Responding to Pelagianism's View of Predestination
The doctrine of predestination draws its strength from the undeniable facts of history, which Scripture reveals as the outworking of God's eternal plan. While the doctrine itself is not inherently harsh, the realities of life and history upon which it rests are undeniably serious. The truths of human sin, suffering, and salvation reveal the depth of God's justice and mercy in ways that are both awe-inspiring and sobering.
Pelagianism's Inadequacy Pelagianism—the belief in humanity's ability to direct its own destiny
—fails because it does not align with the realities of life and history.
It offers a superficial view that glosses over the deeper truths of human dependence on God. While it might appear appealing,
Pelagianism ultimately cannot change the unshakable realities of a world governed by God's providence and eternal counsel.
Conclusion The doctrine of predestination calls us to see the world not as a series of random events or human achievements, but as the unfolding of God's perfect plan. It invites believers to rest in the assurance that God's will is the ultimate foundation of all things. Though this truth is weighty, it offers profound comfort: our lives and the course of history are held securely in the hands of a wise and sovereign God.
Responding to Pelagianism's View of Predestination
Pelagianism, though repeatedly challenged and proven insufficient, continues to resist the biblical doctrine of predestination. It asserts that God has made a universal, conditional decree to offer grace sufficient for salvation to all fallen humanity. This claim often appeals to passages like Isaiah 5:3, Ezekiel 18:23, John 3:16, and 1
Timothy 2:4. Proponents of this view include Pelagians, semiPelagians, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Remonstrants, and others who emphasize universal grace.
The Particularity of Grace While Pelagianism claims a universal offer of grace, history and reality reveal its particularity. Throughout human history, only a small portion of humanity has encountered the gospel. Various attempts have been made to reconcile this tension:
Pelagians suggest that the natural law serves as a path to salvation, equating nature with grace.
Roman Catholics propose that grace is granted to all who rightly use their natural abilities.
Early Lutherans argued that grace was initially universal but became restricted through human sin.
Modern theologians claim the gospel will be preached after death to those who never heard it.
These theories, however, lack scriptural support and fail to address the particularity of grace. If grace is particular, we must ask why the gospel reaches some but not others. Why is one person born in a Christian home and another in a non-Christian one? Pelagianism attempts to answer by appealing to human merit, suggesting that God predestines based on how people use their natural abilities.
Augustine rightly rejected this, pointing to the example of infants.
Some are baptized and others are not, yet neither has any merits to
distinguish them. The Catholic Church, in turn, affirms that the first grace—prevenient grace—is entirely unmerited.
Grace and God's Sovereign Will When it comes to predestination to initial grace (e.g., being born into a Christian environment or hearing the gospel), no one can claim it is deserved. This is an act of God's unconditional will and sovereign good pleasure. The question of why one hears the gospel while another does not is beyond human understanding. Here, we must humbly submit to the will of God, recognizing his absolute authority.
Efficacious Grace and Human Will Pelagianism further argues that all who hear the gospel receive sufficient grace, and that it is the human will alone that determines whether grace is effective. This view leaves everything in human hands after the universal offer of grace, as if God has done his part and the rest depends solely on human decision.
However, no historic Christian confession has embraced this Pelagian perspective. All Christian traditions affirm the necessity of an efficacious grace—grace that truly produces faith. This recognition leads to the idea of a second decree within the counsel of predestination: the giving of true faith. The question, then, is not whether grace is sufficient, but to whom this efficacious, transforming grace is granted.
Confusion in the Doctrine of Grace and Predestination Over time, many Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Remonstrant theologians developed a theory about the role of human effort in receiving faith. They argued that God grants the gift of faith to those
who make proper use of the grace they have initially received, such as the gospel message, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the opportunities within their abilities. This teaching is based on the idea of a "merit of congruity," meaning that while human efforts can't fully earn salvation, they are seen as deserving of God's favor in some sense because of the fairness of God.
According to this view, God's predestination to further graces—like the gift of faith—is not based on his sovereign will but on his justice.
It's "fair," they say, for God to reward those who try their best with faith and forgiveness.
The Problem with This View However, this idea conflicts with both Scripture and reality. While humans are indeed called to faith and repentance through the preaching of the gospel, this does not mean they possess the power to fulfill that call on their own. Being commanded to believe does not automatically mean one is able to believe. Where could sinful and corrupt humans possibly find the power to accept the gospel? Can they create this power themselves? Does it come from some internal spiritual operation or from baptismal grace? Even those who teach that God gives sufficient grace to everyone struggle to answer this question.
The Bible is clear: humans are unwilling and unable to believe apart from God's intervention. Faith is not a reward for effort but a gift of God's undeserved grace. Salvation is entirely God's work, both objectively (what Christ has done for us) and subjectively (how we come to trust in him). There is no gradual transition from human nature to saving grace. Instead, salvation comes through God's supernatural act of grace. This reality makes the idea of "merit of congruity" incompatible with both Scripture and experience. Jesus
himself taught that it is the humble and undeserving—like children, tax collectors, and sinners—who receive the kingdom of God, not those who rely on their own efforts (Luke 10:21; Matthew 21:31).
Predestination to Glory Pelagianism also falters when it comes to the final step of predestination—eternal glory. It argues that even if a person believes and is forgiven, their final salvation is not guaranteed. God, they say, must make a separate decree to save only those whose perseverance in faith he foresees.
But this idea creates significant problems:
1. God's Will Becomes Uncertain If predestination is based on human perseverance, God's decree becomes conditional, like a wish rather than a certain plan. It portrays God as passively watching, waiting for humans to decide. Chance and human effort seem to take control, leaving the outcome uncertain even for those who believe.
2. Scripture Contradicts This View Scripture does not separate predestination to grace from predestination to glory. It presents salvation as a unified work of God, where each step—foreknowledge, calling, justification, and glorification—is securely connected (Romans 8:29-30). This chain cannot break because it depends entirely on God's faithfulness, not human effort.
3. God's Faithfulness is Undermined Pelagianism denies the certainty of God's promises. In its view, believers can fall away at any moment, and God's covenant becomes unstable. But Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that