The Politics of Luther, Calvin, and the Reformed Church

Martin Luther (1483–1546) and John Calvin (1509–1564; written henceforth as Jean Calvin) altered the power dynamics between the individual and religious authority—kicking the door in for individualism and promoting reconnection with our creator God. Historian Duncan B. Forrester believes “[t]he root and core of all reformed theology is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., p. 461). Complacency is not an aspect of the Christian doctrine; yet its odious presence persists in the modern age. Both Martin Luther and Jean Calvin’s political theories coincide “as derived from the same source, Holy Scripture;” yet each varied in their modi operadi, (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., p. 459). The result was both union and divergence concluding in multiple doctrines of the Protestant denomination—all centered around a personal relationship with God; dissent of worldly authorities; and the actuality of Scripture as a living practice—directed by God. Forrester wrote that “[t]he Reformers accuse their opponents not only of introducing alien authorities into theology in addition to Scripture and of subordinating the Word of God to the judgment of the Church, but also of refusing to be bound to its plain sense, and instead treating the Bible ‘as if it were a nose of wax, to be pulled around at will,’” (Forrester, D., Strauss, L., p. 464). The Reformers ability to materialize words in the minds of men were brought on by personal obligation; they were willing to commit their lives to challenge government; invoking Scripture to bring His Light unto the darkness of culture.

While both Luther and Cavin were revolutionary reformers, historian Duncan B. Forrester reveals the two men “[were] at opposite poles as far as mood and expression are concerned,” (p. 460). Forrester, on Luther’s distinctive qualities, wrote; “[w]hen Luther seeks to find a rule of life in Scripture he tends to understand this negatively,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp. 465, 466). On Jean Calvin, Forrester remarks of his differences that, as “Luther [saw] Scripture as pointing to a relationship to Christ which may be expressed in many ways of life, Calvin [tended] to look for the one, immutable rule of Christian obedience,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp. 465, 466). Conversely Forrester compares that, “Calvin, on the other hand, looks to Scripture for an unequivocally positive pattern of life and action,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., p. 465).

Theologian R.C. Sproul (1913–2017) notes that Martin Luther’s doctrine positioned the individual to bear responsibility over their own actions, independently of authority;  “Luther concluded that the righteousness by which we will be saved is not ours. It’s what he called a justitia alienum, an alien righteousness, a righteousness that belongs properly to somebody else. It’s a righteousness that is extra nos, outside us—namely, the righteousness of Christ,” (Sproul, R.C., p. 32). On Jean Calvin; Matthew J., Tuininga writes “when it came to individuals, [Calvin] tended to emphasize the expectation of suffering and the necessity to rest in hope. When it came to the prosperity of kingdoms…he tended to emphasize Old Testament principles of corporate reward and punishment,” (Tuininga, M, p. 318). The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther’s Theology writes that “Luther struggled with the common religious assumption that God and the law were one in essence (thus the summum bonum). In that case, God would be justified in using the law to condemn the unjust,” (Kolb, R., p. 188).

The Individual and Religious Authority

Luther and Calvin’s resistance against tyranny revolutionized the political system; greatly affecting our contemporary consideration of authority and methods of policy design; “[n]either Luther nor Calvin makes any claim to being an original thinker. They think of themselves simply as witnesses to the truth which is available to all men in Holy Scripture,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp. 465, 466). Luther contended “[o]ne should not consider whether the Pope instituted these festivals, or whether we require his dispensation or permission. If anything is contrary to God's will and harmful to men in body and soul, not only has every community, council, or government authority to prevent and abolish such wrong without the knowledge or consent of pope or bishop, but it is their duty, as they value their soul's salvation, to prevent it, even though pope and bishop (that should be the first to do so) are unwilling to see it stopped,” (Luther, M., Loc. 6501).

