John Calvin’s reputation rests on several foundations. One of these is his skill as a biblical commentator. Calvin valued two qualities in any commentator and exemplified these himself: brevity and clarity. This is well illustrated in his commentary on the Acts of the Apostles.

Calvin had known two very different ministries in his own lifetime. The first was in Strasbourg where he enjoyed support and appreciation. The second (though begun earlier) was in Geneva where he died daily. All this varied background experience meant that Calvin brought to his writing on Acts a wealth of personal and public experience of church life.

In his introduction Calvin contextualises the life of the Christian Church in a triple way. First, Acts records the beginning of the kingly rule of Christ through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Although Christ has ascended back into heaven yet “he also remembers his own, and is the perpetual Governor of his Church, because the Holy Spirit has descended for that purpose”.

Second, Acts records the incredible power of Christ through the gospel “for in it Christ has furnished clear proof of His divine power, because, through men of no importance and endowed with no skill, He brought the whole world into submission to Himself so easily by the sound of the gospel”.

Third,

just as the apostles found out from actual experience that the teaching of the gospel is fire and sword, so we must learn from what they discovered that, due to the inflexible ill-will of Satan, and the fatal stubbornness of men, it will always be the case that the gospel is involved in many attacks and struggles, and that that situation stirs up horrible disturbances.

What are some of the lessons, principles and answers that Calvin finds in Acts?

From the preaching of Peter on the Day of Pentecost about receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit and forgiveness of sins (2:38) Calvin deduces that the best gifts of the Spirit are not miraculous but regenerative. The more miraculous gifts were intended to confirm the truth of the gospel message and the inauguration of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and were temporary. The supreme gifts were the remission of sins and newness of life; but this was something extra, in order that Christ might show his power in them by some visible gift.

Luke’s description of the first Christians devoting themselves to apostolic preaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers (2:42), leads Calvin to find in these the four leading marks of any true church. “Do we seek the true Church of Christ? The picture of it is here painted to the life.”

In Acts 6 the apostles resist the pressure to get involved in the administrative tasks of the church. Instead they choose to devote themselves to the dual ministry of preaching and prayer (6:2, 4). On the one hand “the ministry of the Word is so demanding that it occupies a man entirely, and does not allow him to be free for other occupations”. On the other hand “they add prayer, not because they are the only ones who ought to pray ... but because, compared with others, they have special reasons for praying”.

From Stephen’s speech in Acts 7 Calvin draws attention to the passing of 40 years after Moses first intervened among his people (Acts 7:26-30). “It often occurs again and again that the perversity of men causes delay to God. He certainly is prepared to bring opportune help to His own people, but we keep His hand away from us by obstacles of all kinds.”

That Philip evangelised the Ethiopian eunuch free of charge (8:39) Calvin turns into an example for all true servants of Jesus Christ. Christ “forbids them to be mercenary and work for the sake of gain (Jn 10:12). For their aim ought to be to gain men themselves for God”.

When the glorified Jesus calls Saul of Tarsus to His public service He forewarns him about the sufferings and dangers he will experience (9:16). Christ is here reminding us that “the more progress each one has made in his school, the fitter he is to bear the cross. For we struggle against it, and avoid it as the utmost calamity, until he has brought us to a quiet and submissive state of mind”.

When the Christian churches experience peace after years of persecution (9:31) this teaches us that the Lord moderates these different conditions in the interests of his people. However, troubled times are possibly more useful than peaceful times. “For as we are accustomed in peacetime to abandon ourselves to a riot of luxury, the churches are for the most part more blessed in the midst of the tumults of war, than if they are enjoying the quietest and most pleasant time they could desire.”

Barnabas is sent to Antioch to report on the new work begun there (11:23-25). When he sees the evidence of a work of God’s grace there he rejoices. He then sends for Paul to join him in the work. In all this Barnabas is an example to us because “all that he is concerned about is that Christ alone may be pre-eminent, that he may have only the up building of the church in view, and that he may be content with the prosperity and success of the gospel”.

The example of the church in praying constantly (12:5) teaches us to respond likewise whenever we hear of Christians being persecuted. “For if we do nothing, and are not made anxious by their dangers, not only do we cheat them of the rightful duty of charity, but we are also treacherously abandoning the confession of our faith ... Therefore as soon as some persecution arises, we ought to have recourse to prayer.”

