In the last BLOG I tried to set out the history of Augustinianism (Calvinism) and of Semi-Pelagianism (Arminianism). We saw that Semi-Pelagian thinking was an effort at setting up a middle ground between Augustinianism and Pelagianism. We could question whether Semi-Pelagian thinking has arrived at the middle ground or not. We could also question whether there is a middle ground regarding the Gospel or not. Paul did not seem to think so when he said that anyone who taught a different Gospel would be eternally cursed (Gal 1:6-10). In all of our efforts to be at peace and speak in a winsome and gracious way, we must know that if we don’t go to war and speak in what our culture would call ungracious and non-winsome ways, we will not be like Christ or like Paul who was like Christ. The Gospel cannot be preached and fought for by those who want peace at all cost and for no one to be offended. There has been and there will always be the offense of the cross. There has been and always will be the hatred of those who hate God and don’t want to hear of sin and of true grace. We must ask tough questions and be ready to be cursed and insulted if we don’t want to fall under the curse that Paul spoke of.
The following paragraph is from the previous BLOG: “The Semi-Pelagian theory was intended by its advocates to be a middle ground between Augustinianism and Pelagianism. “The essence of the theory consists in a mixture of grace and free-will. There are two efficient agencies concerned in the renovation of the human will: viz, the will itself and the Holy Spirit. Hence, the product can not be referred either to one or the other, as the sole originating cause.” It was this “co-existence of two co-efficients and their co-operation” that was stressed by John Cassian. When asked which agency begins the work of regeneration, Cassian affirmed “that sometimes it is the divine, and sometimes it is the human.”
What I want to note here is that in truth there is no middle ground between Augustinianism (hereafter Calvinism) and Semi-Pelagianism (Arminianism). While Arminianism may be Semi-Pelagianism, it is not Semi-Augustinianism. Calvinism has stood forth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is by grace alone. There cannot be a semi-grace alone position. If salvation is by grace alone, then the smallest thing apart from grace makes it something other than grace alone. Notice again the quote from the previous paragraph: “The essence of the theory consists in a mixture of grace and free-will.” The essence of the Arminian theory is a mixture of grace and free-will. What we want to note again is that the smallest thing added to grace means that it is not grace alone. If we add free-will to grace, then it is not grace alone. Again, if salvation is by grace alone, it cannot be a salvation which anything other than grace effects the salvation. Romans 3:24-4:7 and Ephesians 2:1-10 shows this without question. Salvation is all of grace and nothing but grace.
Let’s take one more look at the quote from the last BLOG: “There are two efficient agencies concerned in the renovation of the human will: viz, the will itself and the Holy Spirit. Hence, the product can not be referred either to one or the other, as the sole originating cause.” An efficient agency is an agency of a being that actually does something. Grace is the agency and power of the Holy Spirit while free-will is the agency and power of the human being. But notice that what needs to be renovated is the human will. If the will is free and is the agent and power of the human being then the human will is free enough and has the power to assist in its own renovation. What is it that the will can do? What can we call the thing that the will can act and do to assist in its own renovation? Would “works” be the proper term? But Ephesians 2:9 and many other Scriptures tell us plainly that we are saved by grace apart from works. If the will is an agent of the human being and has power to do even the smallest thing, then that is nothing other than a work of the will.
If the Holy Spirit is the efficient agent of God and the power of God who works by grace alone in the soul, then we can immediately see a problem. If the will is truly free, then it is free of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God. If the will is truly free, then it is free from the power of God working by grace in the soul. A free-will, therefore, is a will that is free from the grace of God to some degree. But salvation is by grace alone and so anything that a free-will has the power or ability to do would be apart from grace and would be a work. Is the originating power of salvation from God alone or by God and man? Is the actual work in the soul all of the grace of God or some by the power of the free-will? If it is all of God and of the grace of God, then Calvinism is correct. If salvation is originated or worked in the smallest way by a free-will, then Arminianism is correct. However, it would not be by grace alone. God saves sinners “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph 1:6). Any addition by man would change the meaning of that verse to where man would share some of the praise and glory. I simply fail to see one Scripture that would support that position. Salvation is to the glory of God and it is meant to prevent man from boasting at all. However, if one little part of man is free enough to assist in salvation then that little part of man would leave just a little room to boast. One could boast that he chose to go along with his salvation and others did not. But the Gospel leaves no room for boasting.
We must note again that Arminianism is called Semi-Pelagianism and not Semi-Augustianism for a reason. That is because its beliefs share a lot in common with Pelagian beliefs. In reality Arminianism is Semi-Pelagian because it modified the teachings of Pelagius. Instead of saying that the fall of Adam has no real effect on us now, Arminian teaching says there is some effect but man is not completely spiritually dead as Calvinism teaches. Instead of saying that man can work salvation himself, Arminianism says we need the help of God’s grace to be saved. I am quite aware that there are Arminian theologians who will say that we are saved by grace alone. However, that cannot be upheld in a consistent way from the Arminian position. By definition a person must hold to free-will to be an Arminian, yet so far it has not been shown how a free-will position is consistent with the Gospel of grace alone. Again, grace alone means that salvation is wholly and totally of the grace of God. Arminianism is Semi-Pelagianism but is still far from Calvinism and its biblical teaching that salvation is by grace alone to the glory of God alone.
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