Pelagianism

Pelagianism seems to be nothing more than sinful man’s natural default position from the beginning of time.   It lends itself to a diminished view of God and an elevated view of man.  This view, throughout human history, has appealed to fallen man’s desire to be like God and to have God on his own terms.  This line of thinking is opposite from the Bible’s clear teachings on original sin, total depravity, and salvation by grace alone.  Pelagianism is a serious theological error that has plagued the church from the beginning.  Over the centuries it has taken on many different titles and forms but at its core it is nothing more than a wrong view of God and man.

            Pelagianism begins with a wrong view of original sin.  It asserts that man is born morally neutral and has a freewill to choose to sin or not to sin.  Pelagius taught that Adam sinned only for himself.  However these teachings are totally at odds with Scripture.  Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”  The “one man” in this verse is Adam.  Adam was our representative in the Garden of Eden during his time of testing.  Because Adam sinned, we are all born sinners by nature and we inherit Adamic guilt which results in death.  Therefore, from Romans 5 alone we can see clearly that men are not born morally neutral as Pelagius taught.

            Pelagius’ false view of original sin naturally led to a false view of man’s spiritual condition after the fall.  Because he thought Adam’s sin to be his alone and that man was born morally neutral he concluded that he was able to choose good or evil in varying degrees based on his environmental influences.  This teaching again is totally at odds with the Bible.  The Bible teaches that man is totally depraved and unable to choose good.  Because man is in his very nature sinful he can only make sinful choices.  The Bible is full of passages that affirm this.  Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  Romans 3:10-18 says “…none is righteous, no not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God…no one does good, not even one…”  Sin has permeated every part of man’s being: Our words, thoughts, actions, feelings, consciences, memories, bodies, desires, emotions, will…  Therefore, the biblical understanding is total depravity.  Because all are in Adam, sin is imputed to all men. Because sin is imputed to all men, none are able to choose good.

With a false view of original sin and total depravity it naturally follows that Pelagians have a false view of conversion.  They teach that since man is morally neutral he is free to choose good or evil.  However, Scripture teaches that man is spiritually dead in trespasses and sins in Adam and in desperate need of God’s saving grace.  Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  According to Romans 8:29-30, our sovereign God foreknew all his children and “predestined them to be conformed to the image of his Son.  And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  To complete the picture from Romans 5 previously discussed, Paul says in verse 19, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”  So all those in Adam are sinners and all those in Christ are righteous.  God displays his favor toward men in many different ways but none more profoundly than when Jesus died on the cross to save undeserving sinners.  Man’s response is God given faith.  We once were slaves to sin but in Christ we have been set free and are now willing slaves of righteousness.

The biblical truth that salvation is of God alone goes against our natural intuition.  We are independent by nature and feel that we can do everything ourselves.  This natural inclination of the fallen man is what has made Palagianism and it’s counterparts so popular over the years.  Thankfully, God has given us his Word that when accompanied by the Spirits working calls sinners to repentance and faith.