LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY

Protestant Reformation – John Calvin

Submitted to Dr. Galen Johnson,

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of

CHHI 300 – D05

Survey of the History of Christianity

by

Myles Wolf

November 15, 2021

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The Protestant Reformation is one of the most crucial developments in the history of the

Christian church. By this time, the world witnessed the fall of the Western Roman Empire and

the sustaining influence of papacy within the reign of Catholicism. After numerous waves of

conflict and disputation, the Catholic Church sought to expand and solidify their religion.

However, Christian leaders began to rise and break away from Catholicism’s practices and

beliefs. Among the reformers was John Calvin, who is known as the father of Calvinism, who

presented a variety of doctrines that opposed the Catholic Church’s teaching. He was a pivotal

Reformer during the Reformation, and his teaching remains a branch of Protestantism today.

The Catholic Church gained substantial control of Europe, leveraging both political and

religious systems to their own procedures. For roughly a millennium, Catholicism governed the

Christian framework concerning the Bible’s availability, the process of worship, and even the

claim that the Catholic Church was the only path to salvation. Although there was much

disagreement concerning Catholicism’s doctrine, a reformation did not begin to officially take

shape until the work of John Wycliffe, who lived from 1325 to 1384. He is considered one of the

initial individuals who challenged Catholic exercises with writings that attacked their practices.

Martin Luther, born in 1483, is another Pre-Reformer who was recognized for his structural

development of doctrines that supported the movement’s objective. He wrote several books, such

as the 95 Theses and On the Freedom of the Christian, that emboldened people to join the

Reformation.

Among the individuals who were intrigued by Luther’s work was John Calvin. In 1509,

thirty-one years after Luther’s birthday, Calvin was born in France. At only twelve years old, he

was recruited by the Catholic church to be a scribe.1 He later decided to study religion at the
1
Mark Nickens, A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition. (Nashville, TN: B&H
Academic, 2020), 115.
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University of Paris, but his father withdrew him from religious studies to study law in Orléans. 2

Derrick Thomas adds, “Calvin was able to finance his studies from various church benefices he

had been given in childhood and his early teens—one of the abuses of the medieval church.”3 He

carried out his father’s request to move to Orléans for his new college, but he did not intend to

relinquish his desire to study religion. Thereafter, Calvin returned to Paris due to an illness his

father was dealing with, which inevitably resulted in his death in 1531.4 However, this did allow

him to return to his study of religion. In 1533, he joined the Reformation movement that would

result in his excommunication from the Catholic church.5 This would later result in his most

recognized published works, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, also known as The

Institutes.

The first edition of The Institutes was written in 1536. This edition was written in Latin

but was revised by Calvin five times, expanding its content and later translated in many other

languages by other scholars.6 The Institutes brought a lot of attention to Calvin, especially by

other Reformers. The book included the subjects of the law, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s

Prayer, and the sacraments of baptism and communion.7 It is a systematic theology book that

challenged Catholicism’s practices. It later become known as a “Reformed” theology book. 8 The

remainder of Calvin’s life can by summarized within the city of Geneva, Switzerland. He did not

2
Derek Thomas and John W. Tweeddale. John Calvin (Afterword by R. C. Sproul): For a New
Reformation. (Wheaton: Crossway, 2019).
3
Ibid
4
Ibid
5
Mark Nickens, A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition. (Nashville, TN: B&H
Academic, 2020), 115.
6
Ibid
7
Bruce Gordon. “A Book Emerges.” In John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion: A Biography.
(Princeton University Press, 2016), 25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv7h0s71.7.
8
Mark Nickens, A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition. (Nashville, TN: B&H
Academic, 2020), 115.
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intend to live in Geneva, but as he was passing through the city, he was begged by the lead

Reformer of the city to stay and aid in their objective to withdraw from the Catholic church. 9

Calvin consented and would later aid in the city’s development of Protestantism. While he was in

Geneva, he wrote several pieces concerning the operation of the church, such as the

“Ecclesiastical Ordinances.”10 He died in Geneva in 1564. However, even after his death, his

work continued to be critically analyzed and published by Bible scholars, expanding the

Protestant movement.

