The Reformation brought new life to society in more than one way. Because the Reformation was a return to God in the Gospel, people who experienced new life in Christ created new life in culture.

Undeniable to history is the fact that the Reformation transformed Europe one city at a time. In Geneva, the Reformation changed the city into a bustling and flourishing forum for commerce. New economic developments advanced like never before.

Calvin wrote concerning wealth and commerce:

We will duly obey this commandment, then, if, content with our lot, we are zealous to make only honest and lawful gain; if we do not seek to become wealthy through injustice, nor attempt to deprive our neighbor of his goods to increase our own; if we do not strive to heap up riches cruelly wrung from the blood of others; if we do not madly scrape together from everywhere, by fair means or foul, whatever will feed our avarice or satisfy our prodigality.

On the other hand, let this be our constant aim: faithfully to help all men by our counsel and aid to keep what is theirs, in so far as we can; but if we have to deal with faithless and deceitful men, let us be prepared to give up something of our own rather than to contend with them. And not this alone: but let us share the necessity of those whom we see pressed by the difficulty of affairs, assisting them in their need with our abundance.

let each one see to what extent he is in duty bound to others, and let him pay his debt faithfully

let a people hold all its rulers in honor, patiently bearing their government, obeying their laws and commands, refusing nothing that can be borne without losing God’s favor [Rom. 13:1 ff.; 1 Peter 2:13 ff.; Titus 3:1]. Again, let the rulers take care of their own common people, keep the public peace, protect the good, punish the evil. So let them manage all things as if they are about to render account of their services to God, the supreme Judge

Moreover, our mind must always have regard for the Lawgiver, that we may know that this rule was established for our hearts as well as for our hands, in order that men may strive to protect and promote the well-being and interests of others. (Institutes, II, vii, 46)

He suggested prayer before setting oneself to work with the following suggestions:

• Ask God to bless your labor, noting that if God does not bless it, “nothing goes well or can prosper”
• The Holy Spirit to aid you in your calling so as to work “without any fraud or deception, and so that we shall have regard more to follow their ordinances than to satisfy our appetite to make ourselves rich”
• That you would aid in caring for indigent
• That the prosperous would not become conceited
• That you would not fall into mistrust
• That you would wait patiently on God to provide
• That you would rest with entire assurance in God’s pure goodness

Finally, he repeatedly urged reliance on God, not wealth.

We are forbidden to pant after the possessions of others, and consequently are commanded to strive faithfully to help every man to keep his own possessions. We must consider that what every man possesses has not come to him by mere chance but by the distribution of the supreme Lord of all. b(a)For this reason, we cannot by evil devices deprive anyone of his possessions without fraudulently setting aside God’s dispensation. …

Let us remember that all those arts whereby we acquire the possessions and money of our neighbors—when such devices depart from sincere affection to a desire to cheat or in some manner to harm—are to be considered as thefts. Although such possessions may be acquired in a court action, yet God does not judge otherwise. For he sees the intricate deceptions with which a crafty man sets out to snare one of simpler mind, until he at last draws him into his nets. He sees the hard and inhuman laws with which the more powerful oppresses and crushes the weaker person. …

And such injustice occurs not only in matters of money or in merchandise or land, but in the right of each one; for we defraud our neighbors of their property if we repudiate the duties by which we are obligated to them (Institutes, II, vii, 45)