Jean Calvin believed that society must be centered around “Trust…is a recognition of his perfections, when, ascribing to him all power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth, we consider ourselves happy,” (Calvin, J., p. 443). All men must seek truth; yet must acknowledge an objective eternal reference to guide their endeavors. Forrester adds that while both Luther and Calvin acknowledge independence between Church and State, “they mean rather different things by this.” Luther highlights the “invisibility of the church” contending it be the body of believers, thereby “the secular government may organize the external polity of the Church,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp.472, 473). Conversely; Jean Calvin recognized the “visibility of the Church;” Forrester adds that the methodology of Churches as well as true Christian doctrine is “found in Scripture…[b]oth Church and State are concerned with the maintenance of external morality, but they proceed in different ways appropriate to their different natures,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp.472, 473). Jean Calvin reminds the contemporary reader that, “[t]he authority of Scripture derived not from men, but from the Spirit of God,” (Calvin, J., p. 88).

Calvin warned of our modern institutions, bringing “men, seeking, under the pretext of the Church, to introduce unbridled tyranny, care not in what absurdities they entangle themselves and others, provided they extort from the simple this one acknowledgment-i.e., that there is nothing which the Church cannot do, (Calvin, J., p. 90). Calvin opined that “[t]he authority of the Law being founded and established, God delivers his First Commandment- Thou shalt have no other gods before me. The purport of this commandment is, that the Lord will have himself alone to be exalted in his people, and claims the entire possession of them as his own. That it may be so, he orders us to abstain from ungodliness and superstition of every kind, by which the glory of his divinity is diminished or obscured; and, for the same reason, he requires us to worship and adore him with truly pious zeal. The simple terms used obviously amount to this,” (Calvin, J., pp. 442-443).

Martin Luther was aware that he had unearthed something revolutionary in men, and there was no stopping what would become a new world order—after a millennium of Dark Ages. Luther wrote in a letter to Pope Leo X “I have heard evil reports about myself…I am accused of heresy, apostasy, and perfidy, and am called by six hundred other names of ignominy. My ears shudder and my eyes are astounded. But the one thing in which I put my confidence remains unshaken—my clear and quiet conscience. Moreover, what I hear is nothing new,” (Luther, M., Loc., 911-920). Luther acknowledged that “[i]t is a miracle to me by what fate it has come about that this single Disputation of mine should, more than any other, of mine or of any of the teachers, have gone out into very nearly the whole land. It was made public at our University and for our University only, and it was made public in such wise that I cannot believe it has become known to all men,” (Luther, M., Loc. 944). Martin Luther added “Now what shall I do? I cannot recant them; and yet I see that marvelous enmity is inflamed against me because of their dissemination. It is unwillingly that I incur the public and perilous and various judgment of men, especially since I am unlearned, dull of brain, empty of scholarship; and that too in this brilliant age of ours, which by its achievements in letters and learning can force even Cicero into the corner, though he was no base follower of the public light,” (Luther, M., Loc. 944).

Theological-Political Implications

These theological reformations had implications for political authority; realigning the sovereignty of man to his creator, God. As Robert Kolb writes, “[b]y 1516 Luther was beginning to express his concern at the misunderstanding and abuse of indulgences in his sermons, and to engage more deeply with questions of free will, grace, and salvation in his lectures; in late 1516 he presided over a disputation on the extent of free will,” (Kolb, R., p. 9). Kolb adds that “In a series of sermons in spring 1517 Luther criticized the preaching of indulgences as a desecration of the gospel because it gave those who responded a false sense of security,” (Kolb, R., p. 11). Martin Luther contended that “the Greek was more correctly translated ‘Repent!’ than ‘Do penance!’” claiming the latter to be “a humanist correction to the Latin translation of Matthew 4:17;…[i]n August 1518 Luther received a summons to Rome to respond to an accusation of heresy,” (Kolb, R., pp. 11, 12).

