Doctrina Reformada

Christian History
Introducción
1. Vida Eterna
2. Calvinismo
3. Justificación
4. Santificación
5. Carácter
6. Historia
7. Conf. de fe Westminster, 1646
Contactos

Introduction to the History of The Church   300 DC-500 DC & 1300 DC-1600 DC 

Reformed Biblical Institute 
Esteban de Vries

Introduction:

I. The Christian Faith is Defined: 300 DC to 500 DC

A. Constantine

B. The Relationship: 

     God  the Father and God the Son.

C. God The Holy Spirit

D. The Person of Christ

E. Saint Augustíne

II. The Roman Church Before

The Reformation

A. The Crisis of the Papacy

B. Reforms and Abuses

III. The Ancestors Of The Reformation

A. Juan Wycliff

B. Juan Huss

IV. Martín Luther, Father Of

The Reformation

A. His Life and history

B. The Three "Sola..."

V. Juan Calvino: The Reformation Continues 

and is Deepened

A. His Life

B. The Theology "Reformed"

VI. The Path Of The Reformation

from Calvino

Conclusion

Introduction:

After reading the index of this booklet, the reader will note the limited span of this study. The difficult thing in the preparation of this matter was the question, what can be covered in so little space? The work of preparation was rather a work of elimination. What we intend to do with this "look" of the Christian history is to give the reader an idea of the formative events of the protestant church in general and specifically its application to the reformed churches of today. By this, we go, to touch only 500 of the 2,000 years of history that has the Christian church. We will see something of the period of 300 DC to 500 DC and parts of the period from 1300 DC to 1600 DC.

Of course, there is a deal of great importance that it cannot be treated here, so much of the history before the reformation as the history after this. We expect that this study will serve to encourage the reader to look for more information of this part of the history.

We want to include the history of our church, although that will be brief, because, "nothing  is new under the sun." The controversies of the first centuries are the controversies of today. The sects of the mormons and the Jehova's witnesses are the manifestation of the heresies of the first century "re-warmed". And the evangelical church of today has forgotten many of the important lessons of the Reformation. By this it is important that we know the base of our faith. He who knows something about the history of the church will not be easily deceived by these  "new" teachings.

Also it is expected that this study will help the reader with its identity as a member of the Catholic (universal) Church and of the reformed tradition. We will see how God has worked in Its Church, and also how ourselves have come to know who we are.



I. The Christian Faith is Defined:

300 dC to 500 dC

The early centuries of the Christian history were centuries of great persecutions. The Roman emperors came one after another,  raising themselves in order of put an end to the new Christian religion. In spite of these pursuits, (and, perhaps, on account of them) the church grew and its membership multiplied. Was a movement composed mainly, by the lowest levels of society. Nevertheless, they did not lack of intelligent and articulated defenders. Although these scholars began to define certain biblical doctrines, the majority of these basic doctrines remained indefinite till the early ecclesiastical councils. And becouse of this, we begin our history there.

A. Constantine: after long periods of division, the Roman Empire was unified when Constantine managed to conquer to his rival , Maxentius, in the battle of the Milviano's Bridge. This battle occurred in the year 312 DC, then Constantine said that he had had a vision at the beginning of the battle. He saw a cross in the skies and heard a voice that said, "With this sign you will conquer." Although many doubt of the truth of this vision (they believe that the alliance among Constantine and the Christian church had purely political motives) but it is certain That from this date on the politics of the Roman Empire set against the Church changed totally. In the year 313 DC was emitted the Edict of Milan, an edict that not only tolerated the Christian faith, but also gave her preference over all the others. They returned all of the properties of the Church that had been taken during the persecutions; and the same government began to support the work of the church.

One of the few good results of this alliance among the empire and the church was that it gave to the church the opportunity to be unified with respect to many of the doctrines that they had divisions. Constantine was very astute and recognized that was in his interest to have the church united. For this reason he called the first council, that would be the first, of a series of councils. And with this, the church took the first steps in the process to define its faith.

