Martin Luther’s Impact vs. John Calvin’s Impact
by Whose impact was greater and why. An analysis of the Reformation.
Luther’s impact in the first century of the Protestant faith was greater than Calvin’s through nationalism. Two of the great reasons that states turned Protestant (Lutheran) in the first place, were wealth and independence of the Catholic church. In Protestantism, the king would gain the land that was once the pope’s; wealth. The king also wanted independence of the Catholic church because he wanted to use his own laws and rule his own state. These reasons can be summed up in the word nationalism. Because the kings had already turned Protestant and received the pope’s land and the pope’s power, it seems they would have found another change, unreasonable. Calvin’s new idea of faith didn’t attract people’s attentions as much as Luther’s had. Thus, Luther’s impact in the first century of the Protestant faith was greater than Calvin’s through nationalism.
It all began when a man by the name of Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. 101 years later, in 1618, about half of all Europe had become Protestant. Historians attribute the spread of Protestantism to John Calvin (who created Calvinism) and Martin Luther (who created Lutheranism). However, through appeal to the masses, the role of the church in state affairs, and nationalism, Martin Luther’s impact in the first century of the Protestant faith was greater than John Calvin’s.
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Post CommentShawn
On February 6, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Luther and Calvin were great in their own respect. Luther and Calvin both agreed that works as a way of inheriting salvation were useless, and that one could only inherit faith through \”election\”, as Calvin would put it, and \”calling\”, as Luther would put it. Both symbolized the same thing, as election promised the divine call of God unto the requirements leading up to glorified redemption. That is, the stepping stones in between, which are listed, not all, in Romans 8. But only in the clear sense that justification by faith promises the Spirit of Sanctification.
Martin Luther\’s mission in Christ was to expose the outward religion of Roman Catholicism. He did this, and had the right to do so (Under the Authority of God) because he knew the scriptures in the Spirit, rather than the letter.
John Calvin amplified election, predestination, and even eternal security, more clearly than any other reformed Christian theologist.
Double Predestination was also taught exclusively by Calvin, who made it clear that either eternal mercy and salvation or eternal destruction and misery was foreknown, and preordained by God. Romans 9 talks about the potter molding some into vessels of wrath \”prepared for destruction\”, and molding others into vessels of mercy prepared for everlasting life.
Clear understanding of the Bible, in the Spirit, supported these men in absolute thoroughness as both men were equally effective in the doctrines and teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.