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Ⅰ. Background of the emergence of Calvinism
A. Reformation
1. The indirect background of the Reformation
First, the Crusades
Second, the development of science and navigation technology resulting from the shift from geocentrism to heliocentrism
Second, the Black Death swept through the Middle Ages.
Third, ancient Greek literature from the Islamic powers of the East was reintroduced into Europe.
Fourth, the invention of metal movable type by Kuttenberg led to the rapid spread of knowledge throughout European society.
2. The direct background of the Reformation
First, the false theology of the Roman Catholic Church and the corruption of its clergy.
Second, the papal claim to purgatory and the sale of indulgences for the construction of the Vatican Cathedral in Rome.
Third, Luther’s conversion and discovery of faith alone
Fourth, Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral.
3. Reformers before the Reformation
First, Peter Waldo - Peter Waldo, from France, was once employed as a Catholic priest to translate Latin Bibles and theological books into French. His sermon, ‘Let’s follow the Bible,’ attracted many people, and those who gathered formed the ‘Waldenists’ and engaged in missionary work.
Second, John Wycliffe - John Wycliffe placed the only authority for salvation in the Bible, and strongly criticized the offensive against the Pope (money forcibly collected from the people by a state or organization to cover necessary expenses) and the corruption of the clergy. After his death, he was condemned as a heretic and his body and writings were burned.
Third, Jan Hus - Hus was martyred by being burned at the stake on July 6, 1415 while following in Wycliffe's footsteps by condemning the corruption and trafficking of Catholic clergy.
4. Reformers
First, Martin Luther – Martin Luther was born in Germany in 1483. And when he was a college student, he was walking through a field and saw a thunderbolt falling. He was so terrified that he vowed to become a priest and entered a monastery.
At this monastery, Luther pondered how sinful humans could establish a proper relationship with the holy God, and the monastery allowed him to study at the University of Wittenberg.
Luther solved his problems by studying the Bible and realized the biblical truth of justification by faith, which states that a person is justified by faith, not by human works.
Justification is the doctrine that a sinner is recognized as righteous only through faith in Christ.
The righteousness of God is a passive righteousness given by God as grace.
Later, Luther wrote the 95 Theses in protest against the Roman Catholic Church's forced sale of indulgences and hung them on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, which became the catalyst for the start of the Reformation.
Second, Ulrich Zwingli – Uldrich Zwingli was born on January 1, 1484 in Bildhaus, Toggenburg. He studied theology at universities in Basel and Bern and later became a priest in the Roman Catholic Church. Like Luther, Zwingli criticized the sale of indulgences and the Roman Catholic Vatican. Zwingli later suffered serious injuries in a battle with the army on the side of the Roman Catholics and was ultimately killed and martyred.
Third, John Calvin - or John Calvin, was born on July 10, 1509, in Noyon, Picardy, northern France, as the second son of Jeanne Le Franc and Gérard Cauvin. . He is a French reformist theologian and religious reformer who led the religious reform in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ⅱ. The life of religious reformer Calvin
5. Among Calvin's brothers and sisters, he was the second oldest, his older brother was Charles, and the third was Antoine. He had two other younger brothers: Antoine and François, who died at a young age. He also had two half-sisters, one of whom was named Marie.
6. Calvin attended Cappettes, a boys' school in Noyon.
7. And, he later learned Latin Language from Mathurine Cordier at the school of La Marche in Paris.
8. While studying at the University of Montague, Calvin learned philosophy and rhetoric, and at this time he learned from Erasmus and Rabelais.
9. Calvin's father, Gerard Cauvin, encouraged him to study law rather than theology in hopes of becoming successful, so he went to the University of Orleans and studied with Pierre Taisan de l'Estoil, a famous jurist.
10. In 1528, Calvin learned about the Reformation from his cousin Pierre Robert Olivetan.
11. In 1529, Calvin moved to the University of Bourges, where he attended the lectures of Andrea Alciati and learned Koine Greek.
12. After the death of Calvin's father, Gererd Cauvin, on May 26, 1531, Calvin went to the College Fortet in Paris to study Hebrew.
