Council of Orange (II)
Cont'd from yesterday...
Canon 3. If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, "I was found by them, that did not seek me: I appeared openly to them that asked not after me" (Romans 10:20; cf. Isaiah 65:1).
Canon 4. If anyone maintains that God awaits our will to be cleansed from sin, but does not confess that even our will to be cleansed comes to us through the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit, he resists the Holy Spirit himself who says through Solomon, "The will is prepared by the Lord" (Proverbs 8:35, LXX), and the salutary word of the Apostle, "It is God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish" (Philippians 2:13).
Yesterday we set up the basic premises of Pelagianism and Augustinianism. Canons 3 & 4 begin to deal with some of the consequences of the Pelagian position, which are just as dangerous as the foundations of Pelagianism in denying original sin (and total human depravity). Pelagius held that because we could choose, freely, between obedience to God, or sin, then we essentially took the first steps towards God by making that choice. Grace, to Pelagius, was our freewill. When the Bible talks about God bestowing grace on us, Pelagius took this to mean that God had given us free will. Augustine, however, had a higher view of grace. Fundamentally, grace is "God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves." Because Augustine held that original sin corrupted us, and deprived us of the ability to choose God, grace then is God lifting us out of our fallen nature, bestowing undeserved righteousness to us. So for Pelagius, grace was automatically given to everyone (I may misunderstand that part), whereas for Augustine, it is grace itself "which makes us pray to God" because without grace, we would not imagine that God was worthy of our time. The emphasis falls on God's work: God approaches us, and chooses us, because in our death we are unable to choose him.
The same thoughts apply to Canon 4. Because we are free to choose to act well, for Pelagius we are required to work for our salvation, to do, to act, to work; to cleanse ourselves of sin. Augustine holds the opposite track, evident in many of Paul's letters: that it is not by works, or any amount of deeds that we can accomplish ourselves, that we are saved. Instead, we are saved by "the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit" which cleanses our will, not which comes as a result of our will.
Continually, for Augustine, the emphasis is on God's work. God extends grace, and elects, and does for fallen men what we cannot do for ourselves.
A side note, as we enter some contemporary theological debates: the issue between Augustine and Pelagius will remind us of the current tension between Arminians (freewill) and Calvinists (predestination). This is a different debate, although it seems to touch on the same issues. Augustine is not a Calvinist, and Arminians are not necessarily Pelagian, though a number of Arminians probably do miss Arminianism altogether and fall into Pelagianism. What is at stake here is the nature of humanity (sinful or neutral) and the definition of grace. Arminians and Calvinists differ on the receipt of grace, but not on the nature of grace, and perhaps not on the nature of humanity, although there may be some great wiggle room there. In any case, I am NOT discussing the Calvinist position on predestination here, although Augustine does believe in predestination. Arminians and Calvinists will have to be dealt with elsewhere.
Canon 3. If anyone says that the grace of God can be conferred as a result of human prayer, but that it is not grace itself which makes us pray to God, he contradicts the prophet Isaiah, or the Apostle who says the same thing, "I was found by them, that did not seek me: I appeared openly to them that asked not after me" (Romans 10:20; cf. Isaiah 65:1).
Canon 4. If anyone maintains that God awaits our will to be cleansed from sin, but does not confess that even our will to be cleansed comes to us through the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit, he resists the Holy Spirit himself who says through Solomon, "The will is prepared by the Lord" (Proverbs 8:35, LXX), and the salutary word of the Apostle, "It is God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish" (Philippians 2:13).
Yesterday we set up the basic premises of Pelagianism and Augustinianism. Canons 3 & 4 begin to deal with some of the consequences of the Pelagian position, which are just as dangerous as the foundations of Pelagianism in denying original sin (and total human depravity). Pelagius held that because we could choose, freely, between obedience to God, or sin, then we essentially took the first steps towards God by making that choice. Grace, to Pelagius, was our freewill. When the Bible talks about God bestowing grace on us, Pelagius took this to mean that God had given us free will. Augustine, however, had a higher view of grace. Fundamentally, grace is "God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves." Because Augustine held that original sin corrupted us, and deprived us of the ability to choose God, grace then is God lifting us out of our fallen nature, bestowing undeserved righteousness to us. So for Pelagius, grace was automatically given to everyone (I may misunderstand that part), whereas for Augustine, it is grace itself "which makes us pray to God" because without grace, we would not imagine that God was worthy of our time. The emphasis falls on God's work: God approaches us, and chooses us, because in our death we are unable to choose him.
The same thoughts apply to Canon 4. Because we are free to choose to act well, for Pelagius we are required to work for our salvation, to do, to act, to work; to cleanse ourselves of sin. Augustine holds the opposite track, evident in many of Paul's letters: that it is not by works, or any amount of deeds that we can accomplish ourselves, that we are saved. Instead, we are saved by "the infusion and working of the Holy Spirit" which cleanses our will, not which comes as a result of our will.
Continually, for Augustine, the emphasis is on God's work. God extends grace, and elects, and does for fallen men what we cannot do for ourselves.
A side note, as we enter some contemporary theological debates: the issue between Augustine and Pelagius will remind us of the current tension between Arminians (freewill) and Calvinists (predestination). This is a different debate, although it seems to touch on the same issues. Augustine is not a Calvinist, and Arminians are not necessarily Pelagian, though a number of Arminians probably do miss Arminianism altogether and fall into Pelagianism. What is at stake here is the nature of humanity (sinful or neutral) and the definition of grace. Arminians and Calvinists differ on the receipt of grace, but not on the nature of grace, and perhaps not on the nature of humanity, although there may be some great wiggle room there. In any case, I am NOT discussing the Calvinist position on predestination here, although Augustine does believe in predestination. Arminians and Calvinists will have to be dealt with elsewhere.