Journal: Westminster Theological Journal
Volume: WTJ 82:1 (Spring 2020)
Article: John Calvin: Prophet Of God’s Love
Author: Thomas D. Hawkes

WTJ 82:1 (Spring 2020) p. 39

John Calvin: Prophet Of God’s Love

Thomas D. Hawkes

Thomas D. Hawkes (PhD London School of Theology) is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church of America, who most recently served as Senior Pastor of Uptown Church in Charlotte, NC.

While many may consider John Calvin to be the prophet of God’s wrath upon human sin, a more comprehensive reading of Calvin leads one to see his overarching proclamation of God’s love for all humanity, and especially for his people. Calvin declares God’s love as Father/Creator toward all humanity, both through his loving creation and kind providence. Calvin also presents God’s love as Father/Redeemer toward his elect in his accommodating Word and, supremely, in the cross of his Son. The theme of God’s love—woven throughout Calvin’s teaching in sermons, commentaries, and Institutes—was highlighted by Calvin largely in order to help God’s people become like Christ in holiness, as they are drawn to the Father by his astonishing love.

I. Introduction

John Calvin is not generally recognized as a prophet of God’s love. On the contrary, much of the public, even pastors and scholars, often think of Calvin as being harsh, emphasizing only God’s wrath and human depravity.

Dave Hunt, for example, decries Calvin as portraying an unloving God. “No rationalization can explain away the bluntness of Calvin’s language, that it is God’s ‘pleasure to doom to destruction’ those whom He ‘by his eternal providence … before their birth doomed to perpetual destruction.’”1 Calvin is accused by Leith of creating a loveless and legalistic version of Christianity. “The most perfect school of Christ since the Apostles was built at the expense of Christian love.”2 “His writings and especially his practices reveal an unmistakable legalistic tendency.”3 Wernle claims that Calvin degrades Christ to the office of a scribe. “In his moral zeal, Calvin … closes his eyes to all the new

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values which Jesus brought into the world and degrades Him to the position of an interpreter of the ancient lawgiver Moses.”4

Certainly Calvin’s critics find it easy to cite examples which, without the proper context, would support their arguments. Calvin clearly and frequently portrayed humanity as heinous in its sin and God as wrathful. “We are completely corrupt, there being nothing but sin in us and consequently it is fitting that God should be as an enemy and th...