Two routes: Ephesians 2 and Romans 9
Two routes reach the conclusion, one through Ephesians 2 and one through Romans 9, and each has a reading of its text that is in dispute. A third line, from Romans 11:6, delivers only the first part of the conclusion, that salvation is by grace, and every party walks it: Trent quotes the verse in the eighth chapter of its decree on justification.
Trent and the Remonstrants each deny part of what the Reformed lines deliver, so each has lines of its own here. Trent's fourth canon on justification denies that the will is merely passive, and in the same sentence condemns anyone who says the will cannot refuse its consent: so Trent's lines deny both the second and third parts of the conclusion. The Remonstrants deny the second part, that grace cannot be resisted, from Stephen's speech in Acts 7.
The texts of resistance are common ground. Stephen's hearers "always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51), and Paul tells believers not to grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) or quench him (1 Thessalonians 5:19); every party grants that the Spirit's work meets resistance. What is disputed is the step from there to the claim that the grace that saves can be finally refused. The word "resist" can mean resisting for a time, as the Reformed say even the elect do before grace overcomes them, or refusing to the end. A second route to the final refusal runs through the sin that is never forgiven (Matthew 12:31–32), read with Augustine as impenitence persisted in until death.
The closing step is two steps. From God's work alone to the will's passivity, the Lutherans agree with Dort. From God's work alone to grace that cannot be finally refused, they do not: the Formula of Concord holds conversion to be the Spirit's work alone and grace resistible all the same.
The positions, and the variants the results ask about
The rivals come first, because they were written first. Each is a position as its own documents state it: Trent from the sixth session's decree and canons on justification, the Remonstrants from their five articles of 1610 and from Arminius. Neither is Pelagian. Both say, in so many words, that salvation is by grace, and both packages carry the line from Romans 11:6 that delivers it.
Two more positions follow, each a way of holding grace and freedom together that is neither Dort's nor the Remonstrants'. The Lutherans of the Formula of Concord hold the will "purely passive" in conversion and grace resistible all the same. Wesley holds that God restores to everyone a measure of the freedom lost in Adam, so that each can receive the offer by faith or refuse it. And the third way as it was put to this argument, that God gives the ability to believe as Adam was made able to stand or fall, and faith alone receives, is stated without saying which kind of help that ability is, because that is what a dilemma below asks.
The variants after the Reformed package each change one thing, named, so that a result about a variant is a result about that one change.
What does and does not follow
The results come in three groups. The first is what each position reaches: the Reformed premises reach sola gratia, neither rival's do, and both rivals reach its first part. The second is which reading of the texts the Reformed case depends on: neither alone, and the two together. The third is where Arminius parts from the Ephesians strand, which is after the grammar of "this" and after faith is granted to be God's gift.
Satisfiability
A list of premises that contradict each other would "prove" anything, so each position that reaches its conclusion is shown to be holdable without contradiction, by Dort's reading. These are claims about the health of the encoding, not about the dispute, and are not headline results.
How this is checked
The positions, steps and results behind this chapter, each with the formula or the Lean that checks it
The conclusion
Sola gratia, stated sharply enough that the rivals divide from it. Salvation is by grace and not earned; the grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; and in being made alive the will contributes nothing. The three parts are separate claims so that a rival can be shown holding the first and denying one or both of the others: Trent's premises deny both, the Remonstrants' the second.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\)
The steps
Romans 11:6: if salvation is by grace it is not by works, so it is by grace and not earned.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
Ephesians 2:8–9, with "this" read as pointing to the whole of being saved
by grace through faith: so faith, part of that whole, is God's gift. Rated
disputed: Robertson reads the pronoun the same way and calls the whole
"conditioned on faith on our part", and Calvin, on the next verse, writes "not
that faith is the gift of God, but that salvation is given to us by God".
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
The step Arminius refuses. If faith is God's gift, and it is given to
those who were dead until God made them alive (Ephesians 2:1–5), then
conversion is God's work alone. Rated disputed: Arminius grants both grounds
and denies that the gift cannot be refused. Dort's answer is its article on
faith: God's gift "not on account of its being offered by God to man, to be
accepted or rejected at his pleasure, but because it is in reality conferred"
(III/IV, article 14).
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
Romans 9:16, read as being about salvation: if God's saving mercy "depends
not on human will or exertion", conversion is God's work alone. Rated
disputed: Arminius grants that the verse is about salvation and reads its
willing and running as seeking salvation by the works of the law, so that the
mercy goes to believers and can be refused.
