Which statement best defines the teachings of John Calvin?

Which statement best defines the teachings of John Calvin?

A. Calvin taught his followers thaf salvation could be achieved through faith, but nut through good works.

B. Calvin taught his followers that human beings needed to follow strict rules to overcome their nature and do good.

C. Calvin taught his followers that they could reduce punishment for their sins by giving generously to the church.

D. Calvin taught his followers that priests and popes were closer to God than their churchgoers.

Answer: B. Calvin taught his followers that human beings needed to follow strict rules to overcome their nature and do good.

The leading ideas of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century was formulated by John Calvin resulting in the development of a precise theological system – Calvinism. Part of his doctrine that he postulated was that of original sin which suggested that man is evil through and through because of the first sin. According to Calvin, this sinful nature could only be subdued if only people strictly obeyed the law of God and his commandments.

Calvin was keen on stressing the organization in Christ’s life and the concept of self-control. For instance, he exhorted his followers in Geneva to shun expensive items and remain clean-hearted, which relates to the stewardship of the heart theme. He put into practice a series of moral rules in the city along with penalties for sinning vices such as dancing, eating meat on Friday and drinking too much.

In Calvin’s teachings, another very vital doctrine was predestination. He concluded that God has predetermined who was going to be saved and who was going to be damned which are the elects. There was a contribution of Calvin in support of this perspective in as much as he argued that since nobody could know whether he or she was among the elect, one should live a righteous life as though he or she were saved. This resulted in high stress on sanctification as a demonstration of one’s predestination for heaven or, more accurately, rejection of eternal punishment.

Other principles propagated by Calvin included hard work and also need for education. He thought that these were means of lifting God’s glory and overcoming the sinful nature of people. This resulted in the development of a sound work ethic amongst his followers, which would go on to inform protestant culture.

Although Calvin did support the principle of salvation by faith only (sola fide), Calvinism has more stress on strict regulation and eradication of sinful inclination by self-discipline; thus, the best among the provided options is B.