John Calvin Short Biography John

John Calvin Short Biography John Calvin and the Reformation Calvinism: History The Five Points of Calvinism Calvinism vs. Arminianism Calvin's Doctrines: Predestination and Free Will Election Evaluating Calvin and Calvinism Calvin lives on Why John Calvin is important JOHN CALVIN "God so led me about through different turnings and changes…" John Calvin (quoted in Godfrey, p. 29). Biography of John Calvin In time, Jean Calvin later became known as John Calvin, the father of modern reformed theology. In the book, John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor, Robert W.

Godfrey reported that the family name of Calvin evolved from the name, Cauvin. Godfrey described Calvin the way he continues to be known more than 500 years after he was born on July 10, 1509: "As controversial as he was influential, his critics have named a judgmental and joyless attitude after him, while his admirers celebrate him as the principal theologian of Reformed Christianity" (Godfrey, p. 28).

According to Hugh Young Reyburn in the book, John Calvin: His Life, Letters, and Work, Calvin, born in Noyon, a small town in Picardy, located in Northern France; 50 miles northeast of Paris, grew up primarily under the care of his father and stepmother, as Calvin's mother, Jeanne, died when he was six-years-old. Calvin's father, Gerard, a lawyer, was more than 50 years old when "Jean" was born.

The research for this paper, which examines the life of John Calvin and Calvinism, revealed that Calvin married and had two step-children, but that none of his biological children survived their infancy (Calvin and Beveridge). Godfrey recorded a number Calvin's words. The following reveal the way Calvin perceived some of the "different turnings and changes" he experienced while traveling his personal path in life: When I was as yet a very little boy, my father had destined to me for the study theology.

But afterwards, when he considered that the legal profession commonly raised those who followed it too wealth, this prospect induced him suddenly to change his purpose. Thus it came to pass, that I was withdrawn from the study of philosophy, and was put to the study of law. To this pursuit I endeavored faithfully to apply myself, in obedience to the will of my father; but God, by the sweet guidance of his providence, at length gave a different direction to my course.

In first, since I was to obstinately devoted to the superstitions of Popery to be easily extricated from so profound an abyss of mire, God by a sudden conversions subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life.

I was quite surprised to find out the before a year had elapsed, all who had images are after purer doctrine were continually coming to me to learn, although I myself was as yet but a mere novice and tyro [beginner].

Being of the disposition somewhat unpolished and bashful, which led me always some of the shade and retirement, ID and began to seek some secluded corner where I might be withdrawn from the public view; but so far from being able to accomplish the object of my desire, all my retreats were like public schools.

In short, whilst my one great object was to live in seclusion without being known, God so led me about through different turnings and changes, that he never permitted me to rest in any place, until, in spite of my natural disposition, he bought me forth to public notice. (Godfrey, p. 28-29) In 1523, John Calvin attended the University of Paris, where Mathurin Cordier, a humanist, taught him Latin. Melchior Wolmar, a Lutheran, taught Calvin the Greek language.

Skip Knox explained in the article, "The Reformation: Calvin," that Calvin "developed a strong love of languages and earned his Master of Arts in 1528 in theology" (Early Career Section, ¶ 1). Calvin attended the University of Orleans during 1523, where he studied law. Calvin received his law degree in 1531, with a focus on sacred languages. During this time, Calvin also began to learn about reformist ideas he would later adopt and promote. John Calvin and the Reformation In 1532 when Calvin returned to Paris, he experienced a deep spiritual conversion.

Unlike other reformers like Martin Luther of that time, Calvin did not write detailed reports of his conversion at that time. Calvin only wrote that he had experienced a "sudden conversion." The next year, however, in 1533, Calvin did write some of the details of his conversion. In the book, Western Civilization: Alternate Volume: Since 1300, Jackson J. Spielvogel explained that "Calvin experienced a religious crisis that determined the rest of his life's work" (p. 391).