13. In 1532, Calvin published a commentary on Lucius Annaeus Seneca's De Clementia.
14. Calvin showed signs of conversion from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism in late 1529 and early 1530.
15. Calvin wrote the inauguration speech for Nicholas Cobb, who took office as dean of the University of Paris in 1533.
16. This inauguration speech became a big problem, so Calvin sneaked out of the city before being arrested by the Paris government and moved to the Saintonge region south of Paris.
17. Calvin went to the house of Louis Du Tilet in Angoulême, and Calvin composed the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion by referring to the abundant books in Louis du Tiet's house.
18. Calvin later went to Basel, Switzerland and continued writing the Institutes of the Christian Religion, completing it in 1535. This book was published in Basel in 1536 and quickly spread throughout Europe. Because of this book, Calvin became a leading figure in the religious reformation.
19. In 1536, the French government issued a special pardon, allowing exiles to return but requiring them to publicly break off relations with heresy within six months, so Calvin took advantage of this opportunity and went straight back to France.
20. Returning to his hometown, Calvin disposed of land in Noyon and went to Basel with his younger brother Antoine and his younger sister Marie.
21. Calvin intended to move to Strasbourg, but when the Sixth Italian War broke out, he first went to Geneva to avoid the movement of troops and make a detour.
22. In 1534, all citizens of Geneva decided to carry out the Reformation under the leadership of the reformer Farel.
23. At this time, Farel, who heard that Calvin was in Geneva, went to see Calvin and asked him to remain in Geneva and help him reform and revive Protestantism.
24. Calvin refused Farel's repeated entreaties, but, horrified by Farel's proclamation that God would curse his studies and peace, Calvin agreed to abandon his trip and remain and work with Farel in Geneva.
25. In 1536, Calvin began his duties as a Bible teacher expounding the Pauline Epistles at the Church of St. Pierre in Geneva.
26. Then, in October of that year, Calvin attended a public religious debate in Lausanne, Switzerland, impressing others with his extensive knowledge of the Church Fathers. He showed a remarkable memory, to the point where he could accurately quote St. Augustine's writings down to the page and number of lines.
27. As Calvin and Farel pushed hard for the Reformation in Geneva, the Geneva city council began to distance themselves from them.
28. Eventually, the Geneva city council ordered Calvin and Farel to leave Geneva in 1538.
29. Calvin moved to Strasbourg, where many French refugees lived, obtained citizenship a few months later, and was appointed pastor of St. Nicholas Church.
30. He preached twice a week, celebrated Holy Communion monthly, and encouraged congregational singing of his psalms.
31. He worked on the second edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion, making the first edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion almost three times larger in size.
32. In August 1540, Calvin married Idelette de Burre, a widow with two children.
33. The Council of Geneva received, on the one hand, the collapse of the alliance with Bern, and on the other, a letter from Cardinal Jacopo Sadoleto of the Roman Catholic Church demanding that Geneva return to Roman Catholicism. The Council of Geneva looked for pastors and scholars to respond to this letter, and at first asked Pierre Viret, but when he was rejected, they went to Calvin and asked him to do so.
34. In response to the request of the Geneva Council, Calvin strongly defended Geneva's position on church reform by writing a letter titled “Responsio ad Sadoletum.”
35. The Geneva city council tried to find a way to summon Calvin to Geneva, and Calvin hated returning to Geneva more than dying, but at Farel's recommendation, Calvin returned to Geneva on September 13, 1541.
36. Calvin returned to Geneva and passed the Church Statutes (Ordonnances ecclesiastiques) in 1541.
37. And the Geneva Assembly established the Geneva Consistory, a church political body composed of elders and pastors.
38. In 1542, Calvin published La forme des Prieres et Chants Ecclesiastiques.
39. In the same year, he wrote the Catechism of Geneva.
40. Calvin preached more than 2,000 sermons during his ministry in Geneva, initially twice on Sundays and three times during the week, but at the end of 1542, the Council restricted him from preaching only once on Sundays.
