Deep Dive into The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin by John Piper - The Divine Majesty of the Word

John Calvin’s theological legacy is defined by a singular, overarching passion: the absolute supremacy of God. Anchored in the divine self-identification "I AM WHO I AM" found in Exodus, Calvin viewed God as the uncreated, self-existent reality who defines all existence. Consequently, the fundamental aim of his life was a relentless zeal to illustrate the glory of God. This passion was the true root of his quarrel with the Roman Catholic Church; he believed that Rome’s focus on human rituals and self-centered spirituality obscured the glory of Christ, whereas true faith must center on the majesty of God above all else.

This radical God-centeredness stemmed from Calvin’s "sudden conversion," where he perceived the majesty of God directly in Scripture. He understood this distinctively as the "internal testimony of the Holy Spirit." This was not a new revelation, but a supernatural illumination where the Spirit opens the blind eyes of the believer to see the self-authenticating divine reality within the text.

Because Calvin viewed Scripture as the direct mediator of God’s majesty, his ministry was characterized by an "invincible constancy" in sequential expository preaching. Despite his natural desire for a quiet literary life, divine providence thrust him into the turbulence of Geneva. There, amidst severe physical agony, personal bereavement, and political threats, he preached through the Bible verse by verse for decades. He believed this was the only way to avoid human speculation and display the full spectrum of God's glory.

To understand Calvin’s view of Scripture, imagine a man born blind who is suddenly given sight while facing the sun; he does not need a logical argument to prove the sun exists, for the radiant light itself is its own authentication. Similarly, for Calvin, the Holy Spirit allows the soul to directly "taste" the undeniable majesty of God in His Word.

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