Pelagianism — the accidental heresy alive and well in the church today.
Or, how we learned to hate the sin but love ourselves.
Pelagianism is a heretical alternative to the doctrine of original sin, which argues that Adam did not possess a nature that was fundamentally corrupt, although he subsequently became a sinner. This is from the pit of hell.
Pelagianism is a heretical teaching that centres on teaching that we don’t inherit sinfulness, which is the result of Adam’s sin. Original sin is the far-reaching consequence of Adam’s first sin to all descendants. Pelagius taught that people are not born with original sin and are therefore able to choose to follow God and do good works on their own, without the need for divine grace. This contrasts with the doctrines of grace, which teach that people are born with a sinful nature and are unable to choose to follow God or do good works on their own, and that salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace.
My young children refute Pelagianism every day.
Pelagianism peaked in the early 400s and was deemed heretical shortly thereafter. Yet, it remains very popular in Christianity today.
What Is the History of Pelagianism?
The Pelagian controversy arose in England, Ireland and North Africa in the late 4th century. The followers of either Pelagius (a British monk) or the so-called “Pelagian heresy” argued that people are able to choose virtue without divine aid. The opposing side argued that God makes it easy for humans to be good and forbids them from sinning by their own free will.
Pelagius fled to Africa before the Visigoths flattened Rome and he lived within “spitting distance” from Augustine, Bishop of Hippo. Unlike Pelagius, Augustine fully supported the notion of original sin and grace. His years of living wild earlier in life had affirmed the effects that Adam’s sin has on all people — we inherit a depraved nature. That our wills are in bondage to sin.
Augustine believed that Adam’s sin cut us off from God and resulted in our being born spiritually dead, unable to save ourselves or pursue God. Apart from God’s grace giving us new life in Christ, we will forever be enslaved by sin and its penalty. Man is free to choose, but in our sinful state, we’ll choose sin. Only through the work of God, who grants salvation from sin and all power over it, can we be truly freed.
Pelagius argued that Augustine’s doctrine of original sin made it simple for individuals to commit sin themselves with immunity. When Paul wrote in Romans 3:9–19 about Grace, Christians tend to take his assertion that Grace is not a license to sin too literally. With this moralistic energy, Pelagius ended up opposing Augustine’s teachings. Augustine of course responded and LSS, in 416 a council of bishops in Carthage, led by Augustine, condemned Pelagius as a heretic.
Through time Pelagianism (and its bed-fellow semi-Pelagianism) has been condemned as a heresy at numerous church councils, including the Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Trent in 1546. More church councils condemned Pelagianism than any other heresy.
And today?
So, can we find Pelagianism in the church today? Speaking as a pew-sitter I would give a resounding “YES!” in answer.
Thanks to the impact of revivalist Charles Finney and his leadership within the Second Great Awakening, as the founder of modern revivalism, he must carry a lot of the blame for the embedding of Pelagianism in the modern church. The pursuit of numbers lead some people to think that he preached a humanistic philosophy, that he actually believed that man was born innocent and that post-birth choices, would lead people to salvation.
As a revivalist, Finney wanted to pack in the crowds in order to gain large numbers of conversions by which he measured God’s work. (You can see now in the UK a drive for numeric growth as a sign of God’s favour — indeed some churches have used a “Prayer for growth” as the backdrop to some of their “missional” work) He believed if many people professed faith in Christ, then God was clearly working. He didn’t view success as faithfully preaching God’s Word or adhering to sound doctrine.
It was all about the numbers.
Finney contributed to the unbiblical idea of a seeker-sensitive service (popularised latterly by the likes of Bill Hybels, Joel Osteen, Craig Groeschel, Joyce Myer and Steven Furtick et al). He continually altered his theology in order to make it more attractive to his target audience.
Instead of depending on the Word of God to do the work of God in the hearts of people and save them from sin, Finney employed clever techniques in order to draw men in. Rather than relying on methods and preachers to do what only God’s grace can do, Finney trusted that these things would somehow bring about salvation.
