2nd. Semipelagian.-(a.) Man’s nature has been so far weakened by the fall that it cannot act aright in spiritual matters without divine assistance. (b.) This weakened moral state which infants inherit from their parents is the cause of sin, but not itself sin in the sense of deserving the wrath of God. (c.) Man must strive to do his whole duty, when God meets him with co-operative grace, and renders his efforts successful. (d.) Man is not responsible for the sins he commits until after he has enjoyed and abused the influences of grace.
Today we will look at Semi-Pelagian thinking on sanctification. What we must know and never move from is that Scripture teaches us that Christ is our sanctification: “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption” (I Corinthians 1:30). Scripture also teaches us that Christ is our life (Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 3:1-4). The believer is told that grace reigns through righteousness (Rom 5:20-21). We are never told that grace is God’s co-operation with man. We are never told that man is sanctified by works, though man is to do good works. We are never told to work hard and strive to do all you can do and God will do the rest and your efforts will be successful. We are also told that if something is a work then it is not of grace (Rom 11:36). The believer is to live and walk by faith (Rom 1:17; II Cor 5:7; Gal 3:11; Heb 10:38). The reason that the believer is to walk by faith is because that which is of faith is by grace (Rom 4:16; 11:6). Faith is not a work of the soul, it is that by which we receive grace.
The Semi-Pelagian system is essentially sanctification by works. It does claim to have grace involved, but the grace it speaks of is a grace that helps man finish what man cannot do alone. It is man’s efforts and grace that take man to sanctification. It is the logical progression of the belief that man was only weakened by the fall and needs assistance from God rather than a person that is spiritually dead needed everything from the hand of the grace of God. It is also in line with the position “d” above which says that “man is not responsible for the sins he commits until after he has enjoyed and abused the influences of grace.” In other words, it is not that what man does is sinful enough to count against him but it is his abusing grace that is sinful. This position is simply full of a works mentality and opposed to grace alone.
We can look at this system from the position of a pastor. The pastor must strive to do his whole duty in order that God would meet him with grace and make his efforts successful. We would end up with a man preaching in his own strength working hard so that God would meet him with grace and make his preaching successful. But the true dependence is upon the pastor himself. He is working hard in his study and preparation. He is going to work hard in the matter of preaching. But why is he working hard to do that? He is working hard in order to do his whole duty so that God will meet him with grace. But notice that grace does not arrive until a person is working hard to do his or her duty. It is not grace that is prompting and strengthening the person, it is self and the motives of self.
The pastor and his works in preaching is a picture of how people would strive to be moral and do good works to the best of their ability so that God’s grace would meet them and make their efforts successful. What we see, then, is simply a sanctification based on the works and efforts of man. Indeed he will say that it is by grace, but in reality he is depending on his works to do what he can do and also so that God will show grace. Man has this burden to do to the best of his ability (whatever that may be) so that he will be met with grace. But this is again simply a way to earn grace which makes grace not to be grace, which is what Romans 11:6 so clearly teaches: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” Works from the efforts of self show us that what we think is grace is not grace at all. God’s grace is moved within Himself and not by the efforts, merits or works of man. We are to labor and even labor hard, but that is not by our own strength. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (I Cor 15:10). “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me” (Col 1:29) and “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). The Semi-Pelagian system has no real resemblance to sanctification by grace.
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