The Proud Error of the Pelagians

Proverbs 30: 12-13: "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes; and yet is not washed from their filthiness. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up."

At the end of Art. 15 our creed declares, "we reject the error of the Pelagians, who assert that sin proceeds only from imitation." Before we proceed in our discussion of original sin, it is good for us to defend the truth against this heresy. Pelagianism, named after a fourth-century British monk named Pelagius, is an ancient heresy, but a deeply rooted heresy which has plagued the church almost from the very beginning. In the middle ages, Pelagianism morphed into a less radical Semi-Pelagianism, and our Canons of Dordt charge the Arminians with "bring[ing] again out of hell the Pelagian error" (Canons II, Rejection of Error 3).

Pelagianism is an outright rejection of the truth of original sin. Pelagius taught that Adam's sin has no effect whatsoever upon the nature of man; that man did not in any sense lose the image of God; that neither Adam's own nature nor the nature of any of his descendants was corrupted by the fall; and that every person born into the world enters it as morally neutral. In fact, taught Pelagius, every person born into the world enters it as morally neutral. In fact, taught Pelagius, every person not only must, but can, if he strives hard enough and uses the light of nature, the law of God and the good example of Christ, lead a sinless life and merit heaven for himself. 

What explains the universal prevalence of sin then? Pelagius taught that men sin because Adam gave his descendants a bad example. He argued that children sin only because they see others sin. Pelagianism is the underlying theory of many unbelievers today: they argue that if only we could make man's environment better, he would be a better person. They argue, therefore, that education, urban regeneration and other social programs are the answer to man's moral problems. Man, they say, is basically good! Not so, says the Word of God! Man is not basically good. Man is totally depraved, utterly corrupted, vile and polluted. Sin is not a matter of the environment; it is a matter of the heart. Jesus said, "Make the tree good, and his fruit good" (Matt. 12:33). It is foolish, wishful thinking to expect good fruit from a corrupt tree. Only God, by the powerful work of regenerating grace, can and does make evil trees good. 

Semi-Pelagianism modified this view. Pelagianism was so obviously unbiblical that very few could hold to it, especially after Augustine had fought this heresy so vigorously. Semi-Pelagianism concedes that man's nature has been affected by Adam's sin- man is very far gone from original righteousness. However, Semi-Pelagianism contends that man is only sick, not dead in sin; and that man still retains the power of free will with the ability to do good. Where Pelagianism taught that grace is useful but not necessary, Semi-Pelagians teaches that grace is necessary but not irresistible. To be saved, say the Semi-Pelagians, man must cooperate with the grace of God, which is given to everyone as a help towards salvation. Final salvation, however, depends on man. Pelagianism teaches that salvation is entirely the work of man; the Bible teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God. How important it is to understand, and rightly confess, our sinful nature! 

Rev. Martyn McGeown

Daily Meditations on the Belgic Confession, pp. 10-11

by the Protestant Reformed Churches of America 

MIC(P) 178/07/2013

clm@cerc.org.sg

www.cerc.org.sg

 

 

Are You A Good Person?

 

The average person thinks he is going to heaven because he is "a good person." But what does that mean, and how "good" does a person need to be to go to heaven?

Jesus was asked once by a rich young ruler, in Mark, chapter 10, "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17).

Jesus had a surprising response, "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10:18).



Jesus did not believe that the world was filled with "good" people. In fact, for Jesus there was only one good, and that was God Himself. In saying this to the young man, Jesus rebuked him for his flippant use of "good." Jesus also underlined the truth that He was indeed "Good Master," the only master who is truly good, and therefore God! The young man said "Good Master" as a polite form of address. Jesus wanted him to think about what he was saying, the implications of calling Jesus good. Jesus defined good by God’s commandments. This was right because the commandments are a reflection of God's own good character. God forbids adultery because He is holy; God forbids murder because He is the God of life; God forbids theft because He is sovereign; God forbids lying because He is truth; and God forbids idolatry because He alone is God and pure Spirit.