41. Calvin's wife, Idelette, gave birth to a son, Jacques, in 1542, but because she was born prematurely, she died soon after.
42. Idelette died on March 29, 1549.
43. Calvin's Geneva ministry was met with judgment and opposition from his opponents.
44. Amy Perrin, who had contributed to bringing Calvin to Geneva, also publicly turned away from Calvin.
45. Those who opposed Calvin were called libertarians, and they caused Calvin many hardships.
46. Michael Servetus was a physician who boldly criticized the Trinity and infant baptism, and his heretical theology caused a great stir from both Protestants and Roman Catholics. And the Spanish Inquisition ordered him arrested.
47. Servetus was caught in Geneva, tried, and eventually burned at the stake.
48. After Servetus' death, Calvin received praise from all over Europe as the defender of Christianity.
49. In the elections held in February 1555, the libertine faction was completely destroyed and Calvin's political system was established in Geneva.
50. Calvin established a friendly relationship between the Geneva church and Heinrich Bullinger's Zurich church by concluding the Consensus Tigurinus, which was a Concord dispute.
51. Calvin opened the College, an educational institution for children, in 1559, and at this time he finally became a citizen of Geneva.
52. Calvin founded the Geneva Academy, the predecessor of the University of Geneva.
53. Calvin worked for religious reform not only in Geneva but also in his native France.
54. Calvin finally revised and published his Institutes of the Christian Religion, expanding it to a total of 80 chapters.
55. On February 6, 1564, Calvin preached his last sermon in St. Pierre's Cathedral.
56. And he passed away on May 27, 1564, at the age of 54, and was placed in the arms of the Lord.
57. Other reformers, fearful of worshiping Calvin as a saint, placed no marker on Calvin's grave.
58. Therefore, the exact location of his grave is unknown, and only a monument was installed in the 19th century to mark the place said to be Calvin's grave.
Ⅲ. Calvinists Appear in History
59. Ulrich Zwingli is one of the leaders of the Swiss Reformation. He is considered a leader in religious reform along with Luther and John Calvin. The core of the theology emphasized by Zwingli is that the Bible is the inspired word of God and its authority is higher than the claims of any religious council or church fathers.
60. John Knox is a Scottish religious reformer, theologian, and founder of the Scottish Presbyterian Church. He was originally a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, but after studying with John Calvin in Geneva, he returned and fought against Mary Stuart, introducing Reformed theology and church.
61. Theodore de Bez was a religious reformer, humanist, Protestant theologian, Bible translator, professor, diplomat, and poet. He was an unrivaled master of reform principles throughout Europe and succeeded Jean Calvin in leading the University of Geneva.
62. Francis Turretin was an Italian-born Swiss Reformed theologian who defended Calvinist orthodoxy and was one of the authors of the Helvetic Consensus. He defended predestination in the Creed of Dort and defended the literal inspiration of the Bible.
63. Petrus van Maastricht was an outstanding Dutch Reformed theologian during the era of Reformed orthodoxy. He pastored several churches in the Netherlands and taught at universities in Duisburg and Utrecht. His representative work, Theoretical-Practical Theology, was praised by many as an outstanding systematic theology work.
64. John Owen was a nonconformist church leader, theologian, and dean of Oxford University in England.
He was admitted to Queen's College (University of Oxford) in 1628 (at the age of 15), and graduated from the university in 1632, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree.
By the time he graduated from his master's degree program in 1635, he had already mastered numerous classics and was fluent in Greek and Latin.
When he was appointed president of Oxford University, the university was financially insolvent and experiencing extreme turmoil due to the war.
Owen embarked on a reorganization that led to remarkable growth.
Theologians like J.I. Packer were greatly influenced by him.
65. William Perkins was an influential English clergyman and Cambridge theologian.
He was one of the prominent leaders of the Puritan movement within the Church of England during Elizabeth's reign.
He was a supporter of Supralapsarianism of John Calvin and Theodore de Bez, and he was an apologist for the Five Sola.
