Recently, an article I read accused my church of Pelagianism. From the context, it seems Pelagius believed Adam's sin was not passed down from generation to generation, except in the sense that we imitate his sin. Also, I gather that he taught that one only receives the Holy Spirit at baptism. The article said that his teaching was refuted in the 5th century by the church. Have you read about Pelagius and his teachings? Why (how) did the church at that time refute that? It is normally taught that the original sin doctrine began in the 7th century to support infant baptism. How does all this relate? Also, the part about receiving the Holy Spirit only at baptism bothered him, evidently, because we teach that you must change without having received the Spirit (so it is human strength). I can think of several verses that demand non-Christians to repent, but I was wondering if you could help me on the historical aspects of the questions. Thanks a lot! -- James (Sao Paulo)
Those who do not believe one is born damned may be labeled as "Pelagians." So be it! Yet the doctrine of original sin was earlier than 7th century. Augustine advanced it around 400 as an apologetic for infant baptism, a practice then becoming quite common, and which he wanted to legitimize. We believe of course that some changes happen after baptism which could never happen before, due to the indwelling Holy Spirit.
It is not true that we deny the work of the Spirit in a person's life before conversion. Even Jesus said (John 6:44) that he draws us to God as we seek him. It would take many words to explore the theological implications of Pelagianism, but I do hope these few words help.
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