Acts

The Crossway Classic Commentaries

by John Calvin, Alister E. McGrath (Series Editor), J.I. Packer (Introduction)

For hundreds of years Christendom has been blessed with Bible commentaries written by great men of God highly respected for their godly walk and their insight into spiritual truth. The Crossway Classic Commentaries series presents the very best work on individual Bible books, carefully adapted for maximum understanding and usefulness for today's believers. The book of Acts provides an invaluable transition in the Bible from the life of Christ to the formation and expansion of the New Testament Church and the inspired apostolic letters of that era. The birth and spread of the Church, early struggles in the Body of Christ, and the conversion and later missionary journeys of Paul make for enlightening and nurturing reading for all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. John Calvin's insightful examination of this action-packed, fast-paced section of Scripture will give serious Bible students a solid grip on the key passages and themes of Acts. And that in turn will give believers renewed enthusiasm and boldness in taking the good news of Christ to their own time and setting.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Reference

415 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

French-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.

Reviews

[Ethan McCarter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always consult Calvin if he has a commentary on the book I'm studying through. It's not my favourite one of his commentaries, but it's always worthwhile consulting. There were some areas that he addressed that seemed like he drew some odd conclusions that weren't germane to the text at hand, but he's responding to some things going on in his own context when he wrote it. You can never go wrong with consulting Calvin when you come to a sermon series; he's a goldmine and there's obvious reasons why his works are still relevant hundreds of years later. Not his best commentary I'd say, but a solid read all the same. If you're a Reformed and Presbyterian pastor then you probably consult Calvin's works a fair amount anyway!

[Matt]

This wasn't the greatest commentary by Calvin. In the limited amount I did read, I noticed more blatent reading into the text Protestant/Roman Catholic arguments that weren't there. Coupled with Calvin's often unpleasant attacks against his opponents and the Jews, that made this commentary a less fruitful read than other ones I have read by Calvin.

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and thoroughly pastoral, and yet exegetical/polemical, commentary on Acts by John Calvin. This let me inside the mind of Calvin on crucial issues such as apostolicity, prophecy, miracle, and more. Cannot wait to read more Calvin.