The young man said rather confidently, "Master, all these have I observed from my youth!" (Mark 10:20).That young man is like many people today: Have you murdered? No. Have you stolen? No. Have you committed adultery? No. The young man was confident: he was a good person. Surely, he had done enough to get to heaven?But Jesus looked at him straight in the eye and exposed his secret sin: covetousness!

Covetousness is the sinful desire after something which God has forbidden, and especially the love of other things rather than God or above God. Sin is not so much the bad things we do. It is a matter of the heart!

To expose covetousness in the young man, Jesus said to him, "One thing thou lackest. Go thy way; sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross and follow me" (Mark 10:21).

Those words pierced the young man’s heart. Jesus knew that this man loved money and that he was very rich. Jesus knew that the young man loved money so much that he could never part with it. If following Jesus meant that, he could never do it. And so the young man walked away from Jesus "grieved."

Does this mean that all rich people must sell all their goods today? No. Jesus said that to the young man to expose the sin of his heart, a sin which he could not see until Jesus put his finger on it. Jesus had a way of exposing the particular sins of those who came to Him. To an adulterous woman, who was living with a man not her husband, He said, "Go, call thy husband and come hither" (John 4:16). To a self-righteous, religious leader, He said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

The fact is we are not good, not by the standards of God. Perhaps you think yourself better than your neighbour and certainly better than the inmates of the nation’s prisons. But, God says, “Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Have you kept the whole law, without offending at even one point? Have you loved God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength? If not, you are not good.

If we are ever to go to heaven, Jesus Himself must expose our sins. Part of our sin is our blindness, our ability to deceive ourselves that all is well when it is not. Jesus exposes sin today in the preaching of the Word of God. That is why preaching is not popular. People do not want to have their sins exposed, so they stay away; or they go to where they can be flattered.

But exposing our sin does not make us good. It only makes us see that we are not good, and certainly not good enough to please God. And when we see that, we no longer boast about being good. Instead, we cry out as another man in the Bible did: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Only then do we appreciate the good news that God sent His own Son to die on the cross for the sins of all those who believe in Him!

Rev. Martyn McGeown
http://limerickreformed.com/blog/item/558-are-you-a-good-person?

Man Has Become Corrupt In All His Ways

Human nature has become, and is, morally corrupt in the fullest sense of the word. Man has become, and is, wicked and perverse in all his ways.

But is not this being a bit too harsh? After all, does not experience teach us that man is basically good? Oh, no doubt there are some "bad eggs" out there, men who are morally degenerate through and through, who inexplicably seem to delight in committing atrocious crimes, inflicting pain and suffering on others, reveling in debaucheries of the worst sort, who seem to have no conscience and no remorse in doing any kind of evil. But they are only a small minority, are they not? Surely most o mankind is guided by an inner moral compass to do what is right? Surely if given a chance, if properly taught, or perhaps reeducated, most men will be morally upright, will they not? Just look around you. What do you see? You see some evil men, but many good men: faithful spouses, hard workers, brave soldiers, devoted mothers, generous givers, and polite neighbors. Is it not a bit too harsh to say that man is wicked, perverse, and corrupt in all his ways?

So reasons the Pelagian, ancient and modern, who denies the depravity of man's nature.

But we may not be taught first of all by experience. We must be taught first by the Word of God, and experience always confirms the Word of God if we look below the glittery surface of human nature into the pitch blackness of the soul.

The Scriptures teach that man has become, and is, morally totally corrupt in all his ways: "Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Psa. 53:1-3, cf. Rom. 3:10-12). Every man, woman, and child and will, and, apart from grace, our deepest heart too. Our nature is wicked, perverse, and corrupt. It is totally unable to think, will, or do what is good in God's eyes. It is wholly inclined to what is evil and despicable in God's eyes. Your nature is! Mine is! It may produce actions which appear good in our eyes: acts of heroism, generosity, and achievement. But it cannot, and does not produce actions that are actually good in God's eyes. Such is the case because every outward act has an inward cause. That inward motive is inextricably linked to that act in God's eyes. That motive and that act are one. If that motive, in the deepest sense, is evil, the act is evil too in God's eyes. Man cannot, does not, and will not keep any of God's commandments in his heart. You by nature do not! I do not! Man can only, does only, and will only grossly transgress all of God's commandments. And man is corrupt "in all his ways." Man is morally depraved in all that he sets himself to do or be, in private and public life, in home, work or school, and in all his human relationships.

