Is Sanctification Mongeristic or Synergistic?

In this article, Kevin DeYoung addresses question of whether sanctification is a monergistic or synergistic work – original source here:

Recently, in a leadership training class at our church, a spirited discussion broke out on whether sanctification is monergistic or synergisitic. No, this is not what every class is like at University Reformed Church. But this one was. I wasn’t there, but I was told the discussion was energetic, intelligent, and respectful. I’m glad to serve at a church where people know and care about this level of theological precision.

The terms monergism and synergism refer to the working of God in regeneration. Monergism teaches that we are born again by only one working (mono is Greek for “one,” erg is from the Greek word for “work”). Synergism teaches that we are born again by human cooperation with the grace of God (the syn prefix means “with” in Greek). The Protestant Reformers strongly opposed all synergistic understandings of the new birth. They believed that given the spiritual deadness and moral inability of man, our regeneration is owing entirely to the sovereign work of God. We do not cooperate and we do not contribute to our being born again. Three cheers for monergism.   Continue at John Samson

Free Grace or Free Will?

John Hendryx Responds to Visitor Struggling with Free Will Vs. Free Grace

 
visitor: I am struggling with the Calvinism vs. Free Will debate. Why, when one “flees to Christ” as you say is there not the possibility of NOT fleeing to Christ. Is there not a choice involved here? Fleeing to Christ is not a work is it? Turning to Christ is not a work is it? Why is choosing to believe in Christ considered a work by so many Calvinists? When I believed in Christ I gave Him ALL the glory as I then understood that NOTHING I can do would satisfy God. ONLY what Christ did saves me! But I must choose to believe, trust, follow, Flee to Him! Where am I going wrong? 

response: Thanks for writing with your excellent question. This hits directly at the crux of the matter. Salvation by grace alone in Christ alone was the very issue of the Reformation that Martin Luther battled the most with Erasmus and the Roman Catholic Church in the Sixteenth Century. 

What is this issue of the bondage of the will all about? It points to what the Bible says is the real condition of the natural man. If we set aside church traditions for a moment go through what the Bible asserts about fallen man it may be surprising to you. First we need to establish whether or not man has a free will, according to Scripture. But how do we do this?   Continue at Bob Hanks

The Sufficiency of Grace

The following is an excerpt from R.C. Sproul's book, Willing to Believe

 

The classic issue between Augustinian theology and all forms of semi-Pelagianism focuses on one aspect of the order of salvation (ordo salutis):

What is the relationship between regeneration and faith? Is regeneration a monergistic or synergistic work? Must a person first exercise faith in order to be born again? Or must rebirth occur before a person is able to exercise faith? Another way to state the question is this: Is the grace of regeneration operative or cooperative?

Monergistic regeneration means that regeneration is accomplished by a single actor, God. It means literally a “one-working.” Synergism, on the other hand, refers to a work that involves the action of two or more parties. It is a co-working. All forms of semi-Pelagianism assert some sort of synergism in the work of regeneration. Usually God’s assisting grace is seen as a necessary ingredient, but it is dependent on human cooperation for its efficacy.

The Reformers taught not only that regeneration does precede faith but also that it must precede faith. Because of the moral bondage of the unregenerate sinner, he cannot have faith until he is changed internally by the operative, monergistic work of the Holy Spirit. Faith is regeneration’s fruit, not its cause.

According to semi-Pelagianism regeneration is wrought by God, but only in those who have first responded in faith to him. Faith is seen not as the fruit of regeneration, but as an act of the will cooperating with God’s offer of grace.

Evangelicals are so called because of their commitment to the biblical and historical doctrine of justification by faith alone. Because the Reformers saw sola fide as central and essential to the biblical gospel, the term evangelical was applied to them. Modern evangelicals in great numbers embrace the sola fide of the Reformation, but have jettisoned the sola gratia that undergirded it. Packer and Johnston assert:    Continue at R. C. Sproul

FREE EBOOKS IN .PDF

The Three Forms of Unity (.pdf)
The Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Council of Dordrecht along with the Ecumenical Creeds

The Westminster Confession of Faith (.pdf)
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

Shorter Catechism with Scripture Proofs (pdf)
From the Westminster Assembly. What is the chief end of man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God,a and to enjoy him forever

Second London Baptist Confession of Faith - 1689 (.pdf)
The main body of the Westminster Confession was preserved in the London Confession of Faith of 1689

The Cambridge Declaration (1996)
Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals - Embraces the "essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church" and the "solas" of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. 

