Pelagius vs Augustine

Pelagius like Cassian was a man summarily resented by Augustine, to the point that it seems Augustine mis-represented what Pelagius really taught.

Pelagius was a man who was aligned with many churches of the East and at one point became presbyter in Ephesus. Though Pelagias was wrong in some respects he wasn't as far wrong as Augustine argued.

Pelagius shows that many Churches in Rome, Ephesus, and Africa were in agreement on believer's baptism. There was no controversy with Pelagius while in Rome or Ephesus. He was aligned doctrinally with the Donatist Bishop in Rome, though not a Donatist.

Here is a link to a fair representation from a Baptist source. Baptists claim Pelagius as their forerunner though the only thing Pelagius and modern Baptists have in common is adult baptism, they practiced baptism for different reasons, they are close enough to refer to Pelagius with less bias than Catholics.

http://www.tlogical.net/biopelagius.htm#4

Also, Pelagius was from the region of Britain, so we know his theology was present in that area as well before the Protestant reformation. Thus him and the Donatists when used together show that adult baptism was prominent in two large areas or continents. Thus adult baptism as a theology wasn't localized.

He,

1. Did not believe in original sin. He taught Adam's sin had no effect on mankind as far as inherited sin.

2. Taught adult baptism for the remission of sins.

3. Taught man is justified by faith in baptism.

Again he never had much controversy until moving to Africa at the end of the Donatist controversy. Donatists had tried to form a government apart from Rome, so Rome was very much wanting to break the political influence they might have had. So they supplied Donatist counter parts with political, social, and even military powers. It seems Augustine used the Donatist attempt to form a new government to gain Roman political and civil support.

Constantine at the time had not changed to Christianity. His siding with Augustine was political. It can be argued he saw Donatist leaders as unreasonable, but that shouldn't be seen as the only political reasons for siding with one side or the other.

Pelagius was right on point as respects adult conversion and salvation, he was closely aligned with Paul and knew the scriptures well.

He may have gone too far in rejecting the effects of Adam's sin upon mankind, since physical death came through Adam. Augustine went too far the other way saying man's spiritual death was due to Adam's sin being transferred to each of us.

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Pelagius denied death came by man and argued man would have died anyway. Even if so, Paul clearly says man had a part and death wasn't formally brought in until Adam sinned. We know God foresaw this and planned to send Christ before Adam's sin.

Others such as many protestant authors claimed God planned for man to be sinless all along, and that Satan thwarted God's plan. This is in a sense giving Satan too much power and shows God as weak in that Satan could stop his intentions, a theory much like modern rapture theorists who say Christ failed to establish his kingdom the first appearance on earth.

Baptists and Assemblies of God are notorious for showing God and Christ weak and unable to overcome Satan, truly anti-Christ doctrines.

A quote from a faith only source

It is also humanity’s story.  It starts off well; God created human beings with a definite purpose. The Bible tells how Satan thwarted God’s purpose and persuaded the human beings to rebel and disobey him. This started their long and tragic history throughout which God’s loving purpose never wavered even through the death of his Son on the Cross. Raised from the dead, Christ reconciles people to God restoring the lost relationship and giving them eternal life. 

This makes it appear that God wanted to bless man early but he was thwarted by Satan, truth is God never planned to bless man this early, but allowed Satan to enter for his own purpose. God proposed man be saved in Christ before this event. Christ wasn't plan B. Yes God knew man would die in Adam, yet sin and death entered through Adam. So Pelagius was perhaps off in his assessment, but not so much that he was a heretic. He argued Adam was a figure which is true. Paul says he was a figure.

On the other hand Augustine seems to misapply passages as well. He saw many passages concerning death as spiritual death when they referred to the physical. In Adam all men would die even if not sinning personally, such as children.

The problem is men like Augustine believed God would not have a right to cause death in all unless all were sinful. Thus they needed to taint man to justify God, God didn't need Augustines justification, his decision was based upon foreseeing what man would do.

God made it so man would die even if not personally guilty yet, or even if guilty and forgiven in Christ man died. Since the forgiven die physically we do not have to view physical death as needing guilt. It comes anyway whether guilty or not, whether for innocent children or forgiven adults.

God doesn't need to be morally justified, he allowed man to continue for short periods as a grace, he had moral justification to destroy all men from Adam on. Our physical lives are a grace period.

Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

God used Adam's sin to limit the length of Man's life upon earth, and later shortened it again in Noah's generation.

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. 

These verses speak of physical death and Paul shows that God was justified in his actions even over babies, for even babies would sin after living long enough.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Paul isn't saying babies sin, he is justifying God in letting death pass to all, because all men as they grow have fallen into sin, thus the proof God was correct is in the lives of all men. The word "all" in Greek can have a defined subset. All have sinned can infer a class older than infants.

God made the decision concerning physical death based upon what he already knew and confirmed in Adam. On the other hand, spiritual death comes upon those who have actually sinned.

Eze 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 

Wrath is upon the willful sinner.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;