Man is totally depraved. This article teaches the T of the TULIP of Calvinism. This biblical truth is one of the pillars, dark and ugly though it is, of the Reformed faith. The other pillar is the truth that God is sovereign in salvation. God has saved us from our moral corruption by His irresistible grace (the I of TULIP). That grace flows to us from the cross of Jesus Christ. Bow down, then, in humble thanks to God for saving  you by His grace through Christ.

Read: Psalm 53 and Romans 3:9-19

Rev. Daniel Holstege

Daily Meditations on the Belgic Confession

by pastors of the Protestant Reformed Churches of America

Articles 13-14, pp. 65-66

www.cerc.org.sg 

clm@cerc.org.sg 

Arminianism Has Flooded the Reformed Churches

Our opposition to the offer of the gospel is not academic. Through the teaching and practice of the offer, Arminianism has flooded the Reformed churches. Today, a Reformed man cries out: "O God, the heathen are come into Thine inheritance; Thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps" (Ps. 79:1). The revivalistic, "soul-winning" mentality of free will has taken over among many Reformed people. The altar call, that johnny-come-lately innovation of Finney, an abomination before God and man, is widely practiced in Reformed churches. The evangelism of Billy Graham is revered, so that if one dares to call the message of Graham "the doctrine of Pelagius out of hell," as the Canons of Dordt do indeed call it, he is likely to be stoned as a blasphemer in the streets of Reformed Jerusalem. The children of the covenant are more and more viewed, not as covenant children to be reared in the truth but as potential converts who must make the decision for Christ. Reformed churches are wide open to the most blatant Arminian, "free willist," evangelistic societies, e.g., Campus Crusade for Christ. They are ravaged by ecumenical endeavors based on Arminian universalism., e.g., Key '73 and "Here's Life, America." Loosened from their moorings by Arminianism, they are swept by every wind of doctrine that finds salvation in man's feeling and experience, e.g., neo-Pentecostalism. Even the Holy Scriptures are defiled. Reformed people, schools, and churches gladly receive, eagerly use, and enthusiastically distribute as the Bible a book that is nothing other than a man's revision of the Scriptures along the lines of Arminian theology. Kenneth Taylor's The Living Bible, in all its myriad forms, is the bible of Arminianism. Systematically, it corrupts those passages of Scripture which teach the sovereignty of God in salvation and damnation, so that they will teach the sovereignty of the will of man. With this book, the Remonstrants had routed the Synod of Dordt. If a Reformed man had done to the sacred Scriptures in the interest of the Reformed faith only one tenth of that which The Living Bible has done in the interest of Arminianism, he would have been drawn and quartered in every pulpit and religious paper in the land, and his bible would have been scorned at the book stores. As for The Living Bible, it is lavished with praise, and its sales are booming. Why? Because the spiritual leaders delude the people, so that they no longer know that salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God Who showeth mercy, and the people love their delusion. 

There is only one hope for Reformed men and Reformed churches, and only the sovereign grace of God can realize it-- back to Calvinism: the old Calvinism of Dordt, of Calvin, of Augustine, of Paul. And this means the rooting out of the well-meant offer of the gospel. 

David J. Engelsma 

Hyper-Calvinism and the Call of the Gospel, pp. 63-65

Is Grace Resistible?

