Semi-Pelagianism is Subjective

Dr. Flowers engages in recent back and forth on Facebook with the Society of Evangelical Arminians over the label "semi-pelagianism."

DOWNLOAD OUR APP:

Or @soteriology101 on Twitter

Please SHARE on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!

[jeremythompson]

You are either a calvinist or a heretic....that is the end goal with these labels. You either regurgitate our ideology wholesale or you are “saving yourself” “worshipping free will” etc etc. I am numb to it at this point.

[beowulf.reborn]

Man's ability to respond to the Gospel is given by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel. This is why it is written, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." "So faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

The word of God is not like the words of man; the Bible is not just a well-written book, it is "God-breathed", and the same Spirit that inspired the Scriptures is active when the Word is proclaimed, He "convict[s] the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment", He is the "Spirit of Christ" who "draw[s] all men to [Him]self." And the "Spirit of Grace" that very same "grace of God [which] has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us that, having denied ungodliness and worldly passions, we should live discreetly and righteously and piously in the present age, awaiting the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and might purify to Himself a people specially chosen, zealous of good works.
Speak these things, and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."

[apilkey]

Pelagius was a semi-pelagian.

By comparing what survives of Pelagius’s writing with what might be called the “charge sheet” drawn up by Augustine and his followers we find that Pelagius’s writings agreed with only one half of one and disagreed with the other 13-1/2.

Again, Pelagius only believed 1/2 of 1 of the 14 charges brought against him.

[galenstevenson]

I never have understood this whole idea of who moved first as if they had never heard of the move Jesus made at Calvary.

[jasonyoung]

I would say that if the Provisionist position is maintained to be Semi-Pelagian as Abasciano is intent on doing, then, if the Provisionist position can be shown to be the Biblical position in terms of how regeneration occurs, then one would have to conclude that the Biblical position itself is Semi-Pelagian. Personally, I’d rather go with the Bible.

Abasciano should first demonstrate that the Provisionist position is in fact not the Biblical position. If he can conclusively demonstrate this, then he would have the warrant to browse around the annals of history for a label that fits this seeming esoteric position, i.e, Provisionism. But if definitions become so porous as he is claiming they can be, they become useless.

Shouldn’t our goal be to adhere to what the Bible itself teaches rather than to some label (definition) or position some historical person coined or held for his own less than honorable purposes?

The fact that Augustine himself didn’t care that Pelagius didn’t believe the 14 points attributed to him should make us uneasy. I believe the Bible calls that slander. And we “moderns” should be uneasy about this. Last time I checked, slander is a sin and is unbecoming of the believer.

[marydetray]

This was important, James white calling and any other Christian call us this label would be like someone calling Islam semi-christian just because they believe in Jesus as a prophet and his miracles and virgin birth! I'm SURE James White would have a BIG problem with ANYONE calling strict MUSLIMS "semi-Christian".

[awesomefacepalm]

I know Leighton loves the Lord, but he must repent from pronouncing GIF as 'jif'
:^)

[annakimborahpa]

If I accidentally provided an inaccurate footnote for a quote in a paper submitted for a college course, could I be accused of Semi-Plagiarism?

[cdenese]

I was amazed to discover that the church of Christ denies original sin altogether and teaches that it is (at least theoretically) possible for man to keep the commandments

[redeemedbyjesus]

Is there a way I can contact you? I am now disagreeing with Calvinism

[quickattackfilms]

If the label Pelagian ISNT needed for your Calvinistic or Arminian arguments to land... Why use the label? Especially when Provisionalists don’t espouse that label? It just seems like a tactic to easily deal with Provisionalism without having to argue.

[saraircrew]

What a puny god the calvinists/arminians believe in. He can't get anyone to follow him willingly unless he changes their will to love him. Why would a all powerful God want that kind of love?

[malvokaquila]

Gods in Charge, and I choose whether or not to believe in God. I don't know exactly how. I do know that's what the text says.

[quickattackfilms]

Call it semi-pelagian. Call it Pelagian. Call it dumb-idiot-poopface-ism... You still have to deal with the claims. You can’t just discredit an ideology by virtue of its name. Especially when it’s a name that the adherents of said ideology didn’t even give it!

[Thadd]

What about the parable of the sower of the seed, isn't reception of the seed based upon how well the sower worked it? Not all men are so depraved that their hearts are like rock. If I'm on the wrong track, briefly explain. I know you're busy.

[cecilspurlockjr.]

How can one possibly think Augustine was a Christian man? Yet Calvin admired him n aspired to be like him.. Go figure..LOL.. Evil

[HoytRoberson]

Pelagius was correct in his anthropology and soteriology. So yeah, being semi-Pelagian means you don't quite grasp what's going on.