B. The Relation among The Father and The Son: Council of Nicea, 325 DC. The most serious problem for the Christian faith in those days was a definition about who was The Christ. The controversy had to see with the relation among Jesus and God Father. The church already had accepted that Christ was coeternal with the Father, but there was a priest in the church of Alejandría that taught the opposite. His name was Arrio, and he maintained that, "the Son has a beginning, but God The Father is without beginning." Then the meaning is clear, the Son is not devine.

To protect the fragile unity of the church, Constantine sent all the bishops of the church to participate in a council at the city of Nicea. There were more than three hundreds people. With all of their expenses payed and by his participation in the deliberations, Constantine achieved what he was expected. The church accepted its position and began to formulate a "creed". The Creed of Nicea affirms that Jesus is cosubstancial and coeternal with God the Father.

C. The Holy Spirit: In the year 381 DC another council took place, this time in Constantinople, this was done in order of treat the relation of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. There was also controversy about the Holy Spirit. Was the Spirit cosubstancial and coeternal? Some of them believed, not;  but the majority saw a quite extensive biblical base to say, yes. The result of this council was a complete definition of the Trinity. The "Symbol of Athanasio" gives us a summary of what they agreed:

"We worship God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity; without confusing the persons, without dividing the substance: one is, in fact, the person of the Father, another that of the Son, another that of the Holy Spirit; but the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have a same divinity, an equal glory and a same eternal majesty. Which is the Father, such is the Son, such is the Holy Spirit..."

D. The Person of Christ : Remaining still, a basic doctrine without clear definition. Although the relation among the Son and the Father, had been already defined; they had not arrived to one agreement with respect to the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. How it is possible for one to be divine and human at the same time? There were many theories, some of them supporting the human nature, and others favoring the divine nature. The goal was to arrive to a definition that neither underestimated the divine, nor the humanity of the person of Christ. Such  definition was reached in the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 DC. The definition formulated in the  council failed to remove all of the mystery of the person of Christ. But the council provided us certain limits for our understanding of the person of Christ. In their more basic form, the two natures of Christ went defined thus:

"Christ was completely God and completely human, has the two natures without confusion, without change, without division and without separation."

God, working in the Roman Empire as well as in the Catholic Church, helped the christian church to became defined throughout these councils. And, Thus the church came to have a doctrinal base. This same base has served to the Roman Church for more than 1,500 years; and also it has served and continues serving to the Protestant Churches. And so, we see the continuity of the Church of Christ of every century.

Preguntas:

1. What importance has Constantine in the  history of the Christian church?
2. Which was the most important result of the Council of Nicea?
3. Why the church's leaders met again in the Council of Constantinople?
4. Why are so important these doctrines?

E. Agustín (354 DC-430 DC ) : Before leaving this epoch, we would like to say something of Augustíne and the roots of the reformed thought. Augustíne was a great hero not only to the Catholic Church but of all the reformers of the XVI century also. Since the Apostle Pablo, the biblical level of erudition had not reached as high as it reached with the thought of Augustíne.

Although Augustíne wrote many books (The City of God, Of Trinitate, The Confessions of San Augustíne), what more called the attention to the reformers of the XVI century was his work against the monk Pelagio.

Pelagio (360 DC-420 DC) was a British monk and theologian. Pelagio believed and taught that each person was created free, as Adán, and that each person had the power to elect among good and evil. Each soul, according to Pelagio, was a new creation of God and, by this, was totally free of sin and of its contamination. It taught that the sin was not due to the condition of the human being, but to the circumstancial situation, and if we were in a good environment; we, would not fall into sin. Also, he used to say that man, even fallen into sin, could seek and find God. Instead of fighting against God, Pelagio taught that man could cooperate with God in the search of his own salvation.

Augustíne saw the teaching of Pelagio as a great negation of the divine grace, considering that the work of regeneration was the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. Agustín affirmed that man was conceived in sin and he did not have neither the hope nor the power to seek God. Put it in other words,The salvation depended totally of the grace and election of God.