Despite this, Luther relied heavily on political authority to preserve his own existence; namely the Elector Frederick III of Saxony (1463–1525), who used his political power to “assert his own authority against that of both the pope and the emperor by protecting Luther,” (Kolb, R., p 12). Author Sam Waldron writes that “[Calvin’s] political theory…asserts all political power is derived from the consent of the governed conferred…by an original social contract or agreement. This contract results in mutual obligations for both the governed and the governor, (Waldron, S., p. 20, 21). Author Eric Metaxas writes that “[Luther] had seen that he was not under these leaders as much as they were all under God together. All authority came from God, and as in Christ all were one and all were judged equally, it was Luther’s right and indeed his duty as a Christian to speak the truth to these powers, to point out to them where they were wrong and where they might go wrong, for the sake of their souls and for the sake of all those whom they ruled over,” (Metaxas, E., p. 249). The greatest minds throughout history have fallen persecuted to government authority; for bearing faith in a Supernatural God is the single greatest threat to the totalitarian regime that strives to obtain citizen consensus through coercion.

Matthew J., Tuininga writes that “Calvin believed that sincere piety and unity in religion are necessary for the welfare of any society,” (Tuininga, M., p. 316). Luther and Calvin, however; “discuss such subjects as the place of secular government in relation to God’s scheme of salvation; the connection between sin and temporal authority; the relationships of divine law, natural law, and positive law; the multitudinous implications of the Christian doctrine of man; Church and State; the limits of political power; the mutual duties of ruler and subjects; and so on,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., p. 460). Forrester adds that Calvin sought to conform Church polity to Scripture, and “neither tradition nor the temporal government is to be allowed to have authority in this matter,” (Forrester, D.; Strauss, L., pp. 473, 474).

The Source of Political Authority in Contemporary Polity

The reformed concept of Church and State has immensely affected how Americans think about the sources of political authority today. Democratic institutions now strive to convince Americans that their rights are given by government; thus sources of political authority must be subjective and transmutable. Luther and Calvin’s political theories were both rooted in theology, warning against the fraudulent practices of depravity exhibited by the ruling class. Luther and Calvin remind us of the nefarious government policy that today persists to prevent wealth from being created to uphold the illusion of control and force citizens into fiscal servitude. Luther acknowledged this, as did Calvin; both displayed their witness with prominence for posterity. This resulted in the spur of the Reformation, bringing God closer to the people; forming a lasting reminder that government is not our authority; it is our military defender and legislature to uphold citizen commonwealth. Martin Luther and Jean Calvin’s declaration of dissent created a dialectical effect, reinforcing the thesis of truth over the antithesis of man’s depravity; the result was inevitably Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence—a new thesis that enumerated the rights of man as sourced by God. Had both men not stood up for their beliefs in accordance with the word of the Lord; America would likely have been vastly different. The debate continues today, as the corporate cabal of control strives to convince constituents that rights are legislated, as is morality. Values cannot be legislated; human rights cannot be legislated; freedom cannot be legislated—yet an inherent liberty exists, unchanging in its form. Luther and Calvin placed the importance of the individual’s sovereignty on par with the essentiality of the commonwealth; making government a secondary function; under the condition that every individual limit the extent of their own freedoms within the jurisdiction of a corpus of laws to ensure an attainable commonwealth.

Calvin reminds us that “we must beware of superstition, by which our minds are turned aside from the true God, and carried to and fro after a multiplicity of gods,” for God “plainly declares what his nature is, and what the kind of worship with which he is to be honoured;” adding that “[i]t seems inconsistent with the equity of the divine procedure to punish the innocent for another's fault;” (Calvin, J., pp. 443–446). Calvin made three declarations of his faith; first, “[w]hatever our mind conceives of him, whatever our tongue utters, must bespeak his excellence;” in short, must be fitted to extol its greatness. Secondly, We must not rashly and preposterously pervert his sacred word. Lastly, We must not detract from or throw obloquy upon his works…[t]his is to sanctify the name of God,” (Calvin, J., p. 450).

