Legalistic Soteriology
Definition
The teaching of Pelagius denying the reality of original sin and the corruption of nature, asserting that all men are born innocent, that the will is a neutral faculty capable of turning to good or evil at any moment, and that death follows the law of nature rather than Adam’s sin. Grace is reduced to natural gifts (gratia naturalis / lex naturae), the Old Testament law (gratia legis), and the teaching and example of Christ — sufficient for salvation without the special power of God.
Episodes
- 015 — Dogmatic Theology — Topic 13
- 030 — History of the Christian Church — Topic 10
- 035 — History of the Christian Church — Topic 15
- 071 — New Testament — Topic 12
Related Concepts
Biblical References
- 1 Cor. 3:9 — *We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building. *
- Acts 7:51 — “You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, like your ancestors did!
- Hebrews 3:7-8 — Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.
- John 15:5 — *“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. *
- Rom. 10:9-10 — because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one
- Eph. 2:8 — *For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; *