From a reader: “I wish, if possible, that you help me deal with the Arminian objections to the Reformed doctrine of irresistible grace. In a virtual debate I had with an Arminian, he claimed that prevenient grace (Arminian doctrine) is biblical and that we can see it in verses such as John 12:47: ‘And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.’ With this verse, he concludes that grace is not irresistible, because otherwise the whole world would be saved. He claims that this text gives no chance to the Calvinist to say that the word ‘world’ means ‘world of the elect.’ For example, Jesus includes the unbelievers and the damned in the word ‘world.’ He also claims that this text cannot be talking about the internal or external call. The text says that Jesus came to save the world. How can we understand this verse in the light of Reformed doctrine?”

The answer to the question concerning John 12:47 involves the meaning of the word “world.” It is evident from the argumentation in the question that the Arminian to whom the questioner refers wants to make the word “world” mean every man, woman and child that ever lived. This is always the key question that arises in connection with the defence of the truth of God’s sovereign grace over against those who deny it. Already in the latter part of the sixteenth century and the early part of the seventeenth, the Arminians defended their position on free will by appeal to the word “world.” Countless times in the history of the church this question has been discussed and those of the Reformed faith have explained the word as it ought to be explained. One could wish that Arminians who still bring up such arguments would do their homework for once, instead of jumping to unwarranted conclusions on questions that have been answered times without number.

There are many reasons why the word “world” cannot mean everyone who has ever lived. It is true, as others have said, that “A Christ for all is a Christ for none.”

1. If the word “world” means everyone who has ever lived, then God loves everyone who has ever lived. If God loves everyone who has ever lived, Christ died for everyone who has ever lived. If Christ died for everyone who has ever lived, the love of God is without power and the cross loses it redeeming glory. God loves people who are not saved and Christ died for people who are not saved. So God’s love goes for nothing and Christ’s cross has no power to save.

2. If God’s love and Christ’s cross are ineffectual, then God is not omnipotent. He cannot do what He wants to do. Already Augustine, back in the fifth century, insisted that what God wills to do, He does. The Roman Catholic Church denied Augustine’s teaching and adopted the views of Pelagius who taught that God loves all men and Christ died for all men. Do today’s Arminians want the same Pelagian doctrine as the Roman Catholic Church? Let them read the history of the church and learn that their doctrine came from Roman Catholicism.

3. It is clear that the questioner’s opponent not only believes that God loves everyone, but he also believes that every man, woman, child and babe in arms receives the grace of God. He speaks of prevenient grace. Prevenient grace is a grace given to everyone so that he can make up his own mind whether or not he wants salvation. But some resist this grace. They are, however, resisting a mirage, for not all men have grace, not even prevenient grace. Where in the Bible does one find a prevenient grace? One who teaches this faces the question: Is the grace of the Almighty God so shamefully weak that it has no power to save? We are told in Scripture to rely in our troubles on God’s grace. God told Paul, as he struggled with the thorn in his flesh, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (II Cor. 12:9). A resistible grace is a powerless grace. In all my afflictions, I have no need at all of a powerless grace.

4. To teach the Arminian doctrine that grace is resistible is to teach that man has a free will. The teaching that man has a free will is a flat, calculated attempt to deny total depravity. To refer to Ephesians 2:1 is sufficient to prove that total depravity is a reality. The trouble is not that Scripture does not teach total depravity; the trouble is that proud man wants to help save himself. He is too proud to consider himself what he truly is: a sinner dead in trespasses and sins. A partially depraved person does not need the cross of Christ. Paul, in Ephesians 2:1-10, insists on this. If salvation is partly our work, then we can boast of what we do and all glory does not belong to God.

Many years ago, when I was teaching catechism classes, I had a girl in the class who came out of the Roman Catholic Church. Although she eagerly took hold of the truths of the Reformed faith, she still stumbled over the sovereignty of God in all His creation and in all the deeds of men. We had discussed it time and time again, and I had exhausted all the biblical arguments; so, finally, I made one attempt to persuade her by saying to her, “If you had to choose between a sovereign God or a God who waits on you and on all men, what would you choose?” She put her head in her arms and sat in her seat what seemed to me and the others in the class to be an interminable amount of time. It was utterly and completely quiet in the room. At last she lifted her head and with the light of pure joy on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks, she said, “I want a sovereign God!” She has not wavered from that for over fifty years.

