Rating: 
Summary: "Thorough" isn't the word
Review: An astounding work, equally useful read from beginning to end, or (if you haven't the time) used as a reference text. It covers all the foundational / central issues of the Christian faith fully, faithfully and clearly. The only thing to watch out for as you test it by the Bible is that he tends to point you back to the Law rather than the Cross for sanctification. Thoroughly worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Hidden Gem among all Christian books
Review: Calvin has been misunderstood by many -- including many believers who never read this book. ...It brought me to tears of repentance and renewed sense of God's great love and power. It expanded my thoughts of God in my heart. God became greater and bigger through this book, thus my worship of God became more profound and sincere.
1. This book is utterly God-centered. In this book, Calvin repeatedly emphasizes that men are created for God and His glory alone. Therefore, he rightly proves from the Scriptures that: creation, predestination, salvation, and our life before Him are all for that end (glory of God).
2. This book exalts the Gospel of Christ above all things. So we see why he was so harsh against Roman Catholic Church in his time, where Gospel of grace has been replaced by indulgence and superstition. In the Gospel of Christ, Calvin points out our weaknesses and God's great mercy. Actually, some were saved by reading this book during Puritan era.
3. This book uses the Scriptures masterfully. It shows that Calvin only made his point when the Scripture warranted it. Therefore, it is powerful in its assertion and authorative.
4. This book is ultimately life changing if read properly. It did me. Calvin emphasizes self-denial for all christians. He challenges believers to take up the cross and explains what that means in our thoughts, in our relationships, in our life, and in our worship.NOTE:
(a) Many believers dislike Calvin because they do not believe in the Reformed doctrine of Predestination, and because of it they dismiss all other Calvin's teachings that are truly edifying. But before Calvin, Reformers like Luther (see, Luther's "Bondage of the Will") and Huss also taught it and emphasized it. Calvinistic predestination is not Calvin's creation, but was widely held because it was Scriptural.
(b) For those who believe that Calvin burnt people on the stake b/c they differed with Calvin are mistaken. People bring up Servetus who was burnt on the stake, but failed to know that it was not Calvin's doing. Servetus denied Trinity, during that time, denial of Trinity meant death (i.e., "Codex of Justinian", in Roman Catholic Church, consequently, Servetus was wanted by Roman Catholic Church to be burned as well). It was the Little Council members of Geneva who decided it. Calvin actually wanted a more merciful death -- beheading, but the Council rejected Calvin's plea. Calvin throughout Sevetus imprisonment, debated with him so that he may win him to true faith, so that he may not die. This book will help you to grow in your knowledge of God and your devotion to God. This book has been time-tested, and it has many witnesses whose spiritual life is better because of it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest theologians ever!
Review: Calvin took the Bible without relying on heretical traditions and hearsay of his day and wrote his institutes. It is probably the greatest theological work ever. Calvin shows in his Institutes why God is sovereign and how man made ideas about faith and religion cannot bring us closer to salvation.
Rating: 
Summary: Calvin - Monster of the Reformation
Review: Calvin was a man with a hot temper and intolerance for any views that disagreed with his own. He was an icily cold monster who was personally responsible for the burning at the stake of several men who had the courage to stand up to him. Did Calvin personally light the fires at the execution? No, but he did all he could to work for the arrest and conviction of men knowing full well that their conviction would lead to them being burned alive and that is the same thing. What was the crime of these men? A difference of opinion! This is the Geneva that Calvin wanted - a tyranny of dogma, a joyless puritan society, a theocracy with his own opinions made into the law of the land.
Calvin's theology is such a grotesque distortion of the the gospel that all values and morality are turned upside down. Calvin's God is a sadist who brings men into existence solely to condemn them. He creates them without the will or strength to obey God and then condemns them to an eternity of hell for doing what they were created to do and had no choice to do otherwise. Salvation becomes a big lottery where God randomly distributes passes to heaven without any regard for merit. Hitler and Bib Laden are just as likely to get into heaven as a poor couple trying to raise a family honestly and lovingly. And this is, Calvin claims, is the work of a just and loving God! It is a blasphemy and a slander. And fundamentalists hold this up as a holy, sacred doctrine! I will have none of it nor will I have any of the monster of Geneva - an evil, twisted, zealot without an ounce of mercy or pity flowing in his veins.
Rating:
Summary: a must read
Review: Even if you aren't Reformed, this is a must. This was written for everyone from kings to the street sweeper. Calvin is amazingly bright. Institutes consists of four parts: God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Church. Book four contains devastating critiques and historical analysis of the Catholic church. Calvin also uses early church fathers and Scriptures to show what the church looked like before the rise of the archbishops, esp. the bishop of Rome. His quotes of Jerome will make Catholics irate.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Few books written by mere men are this worthy of the time it takes to read them. From beginning to end, every thought, and often each word, is worthy of contemplation as Calvin's great mind for the word of God shines through - even in this translation from the original Latin. Be prepared for hours of study and searching Scripture as this work will drive you deep into the Bible to hear the unblemished Lamb speak to you. You may find even years after setting this book down that you will be occasioned to refer back to it as the Spirit applies Scripture to your heart and you remember the words of Calvin in this work. Many things you will read may appear at first to be incorrect, unreasonable, and heretical; but the value in this work is its ability to reclaim the Scripture from the world and our views of it. Few books will challenge you so.
