French reformer and theologian who became the theological leader of Geneva.
Most famous for his Institutes, he stressed human depravity and God's
sovereignty and grace. French reformer and theologian who became the theological leader of Geneva.
Most famous for his Institutes, he stressed human depravity and God's
sovereignty and grace.
Calvin had to leave the University of Paris when he became known as a supporter of the Reformation. On his way to Strasbourg (which was more favorable to the Reformation), he was asked to stay in Geneva and lead the Reform efforts there. (The Swiss cities were each deciding whether to join the Reformation or remain with the Catholic Church.) He held considerable authority there, but tensions between him and the City Council led him to favor the church's cooperative independence from the state. The Christian society he helped shape there was very strict, in keeping with his rather austere personality, and his sober theological views. His views of salvation are summed up in the acronym TULIP:
Total depravity: sin corrupts every aspect of human nature; humans can do nothing to earn salvation.
Unconditional Election: God predestines those who will be saved, and those who will be damned.
Limited Atonement: Christ died for the elect only.
Irresistible Grace: Humans cannot resist God's grace by which he draws the elect to himself.
Perseverance of the Saints: The elect cannot lose their salvation.
Concerning the Eucharist, Calvin held a position between Luther and Zwingli: Christ is present in the Eucharist in a spiritual sense, and though it does not itself have any spiritual effect, it is more than just a metaphorical commemoration (as Zwingli held); it is the outward seal of an inward, spiritual grace.
(See the Table of Reformation Views.)
His legacy is preserved in the Reformed churches (see the Chart of Protestant Denominations in America.)