...John Calvin Research Paper John Calvin was born in July 10, 1509, Noyon, Picardy, France. He died in May 27, 1564, Geneva, Switz. His education career was a mixture of both theologian and statesman because he study law at the University of Paris. Beside that he also get exposed to Renaissance humanism that influenced by Erasmus and Jacques. Even though Calvin study law but he only do it for his father will, of wanting him to become a lawyer. However, throughout the course of his life, he is primarily focus on Renaissance humanism, influence by Erasmus and Jacques. This is a study that aimed to reform church and society base on classical and Christian antiquity which establish to return the Bible studied to its original language. Under this influence, Calvin studied the three main languages of ancient Christian such as Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, to prepare him for his intense study of the Scriptures. As a result of this, Calvin become the leading French Protestant Reformer and the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation through his interpretation of Christianity (Calvin). Calvin publication of the Institutes reflected the findings of his biblical work, and make up the largest proportion of his work. The Institutes also help Calvin to gain some reputation among Protestant leaders. This get he invited to Geneva to teach Protestant to the people, but the citizen of that nation lack of enthusiasm for Protestantism and their resistance to religious...
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...of Leiden, his opions were open to public debate. He did not reject predestination; instead he questioned its basis. Although he remained solidly Calvinist in nearly every other way, Arminius had come to the conclusion that predestination takes place on the basis of God’s foreknowledge of who will later have faith in Christ and who will not. This position seems to presume human beings have free will. Francis Gomarus, another professor at Leiden, led his opponents, claiming to be true Calvinists. Gomarus insisted God simply predestines all as an expression of his sovereign will. The controversy quickly assumed political overtones, as Arminius also believed that the state ought to have greater control over ecclesiastical matters than Calvin had allowed. Arminius died in 1609, and in 1610 his followers issued a document known as a Remonstrance outlining their position. For this reason they are often called...
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...The Puritans The Puritans once held a position of power among the religious world. Their beliefs were strict and they did not compromise their morals or standards for any outside individual. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the Puritan religion reflects the attitude and values of the common man during that particular time period. The main belief among the Puritans was that they were God’s chosen people. In their eyes, they held supremacy over the average man. They believed in Pelagianism based on the Doctrine of Elect. This was the belief that man could redeem himself through acts of charity, religious devotion, and by living an unselfish life. Many of these strict beliefs were based on John Calvin’s principle of predestination. Predestination was that through God’s grace, one would reach heaven and that this special grace could not be earned; it was predetermined at birth. This principle of predestination forced Puritans to truly believe that their actions did not matter and their devotion to God had no bearing over their destiny. Puritans also believed in the degradation of one’s self, which meant that they had to make themselves worthy to God so that he would not instill his wrath on the Puritan community. They feared God and his special power, but considered themselves God’s special elects. Basically, they felt they had the right to perform any necessary deeds that would satisfy God’s will. Sin was thought of as an unavoidable element of human nature...
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...Many agree that Martin Luther’s protests against indulgences were the catalysts of the German Reformation in 1525. However, why was Luther so adamantly opposed to Indulgences? And even so, how did his grievances against the pope spark the German Reformation? Luther’s belief in “justification by faith alone” and his production the ninety-five theses sparked the German Reformation. Luther opposed Indulgences because of his belief of “justification by faith alone”. After a few years of insight into this topic, Luther concluded that “the righteousness that God demands did not result from charitable acts and religious ceremonies but was given full measure to any and all who believe in and trust Jesus Christ as their perfect righteousness satisfying to God.” (KOT 320) He argued that it was unbiblical to think of work as contributions to salvation, something only a deity such as God himself could bestow upon a person. Luther taught good works were expected, even if they did not contribute to eternal salvation. Those who believed in Christ possessed God’s perfect righteousness and would therefore perform good deeds throughout their lives. Luther’s teachings showed that one needed only to believe in Christ instead of paying Indulgences in order to reach eternal salvation. (KOT 330-322) Luther’s belief against Indulgences sparked the Reformation through the writing of the ninety-five theses. The ninety-five theses were an attack on the practice of Indulgences. Theses twenty-one states...
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...century. According to Calvin, predestination meant that God, acting of his own free will, elects some people to be saved and others to be damned – thus, the individual has no control over his own ultimate fate. This doctrine was the source of great controversy because it was seen by the so-called anti-Calvinists to limit man's free will in regard to faith and salvation, and to present a dilemma in terms of theodicy. At the time Doctor Faustus was performed, this doctrine was on the rise in England, and under the direction of Puritan theologians at Cambridge and Oxford had come to be considered the orthodox position of the Church of England.[20] Nevertheless, it remained the source of vigorous and, at times, heated debate between Calvinist scholars, such as William Whitaker and William Perkins, and anti-Calvinists, such as William Barrett and Peter Baro.[21] The dispute between these Cambridge intellectuals had quite nearly reached its zenith by the time Marlowe was a student there in the 1580s, and likely would have influenced him deeply, as it did many of his fellow students.[22] Concerning the fate of Faustus, the Calvinist concludes that his damnation was inevitable. His rejection of God and subsequent inability to repent are taken as evidence that he never really belonged to the elect, but rather had been predestined from the very beginning for reprobation.[23] In his Chiefe Points of Christian Religion, Theodore Beza, the successor to John Calvin,...