One of Finney’s thoughts that have been widely adopted by churches is his use of vibrant colours, loud music and messages centred on the individual. He combined classical conversion techniques with his own behavioural theories to create an emotional experience, which is still seen in many churches today. Churches have adopted more corporate branding techniques to be “relevant” and appeal to those who would not ordinarily go into a church. However, this mindset puts responsibility for drawing people to Christ onto man, while focusing less on God’s grace and power.
In robust health today.
Pelagianism is a heresy which takes direct opposition to the Bible’s clear teaching but it is alive and well in the modern church both in the US and the UK.
Pelagianism posits itself broadly thus:
We’re born without sin. Sin is likened to breaking a code of ethics. We are capable of living without sin and thus it would be our obligation to do so.
Adam’s sin only affected the earth because he set a bad example. It denies that his sin led mankind to be born into a life of sin.
We all have the potential to live our lives without sin.
We’re not guilty of any sin unless we choose to be.
Humans can live out their lives and never sin at all. Jesus did it, after all.
We can obtain salvation by ceasing to sin, which means Christ’s death on the cross was unnecessary.
Jesus had a different purpose in coming to Earth. He was not sent as an atonement for our sin, but to live an exemplary life.
Some people think that grace is necessary for salvation, but that’s not the case. God’s grace can help us make good decisions, but as long as you make the effort to believe in Him, it doesn’t matter if you’re perfect or not- you’ll still be saved.
As Christians, we grow in holiness through the use of external laws and guided examples. We achieve salvation by following the law and Christ’s example of obedience to God.
Salvation comes in part from our own doing, not only from God’s. We have to make a choice to do good and reap the rewards.
Salvation is a synergistic pursuit.
The Bible refutes this and clearly says:
Everyone here is under sin. No one is a good or righteous person (Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:9–19).
We were born in sin and die in our sins, evil from birth (Genesis 8:21, Ephesians 2:1).
Out of our hearts come all kinds of evil (Matthew 15:18–19).
The law was never intended to save us, but it shows us our desperate need for a savior. We see this in Gal 3:23–25.
Salvation is a gift from God, obtained by His grace alone, and received through faith alone in Christ alone. To say that we can earn it for ourselves would be contradictory to the scriptures (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Salvation is something that God does for free, and He chooses to have mercy on us (Romans 9:16).
God has done everything thing necessary to set us apart for Himself. We need to obey by His Spirit and not work out salvation by trying to earn God’s favor (Acts 13:39, Romans 8:29, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 1:13; Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 10:10).
Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
3 Simple ways to avoid this heresy.
Develop humility
When we see God as the One in control of every aspect of life, we respect Him and give Him the glory He deserves.
The Bible teaches that a human being, by nature, is all guilty and deserving of eternal punishment. Therefore, humans need God to save them (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Focusing on our own strength means we grow to depend on the Holy Spirit less and less. But when we depend on His Spirit and strength, sin is weakened and never satisfied.
Accept that the Bible is God’s word and STUDY it.
Rather than just following the beliefs you prefer, it’s important to form your beliefs on the Bible’s doctrines.
Pelagianism is completely unfounded and doesn’t come from Scripture. Pelagius was afraid that people would take advantage of the doctrine of grace and use it as permission to sin.
You should never take scripture out of context to support your beliefs after all :
Scripture taken out of context is just a pretext for a prooftext.
Don’t waver on what you know to be right and biblical. No matter your culture, trust in God. Hold fast to His word (Deuteronomy 32:4, Isaiah 55:8–9, Romans 12:2).
Be like the Bereans and study to know the full Word of God. Test everything, and hold onto what agrees with what is found in the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Doctrine matters a lot.
Pray, always.
Our sinful nature wants us to do whatever we want, whatever we desire. When we pray, His Spirit convicts and encourages us (John 16:7–15), prayer aligns us with God’s Word and helps keep us grounded in truth. A person who prays little will end up relying on themselves and others rather than God. Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
Go with God, in peace.
