What was calvinism

That is the essence of Calvinism and the beauty of Calvinism is how it helps you to understand what God has done in Jesus Christ to send his one and only son to die for us, to die for people who have rejected God, who have rebelled against him, who have sinned against him. He has intervened and he is now calling to himself a people, a people who believe in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and will be forgiven of their sins and they will be with him forever more. I think it's really It helps you to understand scripture, the God who is always intervening, whether it be from his creation in the beginning of Genesis to his return that we read about in Revelation.

God is always actively involved with his creation, redeeming it and preparing it for his return. John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion was one of the most influential theologies of the Reformation-era. Calvin's writings impressed Guillaume Farel, the Reformer of Geneva, Switzerland so much that Farel pressed Calvin to come and help the Genevan reform. Geneva was to be Calvin's home until he died in Calvin did not live to see the foundation of his work grow into an international movement; but his death allowed his ideas to break out of their city of origin, to succeed far beyond their borders, and to establish their own distinct character.

Calvin believed that salvation is only possible through the grace of God. Even before creation, God chose some people to be saved. This is the bone most people choke on: predestination. Curiously, it isn't particularly a Calvinist idea. Augustine taught it centuries earlier, and Luther believed it, as did most of the other Reformers. Yet Calvin stated it so forcefully that the teaching is forever identified with him.

Calvin said it was clearly taught in the Bible. For Calvin, God was -- above all else -- sovereign. God had decided that matter long ago. On the other side of the coin, it was almost universally believed among Calvinists that a life of dissipation was a sure sign of damnation. Such a system of beliefs exerted a mixed impact on society. Good conduct was encouraged because many people, perhaps unconsciously, wanted to convince themselves that they were among the elect.

However, there were negative influences from Calvinism as well. Anxiety was high in these communities as anguished believers contemplated their fates. Comfort was found by observing the moral failures of others and concluding that they were no doubt among the damned. In this act, Protestants denounced the mass in placards that appeared across France, even reaching the royal apartments. Several thousand French Protestants fled the country during this time, most notably John Calvin, who settled in Geneva.

Calvin continued to take an interest in the religious affairs of his native land and, from his base in Geneva, beyond the reach of the French king, regularly trained pastors to lead congregations in France. Despite heavy persecution by Henry II, the Reformed Church of France, largely Calvinist in direction, made steady progress across large sections of the nation, in the urban bourgeoisie and parts of the aristocracy, appealing to people alienated by the obduracy and the complacency of the Catholic establishment.

Calvinism has been known at times for its simple, unadorned churches and lifestyles, as depicted in this painting by Emanuel de Witte c.

Source: Boundless. Retrieved 23 Jun. Skip to main content. Chapter The Protestant Reformation. Search for:. Calvinism Calvinism is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice of John Calvin and is characterized by the doctrine of predestination in the salvation of souls.