The basic tenants of Pelagianism are given below in something of a logical form.
(a) Moral character can be predicated only of volitions.
(b) Ability is always the measure of responsibility
(c) Therefore, every man has always the plenary power to do all that it is his duty to do.
(d) Therefore, the human will alone, to the exclusion of the interference of an internal influence from God, must decide human character and destiny.
(e) Therefore, the only divine influence needed by man or consistent with his character as a self-determined agent is an external, providential, and educational one.
What follows is taken from The Sovereignty of God by Arthur Pink. The intent is to show the difference between the basic teachings of Pelagianism with the orthodox concept of God. It is not just that the teachings of Pelagianism are wrong, but they are an attack on the character of God Himself.
The sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhead of God. To say that God is sovereign is to say that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Ps. 115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Ps. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (I Tim 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.
How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern Christendom! The conception of Deity which prevails most widely today, even among those who profess to give heed to the Scriptures, is a miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty of the Truth. The God of the twentieth century is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no really thoughtful man. The God of the popular mind is the creation of a maudlin sentimentality. The God of many a present-day pulpit is an object of pity rather than of awe-inspiring reverence…
The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite. When we say that God is sovereign we affirm the His right to govern the universe, which He has made for His own glory, just as He pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the clay, i.e., that He may mould that clay into whatsoever form His chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or law outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself, and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters to any.
Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God. He is sovereign in all His attributes. He is sovereign in the exercise of His Power. His power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. This fact is evidenced on every page of Scripture. For a long season that power appears to be dormant, and then it is put forth in irresistible might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going forth to worship Jehovah in the wilderness—what happened? God exercised His power, His people were delivered and their cruel task-masters were slain. But a little later, the Amalekites dared to attack these same Israelites in the wilderness, and what happened? Did God put forh His power on this occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were these enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No, on the contrary, the Lord swore that He would “have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17:16).
The God of the Bible as set forth by Pink is not the same God set forth in Pelagianism. The god of Pelagianism waits and depends on the will of man, yet the God of the Bible does as He pleases in all cases and at all times. The God of the Bible depends on no man and simply does all according to His own will. The God of the Bible saves those whom He pleases rather than waiting on the pleasure of man to be saved. The holy God of Scripture and all reality cannot be hindered or thwarted in doing His pleasure at any point and at any way, but Pelagianism is focused on man’s will and man doing as he pleases. The difference is infinite, stark, and has eternal consequences.
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