Synergism vs. Monergism (Part 2)

Synergism teaches that faith arises out of an inherent capacity of man whereas mongergism teaches that faith arises from God alone. In other words, synergism teaches that man already has the ability to seek God on by man’s free choice whereas mongergism teaches that man cannot seek God until God seeks him first. Syngergism teaches that faith is independent of God and grace. God has met man to a certain point in salvation and man must add the last piece toward the price of his salvation. Synergists teach that God’s grace takes us most of the way and man must meet God and determine the final outcome. This theology fits into the Catholic doctrine and the protestant reformation rejected this theology.

The Five solas to come out during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers’ basic theological beliefs in opposition to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. The Latin word sola means “alone” or “only” in English. The five solas expressed five fundamental beliefs of the Protestant Reformation, pillars which the Reformers taught to be essentials of Christianity. They five solas are Latin phrases and are defined in English in the parenthesis.

1 Sola scriptura (“by Scripture alone”)
2 Sola fide (“by faith alone”)
3 Sola gratia (“by grace alone”)
4 Solus Christus (“Christ alone”)
5 Soli Deo gloria (“glory to God alone”)

In 1563, the Council of Trent, which is the standard of the Roman Catholic Church, the following statement was affirmed which was in direct opposition to one of the most critical doctrines of the Reformation, Sola Gratia – by Grace Alone. The Council of Trent is affirming their theological position of synergism.

“If any one shall affirm, that man’s freewill, moved and excited by God, does not, by consenting, cooperate with God, the mover and exciter, so as to prepare and dispose itself for the attainment of justification; if moreover, anyone shall say, that the human will cannot refuse complying, if it pleases, but that it is inactive, and merely passive; let such an one be accursed”!
The synergist theology in Catholicism is “Actual grace is help by God that allows the soul to perform an action or make a turn of the will. Two sub-types of this grace are Efficacious and Sufficient. Efficacious grace is a form of actual grace that is necessarily followed by an “effect for which it was intended.” Another form of actual grace is Sufficient Grace that is not efficacious because of the possible resistance of the recipient. When the grace cannot be resisted by a human’s will, it is called irresistible grace. Actual grace aids the will in having faith. When God helps a person in their (willful) struggle to become a stronger Christian, this is termed co-operative grace.”

“If anyone shall affirm, that since the fall of Adam, man’s freewill is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing titular, yea a name, without a thing, and a fiction introduced by Satan into the Church; let such an one be accursed”!

The synergist theology does not use the term “actual grace” as do the Catholics. The term is “prevenient grace” which is defined as “Prevenient grace is divine grace which precedes human decision. It exists prior to and without reference to anything humans may have done. As humans are corrupted by the effects of sin, prevenient grace allows persons to engage their God-given free will to choose the salvation offered by God in Jesus Christ or to reject that salvific offer.”

Thomas Oden of Drew University defines prevenient grace as, “…the grace that begins to enable one to choose further to cooperate with saving grace. By offering the will the restored capacity to respond to grace, the person then may freely and increasingly become an active, willing participant in receiving the conditions for justification.”

Compare this to the Roman Catholic’s fifth chapter of the sixth session of the Council of Trent:

“The Synod furthermore declares, that in adults, the beginning of the said Justification is to be derived from the prevenient grace of God, through Jesus Christ, that is to say, from His vocation, whereby, without any merits existing on their parts, they are called; that so they, who by sins were alienated from God, may be disposed through His quickening and assisting grace, to convert themselves to their own justification, by freely assenting to and co-operating with that said grace.”

The monergist’s view is that when Scripture speaks of man’s condition of total depravity or spiritual death, it is an actuality not a theoretical condition that prevenient grace solves for all mankind.

Synergism originated from the Roman Catholic church which was rejected by the Protestant Reformation and has been reintroduced into many Protestant denominations. Without the creation of the doctrine of synergism, Catholic doctrine would fail.

(to be continued in Part 3)
Synergism vs. Monergism Part 1

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1. Synergism vs. Monergism (Part 1)