Spielvogel recorded Calvin's description of his conversion experience: God, by a sudden conversion, subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected from one at my early period of life. Having thus received some taste and knowledge of true godliness, I was immediately inflamed with so intense a desire to make progress therin, although I did not leave off other studies, I yet pursued them with less ardor. (Calvin, quoted in Spielvogel, p.

391) History of Calvinism Calvinism continues to influence Protestantism, socially and morally. Lewis Loflin explained in the article, "Why We Should Know John Calvin," "Calvinism had profound social implications such as thrift, industry, and hard work are forms of moral virtue and that business success is evidence of God's grace. These views created a climate favorable to commerce along with establishment of modern capitalism" (¶ 1).

Calvin agreed with Luther's complaints against the Roman Church, Loflin reported, as he also argued that a person is justified by faith alone and not by works. Calvin, an avid reader and exceptional scholar, encouraged mass literacy as well as individual examination of the Bible and theological perceptions. "Protestantism in general[,] [nevertheless] opened a theological 'Pandora's Box' not just against the Catholic Church, but Protestantism as well" (c ¶ 2).

Loflin explained that the theology of Calvinism, based on basic doctrines, may be expressed by the word TULIP, depicted by the following: T: Total Depravity (Inability). This relates to human sin effects every aspect of our nature and character. It effects our emotions, thoughts and our free will. Calvinism teaches that a person that who is unsaved is unable to find salvation on their own. Salvation is only possible if it is God's will and causes salvation is granted through the Holy Spirit. U: Unconditional Election.

This doctrine teaches that God chooses some men to eternal salvation and some men to eternal damnation. These choices are not made based upon the acts of men or the work that they have done. Calvinism teaches that damnation and election are based completely on God's will and His will alone. Calvinism also teaches that damnation and election were predetermined by God even before the world was created. L: Limited Atonement.

This doctrine teaches that Christ died for the sins of some men, those who are predestined to eternal salvation, but not for others who are predestined to eternal damnation. Calvinism teaches that Christ did not die for everyone, only for those predestined to eternal salvation. Calvin believed that Christ died to atone for the sins of only particular individuals. He believed that if Christ had died for everyone then everyone would go to Heaven. I: Irresistible Grace.

This doctrine relates t o the fact when God bestows his grace on an individual, it is because they are predestined to eternal salvation. Calvinism teaches that it is impossible for an individual to resist this grace and not gain eternal salvation. Calvin believed that regardless of what that individual did or what they thought, they were still predestined to eternal salvation. Calvinism teaches this principle which is also known as Total Depravity.

Calvinists are comforted by the fact that God's love will allow them to overcome their sins, if they are predestined to eternal salvation, or they are among the elect. P: Perseverance of the Saints. This doctrine argues that Saints, or the elect, who are predestined to eternal salvation will always be under the protection of God until they receive their eternal salvation. (Loflin, Basic Theology Section) The TULIP acronym, Loflin stressed, basically stated that when one became a Christian, he would be a "saint" forever, regardless of his actions.

The Five Points of Calvinism Calvinism was founded and based on the principle that God possesses absolute power and supremacy. Calvin also believed that the world was created so that men would come to know God. He also taught that all men are sinners and that the way to know God is through faith in Christ and not through Mass or pilgrimages.

In the article, "John Calvin," Chris Trueman noted that Calvin believed and taught that God gave mankind the New Testament, baptism and the Eucharist to provide them with continual divine guidance during the process of seeking faith. Although sometimes attributed to Calvin, the Synod of Dort actually wrote the Five Points of Calvinism in 1619.

In the article, "New outlook, Volume 104," Alfred Emanuel Smith wrote that the Synod of Dort created the five points of Calvinism "to controvert the Five points of Arminius, which formed the basis of the discussions through the six months of the sessions of that Synod" (p. 394). The Five Points of Calvinism include: 1. Divine Predestination 2. The Redemption of Men through the Death of Christ 3. Total Depravity. 4. Redemption through Grace. 5. Perseverance of Saints. (Smith, p. 394) The Five points of Arminiusm are as follows: 1. Personal, Gratuitous Election to Everlasting Life. 2. Particular Redemption 3.