Rating:
Summary: Wrong hearted theology - Christian Taliban
Review: I consider Calvin's theology to be a blasphemy against the goodness and justice of God. According to Calvin, God arbitrarily damns some and saves others. He does this even before they are conceived. The logical conclusion is that God creates humans simply to damn them to an eternity of suffering since he knew what He was doing and had the power to do otherwise. Even Babies who die in innocence are predestined to an eternity in the fires of hell. To top off this disgraceful twisting of the Gospel (which is anything BUT "good news" by the time that Calvin gets through distorting it), he has the arrogance to say that anyone who doubts this unholy doctrine is probably predestined to damnation since unbelief in Calvin's theology is one sign of being unsaved. All of this is so extremist that Calvin can be seen as the Christian equivalent of Taliban style Islam. Calvin was also for the burning of witches, and played a significant role in the condemnation of Servetus to death- who was burned alive for his opinions. Luckily enough for all of us, this very, very sick strain of theology has never been popular and most people sense that it is very wrong. Any resemblance to actual Christianity is purely coincidental. A man with a sick mind and heart in a sickly body.
Rating:
Summary: OWN BOTH TRANSLATIONS
Review: I purchased both Henry Beveridge and Ford Battles translation of the INSTITUTES they kind of go hand and hand.If you are new to Calvin's writings you may need two views of the same context. BOY! am i glad to own both.I use Battles translation the most but any time a difficult section gets the best of me i turn to Beveridge his translation has a clear approach but Battles translation is closer to the original.Either way they are both a great investment. Amazon has both at a fair price.
Rating:
Summary: Calvin - The Genius of the Reformation
Review: If one decides to study theology rigorously at an academic level, one should definitely read Calvin's "Institutes" to understand the various theological issues that were brought up during the Reformation period. Calvin's "Institutes" is one of the great classics that will never be written off as an old relic. Calvin's pastoral spirit comes out clearly in the pages of this book. In fact, Calvin wrote this not as some intellectual dogmatic text but as a pastoral theological treatise to encourage and comfort believers who were struggling with the faith - especially by those influenced by the unbiblical doctrines of the Medieval Church. Especially good are Calvin's treatment of God's providential control, justification by grace/faith alone, and unconditional election unto salvation. One may not agree with everything that Calvin says (I believe he got the Lord's Supper wrong) but one cannot ignore this work. For those who disagree with Calvin (and Calvinism), how about comparing Calvin's theology with Scripture? If one reads the Bible carefully and responsibly, it is clearly on the side of Calvin (rather than Rome or Arminius). Some passages people should check out are: Exodus 33:19; Proverbs 16:4; John 6:37; Romans 9:21; Ephesians 1:5; and 1 Peter 2:8. If salvation is based on our merits (fully or partially) then God's grace is really unnecessary. The Reformers were correct to proclaim sola gratia and solus Christus when they were combatting the deadly errors of the Medievalists. Salvation is either by God's grace alone or by our works-righteousness (the former being biblical; the latter being blasphemously heretical). One may not like the doctrine of unconditional election but that is what Scripture teaches and to do away with this great truth based on emotional discomforts is to show great irreverance to the Almighty God. God saves undeserving sinners because He is a gracious God. If God did not elect any sinner then ALL will be consigned to hell. The great thing about Calvinism is that it shows the sinner his or her place in God's redemptive design. It is to show sinners that they cannot even move one step closer to the gates of heaven by their own performance. Not only did Calvin teach this, but Scripture does too. If one wants to be Scriptural, one needs to accept Calvinism as the most biblical system that exists in Christian theology.
Rating:
Summary: Calvin - The Genius of the Reformation
Review: If one decides to study theology rigorously at an academic level, one should definitely read Calvin's "Institutes" to understand the various theological issues that were brought up during the Reformation period. Calvin's "Institutes" is one of the great classics that will never be written off as an old relic. Calvin's pastoral spirit comes out clearly in the pages of this book. In fact, Calvin wrote this not as some intellectual dogmatic text but as a pastoral theological treatise to encourage and comfort believers who were struggling with the faith - especially by those influenced by the unbiblical doctrines of the Medieval Church. Especially good are Calvin's treatment of God's providential control, justification by grace/faith alone, and unconditional election unto salvation. One may not agree with everything that Calvin says (I believe he got the Lord's Supper wrong) but one cannot ignore this work. For those who disagree with Calvin (and Calvinism), how about comparing Calvin's theology with Scripture? If one reads the Bible carefully and responsibly, it is clearly on the side of Calvin (rather than Rome or Arminius). Some passages people should check out are: Exodus 33:19; Proverbs 16:4; John 6:37; Romans 9:21; Ephesians 1:5; and 1 Peter 2:8. If salvation is based on our merits (fully or partially) then God's grace is really unnecessary. The Reformers were correct to proclaim sola gratia and solus Christus when they were combatting the deadly errors of the Medievalists. Salvation is either by God's grace alone or by our works-righteousness (the former being biblical; the latter being blasphemously heretical). One may not like the doctrine of unconditional election but that is what Scripture teaches and to do away with this great truth based on emotional discomforts is to show great irreverance to the Almighty God. God saves undeserving sinners because He is a gracious God. If God did not elect any sinner then ALL will be consigned to hell. The great thing about Calvinism is that it shows the sinner his or her place in God's redemptive design. It is to show sinners that they cannot even move one step closer to the gates of heaven by their own performance. Not only did Calvin teach this, but Scripture does too. If one wants to be Scriptural, one needs to accept Calvinism as the most biblical system that exists in Christian theology.
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