What are the religious beliefs of Calvinism?

Answer 1

Calvinism was established by French Protestant John Calvin. Calvin included all his principles of Protestantism in his book Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin's theology began with the omnipotence of God, where the entire universe depends only on the will of the Almighty, who created the world for his glory. Calvin argued that because of the original fall from grace, all human beings are sinners and bound to an evil nature they cannot escape. Yet, the Lord has predestined some humans for eternal salvation and damned all the rest to hell already. In other words, Calvin believed that nothing that humans may do can alter their fate. Nonetheless, Calvin also argued that humans cannot be indifferent to their conduct on Earth because humans are chosen instruments of God, made to work actively to fulfill God's purposes. Because sin offends God, Christians should do all they can to prevent it, not because it leads to salvation.

Thus, to put the belief of Calvinism in one statement: All humans have predestined fates, but they should still work to do good and prevent sin since they are agents to fulfill God's purposes on earth, not to ensure their own personal salvation.

Answer 2

Agree to disagree with the following: Total depravity (predestination); Unconditional election (some elected, some not); Limited atonement (Jesus only died for a few); Irresistable grace (God calls, they cannot resist); and Perseverance of the Saints (once saved, always saved). ********************************************************************************************************* It is unfortunate that people will attempt to answer a question who honestly do not know the truth. First of all, the previous answer did not really answer anything. Secondly, the previous responder's definition of the first three points are simply in error. 1) Total Depravity has nothing to do with predestination. TD refers to the fact that man is sinful in every aspect of his being. Not as sinful as he might be, but tainted by sin in every area. Unconditional election is not simply about the fact that some may not be elect. It just speaks to the fact that the election of man in salvation is totally the work of God and not dependent on any act of man. As far as Limited Atomement is concerned, it does not mean that Jesus only died for "a few". It refers to the efficacious nature of the atonement being applied to the elect only. Jesus undoubtedly died for a great many. Be careful when you answer that you have your facts. Anything else is simply misleading and does no one any good.

Answer 3

Calvinists are those who follow the teachings of the French reformer, John Calvin (1509-1564). Most fundamentally, Calvinists believe that God is completely sovereign in all spheres of life, both in creation and redemption. Calvinists believe that all men are fallen in sin, lie under God's wrath and curse, and can only be delivered from their fallen state through the merits of Jesus Christ, received by faith. The distinctive tenets of Calvinism with respect to man's salvation are often summarized under the acrostic TULIP: total depravity (men are corrupt and sinful in every faculty), unconditional election (God chooses or predestinates some [the elect] to be saved, out of His free grace and not on the basis of their foreseen faith or good works), limited (or definite) atonement (Christ died only to atone for the sins of the elect), irresistible grace (God's Spirit works efficaciously to convert the sinner's fallen heart), and the preservation of the saints (those whom God has savingly called can never lose their salvation or fall utterly from grace). A detailed outline of the beliefs of Calvinists can be found in John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. The Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession of Faith, and Canons of Dortrecht give useful expressions of Dutch Calvinism; from the perspective of English and Scottish Calvinism, see the Westminster Confession of Faithand Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

Answer 4

The most famous Calvinist concept is the idea of predestination: the belief that God has planned out every human's life.