John Calvin—A man of great discipline

These blog entries are going to be somewhat challenging because of one glaring fact: John Calvin did not like to talk or write about himself.

Here is an excerpt from the biography I am currently reading: 

“The location of Calvin’s grave is unknown, and that was the way he wanted it. Nothing would have horrified him more than the monument to the Reformation in Geneva with its enormous image of the Frenchman. He deliberately wrote next to nothing about himself and his life.”

You might ask, “And yet this is the “giant” you want to write about?” You bet it is.

So what made this man great? Well….there were a lot of reasons, but what I want to focus on in the next few paragraphs is the discipline of John Calvin.

Now it should not be a shock to any student of church history that every “giant” was disciplined to a certain degree.

Theodore Beza (Calvin's spiritual son in the faith) wrote,

“He (Calvin) worked hard at his university studies and there are still trustworthy men alive today who were on intimate terms with him at Orleans and who can testify that he often stayed up till midnight to study and ate hardly any supper in his eagerness for his work. Each morning when he woke, he would stay in bed for a few moments while he recalled to mind all that he had studied the previous day and mulled it over, so to speak.”

Another biographer stated,

“An evening repast (i.e. dinner) was followed by followed study and prayers, and finally bed at nine. It may have been brutal, but it instilled in Calvin a disciplined pattern of life and work he would maintain until his death. Unless prevented by illness, the mature Calvin rose daily around four and his long work day was punctuated by prayer and simple meals.”

Every time I read these anecdotal stories I always wonder, “What will my kids or my closest friends say about me?”

Will they remember me as a man of discipline, a man who was driven by my devotion to Christ? I hope so.

But for me, the question I need answered is this, “What drove this degree of discipline for Calvin?”

I think the primary factors was the brevity of life and spreading the glory of God. 

It is hard for the 21st century Christian to truly grasp the regularity of death for the 16th century person. Most children did not make it to adulthood (Calvin’s only son died two weeks after birth) and therefore, time for Calvin was against him and never for him.

Invincibility is the disease of the post-modern man, but certainly not for the Renaissance man.

Calvin writes, 

“Embark upon a ship, you are one step from death. Mount a horse, if your foot slips, your life is imperiled. Go through the city streets, you are subject to as many dangers as there are tiles on the roofs. But if you try to shut yourself up in a walled garden, seemingly delightful, there is a serpent lies hidden. Amid these tribulations must not man be more miserable, since, but half alive in life, he weakly draws his anxious and languid breath, as if he had a sword perpetually hanging over his neck.”

Was Calvin uniquely dark and morbid? No. In actuality, he is the poetic and theological voice of a generation who lived with the Grim Reaper smoking right outside their humble abodes.

So.....are you disciplined? Are you disciplined for the right reason? Does the bible speak to the concept of discipline? It does.

1 Timothy 4:7-8 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Let me offer you one biblical principle:

All discipline should make God big and the Christian small.

Many non-Christians are disciplined. They structure the hours of the day so they can be effective and productive. This is noble. Yet, this does not mean their discipline is pleasing or meritorious before God (Romans 3:10-18; Isaiah 64:6).

The discipline of the Christian, whether spiritual or physical, must be driven by a desire to please God and to make His name great.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

This type of gospel-driven, Christ-centered, God-exalting focus gives the Christian a proper view of this present life and the life to come.


Here are a few questions to provoke some self-examination:

Are you working out to honor God or look good for others?

Are you memorizing scripture to magnify God’s name to the nations or to display your intelligence and  make a name for yourself?

Would your closest friends say that your discipline has cultivated humility or arrogance?

Now let’s flip the questions around.

Does your lack of discipline help display the greatness of God or does it diminish your gospel witness?

Are your aware that your lack of self-control is not only a sin, but reveals a heart with little or no affections for Christ, who not only saved you but sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower you to live according to His will (Rom. 12:2)?

Do you show the same indifference to other areas of your life (entertainment, hobbies, sleep, sex, food, etc.)?

John Calvin struggled to find balance in the area of discipline. Most historians believe he stripped years off his life by succumbing to the temptation of asceticism.

May I leave you with the words of King Solomon, who knew something about discipline and the dangers of living to magnify self rather than the Creator of the Universe.

Ecclesiastes 12:10-13 The Preacher (King Solomon) sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.