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...in society an opinion towards their beliefs to teaching what choices we have in accepting Christ. Predestination is also the belief that everything that will happen have already been decided by God or fate and cannot be changed (Webster (2014). Predestination. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predestination.) What is freedom? Many of us in today’s society see freedom or free-will as to being liberal. Freedom is not just being free as it is more of being free to what you have to express in what you believe and do. Many call freedom as “free as a bird” but to an extent in certain ways. Freedom can be simplicity, such as relaxing to live as well as others. Freedom also gives us the ability to make decisions without other influences from other people or governments. In today’s religious views, freedom teaches us the facts of God’s plan for salvation that every individual person has a choice to make, to either accept or reject God’s gift of salvation (Bennet (2009) http://www.freewill-predestination.com). Christians today see life towards destiny. We live and die after we live our lives. Fate is usually a predetermined course of events beyond our control. Whatever happens, happens, and there is nothing we can do to change it. Destination has its course. The Bible teaches man that we were created to make moral choices and that he is responsible for those choices. Everyone has their own story towards their life towards their predestination. According...
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...Of the three reformation era theologians: Richard Hooker, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, Hooker is the one that best reflects Biblical Christianity. His primary contribution to theology is the realization that although the Bible is authoritative oh how we are to live and love each other, there are many areas that Bible does not directly address. As such it is not the sole authority on all matters (Strauss & Cropsey, p. 358). Unlike many of his peers, Hooker realized that even saved humans needed to reason and wrestle with the scripture to find and fulfil their political and moral duties matters (Strauss & Cropsey, p. 360). God himself, Hooker proclaims, is a God of reason, whose commands are reasonable and not arbitrary (Strauss & Cropsey, p. 359). In Philippians, Paul instructs believers with knowledge of scripture that they are to work out their salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12, New American Standard Version) encouraging believers to search and seek out the Spirit of God in applying the biblical truths instead of assuming that all of everyone’s answers fall readily from the page. In addition Isaiah, speaks of God calling people to reason with Him in accepting his offer of salvation (Isaiah 1:18). Modeling for us that even the only one worthy to demand blind obedience is unwilling to do so in order that people might truly engage in trust in Him. John Calvin had a less scripturally accurate view of theology than Hooker. Although he rightly insisted on...
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...A Little Book for New Theologians by Kelly M. Kapic brought many unhappy church related memories to the surface that had been either forgotten or pushed aside. At the time of their occurrence, no doubt I probably questioned the purpose or “organized religion” and possibly even uttered the phrase “does a Christian really need to go to church?” Once such event occurred about five years ago. I was asked to be the associate pastor for a church plant. The church planter was a friend of mine whom I worked with previously at another church. For as long as I knew this man, he wanted to be a lead pastor. Finally the opportunity presented itself. The plan was simple – meet people in our community, begin a home Bible study, and grow from there. However, my friend quickly fell away from his servant position and was blinded by finally being in lead position. He skipped the home Bible study part entirely and rented a building we couldn’t afford so we could have “real church” and “look good” to those around us. My dear friend became obsessed with appearance and power instead of serving the needs of those around us, something he had done so well with for years. He believed if we looked good, the people would flock to us. As his appointed associate pastor I tried speaking to him about the matter, but he wasn’t willing to listen. Sadly, we parted ways after a few attempted conversations, both as partners in this church plant and as friends. I was not free from blame. I too...
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...John Calvin (1509 – 27 May 1564) was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Calvin insisted the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation. Puritans are English Protestants in the late 16th who wanted their church, the Anglican church, to follow the Calvinist model more closely and give up the remnant of Catholicism. Among those Puritans there was a group of people who lost faith in the Anglican church, decided to abandon it, separated themselves from it. These became Separatists(Pilgrim). Pilgrims took the Mayflower to come to America to practice religious freedom....
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...its main ideas and points. The author, Mary Vandenberg, believes while the Reformed theological tradition’s basic idea of harmonizing the physical world and the Bible can be appreciated, there are some misconceptions about proper concordance between the two. Summary: The author begins with an explanation of what the Reformed Tradition is, and why it is important. She continues by explaining his main point, that while the idea of concordance physical world and the Bible is a good one, there are problems specifically with how the two are in concordance with regards to the natural world, and with regards to God. She explores these ideas by examining the words of many different Reformists over the years, back to John Calvin of the 16th century. Using the words of John Calvin, she examines the idea that the revelation of God, as represented through both the natural world, and the Bible, must be viewed from the perspective of the Bible. She concludes with the key point that scientific findings should enhance our appreciation of God and the majesty of His creation, rather than undermine His authority. Critical Interaction: The author’s main concern is with regards to the Reformed Tradition of theology. The development of science has divided Christians into two groups. There are those who wish to harmonize Christianity with scientific...
