The Four Major Views of Christian Salvation: Part Three

III. OTHER VIEWS OF SALVATION ON THE SPECTRUM

The four positions examined so far represent different points found in a spectrum of soteriological understanding. On one end of the spectrum is Pelagianism which sees salvation as a human monergism; there is no original sin and salvation is entirely the work of humanity. On the other end of the spectrum is a divine monergism - Augustinianism; humanity is completely dead spiritually, possessing no internal resources to contribute to personal salvation. Therefore if humanity is to be saved, God must do all of the work. In the middle of the spectrum are different soteriological synergisms; humanity and God working in cooperation with one another. Those synergisms closer to the human monergism side of the spectrum place greater emphasis on what human beings contribute to salvation or on the human initiative in salvation, as seen in Semi-Pelagianism. Synergisms that are closer to the divine monergism side of the spectrum place their focus on divine action or divine initiative, as seen in the semi-Augustinian view.

At this point, to see the spectrum more clearly, other views of how people are saved need to be addressed. What has been presented so far are simply four positions on the spectrum. These are not the only views however. In what follows, theological positions that fall in between the four major views will be presented. Specifically, three more positions will be presented. The first is a mediating position between Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism, called softer Semi-Pelagianism; the second is a mediating position between Semi-Pelagianism and Semi-Augustinianism, called softer Semi-Augustinianism, but could be called a harder Semi-Pelagianism; the third is a mediating position between Semi-Augustinianism and Augustinainism, called a softer Augustinianism. Hopefully, these additional views will help develop the spectrum more fully.

A. Softer Semi-Pelagianism

Historically in evangelicalism there have been people and movements who have argued against any doctrine of inherited or original sin. They have argued that people are born into this life like Adam and Eve before the Fall in the Garden. What sets them apart from the Pelagian view is that they believe all human beings inevitably sin and require the atoning work of Jesus Christ applied to their lives. Human beings cannot atone for their sins. They take seriously Paul’s teaching, “For the wages of sin is death…” However, sin in their lives, does not take away from humanity their free will, or take it away completely. All human beings have the internal resources within themselves to begin to move toward God, repent, and exercise faith to believe the Gospel. As such, they are Pelagian in their understanding of original sin, but they are Semi-Pelagian in their understanding of the necessity of the atoning work of Christ for salvation, once a person has sinned.

Such an understanding of salvation would fall somewhere between Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. For our purposes, we will call it a softer form of Semi-Pelagianism. Examples of this understanding abound. Historically, people like the great Baptist John Smyth and nineteenth century revivalist Charles G. Finney held understandings similar to what has been stated (although with different emphases). Likewise, many ministers in the Churches of Christ/Independent Christian Churches teach this perspective and some theologians in Open theist circles are teaching this view. All people and Christian traditions holding a form of soft Semi-Pelagianism reject as unbiblical the traditional doctrine of original sin as articulated in the various traditions of the Church, yet recognize human sin and the need for the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

B. Softer Semi-Augustinianism (Harder Semi-Pelagianism?)

In contrast to John Wesley’s teaching on prevenient grace, many contemporary Wesleyan-Arminian evangelicals and traditions either imply or explicitly teach that as a result of prevenient grace given to all humanity, the ability to move toward God, repent, and exercise faith is an inherent power within every human being. As such, human beings have the ability in any given moment to exercise their will to believe the Gospel and be saved. From this perspective, people at any time may hear the Gospel, weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the argument offered and chose to follow Christ. Thus, faith and a personal response to the Gospel, is primarily something people do. They believe. They decide. They receive. To contemporary Wesleyans human beings have this power to decide as a result of prevenient grace—a blanket of grace given to all humans everywhere enabling them to move toward God and exercise faith in any given moment.

Wesleyan-Arminian theologians and traditions holding this view acknowledge “total depravity” and the state of “natural humanity” as spiritually dead to God, thoroughly corrupt and absolutely dependent upon God’s initiative in the work of salvation. However, they believe God has taken that initiative through prevenient grace given to all, defining prevenient grace as stated above. As such, this teaching pragmatically places people in the Semi-Pelagian camp; people can initiate a move toward God at any time, but only as a result of God’s initiative of prevenient grace. Thus, theologically this moves them closer to Semi-Augustinianism. For our purposes, this Wesleyan understanding is placed between the Semi-Pelagian and the Semi-Augustinian positions as representative of a soft Semi-Augustianism, but some might argue that this is a harder form of semi-Pelagianism.

