Back now after lunch. Had a great meeting with a room full of prospective students. It was exciting to see a group of new faces all excited about learning and preparing to preach Christ and to fulfill other vocations.

The title does come from Casper the Friendly Ghost. Maybe a tiny bit of humor in the title, the idea that Calvin wasn't, most of the time, scary. He could be ferocious. "Against the Calumnies of a Certain Worthless Person." "The Papal Mass a Sacrilege...." Yes, he could be ferocious. In controversy especially.

Theodore Beza, Calvin's successor, the author of the first biography of Calvin. "In the common course of life, there was no man more pleasant." In him all men may see a beautiful example of Christian character - Beza. He was regarded by friends as kind, friendly, affable.

This lecture isn't just about Calvin's personality, but about Calvin's ideal of friendship. It wasn't just a natural, inevitable fact of human life. He was intentional about it.

Friendship is not easy to define. We recognize it when we experience it, but if asked to define it, that might be difficult. In the ancient Roman world, Cicero wrote a treatise on friendship which Calvin knew. He defined it as an "accord in all things human and divine...." It's, among other things, a relationship in which one may discuss anything. It's an accord that allows one to be honest in good and difficult times. Calvin was that sort of friend.

Calvin dedicated a commentary on Titus to Viret and Farel because Paul spoke of Timothy as a son. It was a witness to friendship. Calvin spoke of "a circle of friends" in which Farel and Viret were an essential part. Beza made brief comments about their preaching. They helped each other. They differed greatly from each other. Farel thundered. Prayed fervently. Viret had winning eloquence. Calvin never spoke without filling the mind of the hearer without the most weighty sentiments. Beza thought it would be perfect to combine the three!

He was very certain about his theology but he depended upon friends to help him make personal decisions. His friends said that he should be married so he got married. Farel had thunder at him to get him to stay in Geneva and to come back to Geneva from Strasbourg.

The ideal of friendship went further, to the way Calvin taught. Scholars have noted how Cicero taught or the ideal of teaching. Oration as communication is divided into two parts, ways of proceeding. One, more formal, is contentio. This is how to communicate in controversy. The aim is to destroy your enemies. See Institutes 4.18. The Mass is a sacrilege. He's out to destroy it. He's not out to make friends. The other form about which he wrote was sermo or "conversation." Calvin was quite influenced by this distinction. With enemies you have the ferocious Calvin. With friends, the friendly Calvin. He could be critical of his friends. Underlying it, however, was the sense that we have a common faith. Friends sometimes disagree but not disagreeably.

That strategy lies behind some remarkable statements and procedures that are different from the way Calvin is usually read. It's connected to his commitment to moderation. Cicero: saying the right thing at the right time.

Calvin urged Farel to be more moderate. He wrote to the Reformed folks at Wezel, where there were Lutheran practices. Where unhappy ceremonies are being introduced they may be tolerated, they should be resisted. Where they already exist, they may be tolerated in favor of not disrupting the church so long as the substance of the faith is not disturbed.

We ought to make mutual concessions in ceremonies that do not prejudice the confession of the faith. The confession must be maintained. You should make clear that you endure rather than approve the ceremonies.

We see his flexibility and commitment to moderation, in his letters between '54-56 in Frankfort. Reformed were planting a church in a Lutheran area. The minister was perceived as difficult and inconsistent. The minister should set an example of modesty and moderation. Then he writes to the church to tell them to do better. The pastor will repel the hyper-Lutherans. You shouldn't push him. God might take away your pastor as he did earlier....Calvin exegeting providence.

Then a new minister in the congregation. Calvin called him a man well versed in the Scriptures and moderate and peaceable and zealous where needed. All in the interests of the church. Again, writes to the elders. Begs them to preserve moderation, not to exasperate the irritated. On the same day he wrote to the congregation, "When our minds are embittered with animosity...." we put the worst spin on everything they do. We have need to bridle our affections more carefully...to tame and moderate them. Forgiveness. Reconciliation.

Calvin had a moderate Lutheran friend Frankfort who had tried to help the congregation. He wrote, at the same time he had written to the congregation, that the situation was hopeless! The pastor in question is detested by the peevish and even to the sensible. He's lost the affections to the greater part of the church. The congregation is about to fall apart. Even if their disgust is unfounded, maybe the minister should go. Calvin the moderate pastor. Knowing the truth as it is for doctrine but in the life of the church, it's not so easy to figure out the living out of the truth. He wanted to protect the pastoral office and the interests of the congregation.

Here's a man engaged in conversation with people. Not in contention, but conversation. Trying to bring peace among people who ought to be friends. He did this in his contact with fellow reformers. With Philip Melanchthon, with whom he pleaded to help bring unity to the Lutheran and Reformed Churches. He was sincere, even if he exaggerated. Melancththon, whom he criticized to others as not being willing enough to help.

Corresponded with Bullinger, who didn't do all that Calvin thought he should. Even with some stinging correspondence, Calvin had friendship and common faith in view. This is part of what made him a remarkably effective pastor, because he recognized that things wouldn't always be as they ought to be. When he went back to Geneva, he went back to a situation where the same problems were present. He went back resolved to work out the disagreements. He wanted weekly communion. All he ever got was quarterly communion. He cooperated freely with what was done because it didn't affect the confession or foundation.

Thus Beza said that after Calvin died, the whole city mourned the passing of our common parent and comforter. He was the friendly reformer, the faithful pastor who was full of comfort and reassurance of God's people who held up, before God's people, Jesus Christ as their certain Savior. Bob hopes to preach from Calvin's pulpit in Geneva. He hopes to preach Calvin's favorite text, at least the text he quoted most frequently in crucial times, John 17:3. "And this is eternal life, that they might know you...." Calvin the comforter and friendly Reformer, the passionate Reformer who wanted people to know the true God in Christ and have eternal life.

He might not like us talking about him but he would like us to talk about that text.

Break now and then Q & A. It's been too busy to answer as many questions but I've been saving for the Q & A time.

Ask Dr. R. Scott Clark a question about this plenary session >>