The question is not abstract theology. I have no need of a god who is not sovereign. I have no need of a god who waits on me before he can act. If that were true, I could just as well worship Buddha. I am a sinner hopelessly lost and unable to do anything but hate God, defy Him in His works, blaspheme His name or coldly ignore Him. I need a God who can, by divine power, conquer me and overcome all my resistance by irresistible grace. Does that make me a helpless and abhorrent sinner who does nothing for his salvation? Yes, it does. But it is better to cry out, “God be merciful to me a sinner” and go home justified (Luke 18:13-14), than to stand with the Pharisee and loudly boast, “Lord, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, because I have accepted Christ and so saved myself.” Such boasting is not the way to the cross and to heaven.

I shall deal with John 12:47 and Deuteronomy 30:6 (to which the questioner also refers) in the next News, God willing.

 

 

Prof. Hanko

Covenant Reformed News, July 2014

www.cprc.co.uk 

www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC 

www.youtube.com/cprcni 

You Don't Believe in Free Will?!

 

If there is one "sacred cow" in the modern church it is "freewill." Almost every person I meet in the modern church assumes that 1) man has freewill, 2) that man can use his freewill to choose salvation, 3) that God is a perfect gentleman who would never force salvation on man.

Deny "freewill" and you will hear objections:

1. You are making man to be a robot!
2. God would never do that!
3. That is a horrible doctrine!
4. Why bother?

The problem is that most objections are based on emotional responses, knee-jerk reactions.

Let us be clear what we mean.

1. The only ultimate "freewill" is God's. Only God can say, "I will do all my pleasure" (Isa. 46:10) Only of God can it be said that He works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). Our wills, whatever else they might be, are the wills of creatures and necessarily limited.

2. Man has a will. Man's will (not "freewill," but will) is his faculty of choice. Man, whether a sinner or not, has this faculty of choice. A robot and a puppet do not. No one teaches that man is a puppet. Therefore, man can make real choices between options presented to him. He can choose tea over coffee; he can choose to buy one model of car over another. Of course, his choices are limited by various factors. I might choose to buy a 2012 BMW car, but if I don't have the money I will have to settle for something cheaper. In addition, man is free to choose in that he is not forced by God to make a choice one way or the other.

3. Man was created (in Adam and Eve) with freewill. This freewill was a faculty of Adam's mind according to which he made choices. Adam's mind and whole being (and therefore will) were perfectly upright and holy. Adam willingly and with delight served God his Creator. God made man that way in His own image, but with the possibilty of falling. We know, of course, that man fell into sin. The contentious issue is this: did man's fall affect his nature, and especially his will?

Fallen Man

1. The Pelagian denies that the nature of man was affected by the Fall. According to that view, Adam fell but it was a very minor affair. Man became guilty, but his mind, soul and will were basically unaffected. And none of his posterity were affected by Adam's fall either. There is no original guilt, or original corruption (original sin). Modern man, as a sinner, is still in the image of God and still able to serve God. You ask: why does no man live a life without sin?  The answer: all men sin because of the evil examples of parents and other human beings. Sin is not in the nature, but in the "nurture."

2. The semi-Pelagian admits that man was seriously affected by the Fall. He lost many of the powers of his original nature. Man is "weakened" but not ruined by the Fall. Now it is much more difficult to serve God and to choose good. This view teaches that man is "sick" but not "dead." But man still has the power to cooperate with the grace of God.

3. The Bible teaches that the Fall ruined Adam and also all his posterity. As a result of the Fall man became a slave to sin (John 8:34), totally corrupted and depraved, and he lost the image of God (knowledge, holiness and righteousness [Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; John 8:44] ). Now man does not have a "free" will (he has the faculty to choose but that has been corrupted also). He has a corrupted will.