Examples of this form of Wesleyan-Arminianism, softer Semi-Augustinianism, would include The Wesleyan Church and The Nazarene Churches, as least as stated in their Articles of Religion addressing prevenient grace.

As a note here, John Wesley would disagree with prevenient grace so defined. This contemporary understanding is a fundamental misappropriation of Wesley’s teaching on prevenient grace. To Wesley prevenient grace given to all humanity brings the power to respond to grace, not the power to believe. Wesley would say that as a result of prevenient grace human beings are able to cooperate with further offers of grace by God—not that they have the power to believe whenever they hear the gospel. For Wesley prevenient grace in itself does not restore to people the ability to exercise faith, much less repentance—these are works of God, not of men and women. Prevenient grace enables a person to cooperate with further works of divine grace made available through the means of grace, grace that convicts a person of sin, convinces a person of the need for Christ, and creates saving faith.

C. Softer Augustinianism

Next week’s post will address this position. For now, the spectrum of salvation with the six views is attached below.

Spectrum of Views on Christian Salvation

The Four Major Views of Christian Salvation: Part Two

C. Semi-Augustinianism

The Semi-Augustinian understanding of salvation is a synergistic understanding of salvation. However, unlike the Semi-Pelagian view, which sees original sin or human depravity as partial or incomplete, leaving humanity with some internal resources to contribute to the work of salvation, the Semi-Augustinian view sees original sin as complete or humanity as totally depraved. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, the moral image of God (holiness, righteousness, love, and relationship to God) is completely destroyed in humanity. Consequently, all human beings in their “natural state” are spiritually dead to God, thoroughly sinful, under divine condemnation, helpless to change themselves, ignorant of their present state, and are incapable of grasping their plight. If human beings are going to be saved, God is the One who must take the initiative. If human beings are to be awakened, convicted of their sin, repent, and exercise faith to be converted, then God must do the work, because humanity has no internal resources with which to move toward God and progress in the way of salvation.

Specifically, the Semi-Augustinian view teaches that God takes this initiative by giving to humanity prevenient grace. Prevenient grace, which is given to everyone, brings the power to respond to further works of grace; this grace restores the power to cooperate with further works of grace, as divine grace is made available in life. However, humanity can do nothing until God first moves, until further grace is given. Then, humanity, as a result of prevenient grace given to all, can choose to cooperate with what God is doing or not. From this perspective, a person cannot recognize their fallen state unless the Spirit brings this recognition; a person cannot repent of their sins, unless the Spirit empowers them to do so; a person cannot turn toward God, unless the Spirit enables them; and a person cannot exercise faith to believe whenever they hear the gospel, unless the Spirit creates such faith in them. Thus, prevenient grace, given to all, in itself does not restore to people the ability to progress in the way of salvation (be awakened, repent, believe, etc.). All that prevenient grace does is enable a person to cooperate with further works of divine grace made available at divinely appointed times and places through the means of grace.

If human beings are totally dependent upon God’s grace for progression in the way of salvation the question must be asked, “How does God communicate His grace to people? How does God work to create saving faith in peoples’ lives?” For the Semi-Augustinian, God communicates His saving grace through appointed “channels” or “means.” Semi-Augustinians believe that as people are exposed to the means of grace or as they place themselves in the flow of the means of grace (as they hear the Gospel, partake in baptism and Holy Communion, participate in the Body of Christ, etc.), grace capable of awakening people to the spiritual state, enabling repentance, and creating saving faith is made possible.

However, Semi-Augustinians do not believe that participation in the means of grace always results in the transmission of grace. More specifically, the means of grace are seen as the most likely places for God to give His grace but grace is not always being given through them. For example, not every time the Gospel is preached is grace communicated. There are times when the Gospel is proclaimed and “little” or “nothing” happens, while at other times, God uses the message to draw, convict, and convince people of the truth of the Gospel.

For Semi-Augustinians all prevenient grace enables a person to do is choose to cooperate with these further works of grace or not, as they are made available. Grace from this perspective is the work of the Holy Spirit in humanity. As the Gospel is being shared, in divine moments and places, grace is at work in people, a work that is not humanly generated but of God, drawing people, convincing people of the truth that Christ died for them, compelling them to give their lives to Christ, and creating faith to believe the Gospel. If they cooperate, they will be transformed through the new birth. As such, faith is not a human act so much as a result of cooperating with the “grace” of God at work in people at divinely appointed times through the means of grace. All people have done in the moment of conversion is cooperate with what is being wrought in them. To the Semi-Augustinian the choice is not to believe or not, it is to resist or submit to God’s grace. As such, only in moments when the Holy Spirit is awakening a person from their spiritual slumber, can the person be awakened; only in moments in which the Spirit brings repentance, can a person repent, and only when the Spirit creates and enables saving faith in an individual can a person be converted.

