Believer Quote by Oliver D. Crisp
![“[John Calvin's] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy, of the sacraments, and of the way in which we have an in-built sense of the divine that we suppress to our great sorrow - these are all immense contributions to…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ef/oliver-d-crisp-12863_believer_john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-an_62415.jpg)
“[John Calvin's] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy, of the sacraments, and of the way in which we have an in-built sense of the divine that we suppress to our great sorrow - these are all immense contributions to Christian thought. The same could be said of his commentaries, which are still regularly consulted by biblical critics today.”
About This Quote
Calvin’s theological framework shaped core Christian doctrines on Christology, pneumatology, worship, sacraments, and innate divine awareness, influencing biblical scholarship to present.
In simple terms: Calvin’s ideas deeply molded Christian doctrine and biblical study.
Key Takeaway
Calvin’s legacy endures in theology and criticism.
Themes
Theology
Christology
Pneumatology
Liturgical Practice
Biblical Exegesis
Mood
reverent
intellectual
reflective
Type
theological exposition
historical assessment
When to use this quote
- seminary coursework
- church preaching
- personal devotional study
- academic biblical research
Key Concepts
Divine Imago
Sacramental Theology
Spiritual Formation
Practical Applications
- designing curricula for theology programs
- informing liturgical reforms
Questions to Reflect On
- How does Calvin’s view of innate divine sense affect modern spirituality?
- In what ways do his commentaries shape contemporary biblical criticism?
A Different Perspective
Some argue Calvin’s emphasis on predestination limits human agency, a point contested by later reformers.
![“[John] Calvin's Institutes is often called a summary of Christian piety. You can't say that about many modern works of theology. You can say it of Calvin.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a60/oliver-d-crisp-12863_christian_john-calvin-s-institutes-is-often-called_1432981.jpg)
![“[John] Calvin is revered as a thinker of immense importance in Reformed thought, Jonathan Edwards could say in his preface to his treatise on Freedom of the Will that he had derived none of his views from the work of Calvin, though he was willing to be called a "Calvinist" for the sake of…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/79f/oliver-d-crisp-12863_conventions_john-calvin-is-revered-as-a-thinker-of-i_1850444.jpg)
![“[John] Calvin is often identified with his account of predestination. Yet that appears in the third book of his Institutes, not the first.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/969/oliver-d-crisp-12863_accounts_john-calvin-is-often-identified-with-his_1116600.jpg)
![“For those who have only ever read about [John] Calvin, reading the man himself is an invigorating experience.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/454/oliver-d-crisp-12863_he-man_for-those-who-have-only-ever-read-about_2132928.jpg)
![“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg)
![“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/oliver-d-crisp-12863_artifice_john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-with_309224.jpg)
![“[John Calvin's] Humanist training makes him an excellent writer. What is more, he is as relevant today as he was 500 years ago.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b24/oliver-d-crisp-12863_excellent_john-calvin-s-humanist-training-makes-hi_1392045.jpg)
![“What I am trying to argue here [Save Calvinism] and in other works before this one is that the Reformed tradition as I have characterized it is much broader and richer than many of us today imagine. It is not just about "Five Points," and it was never just about [John ] Calvin's thought.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2cb/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_what-i-am-trying-to-argue-here-save-calv_134263.jpg)
![“In the chapter on the nature of the atonement [in the book saving Calvinism] I argue that it is a mistake to think that penal substitution is the only option on the doctrine of atonement.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5fe/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_in-the-chapter-on-the-nature-of-the-aton_377313.jpg)
![“To my mind [ Jonathan Edwards] is an interesting figure because he is both a canonical Reformed thinker, and yet also someone that pushed the envelope in a number of key areas of theology.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45c/oliver-d-crisp-12863_areas_to-my-mind-jonathan-edwards-is-an-intere_588690.jpg)
![“[Jonathan] Edwards definitely shows up in the book [Saving Calvinism]. He appears as one of the interlocutors in the chapter on free will, the other being the Southern Presbyterian theologian John Girardeau.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_jonathan-edwards-definitely-shows-up-in_710749.jpg)
![“Here is the interesting twist:[McLeod] Campbell came to his views through reading Jonathan Edwards who suggested at one point in his ruminations on the atonement that Christ could have offered up a perfect act of penitence instead of punishment, and that this would have been an acceptable offering…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c6f/oliver-d-crisp-12863_acceptable_here-is-the-interesting-twist-mcleod-cam_712068.jpg)
![“I do not make decisions [as governor] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious classes in school. I'm a big believer in separation of church and state, and I think that's what . . . the law is.” quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a18/arnold-schwarzenegger-657_believer_i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-base_18031.jpg)
