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Pelagianism
In the 5th century AD, a British monk named Pelagius, renowned for his piety
and austerity, developed this doctrine of salvation. According to Pelagius,
though human beings have succumbed to the influences of Adam *s
"original sin," the possibility of overcoming human sinfulness still
existed. Pelagius basically believed that all humans possessed the ability not
to sin, and the role of the commandments in the Old Testament and the teachings
of Jesus in the New Testament was to show us how to live sinless lives. Further,
if we wanted to receive God*s
grace, mercy, and forgiveness, and if we wanted therefore to receive salvation,
we had to earn this through living a life that was in accord with Biblical
teachings.
A series of Church councils in the fourth and fifth centuries condemned this
view as heresy. Though no major Christian denomination endorses this view today,
this "heresy" still exists in more subtle ways in the theology of many
Christians, both Catholic and Protestant. Today, Pelagianism is often referred
to as a salvation of works -- if
we do enough good deeds, God will love us, forgive us, and save us.
Key Texts:
Matthew 25:31-46
3 1"When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will
sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him,
and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep
from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at
the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you
that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I
was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in
prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,
when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you
something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed
you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or
in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell
you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You
that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil
and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and
you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me,
naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit
me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take
care of you?’ 45 Then he will
answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least
of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Mark 10:17-22
17 As he
was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him,
"Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 Jesus said
to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know
the commandments: ‘You shall not
murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear
false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ " 20
He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell
what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; then come, follow me." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and
went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
James 2:14-26
14 What
good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have
works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily
food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your
fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of
that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Return to
Four Understandings of Salvation Page
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