Institutes of the Christian Religion Book 1

Some books aren't meant to be read fast and that goes for Calvin's work. No pastor should be pastoring without having the Institutes. Calvin packs so much in every well thought through sentence that is an invaluable resource to have when starting out in ministry. 

One thing that Calvin's Institutes isn't is a Systematic theology. You will have to go other places for that, but what is left in Calvin's work is a Spiritual theology that can be preached from with his examples both in history and the situations he encountered. 

Simply put through out Book 1 is the Reformer's God who is for us. We only know the Triune God in relation of what he did for us through the suffering, death, resurrection of his Son and the giving of the Spirit. He wasn't a God who died outside of us like sometimes developed in later Reformed theology, but he brought his elect with him. When Christ died, we died to sin, and when he rose for our justification, we also rose with him to newness of life. In other words......Union with Christ. 

So if you haven't read Calvin in a long time or maybe you have just read his work through what has been rehashed through American Reformed theology, then this is the time for you to get back to the Reformer's own thoughts on the Protestant Reformation.

Ken