Negative Experience in Calvin’s Institutes and Its Systematic Consequences

In this study, the place and importance of the term “negative experience” in Calvin’s well-known book “the Institutes of the Christian Religion” is examined as well as the shifts in Calvin’s theology as a result of his explanations to this issue. The effects of negative experience on people’s belief and the types of belief are also pointed out and every aspect of the issue is discussed within Calvin’s Institutes, as a result important question about Calvin’s theology occurred. In the end it seemed that Calvin has given different answers that are contrary to each other to the same questions throughout his life span or his book. It is also detected that the issue of negative experience caused some contradictory explanations of the missions of the Persons in Holy Trinity