The position of Pelagio was condemned in the Council of Efeso in 431 DC, nevertheless the Roman churches and the Protestants have followed fighting with this issues in their own churches. The reformers were identified strongly with Augustíne. But nowadays the identification is not so strong for the "children of the Reformation". Many "evangelical" churches  have their doctrine seemed more to Pelagio than to Augustíne.

Preguntas:

5. To whom is Augustíne a great hero? Why?
6. Who was Pelagio, what was his teaching?
7. Who was the person, the reformers of the XVI century were identified with, and why?

II. The Roman Church Before the Reformation

By its alliance and dependence of the Roman Empire, the path of the church seemed a great deal to that of the empire. The Roman Church
was more and more similar to a political entity, while at the same time got extended for all the parts of the Empire. Although Constantine helped to the church with its doctrinal conflicts, the inheritance of this  gubermental intervention was not, very good.

A. The Crisis of the Papado : In the XIV century, happened a series of things that carried the Roman Church to the most difficult moments of its history. During and after these events, the confidence that had the people of God in the Roman Church, was seriously threatened.

In the year 1309 the throne of the papacy was transferred from Rome to the city of Aviñón, France. That move occurred because the recently named pope, Clement V, was a subject to the King of France. The pope, a French, considered that the papacy should be transferred, because of the conflicts among the French and the Italians - the French no longer could remain in Rome. And with this move everyone could see that the church was no more than a little toy (or a small weapon) in the hands of the King. The papacy remained in Aviñón, French territory, till the year 1377.

In the year 1377 the pope Gregory XI returned the papacy to the city of Rome, but died in the year 1378. The French wanted to elect to a French pope, who would come back to Aviñón. The Italians, of course,  wanted an Italian. The Italian party prevailed, and did all of the possible to assure the future Italian supremacy in all the matters of the church. But the new pope not only enraged the French, but to the Italians also. Four months after the election of Urban VI, the council returned and met to annuling the previous election. Leaving the pope Urban VI, legitimately chosen, in Rome, but then electing another pope, Clement VII, who was installed in Aviñón. Thus, began the great "schism" of the "Roman" Church. The church now had two popes, each one condemning the other. And instead of financing a single papacy, the church now was obliged to pay for the excesses of the two papacies. This great "schism" was resolved, at last, by the Council of Constanza, around the year 1417.

B. Abuses of Power:

The doctrinal abuses will be treated in the section of the reformers. Here, we will try to describe something of the ecclesiastical environment produced by the reformation.

1. The ecclesiastical taxes (gula papal): Many of the popes of the Catholic Church lived like kings. To finance the papacy they must impose strong taxes above all of the membership of the church. To provide for two popes the matter was complicated in a great way. These taxes were cruels and got rid the little that the people had.

2. Not only the popes, but many of the cardinals, bishops and priests took advantage of its positions to carry luxurious and immoral lives. Instead of take care for the family of God, many of them were dedicated to the care of their own families.

3. Simony: In the book of Acts we read that Simón, the magician; tried to buy the Holy Spirit. By this, the practice of buying and selling the offices of the church, carries his name. A pope could sell a "diocese" and the "prelate/buyer" had to sell his others positions to recover his investment. What should be determined by the spiritual gifts was determined by large amounts of money.

The church of those years was not totally bad. It is certain that when we see the hierarchy of the church, there is little good that to say. Nevertheless, always there were several movements of reform inside the church. Always there were groups and christian orders that demanded the abuses of the hierarchy, people that begged to the entire church to return to the simple road of the gospel. During the period of the "schism" there was another movement that tried to  reform the church, and to reduce the power of the pope. Sadly, when the matter of the papacy was resolved, the pope remained with all the power and this reformer movement was also frustrated.

There were many other events, so much historic as ecclesiastic, that contributed to promote and produce the Reform, but the space, does not permit a exhausted examination here.

Preguntas:

8. Why moved the papado to Aviñón?
9. How began the great schism?
10. Was the totally bad church? Why himself it could not be reformed?

