Augustine And Pelagius And Free Will

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Recommended: The contribution of Augustine to Christianity

Augustine and Pelagius were two of the great fourth century theologians, whose work has an effect on the theology of Christianity today, which centers in the areas of original sin and free will. Pelagius did not believe that because of the sin of Adam that this was passed down to all of creation. He believed that this was an isolated event and only Adam had to deal with the consequences of his actions. Adam made the decision himself to sin which caused him to then become sinful. Pelagius believed that everything that God created was good. For some reason he believed that Christians should be able to live up to Christian standards. Pelagius believed that most Christians assumed that God loved them.Therefore; Adam is a creation of God was good. Being a creation of God according to Pelagius means that we are not made to have corruption in us. He believed that we did not come into the world with sin, but with a free will. It is because of the change in our acts and different behaviors that causes us to be sinful, but we still remain true to the nature of God. Mankind had been just like Adam was before the fall.
Augustine believed that it is because of the free will that God has given to each of us, we have the choice to choose not to sin. He believed that man was made to obey God, but when Adam chose to sin man lost his free will. Man had lost the grace of God which allowed him to continue in sin, and according to Augustine the sin of Adam affected the entire human race. Augustines life was about his confessions. For twelve years he had and inappropriate relationship.
The Theology of Moral Rigorism - Pelagius, focuses on free will and sin. Adam and Eve were created with a will that was free and neutral. They had the ability to mak...

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...herited sin. Augustine believes that this act is based on a self serving act of pride. Pelagius would say, “I was created with a will that was free and neutral. But like Adam and Eve, I have allowed my personal desires to lead me.” There are several things that we must consider. One is to understand the power of sin. Sin has the power and ability to take control of our lives. Sometimes sin will overtake our free will and change our ways and our desires. We have to always be willing to be able to confess our sins and admit that we are sinner who are in need of grace to make it in this world. We must also remember to thank God for grace and forgiveness. God is infinite and good and there is none better. God is a God of forgiveness, a God of love, a God of grace, and a God of mercy. We must all strive to be more like God. According to Pelagius, this is our obligation.

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