Sin, grace, free will, and salvation : four major classical views and an alternative
Abstract
This research seeks to clarify the relationship
between God's grace and. human free will in salvation. To
achieve this goal, it investigates and evaluates four major
classical theories concerning sin and the respective roles
of grace and free will in salvation, then proposes an
alternate view.
Chapter 1 contains the introduction of the study
and the background of the problem raised in the early 5th
century in Christian history. It includes a review of
relevant literature.
Chapter 2 provides preiiminary background material
about various aspects of sin, grace and human will which is
important for investigation and evaluation of the four
classical theories and the proposal of an alternate view.
Chapter 3 explores the concepts of sin and
understandings of the relationship between God's grace and
human will in salvation as viewed within the four major
theological systems: Augtustinianism, Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagiianism, and Semi-Augustlnianism.
Chapter 4 includes a biblical and theological
analysis of the concepts of sin, grace and human will in
salvation held by the four major classlcal views. It
concludes that all four have failed to completely grasp the
whole picture of the relationship between God's grace and
human free will in the process of human salvation.
Augustinianism and Pelagianism seem to overemphasize either
the redemptive grace of God, or the created grace of human
will as the primary basis of salvation. Semi-Pelagianism
and semi-Augustinianism provide more balance by maintaining
that there must be cooperation between free will and grace,
but they are incomplete. The proposed alternative view is
that grace and free will cooperate together harmoniously, in
such a way that cooperation for salvation from sinfuf nature
is initiated by grace, and cooperation for deliverance from
actual sin is initiated by free will.
Chapter 5 presents the summary of the study and
concludes with a proposed alternative view.