Depravity, Native and Total. 4. Effectual Calling, or Regeneration, by the Holy Spirit. 5. Certain Perseverance of Saints unto Eternal Life. (Smith, p. 394) Some individuals consider Calvinism to reflect another name for biblical Christianity. Matthew McMahon concurred with many writers regarding the propensity of Calvinism to stimulate controversy in the article, "A Short History of Calvinism." McMahon wrote: "Calvinism creates turmoil. It has shaken theological minds since the Scriptures attest to it time and time again.

It has stirred countries such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, England and America; the Reformation was a central turning-back point in history" (¶ 1). Controvert regarding the Reformation and Calvinism, however, extend beyond Calvin's lifetime. The Calvinistic Reformation, particularly in England during the 1539-1625 a.D. period aggressively opposed the Roman Catholic's beliefs. Particularly contrary to Catholic beliefs promoted during this time, Calvinists believe that one is saved by grace alone; that human works prove futile in regard to salvation.

Calvinists also believe that not all men are "predestined" to receive eternal salvation. Calvinism vs. Arminianism When speaking of free will and predestination, John Calvin and Jacob Arminius are two primary theologians known to disagree on the two topics. Calvin, not only a prominent theologian, was also highly trained durian his University years on matters of humanity. Calvin also considered concerned the reform of the Church to be a primary personal concern. Erwin W.

Lutzer reported in the book, the Doctrines That Divide: A Fresh Look at the Historic Doctrines That Separate Christians, because Lutheranism was suppressed in France, Calvin fled to Geneva Switzerland, in 1538 and was persuaded to stay there by Farel, a man who was part of the reform movement in Switzerland" (p. 178). Calvin was twenty-seven years old at this time in his life. He also begin to publish his highly know Institutes of the Christian Religion at that time. The Institutes of Religion were written and contained pertinent, concise Biblical Theology.

Long after they were published, these works written by Calvin were still considered the basic textbook of theology for the Protestant religion. Lutzer explains that "Calvin's overriding concern was an understanding of the sovereignty of God and the assurance that his purposes will be accomplished. Calvin agreed with Luther that the will of the unconverted was in bondage" (p 178). Calvin also believed that all men can be rescued from bondage by God. God will give some of these men eternal life and will send other to reprobation.

Calvin believed that all men were destined to be either exalted to eternal life and others to eternal damnation. Lutzer explains that the "reason for the divine choice is inscrutable, but the choice is not arbitrary…. Calvin called this the dreadful decree" (Lutzer, p. 178). These views dramatically differed from those Jacob Arminian taught. The differences between Calvinism and Arminianism include different views on predestination and free will. Roger E.

Olson wrote in the book, Arminian theology: Myths and realities, "at a more polemical level, some say the disagreement is more about grace (Calvinism) and good works (Arminianism). Arminians take umbrage at that. They affirm grace just as emphatically as any other branch of Christianity, and more some than some" (Olson, p. 19). Arminians do believe in predestination and Calvinists believe in free will to a certain degree. Grace depicts another subject Calvinists and Arminians agree on. Olson explained that grace "is what makes Arminian synergism 'evangelical'.

Arminians take with almost seriousness the New Testament's emphasis on salvation as a gift of grace that cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8)" (Olson, p. 36). Arminian and Calvinist theologies both travel different paths, however, when discussing the salvation of mankind. Calvinists believe that the Bible teaches particular redemption, while Arminiams believe in salvation of men through Christ. Calvin's Doctrines: Predestination and Free Will John Calvin's theologies are the foundation for Presbyterianism today. Calvin ended up in Geneva, Switzerland after leaving France.

Calvin believed that men do have freewill, but at the same time we are all sinners. Paul Brians asserts in the article, "John Calvin: Free Will and Predestination," "God is necessarily good, i.e., it is of his very nature to be good; yet the fact that He cannot do anything evil is not a limitation on him, i.e., does not show that he is lacking in some liberty" (p. 1). Calvin believed that all men are responsible for their own actions, because our actions are all done voluntarily.

