Mere Arminianism - Part Two (Pelagius & Augustine)

This continuing series is a look at C.S. Lewis’s views on Predestination and Free Will…

The History of the Discussion – Pelagius & Augustine

While obviously connected to the Protestant Reformation, much of the framework for the Calvinist-Arminian debate, in terms of the freedom and nature of the will, had been laid by St. Augustine of Hippo in his dealings with the teachings of Pelagius – who was later condemned by the Church as a heretic for his teachings. Pelagius had taken great exception to a prayer in Augustine’s Confessions, which read: “Give what you command, command what you will.”[1] His objection was that God would never command something if man was utterly unable to accomplish that command.[2]

What stemmed from this debate was a view that came to be known as Pelagianism. This position holds that man’s ability to obey God, indeed his very nature, was unaffected by the Fall of Adam.[3] An appropriate analogy for Pelagianism would be that human beings are all born as blank pieces of paper – white and crisp. There is no stain of sin resulting from the Fall.[4]

Augustine dramatically disagreed, and used this opportunity to more fully develop a doctrine we know as “Original Sin” – the actions of Adam negatively affected the human nature and made him by nature sinful. The “human paper,” in the case of Augustine, was not blank at all – it was terribly marked and even a bit singed as a result of original sin.[5]

While the exchange between Pelagian and Augustine did not directly relate to the issue of predestination, it did provide a necessary framework in that it established that human beings are, indeed, negatively affected by the Fall – making them inherently sinful, as part of humanity.

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[1] Augustine. Confessions, trans. Albert C. Outler. Book X, Ch 29.

[2] Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism

[3] It is interesting to note, that while it is popular to assume that Christianity blames Eve for sin entering the world, theologically speaking she is generally not held responsible for the Fall. The blame for the Fall generally falls on Adam and his rebellion rather than on Eve and her having been deceived.

[4] James Montgomery Boice. The Doctrines of Grace, 81.

[5] While Augustine is credited with the creation of the doctrine of “Original Sin”, it is not without a biblical basis. For instance, in Romans 5:17-19, Paul draws a comparison between humanity being condemned as a result of Adam’s sin and humanity being saved as a result of another’s righteousness (that is, Jesus).