📖 Biblical Definition
The heresy associated with the British monk Pelagius (early fifth century) and his followers (Caelestius, Julian of Eclanum) that denied original sin and the necessity of grace for salvation. The principal Pelagian errors: (1) denial of original sin — Adam's sin affected only Adam, not his posterity; every person is born in the same state of innocence as Adam before the fall, without inherited guilt or corruption; death is natural, not the penalty of Adam's sin; (2) the natural ability of the will — man retains the full natural ability to will and do the good, to keep God's commandments perfectly, and to attain salvation by his own free will and effort; (3) the non-necessity of grace — grace is helpful but not necessary for salvation; man can be saved by his own free will and obedience (grace, in the Pelagian system, is reduced to external aids: the example of Christ, the teaching of the law, the forgiveness of past sins, but not an internal, regenerating, enabling grace); (4) the possibility of sinless perfection — man can, by his own free will, live without sin and perfectly keep God's law. Pelagianism is the most extreme of the grace-denying errors, essentially making salvation a matter of human achievement. It was vigorously opposed by Augustine of Hippo (whose anti-Pelagian writings are the classic refutation) and condemned as heresy at the Councils of Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431). The biblical refutation: original sin is real (Romans 5:12-19, by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, and death passed upon all men; Psalm 51:5, conceived in sin); fallen man is dead in sin and unable to save himself (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:7); grace is absolutely necessary and is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9); no one is without sin (Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8). The patriarchal-Reformed reader holds the substantive Augustinian-Reformed doctrine against Pelagianism: original sin is real (all are born guilty and corrupt in Adam); fallen man cannot save himself; grace is absolutely necessary; salvation is by grace alone, the gift of God. Pelagianism in its pure form is rare today, but its principles recur in the liberal-Protestant denial of original sin, the self-help and self-salvation assumptions of much popular religion, and the broader humanistic optimism about human nature; the patriarchal-Reformed reader recognizes and rejects these recurrences of the ancient heresy.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The heresy (Pelagius, early 5th c.) denying original sin and the necessity of grace, holding that man can keep God's commandments and attain salvation by his own free will and natural ability; opposed by Augustine; condemned at Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431); the most extreme of the grace-denying errors.
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PELAGIANISM (ERROR), n. (soteriology / historical theology) The heresy (Pelagius, early 5th c.; Caelestius, Julian of Eclanum) denying original sin and the necessity of grace. Errors: (1) denial of original sin (Adam's sin affected only Adam; all born in innocence; death natural); (2) natural ability of the will (man can keep God's commandments perfectly and attain salvation by free will); (3) non-necessity of grace (grace helpful but not necessary; reduced to external aids); (4) possibility of sinless perfection. The most extreme grace-denying error; salvation as human achievement. Opposed by Augustine; condemned at Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431). Refuted by original sin (Romans 5:12-19), man's deadness in sin (Ephesians 2:1), the necessity of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), universal sin (Romans 3:10, 23).
📖 Key Scripture
Romans 5:12 — "Wherefore, 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."
Psalm 51:5 — "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Ephesians 2:8-9 — "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Romans 3:10-12 — "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one... there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Pelagianism denies original sin and the necessity of grace, holding that man can save himself by his own free will; the Augustinian-Reformed doctrine holds original sin, man's inability, the necessity of grace, and salvation by grace alone; condemned at Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431).
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Pelagianism is the most extreme of the grace-denying errors, essentially making salvation a matter of human achievement. Its principal errors strike at the heart of the gospel: the denial of original sin (Adam's sin affecting only Adam, all born innocent), contradicting Romans 5:12-19 (by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, death passing upon all) and Psalm 51:5 (conceived in sin); the assertion of the full natural ability of the will (man able to keep God's commandments perfectly and attain salvation by his own free will), contradicting the bondage of the will and man's deadness in sin (Ephesians 2:1; Romans 8:7); the non-necessity of grace (grace helpful but not necessary, reduced to external aids), contradicting the absolute necessity of grace and its character as the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9); and the possibility of sinless perfection, contradicting the universal sinfulness of man (Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8). Pelagianism was vigorously opposed by Augustine of Hippo (whose anti-Pelagian writings — On Nature and Grace, On the Spirit and the Letter, and others — are the classic refutation) and condemned as heresy at the Councils of Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431). The patriarchal-Reformed reader holds the substantive Augustinian-Reformed doctrine against Pelagianism: original sin is real (all born guilty and corrupt in Adam); fallen man cannot save himself; grace is absolutely necessary and is the gift of God; salvation is by grace alone. Though pure Pelagianism is rare today, its principles recur widely — in the liberal-Protestant denial of original sin and the fall, in the self-help and self-salvation assumptions of much popular religion (the assumption that man is basically good and can improve and save himself), and in the broader secular-humanistic optimism about human nature and perfectibility. The patriarchal-Reformed reader recognizes these as recurrences of the ancient heresy and holds the substantive biblical doctrine of original sin, human inability, the necessity of grace, and salvation by grace alone.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
The heresy (Pelagius, early 5th c.) denying original sin and the necessity of grace; man saving himself by free will; opposed by Augustine; condemned at Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431); refuted by Romans 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:10, 23.
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['Latin', '—', 'Pelagius', 'the British monk (early 5th c.)']
['Latin', '—', 'peccatum originale', 'original sin (denied by Pelagius)']
['Latin', '—', 'Concilium Carthaginense', 'Council of Carthage (418, condemned Pelagianism)']
Usage
"Pelagianism: the heresy denying original sin and the necessity of grace; man saving himself by free will."
"Opposed by Augustine; condemned at Carthage (418) and Ephesus (431)."
"The most extreme grace-denying error; recurs in the liberal denial of original sin and self-salvation assumptions."