The Choices of a Fallen Man

1. What is will? What is faculty of choice? Are you, as a sinner, completely free to choose, and entirely uninfluenced in that choice? No! A man chooses that which he loves, that to which he is attracted, that which pleases him. Why do you choose to drink coffee, perhaps, whereas that would not be my choice? Because you like coffee, and I cannot stand the smell of it! Why does a sinner choose to sin? Because the sinner loves sin!

2. A sinner when faced with the choice of righteousness or sin, holiness or depravity, loving God or loving self will always choose the latter. Why? Because he has a totally depraved heart, a twisted mind, a perverted will and a ruined, fallen nature.. Therefore, sinners choose willingly to sin. They follow sin greedily (Eph. 4:19) even when they know that sin will destroy them. Sin is irresistible to the sinner. God does not force a person to sin against his will. Sin is his natural choice exactly because he has a fallen nature.

a. Man is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-3)
b. Man hates light and loves darkness (John 3:19-20)
c. Man's carnal mind is enmity [hostility] against and cannot even be subject to God's Law (Rom. 8:7-8)
d. To the natural mind the Gospel is foolishness and he cannot receive it (I Cor. 2:14)
e. There is none who does good, seeks God, understands, etc (Rom. 3:10ff)
f. man drinks sin up as water (Job 15:16)
The Bible is FILLED with testimonies such as that.  And when the Bible does talk about sinners seeking God, longing after God, etc., it speaks of saved, regenerate, belieivng sinners. Do not confuse the two!

3. So, offer to the will of the sinner (who is dead in sin, hates light and loves darkness, finds spiritual things foolishness and cannot receive them, does not do good, understand or seek God, and whose very mind is hostlity to God) the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and what will the reaction ALWAYS be? Rejection! Unbelief! Refusal to repent! Why? Because the unbeliever freely, willingly and in accordance with his fallen nature ALWAYS hates Christ and is never atracted to Him.

4. Does that mean that conversion is impossible? Yes, for man it is. Man is as the Bible describes him: totally depraved. Does that man that God cannot convert a man? Of course, not! God can convert the most hardened sinner. Does that mean we should not preach to sinners? No, of course not! We must preach to sinners, but in preaching we do not rely on our abilities to appeal to man's will, but we preach knowing that it is God who gives life to sinners. God is pleased to use means to bring elect sinners to salvation.
5. What about you, believer? Is it not true that you were also like the unbeliever described above? Consider the analogy of the so-called "perfect gentleman" Jesus knocking at your heart (there is not one word in the Bible about this "gentleman Jesus" by the way; and Rev. 3:20 is not about Jesus knocking on the door of an unbeliever's heart but about Christ knocking on the door of the church in Laodicea!). If you love darkness and the light of the world is knocking at your door will you ever in a million years open the door? Will you not like a darkness-lover lock the door and get away from Him as far as you can? Did you overcome your own depravity, your own slavery to sin, your own enmity against God? Of course not!

6. Why do some believe? Because God by His Spirit works, opens the closed heart (Acts 16:14), opens the blinded eyes, unstops the deafened ears, and even gives life from the dead, and gives a new heart. Does He give that to everyone? Clearly not! He gives it to the elect.

Conclusion

We do not deny that man has a will. Man has a will, a very active will, a will actively and greedlly set on evil, only evil, always evil. His will is corrupt and disordered because his whole nature is corrupt and because the whole man is enslaved to sin. That is why we need salvation: God frees our will, and changes our nature, and then we believe. Salvation is not of man's freewill (man's will is bound to sin). Salvation is of God's grace, free, sovereign, efficacious, amazing grace!
And, in heaven, when our will shall be finally delivered from the corruption of our nature, we will no longer even be able to choose sin. That will not mean that we will be robots, only able to chose good and never evil. We will be free, perfectly free, happily and gloriously free, to serve God forever without even the possibility of sin!
How did you become convinced there was no "freewill"? And have you experience strong opposition as you expressed these beliefs?


Rev. Martyn McGeown
http://limerickreformed.com/blog/item/572-you-dont-believe-in-free-will?