John Calvin's Influence On The Early Church

One of the key figures in church history is John Calvin. John Calvin is someone who radically changed the early Christian Church. Similar to Luther, Calvin was someone who drove the Reformation forward. Calvin however had slightly different beliefs from Luther, especially when it came to the sacraments. This paper will explore who John Calvin was, how he differed from Luther, and what his main teachings were. The doctrine of Calvinism helped shape the early church, and is still held true by thousands of believers today.
Calvin was born July 10, 1509 in France. He was raised in a strict, Roman Catholic home. Calvin was a brilliant scholar, he started at the University of Paris at the young age of fourteen. He graduated at age 19 with a Master of Arts degree (Maag, 2009). When Calvin was around the age of 23 he converted to a protestant faith. At this point, Calvin began to have some trouble with the Catholic Church. He wrote a speech that shared his protestant views. Afterwards, Calvin had to go into hiding because Church leaders …show more content…
Limited atonement is the belief that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for everyone. He came to pay for the sins of his elect and not the whole world. Many Christians then and now, struggle with the idea that Christ did not die to save everyone. Calvin’s doctrine seemed too harsh to many believers. Irresistible grace is “the saving grace of God is effectually applied to those whom he has determined to save (the elect), whereby in God's timing, he overcomes their resistance to the call of the gospel and irresistibly brings them to a saving faith in Christ”(Gill, 2014). This means that those who have been predestined by God cannot resist God's grace in their lives. If God wants to save someone, they will be saved. Again, Calvin is not saying that there will be believer in Heaven who did not want to go. If God works in someone’s life, they will turn their life to