We have noticed in previous issues that some of the earliest attacks against the truth of Christianity were directed against the Person of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. But another pernicious error sprang up early in the fifth century. It was directed against the truth that man is an utterly lost sinner, that his condition is hopeless apart from the atoning sacrifice of Christ. While the former sought to undermine the deity of the Savior, the latter said that such a Savior was not necessary. Both are alike ruinous. The one would deprive us of the Savior and the other blind the eyes of men to their great need of the Savior.
This error was introduced by a man named Pelagius and his follower Celestius. They began to circulate their evil teachings cautiously in and around Rome, but later went over to Africa and then into Palestine and spread them far and wide. God, however, raised up a bold and faithful witness for the truth to withstand the evil—Augustine, "the famous bishop of Hippo." He assailed the Pelagian doctrines with his pen and brought out more scriptural views of the gospel than had been taught since the days of the apostles.
The evil teachings of Pelagius and Celestius contain basically the same error that is found so generally in Christendom today. They form a system that makes new birth, repentance, and salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ unnecessary, for they claim that there is inherent good in mankind, and consequently all that a man needs is to be cultivated, and let the good show itself. Some "modern" clerics assert that good is a native quality of man. Now we do not hesitate to call this teaching a lie of the devil, no matter who propounds it, be they Pelagius and Celestius of the fifth century or the celebrated doctors of divinity of the twentieth century.
Pelagius taught that when Adam sinned he did not pull down the race with him, but that his posterity was born in the same innocence in which he was created. Now there is not a fact of Scripture more definitely stated than that Adam sinned and the whole race fell with him. God says, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin"; and "By one man's offense death reigned by one"; and, "By one man's disobedience many were made sinners." (Rom. 5:12, 17, 1912Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)
17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (Romans 5:17)
19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19).) When God looked on mankind in the days of Noah, He said that the imaginations of his heart were "only evil continually" (Gen. 6:55And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)), and after the flood He said, "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:2121And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. (Genesis 8:21)). Even the cleansing of the earth by the flood had not changed the evil of man's heart.
Man is no longer born in innocence but in sin. The newborn infant will soon display the fruits of a fallen nature. When man fell, he fell spirit, soul, and body. His spirit and soul were estranged from God, and his body came under the curse, and death began its dreaded work. Death which is seen all around is the result of sin—"The wages of sin is death " Even infants die; they who have not yet been able to commit sin are subject to it, because they are born in that condition. Does anyone require evidence of that which is so universally manifest?
Another Pelagian lie was that man is free and able to choose the good and do it, that he has a perfectly free will and ability to perform the good he desires. Now the Word of God makes it abundantly clear that we are not only born in sin, but that in ourselves we are utterly powerless to extricate ourselves. The epistle to the Romans describes in some detail the evidences and proof of man's lost condition, and concludes that we were "without strength" to free ourselves. There was absolutely nothing that we could do to lift ourselves out of the mire into which we had fallen; but thanks be to God, it was when we were without strength that God came in. We read, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6).
Man is much more ready to admit that he has sinned, or even that he is godless, than that he is powerless—lost, hopelessly lost. God has provided a Savior and salvation for him, but they are only available when he admits his condition and turns to God in repentance. It was "in due time" that Christ died for the ungodly; that was after man had proved for 4000 years that he was powerless. God tried man in many ways and under different conditions. He even gave a certain race His holy law and dwelt in their midst, but every fresh trial only added proof to the solemn fact that man in the flesh cannot please God. Yes, it was "in due time"—when all tests proved man to be hopelessly lost that "God sent forth His Son," and that "Christ died for the ungodly." Surely if there had been any other means of saving the lost sinner God would not have provided the way He did at such a tremendous cost to Himself.
Another view of the sinner's condition is found in the epistle to the Ephesians. There he is viewed as "dead in sins," and under the power of Satan; that is, dead morally toward God without one movement of his heart toward Him and yet living and walking "according the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." How can one who is dead save himself? How can one who has not one desire toward God please God? If man, active in sins as in Romans, is "without strength," then when he is morally dead he is hopeless. What a sad condition! But there is something still further that makes his condition even worse, and that is, he is Satan's slave. Pelagius may boast of man's free will to do good, but this scripture lets us know that his will is not free, for he is in bondage under the god and prince of this world—Satan—who is the "strong man" of Luke 11:2121When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: (Luke 11:21), who keeps his goods—sinners—in peace, false peace.
The only hope for lost sinners is to be found in God Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ. When we read the otherwise despairing picture in Rom. 5 about man's lack of strength, it is followed by these memorable words, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom. 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). Yes, He came in when we were lost and powerless to improve our lot. And when we were described as dead in our sins, and led captive by Satan, we read, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, bath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.)" Eph. 2:4, 54But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:4‑5). Let us praise God for those blessed words, "But God."
Pelagius made a great deal of man's responsibility. Now that man is responsible we do not deny, but surely he cannot be responsible to save himself when God has said that it is impossible. For what then is he responsible? Just this—to bow before God and acknowledge that what He says is true. "God... now commandeth all men every where to repent." Acts 17:3030And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30). What then is repentance? It is not some meritorious act by which we can lift ourselves to God, but rather it is that judgment of ourselves which is formed in the presence of God according to His Word. It is seen in the returning prodigal when he said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." When a sinner does as the dejected publican who smote upon his breast and said, "God be merciful to me a sinner," he is in the place where God can and will bless him. But, alas, there are few today who bow to the truth and take their proper place before God. They much prefer to believe the Pelagian lie, now called "modernism." But really, what is modern about something that was circulated back in the fifth century? There is really nothing modern about modernism, except its name. It is the same old unbelief that prefers the age-old lie to God's immutable truth.
The reason so few believe and bow to the truth of God may be found in the words of the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus. After giving him that basic gospel annunciation of John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)—"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" He adds: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." vv. 19, 20.
Satan is the ruler of the moral darkness of this world; that darkness is positively preferred to God's light. "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all." 1 John 1:55This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5). Because men's deeds are evil they avoid the light; they prefer to remain in the darkness rather than to be brought into the light and face the fact that they are sinners before a holy God. They are more comfortable in the darkness, for there they are not reminded of their condition; they prefer to forget it. Therefore the devil's lie, extolling man's inherent good and his ability to perform it, is relished because it acts as an opiate to calm a troubled conscience. But insensibility to the danger ahead is not by any means immunity from it; God has decreed:
But what a blessed contrast is the portion of the ones who have obeyed the gospel: "When He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.... Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work." 2 Thess. 1:10; 2:16, 1710When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:10)
16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 17Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work. (2 Thessalonians 2:16‑17).