Therefore, a Semi-Augustinian believes that people cannot choose the “day or the hour” in which they will be saved. They can only be saved in the moments in which grace capable of creating saving faith is made available. Once awakened to their spiritual state, they can seek salvation, place themselves in the means of grace (those divinely appointed places and activities where God is most like to work in human hearts and lives), until grace capable of saving them is made available. However, they can not determine when this will take place. This is why John Wesley, the epitome of the Semi-Augustinian view stated, “any man may believe if he will (to be saved), though not when he will. If he seeks faith in the appointed ways, sooner or later the power of the Lord will be present whereby …man believes.”

A cursory look at John Wesley’s Aldersgate experience provides an excellent case study. John Wesley described his Aldersgate experience as having his heart “strangely warmed.” As a result he testified, “I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins. He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” Wesley’s “faith” here was not so much an action he took, rather it was something happening inside of him, a divine work creating an internal conviction that Christ loved him and had forgiven him. His heart was being acted upon by a power other than himself, creating personal faith in Christ. Wesley’s Aldersgate experience was a gift of grace.

This understanding of Wesley’s experience is substantiated further by his journals. Before Aldersgate, John Wesley had already been convinced by Peter Bohler that salvation was “by grace through faith,” and he had begun to preach this message. In a sense, Wesley was intellectually convinced of the truth, but he still struggled with personal faith until his Aldersgate experience. Wesley believed in “his head,” but struggled in “his heart” and this “heart struggle” kept Wesley from believing in Christ alone for salvation. Wesley’s Aldersgate experience confirmed that God’s grace creates faith in human hearts.

Overall, the Semi-Augustinian teaching has been overshadowed in the Protestant teaching by the Augustinian teaching, which we will examine next. The best representative of this teaching is John Wesley and it is the official teaching of The United Methodist Church, seen in her doctrinal standards.

D. Augustinianism

The Augustinian understanding of salvation is a monergistic understanding of salvation. If Pelagianism stands at one end of the spectrum of salvation, anchoring the human monergistic perspective on salvation, the Augustinian view stands at the other end of the spectrum, anchoring the divine monergistic view, believing there is no human involvement or cooperation involved in the work of salvation. Salvation is entirely the work of God. Like the Semi-Augustinian view, Augustinians teach that because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, the moral image of God (holiness, righteousness, love, and relationship to God) is completely destroyed in humanity. Consequently, all human beings in their “natural state” are spiritually dead to God, thoroughly sinful, under divine condemnation, helpless to change themselves, ignorant of their present state, and are incapable of grasping their plight. If human beings are going to be saved, God is the One who must take the initiative. If human beings are to be awakened, convicted of their sin, repent, and exercise faith to be converted, then God must do the work, because humanity has no internal resources with which to move toward God and progress in the way of salvation.

However, in the Augustinian view God takes the initiative to save human beings through the work of election. In contrast to the Semi-Augustinian view, the Augustinian position argues that God takes the initiative to save fallen humanity, spiritually dead as a result of original sin, by selecting certain people according to His “secret counsel” for salvation and electing the rest to damnation. Only those who have been elected for salvation by God’s grace and mercy can be converted. Salvation is not available or possible to all. Because all humanity deserves eternal wrath, the fact that God elects some for salvation is a demonstration of God’s mercy and love. Augustinians argue that God’s electing grace is “irresistible.” Human beings do not have a say in their election to either salvation or damnation. There is no cooperation between human beings and God and human beings cannot resist the grace of a sovereign God when it comes. The work of awakening a person from spiritual slumber, repentance, the exercise of saving faith, new birth, and progressive sanctification is entirely the irresistible work of God’s grace in the person’s life.

The Augustinian understanding of salvation is found primarily in the Protestant tradition. Martin Luther and John Calvin held this view and it can be found today in the Wisconsin and Missouri Synods of the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church of America, and the Reformed Church.

Conclusion

The four positions presented so far represent four views of salvation or four points found in a spectrum of salvation. In the next post, I will try to offer other points on the spectrum, which would represent softer and harder Semi-Pelagianism, as well as softer and harder Semi-Augustinianism. I will try to pinpoint where the Churches of Christ (Alexander Campbell), some contemporary Open theists, most Wesleyans and other Christian bodies would fall on this spectrum.