Sovereignty of God and Man's Responsibility in Salvation

     Christians, in general, subscribe to one of two belief systems in regards to God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in salvation.

     1. SYNERGISM - The belief that salvation involves some form of cooperation between God's divine grace and man's freedom to choose.  The emphasis is on TWO subjects (in this case, God and man) ,
working together, leading to the man's salvation.
    
     This theory holds that the soul has not lost in the fall, all inclination toward holiness, nor all power to seek for it under the influence of ordinary motives.

     Also, that Jesus died on the cross to make salvation POSSIBLE for anyone who, through faith, "decides" to "accept" Jesus as his personal Savior.
 

     In this system of beliefs, God provides something called "prevenient grace" to a person.  This grace
precedes any human decision, and allows a person to use his God-given free will to choose the salvation
offered by God in Jesus Christ, or to reject the offer.

     In other words, God leaves it up to man to make the final decision.

     In effect, man is the "ultimate decider" in this belief system.


     2.MONERGISM - The belief that regeneration (being born again) is the work of Jesus Christ alone
(as applied by the Holy Spirit), not the cooperation of God and man, and not the result of unregenerate man meeting a condition (such as faith) before regeneration takes place.

     The prefix "mono" means "one," "single," or "alone," while ergon means "to work."  Together, it means "the work of one" (in this case, God).

     This system teaches that because of the sinful condition passed on from Adam, man is unable to please God, and CANNOT come to Him for salvation on his own.  God provides everything man needs for salvation, including a new heart to believe and understand the gospel.

     Repentance and faith on the man's part are necessary, but they are gifts from God, not something man does on his own.

     God is the "Ultimate Decider" in this belief system.

     This system also holds that Jesus' death was an "actual" or "effectual" atonement for those who believe, not one that makes salvation "possible."

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     I was a synergist most of my life, even though I was unfamiliar with the term until about three years ago.
     That's when I began studying "reformed theology."
     Almost immediately, it was as if a light was turned on in a dimly lit room, and I could see clearly.

     Now, I have better understanding of the gospel, salvation, repentance, and faith, and how God has sovereignty over all of it.


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     In my next blog post, I'll take a closer look at God's sovereignty and man's responsibility in salvation, in a series entitled, "Does Jesus Need My Permission To Save Me?"