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
From God's work alone to the third part of the conclusion: the will is
passive in being made alive. Rated wellSupported: the Lutherans, who part from
Dort on the next step, grant this one. It is taken as what Dort means by the
phrase: the new life is "a making alive, which God works in us without our aid"
(III/IV, article 12). "Passive" here means that the will is not the agent of its
new life. Garrigou-Lagrange grants God's work alone and holds the will "does not
remain passive" under operating grace, but in another sense: its consent
follows grace "in the genus or order of formal, efficient, and final cause". The
dilemma over the Thomists' claim sets the two senses apart
(whatNotMerelyPassiveMeans).
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Aquinas on operating grace. In converting grace God is the sole mover of the will, so God alone is the one who regenerates.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-16}{P_{16}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
Aquinas on God's intention. If God moves the will intending that it
attain grace, the grace brings about what it is given for. Rated disputed: the
Molinists grant the intention and the infallible result, and ascribe it to the
consent God foreknows, not to the grace.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-17}{P_{17}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
From God's work alone to the second part of the conclusion: the grace that
saves cannot be finally refused. Rated disputed: the Formula of Concord holds
conversion to be the Spirit's work alone, with the will "purely passive", and
holds grace resistible all the same.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
What the texts of resistance say together: the Spirit's work is resisted. Acts 7:51 says so of Stephen's hearers, and Paul's commands not to grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) or quench him (1 Thessalonians 5:19) presuppose it of believers.
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
From resistance to final refusal. If the Spirit is resisted, and what is resisted is the grace that saves, that grace can be finally refused. The Remonstrants' fourth article, made explicit.
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — would give: The grace that saves can be finally refused
From grieving the Spirit to final refusal. If the Spirit is resisted, and those who obstinately resist him can grieve and lose him, the grace that saves can be finally refused. The Formula of Concord's reading of Ephesians 4:30.
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — would give: The grace that saves can be finally refused
From the unforgivable sin to final refusal. If the blasphemy against the Spirit is never forgiven (Matthew 12:31–32), and it is the final refusal of the grace offered, then that grace can be finally refused.
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-8}{P_{8}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-12}{P_{12}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — would give: The grace that saves can be finally refused
Trent's fourth canon, first half. The will, moved by God, cooperates by
assenting, as "Return to me" calls on it to; so it is not passive. Rated
disputed: Aquinas grants that grace cooperates with a will that moves and
holds that in grace's first effect the mind "is moved and does not move".
- \((\href{claims.html#claim-21}{P_{21}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-26}{P_{26}}) \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would deny: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Trent's fourth canon, second half. The will, moved by God, can refuse
if it wishes; so grace is not effectual of itself. Rated disputed: Aquinas
grants that a will God moves could, taken simply, fail to be moved, and still
holds that the man God moves to grace attains it infallibly.
- \(\href{claims.html#claim-27}{P_{27}} \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would deny: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
The lines
graceLine — Romans 11:6 (by grace, so not by works)
Romans 11:6, the line every party walks. It delivers the first part of the conclusion and nothing more.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — at issue: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
ephesiansLine — Ephesians 2:8–9 ("this is not your own doing")
Ephesians 2:8–9, read with "this" pointing to the whole of being saved by grace through faith. It delivers that faith is God's gift, which is not yet the conclusion.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}\) — In Ephesians 2:8, "this" (τοῦτο) points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith
- (3) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — at issue: Faith itself is God's gift
giftLine — From faith given to the dead, to God's work alone (Ephesians 2:1–5)
From faith given to the dead, to God's work alone. Its ground is Ephesians 2:1–5; that faith is God's gift comes from the Ephesians line above.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (2) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — at issue: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
romansLine — Romans 9:16 ("not on human will or exertion")
Romans 9:16, read as being about salvation. It reaches God's work alone without the Ephesians grammar.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}\) — Romans 9:16 is about God's mercy in saving, not only in choosing a people for history
- (3) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — at issue: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
cooperationLine — Trent, canon 4: the will cooperates by assenting
Trent on cooperation: Zechariah 1:3 with Lamentations 5:21, and the first half of canon 4.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-21}{P_{21}}\) — Zechariah 1:3 ("return to me, and I will return to you") with Lamentations 5:21 ("restore us to yourself, O Lord")
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-26}{P_{26}}\) — The free will, moved by God, cooperates by assenting to God's call
- (3) \((\href{claims.html#claim-21}{P_{21}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-26}{P_{26}}) \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue, the denial of: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
dissentLine — Trent, canon 4: the will can refuse if it wishes
Trent on dissent: the second half of canon 4.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-27}{P_{27}}\) — The free will, moved by God, can refuse its assent if it wishes
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-27}{P_{27}} \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — at issue, the denial of: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
textsOfResistanceLine — The texts of resistance (Acts 7:51; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19)
The texts of resistance: Acts 7:51, Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19, delivering that the Spirit's work is resisted. Every party walks this line.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (4) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — at issue: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
resistanceLine — Remonstrance, article 4: grace is not irresistible (Acts 7:51)
The Remonstrants on resistance: what Stephen's hearers resisted was the grace that saves, so that grace can be finally refused.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (2) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — at issue: The grace that saves can be finally refused