Calvin also believed that God knows what is going to happen, he believed in predestination. Calvin believes that God has predestined knowledge that mankind will sin and they should be condemned for that. Brians explains that Calvin believed that "God has pre-ordained, at the beginning of time, who it is that He will graciously save -- in Calvin's words, "favored with the government of His Spirit" (p. 1). Calvin taught that it is not mankind's job to understand why some people are saved and others are not.

Calvin also believed that justification and sanctification are two separate entities but they are still tied together to a certain extent. Calvin often spoke of a "double grace" of Christ. Dennis E. Tamburello asserts in the book, Union with Christ: John Calvin and the mysticism of St. Bernard, "by keeping sanctification distinct, he maintains an understanding of justification as totally the work of God. Calvin defines justification "simply as the acceptance with which God receives us into his favor as righteous men" (p. 50).

When Calvin speaks of justification, he speaks of "acceptance" or "being acquitted." He in essence believes that sinners, in God's eyes are confirmed to be just. Calvin also taught that God does not make us feel guilty for our sins. He believes that God instills in us the righteousness of Christ. Election In the book, Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin and Henry Beveridge wrote that when Calvin lived in Geneva, Calvin presented biblical lectures prior to preaching. For years, citizens' councils met in Geneva.

In 1537, Farel and Calvin presented governmental and ecclesiastical recommendations to Geneva's little Council, which the council adopted in a modified form. Individuals from Bern, a neighboring city and the fact Calvin was considered a fiery foreigner, Calvin and Beveridge explain, fomented opposition to Farel and Calvin. In turn, officials banned Farel and Calvin from Geneva. When Calvin later moved Strasbourg, he pastured French refugees as well as lectured, and wrote a commentary on Romans. In Strasbourg, he also revised and expanded his Institutes.

During this time, Martin Bucer, one of Calvin's mentors, encouraged him that he needed a wife. In 1540, at the age of 31, Calvin married Idelette, the recent widow of John Storduer, an intelligent mother of two, also an articulate Anabaptist leader. Calvin accepted Idelette's children as his own. Calvin and Idelette did not have any children to survive their infancy. After Idelette died in 1549 from an illness suspected to be tuberculosis, Calvin did not remarry (Calvin and Beveridge). Calvin created and wrote theology that to this day dominates Western culture.

Calvin is considered a great Reformer for today's American cultures. His views and beliefs are at the heart of what most American's believe regarding Christianity today. Although Calvin was a lawyer, he was extremely dedicated to Reforming the Church. Richard Hooker asserts in the article, "Discovery and Reformation: John Calvin," "he was saturated with the ideas of Northern Renaissance humanism.

He was dedicated to reform of the church and he got his chance to build a reformed church when the citizens of Geneva revolted against their rulers in the 1520's" (¶ 2). At that time Calvin was invited to go to Geneva to build the new Reformed Church. One of the most important things that Calvin did during this time was organizing the governance of the Reformed Church. He organized from a social stand point the Church and the city in Geneva.

Hooker explains that Calvin was "the first major political thinker to model social organization entirely on biblical principles. At first his reforms did not go over well" (¶ 5). Calvin created leaders within the new church and also developed a catechism for each member of the church. Calvin, along with Guillaume Farel together mandated a strict moral code on all the citizens in Geneva. This moral code was created from Christian scriptures.

This did not sit well with the citizens of Geneva because most felt as if Calvin and Farel were identical to the leaders of the church before them. Hooker explains that "they saw Calvin's reforms as imposing a new form of papacy on the people, only with different names and different people" (¶ 5). In early 1538 the citizens of Geneva banned Calvin from their city. From there Calvin went to Strasbourg and began writing commentaries of the Bible. Calvin also finished his enormous Protestant doctrine, the Institutes of the Christian Church.

Within these writings Calvin developed all the principles of Calvinism which are all developed from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Hooker asserts that "the purpose of commentaries in Western literary tradition was to explain both the literary technique and the difficult passages in literary and historical works" (¶ 6). Calvin not only wrote these for his fellow man, he wrote them to assert his arguments regarding Christianity.