The Reformation was the actualization of theological doctrine; like the Day of Pentecost witnessed in Acts 2:1-5, His Holy Spirit moved within Martin Luther and Jean Calvin to fundamentally alter the relationship of the individual with the religious authority, after one thousand years of conditioning. Theologist Sam Waldron declares Calvin to be “the father of American democracy,” revealing that, “Calvin himself was exiled from Geneva because his theological opinions did not meet with the approval of the magistrates,” (Waldron, S., pp. 18, 20). The Bible is a compilation of God’s power through personal relationship with the individual. Following God’s work at the cross, whereby Jesus sacrificed His life so that everyone who believes in the Lord could gain eternal life; man was gifted an internal guide to direct us: His Holy Spirit. God lives inside of us, and needs no barrier between the personal relationship that He seeks to build. The first step is certainly recognizing that Jesus is alive and desires to partner with us. This realization invokes power into the receiver; therefore it has been reserved for those who acknowledge Him. As it is written, those who question God’s existence, or deny Jesus will be forgiven; yet those who speak against His Holy Spirit are unreconcilable(Mat 12:31, 32; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10. This means that as Christians, we must listen to the authority of God over the authority of man. It is written that it is impossible to serve two masters, for we will love one and hate the other, if not end up resenting both (Mat 6:24; Luke 16:13).

The Apostle Paul’s words to Galatia commanded that believers walk by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit so that we can live by the Spirit, (Galatians 5:16-25). Paul’s pen was guided by God’s Holy Spirit, therefore it lives eternally, and has proven itself to be a reliable natural law. The Lord reminds us that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;” adding that, “against such things there is no law.” If we approach a disruption of polity under the authority of God, invoking love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; the actions are themselves merited. Paul’s guiding doctrine scribed in Galatians inspired both Jean Calvin and Martin Luther to rise up against the development of alternative theology; to break down the barriers imposed by the Roman Catholic Church; and to reinvigorate Christianity back to its original form revealed in Genesis—a personal relationship with God.

Luther and Calvin’s pursuit of justice through reformation encouraged countless individuals to walk in His Holy Spirit; to bear the fruit of God’s image; and to trust in the presence of Jesus Christ through the tribulations encountered throughout our path. For it is not the materialized dialectic path of absurdity found in the temporal culture of modernity that matters; but our resilience and perseverance to remain with God—referencing our actions and public engagement through His presence. Luther’s words and actions magnified God’s magnificent method of achieving His will; thus, the believer must utilize the divine mechanism positioned within us to be led to uphold the image of His Kingdom and contribute to the influence of public policy and other government action. Calvin’s work proves sometimes that involves deposing inerrant and blatantly erroneous principles, and placing God first; knowing He is the only force capable of granting provision to co-labor in our decisions. Luther and Clavin’s doctrine inspires the individual’s mission to renew his mind in the image of the Lord; thereby; bolstering the betterment of society for posterity, (Rom 12:2; Eph 4:20-25; 2 Cor 4:16).

Bibliography

Calvin, John. (2021). Institutes of the Christian Religion. V Solas Press. Kindle Edition.

Kolb, R., et al. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Martin Luther's Theology (Oxford Handbooks). OUP Oxford. Kindle Edition.

Luther, Martin. (2018). The Collected Works of Martin Luther: Theological Writings, Sermons & Hymns: The Ninety-five Theses, The Bondage of the Will, The Catechism. e-artnow. Kindle Edition.

Metaxas, Eric. Martin Luther. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Strauss, L., et al. (1963, 1972, 1987). History of Political Philosophy. The University of Chicago Press. Kindle Edition.

Tuininga, Matthew J. (2017). Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church (Law and Christianity). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

Waldron, Sam. (2022). Political Revolution in the Reformed Tradition: A Historical and Biblical Critique. Free Grace Press. Kindle Edition.