The guardians of ‘free-will’ have exemplified the saying: ‘out of the frying-pan, into the fire.’ In their zeal to disagree with the Pelagians they start denying condign merit, and by the very form of their denial they set it up more firmly! By word and pen they deny it, but really, in their hearts, they establish it, and are worse than the Pelagians upon two counts. In the first place, the Pelagians confess and assert condign merit straightforwardly, candidly and honestly, calling a spade a spade and teaching what they really hold. But our friends here, who hold and teach the same view, try to fool us with lying words and false appearances, giving out that they disagree with the Pelagians, when there is nothing that they are further from doing! ‘If you regard our pretences, we appear as the Pelagians’ bitterest foes; but if you regard the facts and our hearts, we are Pelagians double-dyed.’ (Luther, Bondage of the Will)
‘Justification by faith only’ is a truth that needs interpretation. The principle of sola fide is not rightly understood till it is seen as anchored in the broader principle of sola gratia. What is the source and status of faith? Is it the God-given means whereby the God-given justification is received, or is it a condition of justification which it is left to man to fulfill? Is it a part of God’s gift of salvation, or is it man’s own contribution to salvation? Is our salvation wholly of God, or does it ultimately depend on something that we do for ourselves? (“Historical and Theological Introduction” to Bondage of the Will)
Again, we must understand the context that we are dealing with. First, we are looking at what Luther said about those who deny Pelagianism and then teach it with different words. Second, we are looking at the term “justification by faith only” and how it is not just a phrase that as long as a person gives some sort of assent that it is true that person is saved. The Gospel is not just a matter of believing some facts, but it is about the grace of God actually doing something in the soul. Justification by faith alone must of absolute necessity be seen in the broader principle of grace alone. If we do not interpret justification by faith alone in the broader principle of grace alone, we will not understand the truth of the Gospel. Apart from the biblical teaching of grace alone justification by faith alone is really a teaching of a work or works for salvation and is in truth a form of Pelagianism.
The broader principle of grace alone drives us relentlessly to ask the question as to the source and status of faith. Our real answer here, even if our mouths say something different, will show to some degree whether we at least intellectually believe in a Gospel of grace alone or whether we are to some degree Pelagian. The three questions above after the question about our source and status of faith gets at the real issue. What are the possible sources of faith? The possible sources would be the ‘free-will’ of man, God, or a third party in some way. The ramifications are enormous on how we answer this question. If we answer that the source of faith is the ‘free-will’ of man, then we are left with the view that salvation is almost all of grace but its final decision rests upon one act of the human will. But for the human will to be free, it must be free from the ravages and bondage of sin as well as the grace of God. So if we assert that the human will is free, then we must admit that total depravity is not true and that salvation is not wholly of grace. Clearly, and that without question, to assert that faith is from the human ‘free-will’ is to assert Pelagianism in some form.
It may be the case that someone would want to argue, though I am not sure how they could. Romans 11:6 speaks to the issue: “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.” The King James Version uses a few more words in verse 6: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” This verse of Scripture sets the matter out for us very clearly. Salvation is either by grace apart from works or works apart from grace. There is no mixture and there is no in between. Salvation is all of grace or all of works since the two cannot be mixed. Pelagianism asserts a salvation by works while the historical position of the Reformed asserts is salvation by grace and grace alone. Arminianism tries to be in the middle, but it fails as there is no middle ground. Admittedly Arminianism is closer to the Reformed position in one sense, but in another sense it is in being closer that it is more dangerous. Justification by faith alone is a teaching that when separated from grace alone makes a person a Pelagian to some degree, though when truly rooted in grace and grace alone it is the Gospel. So we can see how modern Arminianism is in many ways simply a more palatable version (at first glance in appearance) of Pelagianism and yet Luther says it is worse because it is more deceptive. Those who profess to be Reformed need to be careful because their associations and “fellowship” with professing Arminians can be nothing less than to be enemies of the Gospel.
God Loves... Himself 
September 21, 2011 at 11:24 pm |
“Apart from the biblical teaching of grace alone justification by faith alone is really a teaching of a work or works for salvation and is in truth a form of Pelagianism.”
The problem is that justification by faith alone is not a “biblical teaching” but a Pauline teaching denied by the rest of the Bible, especially Matthew, especially the Old Testament, especially James, and especially Revelation. A rational person would simply come to the conclusion that Paul is a false apostle rather than entrenching himself in what is taught almost only in Romans 4-9 against the rest of Scripture. Luther’s judgment, in other words, that James and Hebrews, are epistles of straw not to be regarded as true Scripture (a judgment which he could have equally applied to every book other than Romans and Galatians) is the opposite of the truth: it is Romans and Galatians that are the epistles of straw, and it is time to set the straw on fire and be done with it. If the Pelagians are guilty of anything, it is being too timid to simply admit that Romans and Galatians are forgeries and not true Scripture. Luther was correct that two epistles don’t belong in the New Testament, but instead of Hebrews and James, its Romans and Galatians.
September 22, 2011 at 4:45 pm |
Justification by faith alone is the biblical teaching. It was clearly how Abraham was declared just. James does not teach anything contrary to the bliblical teaching of justification by faith alone as taught by Paul. It may sound that way to some, but it does not. James is speaking of a justification before men and Paul is speaking of a justification before God.
Perhaps a rational person in a particular worldview would conclude that Paul was a false apostle, but spiritual people who have met Christ and know Him through His words that He gave Paul know differently.
As I understand it in later life Luther changed his view on James. Pelagianism denies the whole Bible in reality (though not in words) and so there is no need for them to say that any book or books do not belong in the Bible. Romans and Galatians teach what Ephesians, Colossians, John, and James teaches. God saves by grace alone, but a grace that saves is a grace that bears fruit in changed hearts and lives.