Calvin is insistent that believers must actively employ their strength to bring God’s salvation to others.
In his sermon on Deuteronomy 33.18-19 Calvin can thus argue that it is not enough to be involved in God’s service. Christians need to be drawing others to serve and adore God. Specifically, how does God use the strength of Christians? Calvin’s answer is that it is by their words and by their deeds.
The Word of God and missions
Given Calvin’s high appreciation of the Word of God one would naturally expect that this would be seen as a major means of witness. Thus, Calvin can state that whenever the Old Testament prophets foretold ‘the renewal of the church or its extension over the whole globe’, they always assigned ‘the first place to the Word’.
