📖 Biblical Definition
The soteriological error, arising in the fifth century after the Pelagian controversy and associated with John Cassian and the monks of southern Gaul (Marseilles), that the first step toward salvation — the initial turning to God, the beginning of faith (initium fidei) — is the sinner's own act, with divine grace then assisting and completing what the sinner has begun. Semi-Pelagianism is a middle position between full Pelagianism (which denied original sin and held that man can save himself by his own free will without grace) and Augustinianism (which held that grace must initiate, enable, and complete salvation, the sinner being unable to take even the first step without grace). The semi-Pelagian conceded more to grace than Pelagius (acknowledging that grace is necessary to complete salvation) but held that the sinner retains the ability to initiate the turning to God — the first movement toward God is the sinner's, not grace's; grace then meets and assists the sinner who has begun to seek God. The Augustinian-Reformed position rejects this: the sinner is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) and cannot take even the first step toward God; grace must initiate (the prevenient, regenerating grace of God awakening the dead sinner), enable, and complete the whole of salvation; even the beginning of faith (initium fidei) is the gift of God, not the sinner's own initiative (Philippians 1:29, faith granted; Ephesians 2:8, faith the gift of God; John 6:44, no man can come except the Father draw him). Semi-Pelagianism was condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529), which affirmed the Augustinian doctrine that grace initiates and enables the whole of salvation, including the beginning of faith. The patriarchal-Reformed reader holds the substantive Augustinian-Reformed doctrine against semi-Pelagianism: the sinner cannot take the first step toward God; grace must initiate, enable, and complete salvation; even the beginning of faith is the gift of God. The contemporary forms of semi-Pelagianism (the popular evangelical assumption that the sinner takes the first step by his own free decision, with God then responding) are widespread; the patriarchal-Reformed reader recognizes them as a recurrence of the ancient error and holds the substantive doctrine of grace initiating and accomplishing the whole of salvation.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The 5th-century soteriological error (John Cassian, the monks of southern Gaul) that the first step toward salvation (the beginning of faith) is the sinner's, with grace then assisting; a middle position between Pelagianism and Augustinianism; condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529); the Reformed doctrine holds grace initiates and completes the whole of salvation.
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SEMI-PELAGIANISM (ERROR), n. (soteriology / historical theology) The 5th-century error (after the Pelagian controversy; John Cassian and the monks of southern Gaul) that the first step toward salvation — the beginning of faith (initium fidei) — is the sinner's own act, with divine grace then assisting and completing it. A middle position between full Pelagianism (man saves himself by free will) and Augustinianism (grace initiates, enables, and completes salvation). The semi-Pelagian conceded grace is necessary to complete salvation but held the sinner initiates the turning to God. Rejected by the Augustinian-Reformed position (the sinner dead in sin, unable to take the first step; even the beginning of faith the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8; John 6:44). Condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529).
📖 Key Scripture
John 6:44 — "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."
Ephesians 2:8 — "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
Philippians 1:29 — "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."
Philippians 2:13 — "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Semi-Pelagianism holds that the first step toward salvation is the sinner's, with grace then assisting; the Augustinian-Reformed doctrine holds that grace initiates and completes the whole of salvation, including the beginning of faith; condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529).
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Semi-Pelagianism is the soteriological error that the first step toward salvation is the sinner's own act, with divine grace then assisting and completing what the sinner has begun. It arose in the fifth century, after the condemnation of full Pelagianism, as an attempt at a middle position: conceding (against Pelagius) that grace is necessary to complete salvation, but holding (against Augustine) that the sinner retains the ability to initiate the turning to God — the beginning of faith (initium fidei) being the sinner's own, with grace then meeting and assisting the sinner who has begun to seek. The Augustinian-Reformed position rejects this on the substantive biblical ground that the sinner is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1) and cannot take even the first step toward God: grace must initiate (the prevenient, regenerating grace of God awakening the dead sinner), enable, and complete the whole of salvation; even the beginning of faith is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 1:29; God works in the believer both to will and to do, Philippians 2:13; no man can come except the Father draw him, John 6:44). Semi-Pelagianism was condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529), which affirmed the Augustinian doctrine that grace initiates and enables the whole of salvation, including the very beginning of the sinner's turning to God. The patriarchal-Reformed reader holds the substantive Augustinian-Reformed doctrine against semi-Pelagianism. The contemporary recurrence is widespread: the popular evangelical assumption that the sinner takes the first step toward God by his own free decision (the sinner decides to accept Christ, and God responds to that decision) is functionally semi-Pelagian — it makes the first movement toward salvation the sinner's, with grace responding. The patriarchal-Reformed reader recognizes this as a recurrence of the ancient error and holds the substantive doctrine: grace initiates, enables, and completes the whole of salvation; even the beginning of faith is the gift of God; the sinner does not take the first step toward God by his own ability, but is awakened, drawn, and brought to Christ by the sovereign, initiating grace of God.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
The 5th-c. error (Cassian, the monks of southern Gaul) that the beginning of faith is the sinner's, with grace then assisting; a middle position between Pelagianism and Augustinianism; condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529); the Reformed doctrine holds grace initiates and completes salvation.
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['Latin', '—', 'initium fidei', 'the beginning of faith (the disputed point)']
['Latin', '—', 'semi-Pelagianism', 'half-Pelagianism (the middle position)']
['Latin', '—', 'Concilium Arausicanum II', 'Second Council of Orange (529)']
Usage
"Semi-Pelagianism: the first step toward salvation is the sinner's, with grace then assisting."
"A middle position between Pelagianism and Augustinianism; condemned at the Second Council of Orange (529)."
"The Reformed doctrine holds grace initiates and completes salvation, including the beginning of faith."