A Little Book on the Christian Life, damask cover

A Little Book on the Christian Life presents John Calvin’s concentrated teaching on what it means to live faithfully before God, drawn from his larger work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Translated and edited by Aaron Clay Denlinger and Burk Parsons, this book offers Calvin’s pastoral counsel in accessible, contemporary English.

Organized across five chapters, the book addresses Scripture’s call to holy living, the practice of self-denial, the meaning of cross-bearing, meditation on the future life, and the proper use of earthly blessings. Calvin treats these subjects not as abstract doctrinal categories but as interconnected dimensions of the believer’s daily walk with God. Throughout, he grounds his instruction in Scripture, urging readers to see Christian doctrine as something that must shape the affections and govern conduct—not merely inform the intellect.

Calvin’s tone is at once searching and pastoral. He confronts self-love, impatience in suffering, and attachment to earthly comforts, while directing readers toward humility, gratitude, and trust in God’s sovereign care. He also addresses the believer’s calling as a governing principle for faithful action in every station of life. The result is a work that has guided Christians for centuries and continues to speak with clarity to readers today.

Key Themes

• The inseparability of sound doctrine and transformed living
• Self-denial and cross-bearing as marks of union with Christ
• Patience and trust in God’s sovereignty amid affliction
• The fleeting nature of earthly life and the hope of eternity
• Faithful stewardship of earthly blessings and vocational calling

Featured Quotes

“Doctrine is rightly received when it takes possession of the entire soul and finds a dwelling place and shelter in the most intimate affections of the heart.”

“We are God’s. Therefore, let us—in every way in all our lives—run to Him as our only proper end.”