The movement John Calvin generated resulted in a unique transition in the Protestant

Reformation. His movement has been given the name Calvinism, while the term Calvinist is used

to describe an individual aligning their beliefs with Calvinism’s theological viewpoint. Most of

Calvin’s ideas were produced within his writing of The Institutes. The book reveals Protestant

beliefs that challenged the reader to reflect on a variety of applications from Scripture. These

thoughts were not developed on Calvin’s own but were constructed in such a way that it became

a prominent book of theology to aid into movement to extract Catholic doctrine. A significant

component of Calvin’s writing was the idea of predestination. This idea consists of the belief that

each person has been chosen to be saved by God in the past.11 It invalidates many teachings

within the Catholic church, such as the works related practices to decrease a soul’s time within

Catholicism’s concept of a purgatory. Not only did the idea of predestination challenge Catholic

theology, but it caused a great debate among other churches.

Among the church leaders who disagreed with Calvin’s idea was Jacob Arminius.

Arminius believed that mankind had free will to determine their salvation. He amassed a
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid.
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following of people, known as Remonstrants or Arminians, who agreed with his belief, which

inevitably created a division in Europe.12 Arminius did not disagree with every point Calvin

made. In fact, he thoroughly appreciated and even recommended Calvin’s work. This can be

seen in one of Arminius’s own letters written to a colleague.

“After the reading of Scripture. . .I recommend that the Commentaries of Calvin be

read .... For I affirm that in the interpretation of the Scriptures Calvin is incomparable,
and that his Commentaries are more to be valued than anything that is handed down to us
in the writings of the Fathers-so much so that I concede to him a certain spirit of
prophecy in which he stands distinguished above others, above most, indeed, above all.”13

Nonetheless, a church assembly was called in November of 1618, referred to as the Synod of

Dort, to discuss each of their theologies.14 The assembly would discuss the Five Articles of

Remonstrance constructed by the Arminians as well Calvin’s five points.15 Calvin’s five points

were derived from his writing in The Institutes and was broken down into five phrases. The five

phrases were then given the acronym TULIP.

TULIP represents the five pillars of John Calvin’s principal beliefs that create the entire

foundation of the Calvinist structure. The “T” begins the phrase “total depravity of humanity,”

and refers to man’s sinful nature. The “U” starts the claim of “unconditional election,” which

supports Calvin’s idea of predestination. The “L” begins the term, “limited atonement,” which

presents that only Christ followers are redeemed by Christ Jesus’s blood. The “I” refers to

12
Mark Nickens. “Calvinism = TULIP.” Study the Church, (2004).
https://studythechurch.com/articles/reformation/calvinism.
13
William den Boer. “‘Cum Delectu’: Jacob Arminius’s (1559-1609) Praise for and Critique of Calvin and
His Theology.” Church History and Religious Culture 91.1–2. (2011), 74. doi:10.1163/187124111X557773.
14
Joel R. Beeke et al., The Synod of Dort: Historical, Theological, and Experiential Perspectives.
(Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020), 13. ProQuest Ebook Central.
15
Mark Nickens. “Calvinism = TULIP.” Study the Church, (2004).
https://studythechurch.com/articles/reformation/calvinism.
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Calvin’s belief in “irresistible grace,” that generates the idea that if God chooses an individual, it

is impossible for them to avoid their calling. The last letter in the acronym is “P” that starts the

phrase, “perseverance of the saints.” This statement indicates that salvation is permanent and

cannot be withdrawn.

John Calvin’s work influenced the Protestant Reformation in a significant way. His

approach to challenge the Catholic church’s regime was effective and has drawn the attention of

Bible scholars around the world. Calvin prompted churches to not only think critically about

Catholicism’s methods, but also the everlasting truths of God’s Word. The Institutes became

foundational for the Protestant movement and inspired communities to withdraw from the

Catholic religion. Even though a rift has been generated among the Protestant denominations

concerning his idea of predestination, his work aided in the establishment of churches to pursue

God rather than pledging allegiance to the papacy.

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Bibliography

Beeke, Joel R. et al., The Synod of Dort: Historical, Theological, and Experiential Perspectives.

Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.

Boer, William den. “‘Cum Delectu’: Jacob Arminius’s (1559-1609) Praise for and Critique of

Calvin and His Theology.” Church History and Religious Culture 91.1–2. 2011).

doi:10.1163/187124111X557773.

Gordon, Bruce. “A Book Emerges.” In John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion: A

Biography. Princeton University Press, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv7h0s71.7.

Nickens, Mark. A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition. Nashville, TN:

B&H Academic, 2020.

Nickens, Mark. “Calvinism = TULIP.” Study the Church, 2004.

https://studythechurch.com/articles/reformation/calvinism.

Thomas, Derek and Tweeddale, John W. John Calvin (Afterword by R. C. Sproul): For a New

Reformation. Wheaton: Crossway, 2019.