III. The Ancestors of the Reform:

When it is spoken of the Reform, many think only in Martín Luther, the father of the Reform. But it is important to see that this great father had also parents. In this section of the study, we wanted to contemplate the contribution of two of these ancestors. They are called Juan Wyclif and Juan Huss and, as we will see, they contributed a great deal in their intent to save to the church.

A. Juan Wyclif: ( 1328-1384 ) Juan Wyclif was born in Inglatera around 1328. We know very little of its youth, but al to arrive at the university of Oxford began to be done famous for its erudition and its radical opinions. One of the most radical it had to see with its theories on the señorío. Wyclif believed that there should be certain separation among the señorío of the church and it of the state. It considered that the state had the right to remove him to the church its properties when the church was not performing its legitimate charge according to the Bible. But also it said that the power of the state was limited as for the other ecclesiastical matters.

Wyclif rejected the traditional doctrine of the Roman Church as for the Mass. Wyclif did not believe that Jesus was physically present in the communion. The doctrine of transubstanciación was not for Wyclif neither biblical neither logical. By this, Wyclif was condemned like heretic. Nevertheless Wyclif did not die like martyr because was protected always by a favorably arranged government toward him.

Wyclif also taught the following thing:

- The only law of the church is the Bible. All the decisions of the church should be submitted al judgment of the Bible.

- The only head of the church is Christ. Wyclif said that if the pope was Christian, he could be of service to the church, but that the true head is Christ.

-The church consists of its members and not in its clergies. All the believers are priests.

- Being all the member priests, they had the right of reading the Bible in their own language and interpreting it for if same.

As it can be seen, there was reformer character a great deal of matter. Nevertheless, these reform you did not throw very deep roots in their country. Their followers harshly were pursued and the church managed to silence the voices of reform in England.

B. Juan Huss: ( 1373-1415 ) The history of Juan Huss is seemed to that of Wyclif, but with a tragic end. In the year 1403 Huss was done principal of the university of Prague and preacher in its chapel Bethlehem. In the intellectual life of Bohemian, Huss occupied a position of a great deal of importance. In the principle, Huss agreed with the doctrine of the church, was its style of life that he attacked. Nevertheless, some of the writings of Juan Wyclif arrived at the university of Prague and Huss, being rector, read them. It was very happy al to see that it there was another leader promoting very similar reforms to its. Although did not it be according to the teaching of Wyclif on the communion, saw with I please the majority of what Wyclif there was writing.

The enemies of Huss (the white of their criticisms), al to listen that the works were being discussed of Wyclif in the university, they were seen obliged to face it. They requested al king that to prohibit every work of Wyclif and that removed to Huss its pulpit in Bethlehem. The king did him, and Huss had to take a very difficult decision. He opted for the obedience to the Bible instead of the obedience to the human authorities, they be of the government or be of the church. It continued preaching. By his popularity with the people, the king did not want to create more problems and he left that Huss did what he wanted. And as soon as al pope Huss said, "A pope unworthy, that he be opposed al welfare of the church, should not be obeyed." During the next years Huss he was excommunicated of the church two times. But he continued preaching to large multitudes of followers. And, by the protection of its government, the Church could not do him more nothing.

Its history arrived at its tragic end when was invited al Council of Constanza. The leaders of the church asked that Huss presented its case in the Council, and the emperador Segismundo offered it a salvoconducto that its personal security guaranteed it. At last, thought Huss, would have the opportunity to be defended.

Little after arriving al Council, the salvoconducto it was been removed. The emperador wanted to protect him and wanted that its salvoconducto was respected. But did not it want to be affiliated with one that was going to condemn himself as heretic. It abandoned it. Huss, in turn, easily could have saved. Could be withdrawn of what it not the Council pleased. But he refused to be withdrawn until the Council could teach him in what was he wrong. This the Council it could not do. And by this Huss was condemned to die like heretic. They sent it al quemadero July 6, 1415.

Although their voice was quiet, their followers in Bohemian continued carrying their message.

