John Calvin's preaching on the devil.

• Main Author: Langley, Karine.
• Other Authors: Schlitt, Dale
• Format: Others
• Published: University of Ottawa (Canada) 2009
• Subjects: Theology.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10393/8520; http://dx.doi.org/10.20381/ruor-7351

This thesis concerns itself with John Calvin's preaching on the devil. The thesis is unique insofar as there is no book-length that studies this topic, and, Calvin is well known as a theologian rather than a preacher. In this work, I attempt to show that not only does Calvin have some valuable insights on the devil in his sermons but that useful information can also be gathered by a careful consideration of the structure of each sermon. In order to preserve some sense of the structure, I have done a detailed analysis of each of the sermons rather than simply summarizing the main points contained within each. I did this in order to give the reader immediate access to Calvin's sermons. John Calvin's sermons on the devil reveal that he was much more of an experiential thinker than had been previously thought. Our daily experiences of God are not useless and our experiences of trials and temptations can lead us into a far deeper appreciation and understanding of God as Redeemer. Calvin's understanding of the devil affords new insights into Calvin's doctrine of the knowledge of God. In fact, I attempt to show that true knowledge of God is impossible without the devil. Calvin's understanding of the devil has ramifications for many of his doctrines including his understanding of the Holy Spirit and the law. I have shown that the devil functions to lead the believer into a deeper relationship with God. Against his will, the devil serves many of the same functions as the Holy Spirit and can be understood as an instrument of Divine accommodation. The devil also functions in the same way as the third use of the law. The thesis shows that there is nothing that exists outside of the grace and love of God. Even the devil is used by God. I intended this work to be of use not only to scholars but also to the Church. To this end, I included a chapter on how I understand Calvin's ideas on the devil to be applicable today. Calvin's insight that the devil is always held in check by God means that no matter how terribly we suffer, we never suffer outside of the love and grace of God. Suffering is never in vain. Lastly, it is my hope that this work will serve as a point of departure for many other research topics on Calvin. It would be interesting to see how the role of the devil will nuance Calvin's understanding of predestination, evil and human experience.