“What would become that Little Book first appeared in 1539, in the Latin second edition of Calvin’s magnum opus the Institutes of the Christian Religion. At that time it was a chapter titled De vita hominis Christiani (on the life of the Christian man).”

There are far more Calvinists in the world than there are people who have actually read the works of John Calvin, or even dabbled in them, for that. Of course the latter is not a prerequisite to the former, but those who never read any of Calvin’s works are denying themselves a blessing and perhaps even a surprise. For while his name is attached to an expansive system of theology, he is a theologian who does not merely fill the head, but one who also warms the heart and informs the hands. Never do we see this more clearly than in A Little Book on the Christian Life.

What would become that Little Book first appeared in 1539, in the Latin second edition of Calvin’s magnum opus the Institutes of the Christian Religion. At that time it was a chapter titled De vita hominis Christiani (on the life of the Christian man). Readers quickly identified that it could stand apart from its context and be a powerful little booklet in its own right. Since then, it has been translated and published in many forms and under many names. Unfortunately, its English editions have often been truncated or of dubious quality.

That was the case until Aaron Denligner and Burk Parsons determined they would craft a new translation. “Our aim in completing this project has generally been to produce a translation that we believe Calvin himself would have been pleased with. We have, in other words, aimed at faithfulness not just to Calvin’s meaning but, so much as possible, to his words.” In doing so, they have produced a gem of a book. It maintains the strength and tone of the original content even while providing it in a new language.

A Little Book on the Christian Life is composed of just five short chapters. But each of these short chapters packs a punch. In the first, Calvin discusses Scripture’s call to Christian living, telling that “the goal of God’s work in us is to bring our lives into harmony and agreement with His own righteousness, and so to manifest to ourselves and others our identity as His adopted children.” In the second chapter, he turns to the importance of self-denial in the Christian life, showing “it is the duty of believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. And in this consists genuine worship of him.” Great progress in the Christian life is displayed when “we nearly forget ourselves, that in all matters we hold our own concerns in less esteem, and that we faithfully strive to devote our energies to God and His commands.”

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