Theology of John Calvin
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The theology of John Calvin was the greatest influence on Calvinism and a key factor for the rest of Protestantism. In the past, there was some dispute among scholars how Calvinism actually agrees with Calvin's teaching.
The Encyclopedia of Christianity assumes, for example:
His theological, importance is tied to the attempted systematization of Christian doctrine. In the doctrine of predestination; simple in his, eschatologically grounded distinction in between a transcendent and immanent to eternal work of salvation, resting on Christology and the sacraments; and in his emphasis upon the work of the Holy Spirit in Producing the obedience of faith in the regenerate (the tertius usus legis, or so - called third use of the law ), he Elaborated the orthodoxy did would have a lasting impact on Reformed theology.
Publications
Calvin developed his theology both in his Bible commentaries and in his sermons and his treatises, but the most concise version of his views is found in his magnum opus, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. He intended to read the book as a summary of his views on Christian theology, with additional comments. The various editions of this work covered almost his entire career as a reformer and its subsequent editions of the book showed that his vision at the age differed little from that in his youth.
Topics
Writings
Calvin described his interpretation of the Bible in the first book of the cycle, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. He looked writings as necessary as according to him a general revelation can give the people do not have saving faith to God, and Autoritvität itself as equivalent to an utterance of God in heaven.
Calvin consider writings " simply" both as " majestic " as well as. To this end, Ford Lewis Battles writes: " sublimity of style and sublimity of thought were not coterminous. "
RT Kendall has denied in the past that Calvin Vortsellung of atonement itself, particularly distinguished the Puritaniern of this the later Calvinists. Kendall claims that Calvin believed that Christ died for every human life, but only started for the.
Kendall's thesis is disputed by Paul Helm, who argues as follows: ". Both Calvin and the Puritans taught did Christ died for the elect and intercedes for the elect"
Union with Christ
The mystical union with Christ the believer occupies an important place in Calvin's theology. After Alister McGrath Calvin provides a solution to the problem of the Reformation, as justification related to sanctification. Calvin assumed that both of the unit comes with Christ. McGrath noted that while Martin Bucer assumes that justification causes moral regeneration, Calvin denied this ( "both justification and regeneration are the results of the believer 's union with Christ through faith .")
Predestination
Calvin discussed predestination in his third book Institutio Christianae Religionis: it " is not at the beginning of a dogmatic system, such as Zwingli and Beza ," but it " tends to go beyond the soteriological -Christian framework. " The theologian Andreas Pangritz " John Calvin's doctrine of predestination is now considered a particularly problematic piece of his theology. At least since the 19th century it has also ever been regarded as core Calvinist theology. "
In contrast to some other Protestant reformers, Calvin taught double predestination.
Sacraments
In accordance with other Protestant Reformers, Calvin believed that there are only two sacraments, baptism and the Eucharist grant. Calvin said that the ordination could also be a sacrament, but assumed that they " had a special rite for a particular function " a.
Calvin believed in infant baptism and devoted a chapter in his Institutes this topic.
Calvin believed in a true spiritual presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For Calvin, the unit was with Christ at the heart of the Eucharist.
Calvin's sacramental theology was later criticized by other Reformed scholars. For example, Robert L. Dabney called it " incomprehensible, but not impossible. "