66. George Whitefield is a British theologian and outstanding preacher.
He started the Methodist movement with John Wesley in England in the 18th century, and laid the foundation for it by becoming the head of Calvinist Methodism.
67. Benjamin B. Warfield, along with Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck of the Netherlands, is one of the world's top three Calvinist theologians and a theologian who served as a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1887 to 1921.
He said, "A Calvinist is a person who sees the presence of God behind all phenomena, who recognizes the hand of God exercising his will in everything that happens, who has a spiritual attitude toward God through prayer, and who is involved in all the work of salvation. “He is a person who excludes the attitude of relying on himself and entrusts himself only to the grace of God,” he said.
68. John Gresham Machen was an American Presbyterian theologian in the early 20th century.
From 1906 to 1929, he served as professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary.
When Princeton Theological Seminary deviated from existing traditions by embracing higher criticism and other theological trends of the time, he resigned from his professorship and founded Westminster Theological Seminary.
He also founded the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) in 1936.
69. Charles Hodge was an American Presbyterian theologian and dean of Princeton Theological Seminary from 1851 to 1878.
He was a representative figure who led Princeton Theology and the orthodox Calvinist theological tradition in the United States during the 19th century.
He strongly asserted the authority of the Bible as the Word of God.
70. Geerhardus Johannes Vos is an American Calvinist theologian and the most prominent theologian at Princeton Theological Seminary in the field of biblical theology.
Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck requested professorships at the Free University of Amsterdam, but returned to lecture at Calvin Theological Seminary.
From 1893 to 1932, he taught biblical theology and systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.
He was faithful to the principles of Bible-centered theology based on Reformed theology, paying close attention to the historical criticism that had begun in Germany at the time.
He greatly influenced many of his junior scholars, such as John Gresham Machen, Cornelius Van Til, John Murray, Edward J. Young, Richard Gaffin, and many Westminster Theological Seminary professors, as well as Louis Berkhof of Calvin Theological Seminary.
He is called the father of Reformed biblical theology.
71. Hermann Bavinck is a Dutch orthodox Reformed theologian and pastor.
Bavinck argued for the organic inspiration of the Bible.
Although Bavinck passed away in 1921, his theological influence was enormous.
For example, Cornelius Van Til and Louis Berkoff did much of their theological work under Bavinck's theological light.
72. Abraham Kuyper was the Prime Minister and theologian of the Netherlands and is known as one of the world's three major Calvinist theologians along with Herman Bavinck of the Netherlands and Benjamin Warfield of the United States.
His ideas of common grace and the sovereignty of God's realm had a great influence on reformed theology.
He emphasized the shift from a human-centered worldview to a God-centered theism.
He argued for the idea of territorial sovereignty that Christianity should expand from the level of personal faith to all areas of life and the entire universe.
73. David Martin Lloyd-Jones is a British doctor-turned-evangelical preacher.
He was, along with John Stott, the most influential pastor in the Korean church.
When he was 40 years old, he became a preacher at Westminster Chapel in London.
“Pastors and Sermons,” a publication of his lectures at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, USA, is known as a masterpiece.
Lloyd Jones was a pastor of a representative Welsh school Congregational church.
74. Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan during the American colonial era, particularly a Congregationalist pastor, Calvinist theologian, and native missionary.
Edwards is "widely recognized as the most important and original philosophical theologian in American history."
He left behind writings on a wide variety of fields, but is mainly known for his works on Reformed theology, the theoretical basis of theological determinism, and the Puritan tradition.
75. John H. Gerstner was originally influenced by Methodist theology, but he learned the meaning of the blood of Christ at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he studied theology.
And he broke away from Arminianism after hearing Professor John Orr say, 'Rebirth comes before faith' in his second year of seminary.
His study of Jonathan Edwards is considered a masterpiece from a Reformed perspective, and his criticism of dispensationalism was approached most biblically, and his writings are still widely read to this day.
76. R. C. Sproul is an American Calvinist theologian, writer, and pastor. He is an American radio preacher.
Since 1975 he has been a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
Although reformed theologians generally use the theological method of presuppositionalism, he prefers evidentialism.
