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Luther And John Calvin Comparison

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The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century was a major turning point in the history of Western Christianity. It saw the rejection of the religious authority of the Catholic Church and the rise of new forms of Christianity. Among the many figures who played a significant role in this movement, Martin Luther and John Calvin are considered two of the most important. While both of these men were instrumental in challenging the authority of the Catholic Church, their theology differed in important ways.

First, Luther emphasized the doctrine of justification by faith alone, or "sola fide." He believed that people were justified before God through faith in Jesus Christ and that good works were merely a result of that justification. In contrast, Calvin emphasized the importance of good works as a demonstration of true faith. He taught that faith without works was dead and that good works were necessary evidence of true saving faith. This difference in their approach to salvation highlights a fundamental disagreement about the relationship between faith and works in the Christian life.

Second, Luther and Calvin had different views on the role of the church in society. Luther saw the role of the church as primarily one of preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments, while Calvin saw the church …show more content…

Luther did not emphasize predestination as much and instead focused on the idea of the priesthood of all believers, the belief that all Christians have direct access to God through faith in Jesus Christ and do not need intermediaries such as priests to mediate their relationship with God. This disagreement on the nature of God's sovereignty and the relationship between God and humanity highlights one of the most significant differences between Luther and Calvin's

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The Protestant Reformation was important in European History because with it came a Counter-Reformation. The Reformation revealed corruption in the Church, such as buying and selling salvation—indulgences—for profit, simony, and the overall battles for power and wealth (within the Church). Martin Luther and John Calvin were crusaders for the reformation and were able to share their ideas and beliefs effectively; they were then accepted/recognized by the people—the educated and uneducated, the middle class and nobility. Luther and Calvin’s beliefs allowed for other people to find a sense of freedom and individualism in religion.

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As Calvin continued to preach on salvation by grace through faith he also was working on implementing this into the government system and reforming the church even further. Calvin was invited to Geneva to work with the government and reform the city. He strived to create a city that was a reflection of Christian principles hoping it to be a “model Christian city”. He didn’t want just the government to be built upon these principles he wanted to get into the everyday lives of the people and make sure social aspects were built upon God’s authority. This was implemented by having elders of the church also be magistrates in the city.

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As Martin Luther proceeded to spread word of the Catholic Church’s wrong doing in hopes of reforming the church, he created a new branch of Christianity. Those who agreed with his beliefs broke away from Catholicism and into Lutheranism. John Calvin, a French theologian and pastor, created another denomination known as Calvinism. This branch believes that only a few select will reach salvation, unlike Lutheranism, which all will find peace as long as they have faith. Also, followers of Calvinism lead stricter lifestyles compared to Lutheranism.

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Theses, posted in 1517, criticized the sale of indulgences and called for a debate on issues of faith and authority within the Church. He emphasized the doctrine of justification by faith, rejecting the Catholic Church's teaching on the necessity of good works for salvation. Luther also advocated for the priesthood of all believers, asserting that all believers have direct access to God and the ability to interpret the Bible for

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John Calvin was a French Theologian who and was the leader of the Protestant Reformation (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). He first had studied to become a priest then became fascinated with theology and started to study it (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). The church taught that if you are not a part of God than you will not go into heaven. John Calvin believed that all people are flawed and corrupt so because of this they can not understand or take part in his salvation (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras). John Calvin’s moral was everyone should live a moral life and hope that God will save them (John Calvin, World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras).

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Luther realized that despite one’s strict upkeep of established Catholic law or ceremony, God’s love cannot be gained based upon mere action. He suddenly understood and believed that God’s love is received through faith itself, not actions. Luther and his followers began to use the phrase “sola fide” (“by faith alone”) as their motto, taking to heart their new interpretation of the Bible.

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Calvin has opposing views to the (hand me down) aspect of the Catholic religion. Calvin believes that the pastors are not sent forth with a licentious and lawful authority but have a duty to the church and must be faithful to their

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(Syllabus, 25). These two theses show the fraudulence that was occurring in the church, especially the Pope giving people “a key to heaven” if they were to purchase in indulgence. To sum up, Martin Luther helped spread the Protestant Reformation in order for a better and more fair, religious experience

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Many reformers such as Martin Luther, John Wycliff, and John Calvin played prominent roles in sixteenth-century Europe; they helped to reform Catholic churches and change the Europeans’ ways of thinking. “The Reformation was a rejection of the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance” is a true statement. The main goal of the religious reformation was to bring back the former beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, which were based off of the bible; this went against the Renaissance ideas. Martin Luther was one of the many important reformers in sixteenth century Europe. Luther helped to completely change the church systems by writing his 95 theses.

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The Reformation is an era that is widely acknowledged as a major turning point marked by substantial change politically and religiously in Western Europe and the world. This change is primarily due to the influence of Martin Luther, a man who played a pivotal role through his writings. There were many reasons for the push for the Reformation, but the main causes were political and religious. The Church was a powerhouse because the clergy comprised the majority of those who could read, the majority of Europe and most of the world believed in Christianity, and the Pope was a figurehead who had the power of excommunication. Eventually, this power would start to afflict the Church, on the outside, the Church preached its teaching, thought to be

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John Calvin also helped shape people’s opinions on Protestantism which he promoted as already known. So John Calvin was able to turn Geneva from Catholicism to Protestantism. So in the end John Calvin was therefore able to have an impact on the Reformation because he was very involved with the movement and introduction of Protestantism and also was able to introduce many other things into Europe. So in the end during the Reformation John Calvin overall carried a strong, spiritual and political stance and legacy

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Among the religions and beliefs during the 16th century, there were different opinions on how to run society and the government. Martin Luther and John Calvin were two leaders in the Protestant Reformation who wanted change in the Catholic Church. Although Luther and Calvin were similar in the political authority and ecclesiastical, they differed on religion and society. Luther and Calvin were both Protestants who believed the Catholic Church was corrupt due to the selling of indulgences and the preaching of salvation.

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The opposition Luther took against the Church soon had an instant impact on peasants. Individuals began to form opinions on both political and religious fields, but they had failed to interpret the beliefs of Luther correctly.

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Starting from the statement that Christians receive salvation through faith and the grace of God. Luther also stated, “The churches rituals did not have the ability to save souls. ”Also Luther talked about how the Church and the Pope make errors often. This had gone from a need for reforming indulgences to a whole

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When examining three of these differences in doctrine, and how Calvin’s prayers from the Commentary on Hosea touch on the subject, one can clearly see how the prayers illustrate the conflict between Roman Catholicism and the Protestant Reformation that was beginning. The first one of these conflicts was the issue of sanctification. In his first prayer, John Calvin is heard pleading with God that grace will remain extended to him and other believers. He admits that there is sin and wrongdoings in each and every person’s lives and prays that the Lord will restore his heart to a holy and righteous state. This process of being continually renewed to a state of righteousness and pure heart is often referred to as sanctification.

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