The dispute that led to and was resolved at the first general assembly of the church at Jerusalem (15:2) teaches us that disputes should not be lightly entered into, yet the truth must not be betrayed by guilty silence or the fear of insults or dangers. “Peace is certainly a pleasing word; but cursed is the peace that is obtained at so great a cost that there is lost to us the doctrine of Christ, by which alone we grow together into a godly and holy unity.”

The example of the young woman demon-possessed who confesses the name of the true God (16:16) leads Calvin to several pages of the most informative comment on the role of Satan under God in Christian ministry up to our own day.

From Paul’s preaching from the Scriptures at Thessalonica (17:2) Calvin argues that,

proofs of the faith are only to be sought from the mouth of God. If there is a discussion about human affairs, then human reasons may have their place, but in the teaching of the faith, the authority of God alone ought to be sovereign.

Apollos exemplifies the best teachers because “he was inflamed with a holy zeal for teaching” (18:25). Bad teachers are lazy, motivated by ambition, or disturb the church with controversies. “Therefore teaching in which zeal will not be vigorous will be flat. But ... Luke has put knowledge of Scripture first, so that it might have a moderating effect on zeal”.

From Paul’s description of the principles and goals of his own ministry in Ephesus (20:20-21) we learn three things about the most effective pastors. They aim to benefit their hearers; they follow up their public teaching with private and individual counseling; they major in preaching on the two central themes of repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.

In addressing the overseers of the church at Ephesus (20:28) Paul “gives many reasons to show that they must be diligent and watchful ... The first reason is that they know the faithfulness pledged to the flock ... The second is that they have been called to this office ... by the Holy Spirit. The third is that it is no ordinary honour to rule the Church of God. The fourth is that the Lord bore witness with clear proof, to the high regard which He has for the Church, when He redeemed it with His own blood”.

Calvin also reminds us that “ambition is the mother of all heresies” (20:30).

With the mention of Philip’s daughters who prophesied (21:8-9), Calvin is able to explain the rise of prophecy in olden times, the cessation of prophecy prior to Christ, then the resurgence of prophecy for a short time after His coming, since “by taking away prophecies, God bore witness that their end and fulfillment were present in Christ”. As for Philip’s daughters Calvin argues that “the Spirit of God ruled them in such a way that He did not disturb the order that He Himself ordained”.

In Paul’s account of his own conversion he records the words of Jesus to him, “Saul! Why do you persecute Me?” (22:7). In these words Christ identifies with His people in their sufferings. This is of the greatest comfort since “nothing sweeter can be imagined for soothing the bitterness of persecution, than hearing that the Son of God suffers, not only along with us, but in us”.

Paul’s counter question, “What shall I do, Lord?” (22:10), is evidence of a true conversion to Christ “when, having laid aside all our ferocity, we freely put our necks under His yoke, and are ready to undertake whatever He commands. In addition it is the start of the right course of action to ask what God wants”.

When Christ commissions Paul he provides a four-fold summary of the work of grace in a person’s life (26:18). “Therefore this is the goal of the gospel, that, delivered from mental blindness, we may become sharers of the heavenly light, that, snatched out of the dominion of Satan, we may be turned to God, that, having received the free forgiveness of sins, we may obtain a share in the eternal inheritance among the saints. All who desire to make proper progress in the gospel ought to have their senses turned intently towards it.”

When Paul is bitten by a snake on Malta the local people judge him to be a murderer (28:4). “Now we see how the Maltese were mistaken, namely, because, without inquiring into Paul’s life, they judge him to be a criminal, merely because the viper bit him; and secondly, because they make a hasty judgment without waiting for the final outcome.” After all, Paul survived. There are lessons for all of us here when we make judgments about other people.

These are some samples of Calvin’s judicious comments on the text of Acts. Calvin describes Acts as “a kind of vast treasure” in which Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit “not to teach anything except what was of God, in order that our faith might rest on the firm truth of God”.

Many modern commentators excel Calvin in their technical knowledge of the language, cultural background and textual history of Acts. However, Calvin excels them all in his ability to unravel the meaning of the biblical text as the Word of God. And this is, after all, the main point of biblical commentaries.