How did Calvins ideas on the Protestant Reformation compare with Luthers and Zwinglis?
• In most important regards they were quite like both Luther’s and Zwingli’s. • Calvin stressed, along with Luther and Zwingli, the three major issues of the Reformation: • sola gratia: we are saved from sin and destruction by the grace of God alone — never by human works, no matter how good they might seem to be. • sola fide: our major responsibility toward God is to live through total faith alone in God and his “providence” or good care. • sola scriptura: All authoritative guidance for the Christian life comes from scripture alone — not from human authority, no matter how important such human authority may seem to the life of the church. • With respect to the very hot issue separating Luther and Zwingli, namely the status of Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, Calvin took a position somewhere midway between Luther and Zwingli: • Calvin agreed with Zwingli (in opposition to Luther) in claiming that it seemed absurd to suppose that the bread and wine actually changed into the physic