griefLine — Grieving the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), as able to lose him
Grieving the Spirit, read as able to end in losing him.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}\) — Those who obstinately resist the Spirit can grieve and lose him
- (2) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — at issue: The grace that saves can be finally refused
blasphemyLine — The sin against the Spirit (Matthew 12:31–32), as final refusal
The unforgivable sin, read as the final refusal of grace.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-8}{P_{8}}\) — Matthew 12:31–32 — the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-12}{P_{12}}\) — The blasphemy against the Spirit is impenitence to the end: grace refused till death
- (3) \((\href{claims.html#claim-8}{P_{8}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-12}{P_{12}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — at issue: The grace that saves can be finally refused
operatingGraceLine — Operating grace: the mind is moved and does not move (Aquinas)
Operating grace (Aquinas, I-II q.111 a.2): God alone is the one who regenerates.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-16}{P_{16}}\) — In converting grace God is the sole mover: the mind is moved and does not move
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-16}{P_{16}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — at issue: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
efficacyLine — God's intention in moving: grace attained infallibly (Aquinas)
God's intention in moving (Aquinas, I-II q.112 a.3): the grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-17}{P_{17}}\) — God moves the will intending that it attain grace
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-17}{P_{17}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — at issue: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
Shared grounds
What the Reformed packages rest on beyond any one line: the Reformed answer to Acts 7:51, from Dort's account of those who refuse the call. What Stephen's hearers resisted was the outward call of the preached word, not the grace that saves. The texts of resistance themselves are a line the Reformed walk too.
- (1) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
The steps that close every Reformed package: God's work alone, unpacked into the conclusion's last two parts, one step each.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
The ratings of the closing steps, which belong to no line.
def closingInferences : List Source :=
[passiveInference, effectualInference]
The rivals
tridentine — Trent (Session VI, canon 4, on the Molinist reading)
Trent, from the sixth session (1547). Romans 11:6, which its eighth chapter quotes; Zechariah 1:3 read with Lamentations 5:21, as its fifth chapter reads them; and canon 4, on the will that cooperates by assenting and can refuse if it wishes.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-21}{P_{21}}\) — Zechariah 1:3 ("return to me, and I will return to you") with Lamentations 5:21 ("restore us to yourself, O Lord")
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-26}{P_{26}}\) — The free will, moved by God, cooperates by assenting to God's call
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-27}{P_{27}}\) — The free will, moved by God, can refuse its assent if it wishes
- (5) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) — denied: Grace is received by faith alone
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (7) \((\href{claims.html#claim-21}{P_{21}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-26}{P_{26}}) \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would deny: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-27}{P_{27}} \rightarrow \lnot \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would deny: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works.
remonstrant — Remonstrant (the Five Articles, 1610)
The Remonstrants, from their articles of 1610 and from Arminius. Romans 11:6; the texts of resistance, which every party grants; the fourth article, that grace is not irresistible, read from Acts 7:51; and what Arminius grants of the Reformed case: the texts of Ephesians 2, that faith is God's gift, and that Romans 9:16 is about salvation. What is left out is the two steps from those to God's work alone, which are the steps he refuses.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — Faith itself is God's gift
- (9) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (10) \(\href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}\) — Romans 9:16 is about God's mercy in saving, not only in choosing a people for history
- (11) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (12) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (13) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — would give: The grace that saves can be finally refused
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
lutheran — Lutheran (the Formula of Concord)
The Lutherans, from the Formula of Concord (1577) and the Augsburg Confession (1530). Conversion is the Holy Spirit's work alone, and in it the will is "purely passive"; yet those who obstinately resist the Spirit "grieve and lose" him, so the grace that saves can be finally refused, and where it is, the fault is the person's own. Grace is received by faith alone.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}\) — Those who obstinately resist the Spirit can grieve and lose him
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) — Grace is received by faith alone
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (9) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (10) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — would give: The grace that saves can be finally refused
- (11) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
wesleyan — Wesleyan (preventing grace)
Wesley. God restores to every person a measure of free will, by the grace that goes before ("preventing grace"), so that each is able to believe; that grace can be resisted or yielded to; and it is received by faith alone.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-14}{P_{14}}\) — God gives the ability to believe, as Adam was made able to stand or fall
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — The grace that saves can be finally refused
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) — Grace is received by faith alone
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (9) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
thirdWay — The third way (an ability given, received by faith)
The third way, as it was put to this argument. As Adam was made able to stand or to fall (Genesis 2:16–17), so God gives the one who hears the gospel the ability to believe, and grace is received by faith alone. That the offer is real is part of the third way too, and is not encoded as a premise, because no party here denies it. Stated this way it does not say what kind of help the ability is, whether one that makes believing possible or one that brings it about, and it carries nothing that would decide whether the grace that saves can be finally refused.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-9}{P_{9}}\) — Genesis 2:16–17 — of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-14}{P_{14}}\) — God gives the ability to believe, as Adam was made able to stand or fall
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) — Grace is received by faith alone
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-15}{P_{15}}\) Grace is received by faith alone
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Genesis 2:16–17 — of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.