He lectured at Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary in the United States.
77. Nicholas Paul Wolterstorff is an American Christian philosopher.
After majoring in philosophy at Calvin College (B.A.) and Harvard University (Ph.D.), he taught at Calvin College for 30 years and contributed a major role in establishing 'Christian epistemology' with Alvin Plantinga, another master of Christian philosophy.
He is a writer with many philosophical and theological interests and has written many books on theology, aesthetics, ontology, epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and philosophy of education.
In Faith and Reason, Walterstorff, along with Alvin Plantinga and William Allston, developed and expanded a view of religious epistemology known as Reformed epistemology.
He also helped found the journal ‘Faith and Philosophy’ and the Christian Philosophical Society.
78. Louis Berkhof was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian whose works on systematic theology have been influential in seminaries and Bible colleges in the United States, Canada, Korea and with individual Christians in general throughout the 20th century. Berkhof was not known for being original or speculative but for being very good at organizing and explaining basic theological ideas following in the tradition of John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck. Theologian Wayne Grudem has called Berkhof's Systematic Theology "a great treasure-house of information and analysis [...] probably the most useful one-volume systematic theology available from any theological perspective.“
Ⅳ. Calvinism emphasizes the sovereignty of God
78. Calvinism is a theological theology emphasizing the sovereignty of God.
77. On the other hand, Arminianism has a strong humanistic tendency because it is a theology that emphasizes the freedom of human will and responsibility for it.
78. Calvinism’s double predestination emphasizes God’s sovereignty in human salvation.
Ⅴ. The Dort confession
79. The Dort Confession of Faith emphasizes God’s sovereignty in salvation.
80. The Dolt Confession is expressed as TULIP.
81. TULIP is an abbreviation for Total Depravity, Ultimate Salvation, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the saints.
82. Total depravity means that humans have fallen to the point where they cannot be saved through their own efforts, and it does not mean that they live apart from God’s common grace.
83. Ultimate salvation means that those whom God has decided to save will ultimately be saved regardless of the circumstances.
This shows that salvation does not depend on human will, but entirely on God's will.
84. Limited atonement means that God selects some and leaves others according to His good will among the sinful human race due to Adam's crime, and only those who are chosen to be saved are saved through atonement.
85, Irresistible grace means that those who have received the grace of salvation from God cannot reject or resist their salvation.
God changes the hearts of his people, whom he had planned to save, so that they can accept Jesus Christ as their savior, and gives them the Holy Spirit, allowing them to voluntarily believe in Jesus Christ and be saved through rebirth.
Therefore, one who is saved will believe and accept their salvation without resisting it because of God's work and grace.
This means irresistible grace.
86. The perseverance of the saints means that the saints who have been saved by the grace of God will not be shaken or lost in any situation and will eventually be saved due to God's care and protection.
Ⅵ. Five major doctrines of Arminianism
87. If there is the Dort confession of faith, there are also the five major doctrines of Arminianism.
88. They are Free will or Human Ability, Conditional Election, Universal Redemption or General Atonement, and The holy Spirit who can be effectively rejected and resisted, Falling from Grace.
89. The explanation of Free will or Human Ability is as follows. Although man is severely affected by the Fall, the condition of the human soul is not completely hopeless. Man has the ability to cooperate with God's Holy Spirit to be born again or to reject God's grace.
90. Conditional Election refers to God's omniscienct power knowing that a person will believe in Jesus Christ and be saved through his or her own ability and faith.
91. Universal Redemption or General Atonement means that God did not choose only certain people to be saved, but chose the entire human race, but only those who effectively believe in and accept the atonement of Christ among those mankind are saved. At this time, faith means that a person believes in Jesus Christ with his or her own will and ability without God's external intervention.
92. The holy Spirit can be effectively resisted means that human free will can limit the application of Christ's redemptive work. So, humans can reject the salvation that God provides through their own will.