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...John Calvin John Calvin was born in 1509 and he died in 1564. He sought salvation through intense theological study, and at some point he experienced a sudden conversion and grasped Protestantism. He came up with the term predestination. According to John Calvin, predestination was the doctrine which attempts to describe justification as the decision and act of God alone--an act based upon no external determinants, but only on God's own, divine decision. John Calvin also defined his doctrine of predestination in opposition to differing views held by his contemporaries. First, Calvin took up the view that God predestines people according to his foreknowledge of their works. Second, Calvin took up the view that God elects some but condemns none. I would have to agree to John Calvin’s predestination theory....
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...Introduction A reformation reader is a book edited by Denis Janz in which he brings lesser known documents and figures to luminosity. Janz makes the context reformation clearer by including the pre-Reformation Catholic sentiments authors and discussing about the Counter Reformation and the Catholic Council of Trent. He brings up different scholarly arguments on how to interpret the Reformation. Janz tries us much as he can to stay neutral and give explanations on what the questions are. He therefore, provides documents that hold the ability to place challenges on both viewpoints and supports a study of the texts themselves. In his book, Janz includes opinions explaining the significance of both Martin Luther and John Calvin. This paper is therefore, intended on highlighting the significance of these two individuals and contrasting the opinions contained in writings of each. The significance of Martin Luther Many people wonder why there exists a great fuss over martin Luther and the Protestant reformation. They also don’t understand how and why this German monk turned out to be a lightning rod for change in religion and community in Europe during the Renaissance. Many people also do not comprehend the significance of the circumstances and the importance Luther and his persuade on the Reformation and how it affects them in the present days. Back in 1520 Luther was thought of as an insightful church leader and other thought of him as an ecclesiastical terrorist. His thoughts...
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...me an excerpt and some thought provoking reflections by Foster and Smith. Most of the readings are profound and worthy of in-depth reading. It has made me think, contemplate and overall grow in my spiritual journey. In this paper, I will demonstrate why John Calvin is important to be studied in the 21st century. I have chosen his devotional writing as a reflection of my spiritual insights and its application to my spiritual journey. Why John Calvin Many theologians such as Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and more throughout history have made a big impact on their culture, times, society, and/or religion. One of the theologians that stands out to me is John Calvin, who had a great influence during his time, the early to middle sixteenth century. Calvin is considered by many to have been the father and founder of the Presbyterian and the Reformed Protestant churches. Calvin devoted almost his whole life to promoting both Presbyterian and Protestant Reformation, and he made a significant impact that is still seen today in Christianity. Many also consider Calvin as the father of the modern day grammatico-historical method of hermeneutics. Calvin was a true biblical exegete. For Calvin, the meaning of the...
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...The Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation was the 16th century religious and political revolution that disintegrated the Catholic Church. This reformation would define Europe in the modern era. Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII contested the Church’s power and its faculty to divide Christian religion. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther published his “95 Theses” which led to start the Protestant Reformation, in which it stated Luther’s terms of his protest against the Catholic Church. Martin Luther argued that Jesus died on the cross for our salvation; therefore, there was no need for lavish cathedrals and offerings that the Catholic Church was accustomed to. Also, he was opposed to the practice of the church collecting indulgences in order to shorten ones stay in purgatory. These indulgences were said to pave the way to heaven for any sinner. In Martin Luther’s 95 Theses the mentions the following: “Those who believe that, through letters of pardon, they are made sure of their own salvation will be eternally dammed along with their teacher”. After the Church’s unsuccessful rebuttal, they ended up excommunicating Luther in 1521. Luther went on to translating the bible into vernacular German, which up to this point was only in Latin and only available to priests who were they only ones who read and interpreted the bible to the masses. Luther’s translation was not word for word but rather sense for sense, which would help ordinary people, read the bible...
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...a. his excommunication from the Roman Catholic church. b. the sale of indulgences. c. his time spent in England during the English Reformation. d. the turmoil caused by having two popes during the Great Schism. e. the influence of John Calvin. 2. The author of the Ninety-Five Theses was a. John Calvin. b. Erasmus. c. Voltaire. d. Martin Luther. e. Henry VIII. 3. The Catholic church dramatically pushed the sale of indulgences in the sixteenth century because of the a. need to match the resurgence of the Byzantine empire. b. threat posed by Islam. c. need for Henry VIII to pay off the national debt. d. expense associated with translating original Greek classics. e. need to raise funds for the construction of St. Peter’s basilica. 4. Which one of the following was not one of Luther’s problems with the Roman Catholic church? a. the selling of indulgences b. pluralism c. absenteeism d. the immense wealth of the Catholic church e. the church’s decision to translate the Bible into vernacular languages 5. Who said, “I cannot and will not recant anything, for it is neither safe nor right to act against one’s conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other.”? a. Martin Luther b. Jesus c. John Calvin d. Sima Qian e. Henry VIII 6. In the centuries following the fall of Rome, the only unifying force for all of Europe was a. the Byzantine empire. b. the Holy Roman empire. c. the Catholic church. d. the Auld...
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