What differentiates your beliefs from the heresy of Pelagianism?<\/p>\n\t
I’m a bit curious why you would think that someone who lived some 1700 years ago has any impact on a group of Christians who focus on teaching the Bible. We follow the Bible and not the teachings of men. I’m also curious if you actually know what Pelagius taught.<\/p>\n
In the AD 400s, a controversy arose over the concept of God’s sovereignty. God is the only Sovereign of the universe (I Timothy 6:15). He rules over all (Pslams 47:2). But is the Bible saying that God has the right to exert His will over His creation or that God controls all aspects of His creation?<\/p>\n
Consider a king, who in his realm is sovereign. As such, no one holds a greater rank or has greater authority and power than he. He issues a decree that all who come before him and pledge their allegiance to him would receive his protection and his blessing. In his kingdom, many appeared and pledged their allegiance, but there were some who were rebellious and refused to bow before their king. When enemies later tried to invade the kingdom, the king gave priority to the lands and people who had sworn allegiance to him, and as a result, those who were loyal to him did not suffer a great loss.<\/p>\n
Now consider:<\/p>\n
You might say that those who refused to submit to his authority were not under him, But the king still determined their fate based on their choices.<\/p>\n
This story helps explain the biblical view of God’s sovereignty. God gives consequences based on man’s choices (Ezekiel 18:26-27). Salvation is given based on man’s acts (I Corinthians 15:1-2). God’s grace was given to all, but whether you accept His gift determines your destiny (I John 2:1-2).\u00a0 Man is given a choice, but God remains in control (Joshua 24:15).<\/p>\n
The early church understood this view of sovereignty. “They were convinced that they should call the Maker of this universe the Father, for He exercises a providence over all things and arranges the affairs of our world” [Irenaeus, Against Heresy<\/em>, I.25.1, c. 180]. Augustine held this understanding early in his life.\u00a0“… that free will, naturally assigned by the Creator to our rational soul, is such a neutral power, as can either incline towards faith, or turn towards unbelief … God no doubt wishes all men to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth; but yet not so as to take away from them free will, for the good or the evil use of which they may be most righteously judged” [Augustine, “Of the Spirit and the Letter”, ch. 33, A.D. 412].<\/p>\n But Augustine began debating a man named Pelagius. Pelagius denied Augustine’s belief that people are born sinful because of Adam’s sin. “If we sin, it is because we choose willfully and knowingly sin, and it is always a matter of free will if we are held accountable for it” [Olson, The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform<\/i>, p. 269]. Pelagius believed that if humans did not possess the inherent ability to obey the commands of God, then it would be unjust for God to demand obedience and hold people accountable for not obeying. Thus, he concluded that humans unconditionally possess free will as well as moral responsibility [Peterson and Williams, Why I am Not an Arminian<\/i>, p. 32].<\/p>\n In debating Pelagius and his followers, Augustine changed his views on God’s sovereignty. Cyprian [A.D. 200-258] had written that we must boast in nothing since nothing is our own. “And it was chiefly by this testimony that I myself also was convinced when I was in a similar error, thinking that faith whereby we believe on God is not God’s gift, but that it is in us from ourselves, and that by it we obtain the gifts of God, whereby we may live temperately and righteously and piously in this world” [Augustine, On the Predestination of the Saints<\/i>, A.D. 426].<\/p>\n Augustine began claiming that an omnipotent God is one who cannot be hindered by the will of another.\u00a0“For He is not truly called Almighty if He cannot do whatsoever He pleases, or if the power of His almighty will is hindered by the will of any creature whatsoever” [Augustine,\u00a0Enchiridion of Faith, Hope, and Love<\/i>, ch. 96]. This brought Augustine into conflict with I Timothy 2:4 which says that God desires all men to be saved. How could men thwart the desire of God? His solution was to claim that “all men” doesn’t mean everyone. He claimed it meant all of a type of people. “We are to understand by all men, the human race in all its varieties of rank and circumstances … For which of all these classes is there out of which God does not will that men should be saved in all nations through His only-begotten Son, our Lord, and therefore does save them; for the Omnipotent cannot will in vain, whatsoever He may will?” Thus Augustine concluded that God only desires to save some people and those He chooses cannot resist His will.<\/p>\n Pelagius taught that the human will, tempered in good deeds and rigorous asceticism, was sufficient to live a sinless life. In this conclusion, Pelagius came into conflict with I John 1:8-2:1. Men are not capable of living a sinless life. It isn’t that we sin constantly, but sin is always a problem. Pelagius told his followers that right action on the part of human beings was all that was necessary for salvation. To him, the grace of God was only an added advantage; helpful, but in no way essential. Here again, his extreme views put him in conflict with the teachings of the Bible. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast<\/em>” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not by grace alone as many have claimed, but we cannot be saved without God’s grace and that grace works through our faith.<\/p>\n Pelagius disbelieved in original sin but said that Adam had condemned mankind through setting a bad example and that Christ’s good example offered us a path to salvation, not through sacrifice, but through the instruction of the will. Christ is our example. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps<\/em>” (I Peter 2:21). However, this does not negate the essential aspect of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:12).<\/p>\n