Born in France on July 10, 1509, he turns 500 this year, so people around the world are pausing to pay him some respect. Calvin was a brilliant young man who intended to be a Catholic priest but entered law instead. After encountering the writings of Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther, Calvin had a conversion experience. “God subdued and brought my heart to docility,” he said.

Breaking away from Catholicism, he left France and settled in Switzerland as an exile. In 1536, Calvin published one of the greatest theological works ever written, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. This major systematic theology, which begins with God the Creator and ends with reflections on civil government, stands as one of the most important expressions of Reformation thought.

Not bad work for a 27-year-old.

Calvin’s writings impressed the people of Geneva, Switzerland, so he was invited to move there and help with the Reform movement. Calvin’s workload in Geneva was staggering: He pastored a church and preached daily in it, wrote commentaries on almost every book in the Bible, authored dozens of Christian pamphlets, trained and sent out missionaries, and influenced the schools and the civil government.

No wonder Calvin suffered from chronic migraine headaches!

Calvin had God centered theology which could be summed up this way:

It’s not about you. It’s not about us.
It’s not about him. It’s not about her.
It’s not about your boss. And it’s not about loss.
It’s not about work. It’s not about play.
It’s not about money. It’s not about the economy.
It’s not about your parents. It’s not about your kids.
It’s not about your wife. It’s not about your husband.
It’s not about your friends. It’s not about your enemies.
It’s all about God. That’s right. It’s all about God.

And that’s good news for all of us.