93. Falling from Grace means that a man can lose his salvation by failing to keep his faith.
94. When I hear these five major doctrines of Arminianism, I wonder whether anyone will truly be saved.
95. These five major doctrines of Arminianism have a strong legalistic tendency, which the Apostle Paul warned against.
96. Because man's salvation depends on his own will, actions and efforts.
97. Apostle Paul strongly states that salvation cannot be obtained through human works and merits, and he strongly denies human works and merits to the point of saying that those who preach anything other than the gospel he preached will be cursed.
VII. Abraham Kuiper's Sphere Sovereignty Idea
98. Calvinism includes Abraham Kuyper’s idea of sphere sovereignty.
99. The idea of God's sphere sovereignty is the concept that God has sovereignty over all human spheres through Christ and rules as king.
100. This idea of sphere sovereignty means that God must become sovereign, rule, and rule over all human spheres.
Ⅷ. Calvinism: God-centeredness
101. Calvinism emphasizes that God must be sovereign and the center of people's lives.
102. God-centeredness is living a life that obeys the word of God with God at the center in all areas of human life.
Ⅸ. Calvinists' view of the Bible (the Bible is the word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit)
103. Calvinism believes that the Bible is the word of God, entirely inspired by the Holy Spirit.
104. Therefore, Calvinists believe and follow only the Bible as the only rule and standard of faith and life.
Ⅹ. Five Solas of the Reformation
105. The five Solas of the Reformation are as follows:
106. The first Sola is Sola Scriptura.(Only the Scripture)
107. The second Sola is Sola Fide.(Only the Faith)
108. The third Sola is Sola Gratia.(Only the Grace)
109. The fourth Sola is Solus Christus.(Only Christ)
110. The fifth Sola is Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone).
Ⅺ. Calvinism's double predestination Doctrine
111. Double predestination is a doctrine that Calvin explained to explain God’s sovereignty.
112. Double predestination was not the most important part of Calvin's theology.
113. Double predestination is the theory that God predestined some of the sinners who committed sins before the creation of the world and were destined to be judged by God to be saved through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and that He abandoned the rest to be judged for their sins.
114. So Calvinists argue for predestination. In other words, God has His sovereignty and predestined and selected those who will be saved according to His good pleasure.
115. However, Arminians insist on foreknowledge predestination. They say that God, through his omniscient power, knew those who would believe in Jesus Christ with his own will and chose them as his people.
116. Regardless of their own will and merit, God's people who have been saved by receiving grace and being chosen by God's sovereignty have no choice but to give praise and glory to God.
117. On the other hand, according to the Arminian view of predestination, those who believe in Jesus Christ of their own will and are saved have no reason to give glory to God. No matter how much grace God gives you, it is of no use if you do not believe, and in the end, you will be saved through your own will and your own choice. This is no different from legalists gaining salvation through their own works and efforts.
Ⅻ. Calvin's theory of prayer
118. Prayer is very important in Calvinism. For that purpose, Calvin set an example of prayer.
119. Calvin believes that the word of God is very important in prayer.
120. The reason Calvin considers the word of God important in prayer is because the basis of faith is the word of God.
121. Prayer is not only conversation and fellowship with God, but also an expression of faith.
122. Because believing in the word of God is faith, and prayer is an expression of faith in believing in the word of God.
123. Calvin explained several principles of prayer.
124. First, those who pray must pray with fear of God.
125. Second, those who pray must be conscious of their own shortcomings and pray with a repentant heart.
126. Third, those who pray must abandon all trust in themselves and humbly offer a prayer of forgiveness.
127. Fourth, those who pray must pray with the sure hope that their prayers will be answered.
128. For Calvin, the most important requirement for a person who prays is that Christ should be the center.
129. Therefore, prayer must be prayed in the name of Jesus Christ, the mediator.
130. For Calvin, prayer is a specific act of faith.
131. Because prayer has a wide impact on the entire life of Christ, more thorough education must be provided.
132. Calvin emphasizes the most important thing among prayer training.
133. First, the person praying must set aside time to pray.
134. Second, the person praying must persevere and continue his prayers.
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