Pelagianism

by T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Category: Departure From The Past | Jun 1972

In former articles in this series we have considered some of the principal heresies which emerged in the sub-apostolic age. These heresies were, in the main, the product of speculative thought in an age of intellectual ferment when the Christian Faith was subjected to intense scrutiny. We have observed that the controversies were sometimes enmeshed with a struggle for power and prestige by leaders and parties in the professing Church, and that the errors propounded have their adherents right down to the present day. "The ancient controversies are significant for all time ... fossil specimens ... of existing and permanent species of thought" (Moule).

Most of the disputes reviewed up to this point occurred in the Eastern part of Christendom. Early in the fifth century a controversy of quite a different kind arose in which the chief figure was Pelagius, who appears to have been a British monk. His theories were largely the swing of the pendulum from those of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, who was at that time a towering theologian in the West. The heresies alleged against Pelagius were formulated by one of his chief opponents at a Synod at Carthage in 411 or 412 A.D., under six heads:

(1)Adam would have died, even if he had not sinned.

(2)The sin of Adam injured himself alone, and not all mankind.

(3)New-born children are in the same condition in which Adam was before the Fall.

(4)It is not true that because of the sin and death of Adam all mankind die; neither is it true that because of Christ's resurrection all men rise again.

(5)Infants, even if unbaptized, have eternal life.

(6)A man can be sinless, and keep God's commandments without difficulty, insomuch that even before the coming of Christ there were men who were entirely without sin; and the Law as well as the Gospel leads to eternal life.

(In our treatment of this subject here we leave aside the

issue raised in (5) above. This will come under review in a

later article in this series, "Baptismal Regeneration".)

Apparently at Carthage the discussion related specially to the second and third heads. Although the views of Pelagius seemed to have been condemned at this Synod, at a later appeal at Lydda he was declared to be worthy of communion. But at the instigation of Augustine and others, Pelagius and his chief adherent Coelestius were summoned to a second Synod at Carthage in 416 A.D. where they were condemned and excommunicated, the sentence being later confirmed by Rome.

In the introduction to this series of articles we stressed that there is no authoritative basis for Christian doctrine outside the Holy Scriptures. In later articles we applied this principle to such profound truths as the Being and Nature of God and the Person of Christ. To go beyond what is written in Scripture is to step outside revelation into the realm of speculation. We must bear this in mind as we pass from the study of the Divine Being to the study of man. We have in Scripture the only authentic account of man; his origin, his constitution, his fall and his destiny.

The Bible doctrine of man is an important and vital part of divine revelation. To examine it in detail is beyond the scope of these studies which are directed to heresies of the sub-apostolic age. Heretical teaching on the essential nature of man had already been advanced by Gnostics. We noted this in an earlier article. Our present concern is with the heresy of Pelagianism. On the matters at issue in this controversy Scripture is so explicit that it is difficult to conceive how anyone holding its authority could fall into error. Yet Pelagius contended that his teaching was in accordance with Scripture, and his teaching is prevalent today: "There are millions of Pelagians living today and most of them never knew that such a person as Pelagius ever lived!" (Machen).

To go at once to the crux of the problem raised in the Pelagian controversy: it has to do with man's constitution as created and what occurred at the Fall. We need not stay here to argue the authority of the Scripture account of creation:

This is settled for the Christian by the unqualified testimony of our Lord to the early chapters of Genesis (e.g. Matt. 19:4-6). The New Testament writers throughout assume the complete authority of the Old Testament and, in particular, treat the history of man's origin and Fall as fundamental to the whole scheme of divine revelation.

The relationship of mankind to Adam, and the consequences of his fall to the race of which he was head, are clearly defined by the apostle Paul in the well-known passage Romans 5:12-21. The Pelagian heresies are completely exposed in this single passage of Scripture. In the Fall original righteousness was lost not only for Adam, the head of the race, but also for the whole human family. As the race fell in Adam and shares his condemnation, so those who become united to Christ by faith share the righteousness of their New Covenant Head. This is the fundamental argument in this important statement in Romans 5. The solidarity of the human race in Adam is compared with the complete incorporation in Christ of those who believe in Him. The principle of headship applies alike to both. Deny it in the one case, and it must be disallowed in the other.

Thus:

"... as through one trespass the judgement came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous.... That, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom.

5:18-21).

Here, clearly stated is the doctrine of the imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity.

The infection of the entire human race through Adam's sin is not only stated and demonstrated in Scripture, but is also universally confirmed in human experience. The sinful acts of men spring from their state of alienation from God which lies behind. This is what the theologians call "original sin". "Our fallenness is communicated to us through our participation in the common nature of humanity. The consequence is that sin occurring anywhere in the human race will make itself felt throughout, not just as a tendency to evildoing but as an interior dislocation of man's relation to God in the ontological roots of his being" (Mascall). This grave factor in man's sinful state, pollution at his centre, is asserted in unmistakable terms by our Lord Himself:

"That which proceedeth out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings, wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:20-23).

This is the dimension of the sin problem. The universal sinfulness of mankind, being the teaching of all Scripture ("There is none righteous, no, not one") places us all on a common platform, and leaves us entirely dependent on God to come to our aid. We are powerless to reach Him of ourselves; the barrier from our side is unbridgeable. The initiative must come from Him, and any provision He makes must be gratuitous and must be received as a gift: "God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all. 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!" (Rom. 11:32,33). Blessed be God! The barrier between man and God has now been taken away:

"Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1.29). Here is the complete answer to man's state of alienation from God-the reconciling Sacrifice of His beloved Son.

The Word of God exposes the theories of Pelagius as deadly heresy. They struck at the very vitals of the gospel and were a denial of the absolute necessity of salvation by the grace of God. The Pelagian view of sin, and its consequences to the race, casts man upon his own resources, upon his supposed inherent goodness; and this, in turn, inevitably leads to an erroneous view of the Atonement. "It has been said that every heresy shows some subtle connexion with inadequate views of the exceeding sinfulness of sin" (Moule). There is, perhaps, no part of the Christian Faith which is misconstrued so much by 'nominal' Christians as the Bible doctrine of man. Pelagian theories are widely, if unwittingly, held, and as a consequence the attainment of salvation by good works is a prevalent error.

"For the practical needs of the heart, the doctrines of the Fall are meant wholly for mercy; meant to drive the last vestige of self-trust and self-esteem from the mind" (Moule). It is only against the dark 'background of human depravity that we can contemplate the wonder of sovereign grace. The awakened soul, casting itself on divine mercy, finds unspeakable joy and peace - "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). So Martin Luther, driven nearly to despair in the long struggle with his sins, found peace. When the light streamed into his heart he sang, "'0 blessed guilt that has merited such a Redeemer". All who have found peace in justifying grace can appreciate that sentiment, and are content to own

"I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all, Jesus Christ is my All in All".

T.M. Hyland, Birkenhead | Jun 1972
Departure From The Past