De Servo Arbitrio:
On the Bondage of the Will (.pdf)
by Martin Luther

Table-Talk (.pdf)
Martin Luther

Commentary on Galatians (.pdf)
Martin Luther

Institutes of Christian Religion (.pdf)
John Calvin   Continue at Monergism

The Man Behind Monergism

It might sounds strange to hear someone speak of “the man behind monergism,” since the word monergism–in theological parlance–is used to denote the singular working of God in Christ for the justification of sinners. One might think the reference is to Jesus Christ, who is Himself the God-Man; but I’m actually referring to John Hendryx, the man behind Monergism.com.

The first time I stumbled across Monergism was also the first time I heard the word used–the meaning of which itself encourages careful theological study! Sometime late in the fall of 2001 I stumbled across this wonderful site. I was a newly converted Christian, eager to read everything I could so that I might better understand the theology of Scripture. I remember reading several articles on Covenant Theology, the role of Israel in the redemptive-history and Christology–all of which had a huge influence on my theological development.

Back in 2001 there were not many Reformed theological resource sites on line. John created the site on July 21, 2001, just a few months prior to my own conversion. Since then hundreds of thousands of sites have emerged. Many have come and gone. Some have fizzled out because of a lack of financial support or ongoing interest. Still others have gone into retirement for a variety of personal reasons. 11 years after first stumbling across Monergism the site is still up and better than ever. One of the unique things about Monergism is that, unlike many of the sites that are a collaborative web network or coalition, it is the product of the labors of just one individual.

Today John continues to keep Monergism full of rich theological articles and posts. In addition, has has recently revamped the audio library–making Monerism MP3 one of the best sermon audio resources to visit online. Many of our readers will also know that John runs Monergism Books–an online Reformed theological bookstore.   Continue at Nicholas T. Batzig

Understanding Romans 10:17

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

 

As most of my readers know, I did not always embrace the Reformed faith. For the first 20 years of my Christian walk I was fairly convinced of synergistic theology, though I would recoil at the idea of labeling it as such. In my mind, I just believed the Bible, or so I thought.

I was recently having a discussion with a gentleman through e-mail and he was lamenting the fact that I no longer believed as he does (he is a synergist). He said my problem was that I gave false teaching a chance to wreak havoc in my soul by exposing myself to it – by listening to it. He then wrote “Faith comes by hearing” If you keep hearing something you start to believe it.” He thinks of Reformed theology as falsehood, and so using this verse (Romans 10:17), was seeking to show the source of my error, namely that I should never have listened to reformed theology.

Leaving the discussion about Reformed theology aside, is what he wrote correct? Does hearing something mean that you will believe it. I would suggest not, and go further to say that his view of Scripture is incredibly low to say such a thing. The obvious implication of his words is the concept that we believe anything we hear. But is that true? I have heard many things in life that I do not believe. Some people in England believe Manchester United are the greatest soccer team in the land, when it is clear that this title belongs to Liverpool alone. I could hear someone talk of the Manchester team in such glowing terms all day and all night for a week, and never believe the bald faced satanic lie. I jest, of course (slightly anyway – after all the Manchester team are called “The Red Devils”) – but the point is still a valid one. We do not believe everything we hear – even something we hear repeatedly. It is God Himself who gives the gift of saving faith (Ephesians 2:8,9) – it is not the product of our natural humanity, however many times a person hears the Gospel preached.  Continue at John Samson

Can We Judge the Morality of God?

The debate between monergists and synergists has to be fought anew in each generation, for there is nothing more opposed to man's inherent exaltation of his own powers of will than the recognition of the sovereign freedom of grace. While we can, and do, benefit greatly from the efforts of those who have gone before us, the fact remains that each generation of believers is faced with the same question, and must come to grips with the ramifications of the answers given.

When Roger Olson announced he was releasing a book, part of a two-book counter-point effort along with Michael Horton, titled Against Calvinism, there was hope for something that might engage the real strength of Reformed theology—the clear and consistent exegesis of the biblical text that the "young, restless and Reformed" have found so compelling. But even before its release, Dr. Olson gave clear indication that its focus was not going to be exegetical. Instead, as the book substantiated, his argument can be summarized fairly easily: the God of Calvinism is a "moral monster," and Calvinists simply need to think through their beliefs far enough to see what Olson has been able to see. Keep Reading >>>

You Might Be a Pragmatist

I’d imagine most of us on the conservative end of evangelicalism—whether you’re part of the YRR crowd or the OBR (Old, Boring, Reformed) crowd—we understand the wrongheadedness of church growth methodology. It’s easy to see how men like the early pioneers of church growth (Donald McGavran, C. Peter Wagner, Robert Schuller) and their most famous disciples (Bill Hybels, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen) got it wrong.

The theology of the Bible teaches us God is absolutely sovereign over salvation; He alone predestines, calls justifies, and glorifies fallen sinners who are dead in trespasses and sin. Christ is the sovereign head of the church who receives the elect bride from His Father; He alone directs, equips, and grows the church according to the will of the Father. The Holy Spirit is the executor of the Father’s will, drawing the elect to Jesus Christ; He alone regenerates the sinner, seals the elect, and empowers the church for growth and service.