objection — The objection from the Spirit's resistance
The objection from the Spirit's resistance, strengthened. Three routes to
the claim that the grace that saves can be finally refused. Two run from the
texts of resistance: with the Remonstrants' reading of what Stephen's hearers
resisted, and with the Formula of Concord's reading of grieving the Spirit, that
it can end in losing him. The third runs from the sin that is never forgiven,
read with Augustine as impenitence to the end. It concludes that the grace that
saves can be finally refused. That this denies the second part of sola gratia is
not a premise of the objection: it is what the two claims mean, and the meanings
join them (TestimonyArguments.Meanings.SolaGratia).
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}\) — Those who obstinately resist the Spirit can grieve and lose him
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-8}{P_{8}}\) — Matthew 12:31–32 — the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-12}{P_{12}}\) — The blasphemy against the Spirit is impenitence to the end: grace refused till death
- (8) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (9) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- (10) \((\href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-11}{P_{11}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- (11) \((\href{claims.html#claim-8}{P_{8}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-12}{P_{12}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\)
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-13}{P_{13}}\) — at issue: The grace that saves can be finally refused
Grounded in scripture alone: Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit, Matthew 12:31–32 — the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
The position argued for
reformed — Reformed (the Canons of Dort)
The Reformed position, as the Synod of Dort (1619) and the Westminster Confession (1647) state it. Two routes to God's work alone, one through Ephesians 2 and one through Romans 9:16, with Romans 11:6 for the first part of the conclusion, and the Reformed answer to Acts 7:51.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}\) — In Ephesians 2:8, "this" (τοῦτο) points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}\) — Romans 9:16 is about God's mercy in saving, not only in choosing a people for history
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (9) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (10) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (11) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (12) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (13) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (14) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (15) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (16) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (17) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
Each strand alone
ephesiansStrand — Reformed, the Ephesians strand alone
The Ephesians strand alone: Romans 11:6, Ephesians 2 with its reading of "this", and the step from the gift to God's work alone.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}\) — In Ephesians 2:8, "this" (τοῦτο) points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (5) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (7) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (8) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (9) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (10) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ.
romansStrand — Reformed, the Romans strand alone
The Romans strand alone: Romans 11:6, and Romans 9:16 read as being about salvation.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}\) — Romans 9:16 is about God's mercy in saving, not only in choosing a people for history
- (4) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (6) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
ephesiansWithoutTheGiftStep — Reformed, the Ephesians strand without the step from the gift
The Ephesians strand without the step Arminius refuses: every text and reading it rests on, and the step to faith as God's gift, with only the step from the gift to God's work alone left out. The Reformed answer to Acts 7:51 is not part of the strand, and is left out with the rest of what the strand does not read.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}\) — In Ephesians 2:8, "this" (τοῦτο) points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (6) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ.
The readings, removed
reformedWithoutTouto — Reformed, minus its reading of "this" in Ephesians 2:8
The Reformed position without its reading of "this" in Ephesians 2:8. The Romans strand is untouched.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}\) — Romans 9:16 is about God's mercy in saving, not only in choosing a people for history
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (9) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (10) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (11) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (12) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (13) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (14) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (15) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (16) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
reformedWithoutRomansReading — Reformed, minus Romans 9:16 as being about salvation
The Reformed position without the reading of Romans 9:16 as being about salvation. The Ephesians strand is untouched.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}\) — In Ephesians 2:8, "this" (τοῦτο) points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (8) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (9) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (10) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (11) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (12) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (13) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (14) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (15) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (16) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
reformedWithoutEitherReading — Reformed, minus both readings
The Reformed position without either reading. Every text is kept, and every step.
