His Early Life And Achievement
He was born on July 10, 1509
in Noyon; a little town on northern France his father was a secretary in the
bishop of Noyon. Calvin was appointed as chaplaincy when he was eleven years
old. His mother was dead when he was young. He grew up in his neighbor’s house.
When he was just fourteen years he entered in the University of Paris.
In 1528 he received his
master degree in arts and was greatly influence by humanist. In 1532 he
published his writing “on clemency” a work on the political ethics. In 1536 he
published another writing “Institutes of the Christian religion”.
His Work In Reforming The Church
On august 1536 he enter
Geneva here he met with French evangelical preacher Guillaume Farel. Both of
them work together in the reformation. They set up a system of instruction in
the church and pressed for a closed relation between citizen and the church membership,
this letter was based on a creedal test. They subject the citizen a strict
religious practice. In Strasbourg he had three fruitful years. In August 1540,
he married one of his parishioners while serving in Parish. But his life was
not significant and comforting as Luther she was seriously sick and died quiet
early.[1]
When Calvin left Geneva from Germany all
the citizen become confuse and disorder. The church was going from bad to
worse. This is mainly because of Cardinal Sadoleto who wants to make Geneva to
return to her mother church. In 1539 a treaty in which the party that make
Calvin expulsion were defeated in the election. The party which was favor to
Calvin became into power and asked Calvin to return to Geneva. On September 13,
1542 Calvin returned to Geneva for the second time. He restore all the church
orders in his second return this was best upon the teaching from the scripture
that Christ has ordained four offices in the church: pastors, teacher of professors,
elders and deacons. He set up Geneva Academy, the first protestant university.
This was built not from the money given from foreign king but by the
sacrificial giving of the common people of Geneva.
Calvin was simply a minister
of the gospel and theological professor, through him the light of the gospel
related from the life city of Geneva into every corner of Europe. He was the
only international reformer from the beginning of reformation to till his
death. He could do some enormous in all amazing thing because he was frail of
body, and much of his time suffered exceedingly from a complication of painful
diseases. By the always triumphed over all difficulties and obstacles, because
he knew that God was working with him. He died in May 27, 1564. When he lives
his motto was “My heart for the cause I
offer thee, Lord, promptly and sincerely.” He spent his life was in keeping
with his motto.[2]
Evaluation:
John Calvin great reformers of Geneva taught that
lord supper should be served only to the true believers. He opposed the mere
believers to take the lord supper. He also led the believers in the right
doctrine taken from the bible. Here he taught that we need to take the bible as
our first priority in the church. Some people make a doctrine from outside the
bible and lead their people for the worldly pleasure. As a Christian or leader
we need to focus on the right doctrine and followed the right instruction from
the scripture.
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