John Calvin

John Calvin was born July 10, 1509 in Picardy, France. His family was lower class, but his father was able to become an attorney and then got in the good graces of the upper class and clergy. John was tutored by an upper-class family in preparation to go to the University of Paris and eventually get trained in theology and become a doctor, much in the same way that Martin Luther had. However, after getting his degree in arts (Latin Philosophy) plans changed for him and his father desired to send him to law school, as Luther’s father, Hans, did with Luther. Calvin found himself attending the University of Orleans, studying law. During this time, he became acquainted with the Renaissance and Reformation doctrine.

In 1533 Calvin fled from Paris to Basel, Switzerland. He came under the influence of Protestant teaching and became a Protestant. This is where he began his study of theology. In order to clarify his own views, he began to write starting with a preface to the French Bible and then his classic work that literally impacted the entire planet, “The Institutes of the Christian Religion.” This book covers all major points of theology and his biblical commentaries. In 1536 Calvin was spending some time in Geneva and as a result he met a Reformer that was working to establish the truth in Geneva. This Reformer convinced Calvin to stay in Geneva and help him. Shortly after this time he had to flee Geneva because the town council wanted to exercise complete control over the church. He went to Strasbourg, Germany and got married. He was then invited back to Geneva in 1541to lead the church there. In fact, they enacted the Presbyterian concept of church order. They enacted three orders, preachers and teachers to lead the church spiritually, elders to control the administration of the church and deacons to attend to its charitable work.

The works of John Calvin had a wide-ranging impact on the future centuries of the world. Calvinism’s five points were formed by future followers of Calvin. The teachings of Calvin on predestination and the sovereignty of God impacted England and the birth of the United States of America. John Calvin’s works, “The Institutes of the Christian Religion” and his commentaries on the bible shaped the thinking of Puritans, that moved to the New World. Even the political thoughts of Calvin had a great impact on Puritan society in the New World, which eventually led to the birth of the Republic.

I hope these histories regarding these reformers have been a blessing to you. We don’t intend to endorse everything that Luther, Zwingli or Calvin did. They were sincere in the work that they did and accomplished the purposes that the Lord sent them for in their day. They proclaimed the truth that God called them to for his purpose in his season. We thank God for what they were in the plan of salvation: restoring the whole truth in the end time. As Brother Branham told us, he was sent to gather together all those loose ends that the Reformers brought, which resulted in various branches of the Reformation.