You ASK:

11. What believed Wyclif as for the authority of the church and that of the state?
12. Which was the position of Wyclif with respect to the communion?
13. Which were the other doctrines "radical" of Wyclif?

14. What said Huss on a pope unworthy?
15. How died Juan Huss?

IV. Martín Luther: Father of the Reform

Having seen the sacrifice of so many to reform to the church, is difficult that it be attributed to one only the title of Father. Nevertheless, we do it with Martín Luther because its influence surpassed that of all the ones that had passed before him. In the life of Luther we have a summary of a great deal of what had occurred before. Also, with Luther the doctrinal reform arrived at a level that had not reached before. There had been many intents, with Luther there was a principle, a true beginning.

A. Its Life : (1483-1546 ) Martín Luther was born in the town of Eisleben, Germany in the year 1483. His father was a free compatriot who worked in a mine. When Luther he was born, the family was very poor. Then, her economic condition improved enough, but the youth of Luther was very hard. The father of Luther wanted that his son was lawyer. He recorded him in the university to study this matter. But Luther, by the death of a friend and by a frightening experience with a lightning, he abandoned the legal studies and he entered a monastery. After two years in the monastery, Luther he was ordered monk and he celebrated his first mass.

In the year 1511 Luther he moved to Wittenberg. In Wittenberg Luther he received its doctorate and he began to work in the since would be his to its death, that of professor of teología. Since there Luther began to give speeches above all the Bible in the language of its people, German. Its biblical studies motivated to study the Bible in its original languages. And her more than he studied the Bible her more convinced was that only she would be able to be the authority for the Christian life. Al same time and by the same studies Luther he found the peace that had always sought but never he had found. Its reading and study of Roman 1:17 he convinced it that the justice of God is not something that we do for God, but something that God did for us in its Son Jesus. For the first time the experienced the peace that comes with the security of the salvation.

The process that carried Luther to its separation of the Roman Church began in the year 1517. In this year the Pope decided to grant al prelate of the diocese where was Luther two dioceses more. On the other hand the prelate had to deliver him al papado an enormous quantity of money (simonía). To raise these funds a monk was sent that was called Tetzel to sell indulgences. Tetzel, in a very raw way, he was dedicated for sale. The he promised al buyer that at the moment that the currency in its box fell, the soul of the addressee of the indulgence was liberated. In the event that the person still was living, according to Tetzel not even he had to be repented - the currency saved it.

Luther could not bear such abuses and wrote its 95 teses, condemning the abuses of this system of indulgences. Although Luther wrote its teses with the motive to reform the church since inside, the reaction of the church was such that Luther very prompt recognized that would not be possible. There was that there to be a division.

During all this conflict with Rome, Luther continued preaching, teaching and writing. One of its more important achievements the translation went of the Bible, of its original languages, in aleman. This translation served not only to guide to the Germans in the roads of God, but also to establish many of the norms for the language aleman.

Luther, having left the Roman Church, left also the votes that had taken like priest. Married Katerina Go Bora and they they had 6 children.

Sadly, not all it of Luther went very pleasant. When a popular movement raised himself to protest the abuse that received this low class, Luther was affiliated with the powerful and wrote a hard criticism of the low classes.

B. The Three "Be used to " : The thought of Luther and of all the Reform arrived at to be characterized by three phrases that begin with the word "alone". Its answer to the complicated thing of the faith and catholic tradition was these simple phrases:

1. alone fide : "Only the faith"

With alone fide Luther and the other reformers meant that the unique thing that the man has to do to receive the salvation of God is to believe. The faith is the only way in which the salvation arrives al man. This faith is also a gift of God and not a product of the human will.

2. alone gratia : "Only the grace"

With alone gratia Luther meant that the salvation himself does not earn, but is given. Not any work exists done by the man that can save it. The salvation is totally free for the believer.