[johntrevett]

Pelagius taught that human beings are born innocent, without the stain of original or inherited sin. He believed that God creates every human soul directly, and therefore every human soul comes into the world free from sin. There is no such thing as original sin, and Adam’s transgression did not result in a sinful nature passed down to all humanity. This idea is foundational to Pelagianism.

Pelagius also emphasized the freedom of the human will, as opposed to the sovereign grace of God. He essentially taught that, when we sin, it is the result of our conscious choice of evil over good. We have the ability and freedom to choose good. Following God’s commands is a matter of the will Semi-Pelagianism allows that humanity is tainted by sin, but not to the extent that we cannot cooperate with God’s grace on our own. Semi-Pelagianism is, in essence, partial depravity as opposed to total depravity. We are sinful, but we can still recognize the truth, cooperate with God’s grace, and choose to seek Christ. We need God’s grace to be saved, but we can take the first step toward Christ on our own, apart from grace.

The same Scripture passages that refute Pelagianism also refute semi-Pelagianism. Romans 3:10–18 does not describe humanity as only being “partially” tainted by sin. The Bible clearly teaches that, without God’s “drawing” us, we are incapable of coming to Christ: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). Before we are saved, we are utterly incapable of cooperating with or even recognizing God’s grace, for the simple reason that we are dead in sin: “Even though we were dead in transgressions, [He] made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!” (Ephesians 2:5, NET). When Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus, He called him to life and empowered him to come. Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to take the first step toward the exit; Lazarus’s resurrection was completely and undeniably the work of Christ (John 11).

Like Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism results in a rejection of God’s grace in favor of man’s innate goodness, however small a spark of goodness it is. Semi-Pelagianism downplays God’s supernatural empowerment and enlightenment. It denies that God’s unmerited favor is necessary for us to begin the process of salvation. The Bible says that, from election to glorification, salvation is completely the work of God (Romans 8:29–30). Semi-Pelagianism is unbiblical and should be rejected.

[abealam]

What a scary video icon! What the heck!

[chiamtateng]

minute 5:11, Hi everyone. no mankind is not naturally able to discern spiritual truth. by nature we are all children of God's wrath.
we know the Father can change us from dead to life. but the question the Calvinist should ask is, "how did God alter the natural man"? by regeneration faith or something else? why did Paul call the natural man "dead"? Ephesians 2 " And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others" (NKJV)
why is the natural dead in their trespasses? according to Paul, it is due to the strongholds of the devil. if God destroy some of these strongholds would this natural man be able to embrace the truth of the Gospels? could the mind of this man be made clear so that he is not under the bondage of the stronghold of the devil and able to choose under the condition of "reasonably free and able to choose"?
2 Corinthians 10 "4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." (NKJV)
according to Paul not only the spiritual weapon of the Father can destroy the strongholds of the devil, He can put the every thoughts or ALL MEN into captivity to the obedience of Christ. This is the gift of faith from the Father as stated in Eph 2:8 " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, " according to Paul this "gift of faith" has been given to all men as stated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:6 " and being ready to punish ✔ ALL disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
According to these verses, can the natural man's mind be made clear enough to choose the wisdom found in the Gospels?
God is in His realm and no one by natural can genuinely believe in Him. we need the "gift of faith" to supernaturally put out thoughts under the captivity of Christ's teaching. by this we supernaturally have an encounter with the Father.
Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."
the word "may be known" is Strong's G1110 and translated as "acquaintances" also. this tell us all men are given supernatural encounter with the Father in some part of their life. this I believe is the "gift of faith". by slowly accumulating this "gift of faith" we could reach the threshold whereupon our faith in His existence could be genuine.

the natural man without the grace of the father is dead. but the Father had destroy many of the strongholds of the devil in all men. and more, He gave His 'gift of faith" to all men so that some of their thoughts could be supernaturally put into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
after the destruction of the stronghold and the "gift of faith" could this previously dead man choose to act out the wisdom found in the Gospels? could this "gift of faith" give us the intuition we experience in life where for some of us we are certain of some truth about God where upon we cannot give a good reason to believe?
for the Gospels could only be spiritually discerned as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (NKJV)
this natural man refused the initiation given by the Holy Spirit after He had given to him His "gift of faith". He refused the intuition of the certainty of the existence of the Father which he felt in his life. to genuinely believe in the Gospels this man needs more of the "gift of faith" in him. the Gospel can only be accepted as believable by the accumulative power of our Lord from the gift of faith to bring more of his thoughts into the captivity to the obedience of Christ.
To believe in the Gospels, we need the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.