Ronald Wallace Knihy

Charles Hodge viewed Calvin's doctrine of the union of believers with Christ's humanity in the Lord's Supper as an uncongenial foreign element in Calvin's thought, having no root in the system. Robert L. Dabney found Calvin's doctrine to be a strange opinion, which he had to reject because it is not only incomprehensible, but impossible. Were these eminent theologians correct, or did they miss the genius of Calvin's thinking at this point? Back in print at last, Ronald Wallace's classic study is a careful examination of Calvin's Commentaries, Institutes, Sermons, and Tracts, designed to clarify the teaching of the great Reformer. The following two sentences from the preface aptly sum up the author's intention: ÒWhat is most important in the study of Calvin today is to reveal what the Reformer himself actually said, in order that misconceptions about his teaching may be cleared away. Therefore this work is not a critical study of Calvin, but an attempt to express his teaching as copiously, fairly, and sympathetically as possible. Dr. Wallace's book is also valuable for the insight it gives into Calvin's method of interpreting Scripture, especially the Old Testament.

In his study of a wide range of Calvin's works, Dr. Wallace has found that all Calvin's decisions on widely differing aspects of the Christian life can be understood and seen in their unity as they arise from his doctrine of the person and work of Christ as involving, once-for-all, the sanctification and destiny of the Church. In this context the book shows that humanity lives the Christian life as they seek to fulfill their calling to royal priesthood in Christ in union with his death and resurrection.

Are the Ten Commandments still central to Christian living, despite what the Ònew moralistsÓ are saying? Are we justified in making the Ten Commandments the point at which we try to relate the Gospel to the important ethical questions of today? Dr. Wallace, as this book so ably demonstrates, has a convincing, affirmative answer to these and related questions. In studying these vital issues, the author discovered that the traditional approach, which involves the presuppositions of natural law and idealism, had to be bypassed, and that the law must be interpreted by the Gospel and approached in the light of Jesus Christ.

A new series which clearly explains the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, as presented in the Bible, as formulated by the Church over the course of history, and as interpreted by leading modern theologians. The authors combine an expert knowledge of their subject with practical experience of teaching theology.