We don’t deny the human element, even as we affirm monergism and divine initiative. God uses means and we’re part of the means He uses to do His work, right? As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” And it’s important to see that the apostolic pattern of planting and watering were not according to a pragmatic, “the end justifies the means” approach. Paul, Apollos, and every other exemplary minister of the apostolic age did ministry according to the means God prescribed (i.e., Eph. 4:11-16) and not according to what seemed reasonable to the culture (i.e., 1 Cor. 2:1-5).

The end goal, as well as the means employed to achieve that end, are important to God. So, when we use pragmatic-oriented church growth principles to plant and water, we go against the grain, planting and watering according to the pattern of the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit. That’s wrong. We, along with Paul, want the faith of those who hear us to rest, not “in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).    Keep Reading...

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Is Sanctification Monergistic or Synergistic? A Reformed Survey

Recently, in a leadership training class at our church, a spirited discussion broke out on whether sanctification is monergistic or synergisitic. No, this is not what every class is like at University Reformed Church. But this one was. I wasn’t there, but I was told the discussion was energetic, intelligent, and respectful. I’m glad to serve at a church where people know and care about this level of theological precision.

The terms monergism and synergism refer to the working of God in regeneration. Monergism teaches that we are born again by only one working (mono is Greek for “one,”  erg is from the Greek word for “work”). Synergism teaches that we are born again by human cooperation with the grace of God (the syn prefix means “with” in Greek). The Protestant Reformers strongly opposed all synergistic understandings of the new birth. They believed that given the spiritual deadness and moral inability of man, our regeneration is owing entirely to the sovereign work of God. We do not cooperate and we do not contribute to our being born again. Three cheers for monergism.

But what should we say about sanctification? On the one hand, Reformed Christians are loathe to use the word synergistic. We certainly don’t want to suggest that God’s grace is somehow negligible in sanctification. Nor do we want to suggest that the hard work of growing in godliness is not a supernatural gift from God. On the other hand, we are on dangerous ground if we imply that we are passive in sanctification in the same way we are passive in regeneration. We don’t want to suggest God is the only active agent in our progressive sanctification. So which is it: is sanctification monergistic or synergistic?   The Answer Is...

Monergism vs. Synergism

Excerpts from R. C. Sproul – What is Reformed Theology?:

The doctrine of justification by faith alone was debated during the Reformation on the deeper level of monergistic regeneration. This technical term must be explained. Monergism is derived from a combination of a prefix and a root. The prefix mono is used frequently in English to indicate that which is single or alone. The root comes from the verb “to work.” The erg of monergy comes into our language to indicate a unit of work or energy. When we put the prefix and root together, we get monergy or monergism. Monergism is something that operates by itself or works alone as the sole active party. Monergism is the opposite of synergism. Synergism shares a common root with monergism, but it has a different prefix. The prefix syn comes from a Greek word meaning “with.” Synergism is a cooperative venture, a working together of two or more parties.

When the term monergism is linked with the word regeneration, the phrase describes an action by which God the Holy Spirit works on a human being without this person’s assistance or cooperation. This grace of regeneration may be called operative grace. Cooperative grace, on the other hand, is grace that God offers to sinners and that they may accept or reject, depending on the sinner’s disposition.

Monergistic regeneration is exclusively a divine act. Man does not have the creative power God has. To quicken a person who is spiritually dead is something only God can do. A corpse cannot revive itself. It cannot even assist in the effort. It can only respond after receiving new life. Not only can it respond then, it most certainly will respond. In regeneration the soul of man is utterly passive until it has been made alive. It offers no help in reviving itself, though once revived it is empowered to act and respond. Keep Reading>>>

The Doctrines of Grace and “Against Calvinism”

It’s been almost three years since I have come to embrace Reformed Theology and the doctrines of grace.  While my theology is still being formed and I am still growing in knowledge, I can say with absolute certainty that I have never been on such solid theological footing as I am now. The doctrines of grace, or Calvinism, teach that salvation is all of grace.  From beginning to end, salvation is a free gift of God for which no man is worthy.  Salvation is a gift that is offered to everyone but not given to everyone.  Once received however, it can never be lost, and it can never be taken away.  Whether I was capable of articulating it or not, embedded deep within my theology was the proud, lofty idea that there was, in me, something good and worthy that God saw fit to save.  At some level, I truly believed that God saved me because He saw something good in me.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit there is nothing in me that could ever choose anything good or desire God.  I am, by nature, a sinner and worthy of nothing but eternal destruction. This erroneous understanding of salvation spilled into and colored everything in my theology. Continue reading>>>

Monergism = Christ Alone