The Doctrine of Salvation

This post will look at some key figures and principles involved in the doctrine of salvation.

Pelagius (ca. 354-420) was a British monk. He was deeply concerned by what he perceived to be spiritual laxity in the Church and blamed Augustine's writings. He argued (1) that if God expected moral perfection, then it must be possible to live above sin, (2) that humans have the natural ability to choose righteousness, and do live righteously, and (3) that Adam's sin's impact was only in that it left a bad example for us to follow. The terms Pelagian and Pelagianism refer to this doctrine.

Augustine (ca. 354-430) was Bishop of Hippo. He taught that humanity inherits the corruption and guilt of Adam's sin. Due to Adam's rebellion all his descendants' intellectual, volitional, and moral faculties are depraved, the entire race is lost, and none has the ability to save themselves. From here he reasoned that salvation is possible by God's grace alone.

The councils of Carthage (418) and Orange (519) accepted the Augustinian view and rejected Pelagianism. Pelagianism was condemned as a Heresy.

James Arminius (1560-1609) studied under Beza (Calvin's successor) in Geneva. He rejected Beza's Calvinism and began teaching a different view of predestination. After his death his followers, known as Remonstants, took up his call. There protest had five points: (1) God conditionally elects individuals according to their foreseen faith, (2) Christ died fro the sins of the whole world, (3) no one has the power within himself to turn to God without the assistance of God's grace, (4) God's grace can be resisted, and (5) it is possible for a Christian to lose his salvation. The term Arminian refers to this theological position.

John Calvin (1509-1564) was a pastor and theologian. He wrote the Institutes of Christian Religion. The acronym, TULIP, which is often associated with the theological position labeled Calvinism, did not come from Calvin. The Synod of Dort (1618-1619) formulated the TULIP in response to the five points of Arminianism. The points associated with Calvinism are: (T) total depravity--sinners are incapable in their own power to respond to the gospel; (U) unconditional election--God elects and reprobates according to his own inscrutable will; (L) limited atonement--Christ died only for the elect; (I) irresistible grace--the Holy Spirit works irresistibly in the heart of the elect; and (P) perseverance of the saints--God gives sufficient grace to the elect for them to persevere until death.

The debate is often spoken of as a disagreement between Calvinism and Arminanism. Calvinism generally emphasizes God's sovereignty, while Arminianism emphasizes human freedom. However, speaking of the doctrine of salvation in terms of Calvinism and Arminianism is really an oversimplification because their is great diversity on both sides with some overlap in the middle.

I owe a great debt to Kenneth Keathley's "The Work of God: Salvation," in A Theology for the Church, Danny Akin, ed. (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2007), 686-764. I tried to present this material as originally as possible, but I acknowledge that most of it came from Keathley's article.