This answer has
hand and foot, and I rejoice
that God raises up men who
will give the last blow to
popery, and finish the war
against Antichrist which I
began."
March/April, 1997 l' THE COUNSEL pf Chalwlon l' 15