by John Calvin
in .mobi, ePub, .pdf & html formats
TO THE MOST INVINCIBLE EMPEROR CHARLES V.,AND THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCES AND OTHER ORDERS, NOW HOLDING A DIET OF THE EMPIRE AT SPIRES,
A HUMBLE EXHORTATION SERIOUSLY TO UNDERTAKE THE TASK OF RESTORING THE CHURCH.PRESENTED IN THE NAME OF ALL THOSE WHO WISH CHRIST TO REIGN.
DESCRIPTION
In this bold and deeply pastoral treatise, The Necessity of Reforming the Church, John Calvin addresses one of the most pivotal crises in church history with clarity, courage, and unwavering conviction. Penned in 1543 and presented to Emperor Charles V and the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, this document was not a manifesto of rebellion—but a humble and urgent appeal, driven by love for Christ and concern for the souls under spiritual tyranny.
Calvin writes not as a firebrand agitator, but as a shepherd burdened by the corruption and decay that had overtaken the visible Church. With careful argument and theological precision, he demonstrates why reform was not a luxury nor a matter of preference—it was a matter of spiritual life or death. False worship had replaced true worship. Superstition had supplanted Scripture. The sacraments were abused, prayer was perverted, and the pastoral office itself had collapsed into scandal, ignorance, and greed.
Yet Calvin’s aim was never to destroy but to restore. He calls his readers to return to the foundation of all true religion: the right worship of God and the clear proclamation of the way of salvation in Jesus Christ. These two principles—how God is rightly worshipped and how sinners are saved—form the soul of the Church. When they are corrupted, the whole body is diseased.
What makes this work particularly powerful is Calvin’s deep pastoral tone. He pleads with spiritual leaders and political rulers alike to recognize the urgency of reformation, not for factional gain, but for the glory of God and the eternal good of His people. His call is not to a new innovation but to the ancient and apostolic faith, now obscured by centuries of human tradition and ecclesiastical abuse.
This edition preserves the timeless logic and fiery conviction of Calvin’s original argument. It is a clarion call still relevant to the Church today—a reminder that reformation is not a relic of the past, but a present necessity whenever truth is eclipsed by error, and Christ is obscured by human invention.
Whether you are a pastor, a teacher, or simply a concerned believer, The Necessity of Reforming the Church will stir your heart, sharpen your mind, and anchor your soul in the enduring principles of biblical faith and worship.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
August Emperor
Divine Truth Lay Burried by Darkness and Perversion
The Holy Supper
Christ, our Redeemer, Was in a Great Measure Defrauded
Purifying the Church from Corruption