In this BLOG we will look at some of the issues of Pelagianism that come out in the teaching on morality and sanctification. In teaching people that they have the power to keep the commandments and that sanctification is an external action they do that is in their own power, at least two things have to be done. One, they have to deny or at least relax the spiritual nature of the Law of God. Two, they have to exaggerate the power of man to think that man can even keep the external Law of God. The Law of God was never given in order for people to keep it, but it was instead given to show people their sin and their utter need for the grace of God in Christ. But throughout history we have the Israelites in the Old Testament, the Pharisees of the New Testament, and then we have the rest of the history of the Church where men and women strive to be saved and/or moral in their own power. The key in all of this is doing it in our own internal power without the internal power of God. While lip service may be given to the power of God in the soul, it is an unknown thing in reality. In some circles the externals are carried out and the lips say something of the grace of God so all is thought to be well. That is still Pelagianism. There are those who believe in the principles of Pelagianism and there are those who live by them. Either way, it is Pelagianism.
Let us take some counseling situations where the one counseling is a pastor or friend or paid counselor. The analysis of the problem and then of the cure can sound the same on the surface but underneath there can be the difference between utter heresy and orthodoxy. The problem can be seen as behavior only (Pelagianism) or it can be of the heart. But even if the problem is seen to be from the heart, the cure might be seen as something that can be done in the power of the person. We can look at this issue using two examples. First, consider a man who goes in for counseling because he is struggling with pornography. He presents his problem as an overwhelming desire to look at magazines and visit websites that display women in suggestive poses and no clothing. He says this is a problem because it makes him feel guilty and his wife told him that she is not going to put up with it any longer. The counselor tells him that God will forgive him if he repents and then tells the man to put himself into a situation of accountability with another person and then to put a program on his computer that will allow another to check on him where he has been. He tells the man that he needs to study Scripture on this issue and pray for strength to stop doing these things. While all of these things may be fine in one sense, notice that nothing internal has been dealt with. The real issue is a sinful heart expressed in idolatry and the desire to use others for selfish purposes. The real need is for a new heart that God alone can give. The real issue has to do with the work of God in the soul and not just external actions. Just reforming the external actions is Pelagianism.
Let’s consider another example, a woman struggling with what she calls low self-esteem and some hard things in life. This person is told that she needs to see herself as God sees her and that He made her in His image and she is not junk. She is told that she needs to go buy herself some flowers and to read verses that tell her how much God loves her. She is told that people in other parts of the world have it harder than she does. Notice that all of the so-called cures are focused on the outside. The woman is not told that her desire to feel good about herself could be nothing more than sinful self-love. Her problem is not with low self-esteem but with a high view of her self. She does not need to reform her external actions to make her feel better about herself; she needs to repent in her heart of being so self-centered and self-focused. God alone can change her heart from being centered on herself and turn her to Himself in true repentance and love. Again we see that the counsel given was focused on the outward actions and not a true change of heart. This is practical Pelagianism and it is rampant in America. Pelagianism is a terrible plague in theology and the practical application of theology. It tries to use God for motivations and help for the outward behavior but denies that the real issue is of the heart and that God alone can change the heart.
God Loves... Himself 
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