John Calvin was a man with holy pursuits. He was a man with a Godward gaze. His pilgrimage began in Noyon, France on July 10, 1509. His mother died when he was only five years of age. In 1521, Calvin enrolled in the College de Montagein Paris. Here, he would study logic, rhetoric, and the arts - the very essence of a classical education. Additionally, he would labor over three languages - Latin, Greek, and Hebrew.

The next stop on Calvin’s educational pilgrimage was Bourges and Orleans, where he would study law from 1528-1533. However, sometime between 1533-1534, he experienced a “sudden conversion” and fled from Paris to Basel, Switzerland, where he would begin writing the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion.As one might expect, Calvin devoured the Bible and pursued the Protestant cause with great passion. Listen to how he expresses his deepest desire and how God turned the key to his heart: “In short, while the one great object was to live in seclusion without being known, God so led me about through different turnings and changes that he never permitted me to rest in any place, until in spite of my natural disposition, he brought me forth to public notice.” The turning of this “divine key” set Calvin on a Christ-centered trajectory that changed his life personally and professionally, and would soon change the world. Calvin completed the first edition of the Institutes in 1536.

On the Christian Life - A New Translation contains highlights from book 3 in Calvin’s Institutes. The section is entitled, “How We Obtain the Grace of Christ.” The four chapters help readers understand the role of God’s Word, self-denial, meditation, and developing an eternal perspective. Calvin writes in an unusually contemporary fashion, always directing our gaze to the Scriptures and the Lord Jesus Christ.

On the Christian Lifewould be a superb introduction to anyone who may be intimidated by the depth and breadth of Calvin’s Institutes. It is educational, illuminating, and God-centered.

Highly recommended!