John Calvin and his beliefs have been the subject of vicious caricature and ignorant misrepresentation over the centuries. The source (second to the Bible, of course) of the "Reformed Faith," John Calvin continues to influence millions of people through his teachings and writings.

This July 10th marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birthday. Not very many people realize that he was born in France (Noyon in Picardy) rather than Geneva--the city that became synonymous with the name of Calvin.

In 1533 or 1534 Calvin experienced a conversion. Here is how he puts it: "By an unexpected conversion [God] tamed to teachableness a mind too stubborn for its years."

He would serve a French Protestant refugee church in Strasbourg. One day while travelling, he was compelled to stop in Geneva. He only lasted a few years before he was kicked out. He returned to Strassbourg and enjoyed serving his countrymen.

Then he was called back to Geneva where he served until his death in 1564. He would influence Christian leaders from other countries and, through them, America and many other countries.

I hope to write a number of posts on John Calvin during the month of July. In the meantime, I hope you will seek to learn for yourself the true story of John Calvin and his love for God and passion for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is "one sole means of recovering salvation.... Christ was given to us by God's generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace: namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ's blamelesness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ's spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life" (Institutes, III.11.1--cited by Dr. Charles Hambrick-Stowe).

[The following article was published during 2008 in the Charles City Press.]

As we continue our examination of the Apostles’ Creed, we are going to consider the phrase “I believe in… [God the Father’s] only Son.” In this politically correct age, some people do not want to refer to the Second Person of the Trinity as the Son. Also, the founder of one of the world’s major religions was grossly misinformed by neighboring faith communities as to the true nature of God being Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

With opposition from within and without, where can we turn? To the Bible itself, of course! Here is what The Message Bible has to say about God’s “One and Only” in John chapter one:
“We got the basics from Moses,
and then this exuberant giving and receiving,
This endless knowing and understanding
All this came through Jesus, the Messiah.
No one has ever seen God,
Not so much as a glimpse.
This one-of-a-kind God-Expression,
Who exists at the very heart of the Father,
Has made him plain as day.”
Or, as Paul puts it in Colossians 1, “We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.”

Here is how R. C. Sproul discusses this Apostles’ Creed phrase in his book Basic Training: “The title, ‘Son of God,’ is title the church has used again and again as an appeal to the biblical claim of the deity of Christ…. Surely it is one of the richest titles given to Jesus in the New Testament.”

Thomas Oden has been on a faith pilgrimmage most of his life. Some years ago he developed into a rigorous defender of and apologist for the historic Christian faith. A Methodist, the flap biography of his "Rebirth of Orthdoxy" states that he "is a widely respected theologian and leading figure in the emerging post-denominational ecumencial scene."

When I arrived at my current pastoral position the question was asked, "What is an Evangelical?" Oden provides the most succinct answer and definition I have ever run across--

"An evangelical Christian is one who reads the Bible as God's Word, who lives out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the only Lord and Savior, who is saved by grace through faith active in love, and who has a lively commitment to the Great Commission."

My two daughters continue to amaze me with their knowledge and singing of quality contemporary Christian songs. The most recent one that has touched my heart is found below. It leads us from lost sinners needing God's grace through the challenges and joys of life all the way to flying home to Jesus. I commend it to your reading and hope you can find and listen to the beautiful music that goes with it.

COME TO JESUS
by: Chris Rice

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Listen to the Tune
1. Weak and wounded sinner, lost and left to die,
O raise your head, for love is passing by.
Come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Je---sus and live.

2. And like a newborn baby, don't be afraid to crawl,
And remember when you walk, sometimes we fall.
So fall on Jesus, fall on Jesus, fall on Je----sus and live.

3. Sometimes the way is lonely and steep and filled with pain,
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain,
The cry to Jesus, cry to Jesus, cry to Je---sus and live.

4. And when the love spills over and music fills the night,
And when you can't contain your joy inside,
Then dance for Jesus, dance for Jesus, dance for Je----sus and live.

5. And with your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye,
Then go in peace and laugh on glory's side;
And fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Je----sus and live.
Fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Je----sus and live.