3. alone scriptura : "Only the Scriptures"

Martín Luther and the other reformers put the Sacred Scriptures over all the other authorities in the church. So much the pope as the humblest member was under the authority of the Scriptures. Luther taught also that the Scriptures were for all the believers, not only for the clergies of the church.

You ASK:

16. Why it was dedicated Martín Luther all its life?
17. Who was Tetzel, and why is an important figure in the Reform?
18. It which it is three "be used to" and that signify?

V. Juan Calvino (1509-1564) : The Reform Continues and is Deepened

With the personage of Juan Calvino we arrive at the most important figure in the definition of the faith Reformed. Through its greater work, The Institution of the Christian Religion, Calvino left a good part of all the new protestants convinced of the truth of its interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. Calvino was firmamente in the lineage of Agustín and the Father of the Reform, Martín Luther. The majority of the teología of Calvino was nothing new, but in its hands reached a new level of clarity and organization.

A. The History of Its Life : Juan Calvino was born in Noyon, France, 60 miles al north of the city of Paris. Its family was not very rich but he could send the children to the better schools and universities of this place. The father of Juan there was determined that his son would be educated for the priesthood. By this, to the early age of 12 years Juan Calvino entered the University of Paris to begin his studies. There Calvino, as the other students of this epoch, was very interested in the humanism of Erasmo and was in this new environment humanist that completed its studies.

We know very little of the "conversion" of Calvino. The only place where he speaks of that experience is in the introduction of its comment on the Salmos, and the reference is not very clear. What yes it said on the salvation in general was this: we are converted God little to little, phase for phase. Always it spoke of the gradual or slow nature of the true conversion.

Calvino continued its studies in Paris to the year 1533. To this year the students had enjoyed a great deal of liberty and they could criticize the church and to speak of the necessary reforms. They same were dedicated to these reforms. But in this year there was a political change in France and the entire nation was thrown for the traditional and catholic side. Calvino and its companions in the university had to flee. Thus Calvino began its life in exile and never could return to live in its dear country.

In the year 1535 Calvino wrote the first edition of The Institution of the Christian Religion. This first edition had only 6 chapters, but in the following years came to be an immense volume. It was the first one teología systematic produced by the Reform.

Calvino wanted to pass a tranquil life with its books and studies. It wanted to be dedicated in full to what had begun with The Institution. But in one of its trips an old preacher, that was called Farel, obliged it to be remained and to work with the church in Geneva, Swiss. And thus began the other part of its career, that of shepherd. Calvino, as shepherd, was not very easy. It believed that all the city, not only the church, should live under the divine law. It believed, with reason, that was the same God who had given authority to the church and al government and, by this, the two institutions should respect the same law. Its first intent in Geneva failed, but years later returned and created their ideal community where the church and the government worked together in the service of God.

The contributions of Calvino to every protestantismo were many. Among them are:

-The Institution of the Christian Religion

-Its emphasis in the education and the educational model created in Geneva

-Its support for the political system of the democracy. In Geneva worked with a system of representatives.

-Their predicación that served like boss for the ones that they continued it.

-It wrote comments on all the books of the Bible with the exception of Apocalypse

B. The Teología Reformed : Here we will try to give a brief summary of the teología reformed as was developed for Calvino. We will see first two basic bases, and later, the five points of Calvinismo.

1. The Bible: For Calvino, the Bible was the only base for the Christian. So we we are sinners and so everyone has suffered the results of our sin, we cannot depend on no other source of information. Neither the world, neither the science, neither the reason, neither the personal revelation can be a dependable source of information on God. Only the Bible has the perfect revelation as for the person of God and its will with respect to our lives.

2. The Sovereignty of God: For Calvino and them reformed the sovereignty of God is one of the basic and clearest points of the biblical revelation. God does not need anything neither to nobody to exist; is totally self-sufficient. And God is the unique one to be self-sufficient. We, otherwise, we depend on him for all in our life. God continues, by his providence, guiding and handling the course of the human history. Although God gave al certain man liberty, this liberty also is inside the system on which God has absolute control.

