Who is John Calvin
The Five Points of Calvinism – Total Depravity
Total depravity is the Reformed teaching that every single person is totally estranged from God. It teaches that humans are all corrupted by sin; no one could ever hope to be in a right relationship with God on their own merit.
Total depravity is often connected to the doctrine of original sin. This doctrine does not refer to the first sin or to the origin of sin.
The Five Solas of the Reformation: Sola Gratia
The phrase “by the grace of God” is so common these days that it may almost seem meaningless. But for Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin, being saved by the grace of God alone (aka sola gratia—the fourth sola in our solas series) was essential to understanding salvation. Indeed, for Luther, Calvin, and the…
Martin Luther vs. John Calvin
The online search phrase “Martin Luther vs. John Calvin” is made hundreds of times a month by those discovering the richness of church history for the first time, and rightly so. No religious reformers influenced the world more than these two Titans of Christianity. Though the Protestant Reformation passed the five-hundred-year milestone in 2017, the air is still abuzz with the sound of their voices.
The Five Solas of the Reformation: Sola Fide
In our previous post, we talked about the amazing truth that being saved is only possible through Christ. He’s the only one who can make things right between us and God. Continuing this exploration of the Five Solas of the Reformation, we now focus on the pivotal concept of Sola Fide, commonly known as “faith…
The Five Points of Calvinism – Unconditional Election
For Calvin and the Reformers, the salvation of man rested on God’s determination alone. This simply means that God did not base His decision to save us on anything we do or say. Instead, it is solely God’s sovereign choice to save whoever He wants. Reformed theologians refer to this sovereign choice as “Unconditional Election.” This is the second point of the five points of Calvinism or the U in TULIP.
The Five Solas of the Reformation: Solus Christus
In our previous post, we introduced you to the five solas of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), Sola fide (faith alone), Sola gratia (grace alone), and Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). We also shared the concise summary of the Gospel these solas create: “Christians are saved by grace…