In his interpretation of the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ, John Calvin (1509-1564) perceives both mission and modesty. It is the role of each individual united in Christ, he argues, to exercise their God-given skills, gifts, and abilities in accordance with what has been given to them. Members must also, however,…

William Greenhill (1591-1671) was an English Puritan pastor and member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. In his reading of Ezekiel 34, he follows a well-trodden path of Christological interpretation. The Promised Land symbolizes the church, into which God gathers his flock. The shepherd is Christ, who, unlike the leaders of Israel, will feed and…

The final stanza of the Apostles’ Creed, the confession of belief in the life everlasting, looks to the climax of the Christian’s faith. In the following selection from his “On Eternal Life” commenting on 1 Cor 5:58, French pastor Simon Goulart (1543-1628) provides a wonderful reflection on the significance of this doctrine, which calls believers…

For many, the confession of our resurrected bodies is often of little consequence, encumbered as we are in our present life with corrupted bodies that will ultimately fade away. In his “Twelve Articles of the Christian Faith” radical Anabaptist Balthasar Hubmaier (1480/85-1528) exclaims, however, that whatever happens to our earthly bodies, on the day of…

As Christians, when we confess that we believe in the forgiveness of sins, we are affirming our faith in the efficacy of the work of Jesus Christ. In this selection from his commentary on Hebrews, Swiss reformer Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575) emphasizes the significance of Christ’s priesthood for our salvation, which, through his perfect sacrifice, brings…

The communion of saints, the spiritual unity of all people in Christ, whether on earth or in heaven, is not a doctrine that is often seen to have great practical import. For Martin Luther (1483-1546), however, this is not the case. In this selection, drawn from a sermon on preparing to die from 2 Kings…

When we confess the Apostles’ Creed, we confess our belief in the holy, catholic (i.e., universal) church. While best known for his Reformation work as a pastor and theologian in Augsburg and Bern, Wolfgang Musculus (1497-1563) began his religious vocation in a Benedictine monastery. In this selection drawn from his commentary on Ephesians (commenting on…

When we consider the texts of the Reformation, it is easy to focus on the doctrinal tracts, sermons, and exegetical writings of the theologians of the era. The Reformation, however, affected all aspects of people’s lives, and so led to the construction many types of cultural artifacts. Born into a Catholic family, John Donne (1572-1631)…

This article of the Apostles’ Creed looks to the future, affirming that Christ, who presently rules at the right hand of God, will serve as judge over all people. This judgement, argues Lutheran theologian Aegidius Hunnius (1550-1603) in his commentary on John 5:23, must be “conspicuous and visible,” as the one who has been given…

As Stephen was stoned, he looked to heaven and saw Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father, where he ascended to rule in glory. Reflecting on this passage from Acts 7, Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German Reformer, provides a number of pastoral insights. He acknowledges that while we might not see the ruling…

In his Little Book of Christian Questions and Responses, French pastor and professor Theodore Beza (1519-1605), Calvin’s successor and the leader of the church in Geneva, provides a primer on his Reformed theology in an accessible catechetical format. Considering here the reasons for the ascension as discussed in Colossians 3, Beza argues Christ returned to…

In many ways, the Protestant view of Catholic theology, especially at a popular level, has not advanced beyond caricatures which emerged in the polemically-filled debates of the sixteenth century. Many nuances of early modern Catholic doctrine have been lost to those whose forefathers broke with Rome, while the breadth of Catholic thought early modern era…