3. The Five Points of Calvinismo: as for the salvation, the teología reformed has been summarized for five basic points. These five points find its more complete expression in the document The Canons of Dort. Here it will be a matter of giving a summary of this summary.

A. The Total Depravation: The total depravation means that it not to have swum that have escaped the influence of the sin in this world (Roman 3:23). The sin has touched and has damaged all the creation. Besides, the total idea of depravation implies that our inclination is always toward the bad thing. We are not capable, without the aid of the Mister, to produce works that please it (I Corintios 2:6-16). This doctrine does not mean that we are 100% evils, but the sin each area of the life has damaged us.

B. Election or Predestinación Unconditional: God saves us for grace and by his good will. Us does not it save on account of ours good works neither ours good decisions (Juan 1:13; II Tesaloncenses 2:13; Tito 3:4-7). The faith with which we believe is also gift of God and is not our work (Efesios 2:8-9). God saves to the chosen because thus he decided before the creation of the world (Efesios 1:4).

C. Atonement Limited: With this doctrine the reformers meant that Christ he did not suffer in bucket. His grace was sufficient for all, but efficient only for the chosen. That is to say, all the grace of the sacrifice of Christ was appointed also before the creation of the world. The it died for its, not for the ones that did not they be going to save himself (Kill 20:28; Juan 10:15; Efesios 5:25).

D. Irresistible grace: If God wants us to save, we are not going to be able to resist his grace. We are salvos by the will of God, not by ours. The chosen will be salvos. God will do in their lives until they accept their divine love (Juan 6:37; Roman 9:16-19).

E. Perseverancia of the Saints: so the salvation comes from God and not of the man, is totally sure for the ones that the Mister has elected in its love. Although yes there is false, there are not Christians true Christians that can lose its salvation (Juan 10:27-29; Roman 8:28-39). What God begins, God also finishes (Filipenses 1:6; Hebrew 3:15).

Each one of these points deserves and needs a great deal more explanation. Nevertheless we expect that with the little bit thing that there is here, you can understand the sketch of the faith reformed.

You ASK:

19. How it was the environment in which was educated Juan Calvino?
20. In which city was established Calvino as shepherd?

21. What thought Calvino on the Church and the State?

22. Which was its more important book?

23. What does you think on the five points of Calvinismo?

I SAW. The Path of the Church Reformed from Calvino:

From Calvino the faith reformed has arrived at almost all the parts of the world. Almost immediately the Christian faith as went expressed by Calvino gained many followers in an extensive part of Europe. In Germany, Hungary, France, Holland, Scotland, England, Ireland, and Poland churches were established reformed. In some of these places the churches were established under the protection and with the favor of the government (Holland and Germany by elemplo). In other places, as France and Spain, them reformed seriously they were pursued.

The two lineas stronger of the church reformed are the ones that passed by Holland and Escosia. Since these two countries, and then England, the faith reformed reached to everyone. The descending churches of Scotland and its main leader, Juan Knox, are called presbiterianas. The descendants of Holland are called reformed.

The Christian Church Reformed belongs al Dutch lineage. Its ancestors arrived at the United States and Canada of Holland and since there have sent missionaries to many parts. The presbiterianos, in turn, they have done the same thing. To the Dominican Republic the presbiterianos arrived al principle of the century XX, very before them reformed. They began a denomination presbiteriana but then they were unified with other churches to form The Evangelical Church Dominican.

The history of the Christian Church Reformed in the Dominican Republic is enough cuts. In 1975 The mission of our church went guest to work here by some groups of Haitians that they had listened for the radio our program, "The Hour of the Reform." First they visited some missionaries reformed of Puerto Rico and then sent a family to establish the work here.

In recent years the Mister has blessed this work, and we expect that their blessings continue, so much here as in the other you split where the churches reformed continue preaching their Word.

You ASK:

24. Which they went the main countries in the dissemination of the faith reformed?
25. How the faith arrived reformed to the Dominican Republic?

* This pagina is part of a course in the Institute Biblico Reformed

for contacts: stevebrauning@yahoo.com





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