So in essence these works are not so much an explanation of the Bible but more of a work of Calvin's political, social and theological philosophies. Calvin believed that mankind is basically corrupt, yet at the same time, he believed and taught that God and His incorruptible presence are everywhere. Even before the world began, Calvin taught, God knew that some men are predestined to eternal salvation and life. He also knew, as noted earlier in this paper, that others would suffer eternal damnation.

Trueman wrote that "the chosen few were saved by the operation of divine grace which cannot be challenged and cannot be earned by Man's merits" (What were… Section, ¶ 4). Calvin believed that even though some men truly thought they had lived a good life, in God's eyes a reprobate, they were a reprobate. Calvin taught that reprobates are inherently corrupt and God has predestined knowledge of that. Calvin also taught that even if a reprobate lived a good and decent life, he could attain a true inner conviction of salvation.

Calvin believed, however, that an Elect could never fall from grace. Evaluating Calvin and Calvinism Calvin listened to what those known as the "Fathers" and those part of the Councils of the Church, but compared what they taught with the truths in the Bible. After his conversion, "Calvin based his theology on the teaching of the Bible" (Reyburn, p, 350). Before his conversion, even after he became a young man, Calvin continued to strongly defend the beliefs he had been taught in his younger years.

After he experienced a spiritual crisis, however, Calvin "became convinced that the Romish System was unscriptural, and he set himself to construct a system which would harmonize with revealed truth and which would secure the interests both of liberty and of purity" (Reyburn, p. 350). Calvin believed in the doctrine of predestination; however he did not proclaim this as a primary doctrine. He taught that man could not do anything in human power toward securing his own salvation. Herman J.

Selderhuis wrote in the book, John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life, that at one point in his life, Calvin reported that he knew God primarily as a judge as this was the way the church wrongly portrayed him. In regard to his relationship with God, Calvin admitted that he was God's archenemy and that he did not possess even a semblance of obedience toward God. Calvin stated that he full of pride and that he was also arrogant and malicious.

He considered himself diabolic to the point that he obstinately resisted God to the point he would have plunged himself into eternal death. If not for God's grace and pity on him, Calvin said, he would never have known the endless treasures of God's mercy (Selderhuis). The heart of the matter to Calvin, what he also considered the primary matter of the heart was God's ultimate power. Calvin admitted that he at times had experienced fear.

In one sermon Calvin preached on 2 Samuel, he recounted a time in this life, before he fled from France, when he had been terrified, when he did not recognize God's power. He stated: "I was so afraid that I wanted to die to be rid of those fears" (Calvin, quoted in Selderhuis, p. 33). Selderhuis reported that Calvin also did not appear to have a positive self-image. In letters to others, Calvin reportedly often wrote about some of his personal negative characteristics. Calvin's writings for the Christian Institutes have two parts.

The first part related to the knowledge of God and the way to gain salvation. During the second part of his writings, Calvin recorded his views relating man's knowledge of God. In the book, Institutes of the Christian religion, Volume 1, Calvin strictly follows the method of the Apostles' Creed, which "consists of four parts, the first relating to God the Father, the second to the Son, the third to the Holy Spirit, the fourth to the church" (p. 41). Each book of Calvin's work, written into four books, has a creed.

I. The first Creed discusses the relation of God the Father and to the creation, conservation, and government of all things, which are included in his omnipotence. (Calvin, p. 41). II. The second Creed relates to the fall of man by sin and the importance of coming to Christ. Therefore it follows in the Creed, "And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord." (Calvin, p. 42). III. The third Creed discusses the importance of being ingrafted into Christ, like branches from a vine.

Therefore the doctrine concerning Christ is followed, in the third part of the Creed, by this clause, "I believe in the Holy Spirit," as being the bond of union between us and Christ. (Calvin, p. 43). IV. The fourth Creed relates to the fact that the Holy Spirit does not unite all men to Christ or make them partakers of faith. God in essence reconciled Himself in Christ, and those who choose to partake of the Holy Spirit are ingrafted into Christ. When you choose to do that you may.