 Calvin developed his theology in his biblical commentaries as well as his sermons and treatises , but the most concise expression of his views is found in his magnum opus , the Institutes of the Christian Religion . He intended that the book be used as a summary of his views on Christian theology and that it be read in conjunction with his commentaries . The various editions of that work span nearly his entire career as a reformer , and the successive revisions of the book show that his theology changed very little from his youth to his death . The first edition from 1536 consisted of only six chapters . The second edition , published in 1539 , was three times as long because he added chapters on subjects that appear in Melanchthon 's Loci Communes . In 1543 , he again added new material and expanded a chapter on the Apostles ' Creed . The final edition of the Institutes appeared in 1559 . By then , the work consisted of four books of eighty chapters , and each book was named after statements from the creed : Book 1 on God the Creator , Book 2 on the Redeemer in Christ , Book 3 on receiving the Grace of Christ through the Holy Spirit , and Book 4 on the Society of Christ or the Church . 