- (1) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}}\) — Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works
- (2) \(\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}}\) — Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
- (3) \(\href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}\) — Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ
- (4) \(\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}}\) — Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy
- (5) \(\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}}\) — Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit
- (6) \(\href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}}\) — Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed
- (7) \(\href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}\) — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit
- (8) \(\lnot \href{claims.html#claim-25}{P_{25}}\) — denied: What Stephen's hearers resisted in Acts 7:51 was the grace that saves
- (9) \(\href{claims.html#claim-4}{P_{4}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) — would give: Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act
- (10) \((\href{claims.html#claim-2}{P_{2}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-22}{P_{22}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}}\) — would give: Faith itself is God's gift
- (11) \((\href{claims.html#claim-24}{P_{24}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-1}{P_{1}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (12) \((\href{claims.html#claim-3}{P_{3}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-23}{P_{23}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}}\) — would give: Conversion is God's work alone: God regenerates, and the will does nothing to it
- (13) \((\href{claims.html#claim-5}{P_{5}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-6}{P_{6}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-7}{P_{7}}) \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-10}{P_{10}}\) — would give: The Holy Spirit's work is resisted, by unbelievers and by believers
- (14) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — would give: In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
- (15) \(\href{claims.html#claim-28}{P_{28}} \rightarrow \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) — would give: The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks
- \(\vdash\) \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}} \land \href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) — at issue: \(\href{claims.html#claim-29}{P_{29}}\) Salvation is by grace and not earned: grace goes before every saving act; \(\href{claims.html#claim-30}{P_{30}}\) The grace that saves brings about the consent it seeks; \(\href{claims.html#claim-31}{P_{31}}\) In being made alive the will is passive, and contributes nothing to it
Grounded in scripture alone: Romans 11:6 — if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, Ephesians 2:8–9 — by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:1–5 — dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, Romans 9:16 — it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy, Acts 7:51 — you always resist the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30 — do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — do not quench the Spirit.
The positions
Grant the Reformed premises, and sola gratia follows. The premises are
Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2, with "this" pointing to the whole of being saved by
grace through faith; Romans 9:16, read as being about salvation; the steps from
each of those to God's work alone; and the Reformed answer to Acts 7:51. The result
does not say that the readings or the steps are right, only that the conclusion
follows from them. Four of the steps are rated disputed, each on a reader who
grants its grounds and denies its conclusion: the step from "this" to faith as
a gift (Robertson), the steps from each strand to God's work alone (Arminius),
and the step from God's work alone to grace that cannot be finally refused (the
Formula of Concord).
theorem reformed_establishes : Establishes reformed
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Trent's reading, written down: salvation is by grace, the will cooperates and can refuse, so grace is not effectual of itself and the will is not passive in being made alive, and grace is not received by faith alone (canon 9). Claims Trent's documents do not address, such as the readings of Ephesians 2 and Romans 9, are set true; nothing turns on them. On these sixteen claims Trent's reading and Arminius's coincide; the two positions differ in which premises they hold and whom they cite.
def trentsReading : Valuation Claim :=
fun a =>
match a with
| Claim.faithAloneReceivesGrace => False
| Claim.conversionIsGodsWorkAlone => False
| Claim.graceIsEffectualOfItself => False
| Claim.willIsPassiveInRegeneration => False
| x => True
Trent's premises do not lead to sola gratia. A countermodel shows it: a way of holding every one of Trent's premises while denying the conclusion. On Trent's account the will, moved by God, cooperates by assenting and can refuse its consent; so the second and third parts of the conclusion fail. Whether canon 4 really denies the second part is itself disputed, because Aquinas holds both that the will can refuse, taken simply, and that the man God moves to grace attains it infallibly; that dispute is in the rating of the canon's step, not in this result.
theorem tridentine_not_establishes : ¬Establishes tridentine
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Arminius's reading, written down: salvation is by grace, faith is God's gift, Romans 9:16 is about salvation, and the grace that saves can be refused. It also sets the will's passivity false. The Remonstrants denied that too, but their denial of it is not encoded, and nothing in their package turns on it. The reading of "this" in Ephesians 2:8 is set true, as Hoehner and Robertson hold it; no reading of the pronoun is cited to Arminius.
def arminiusReading : Valuation Claim :=
fun a =>
match a with
| Claim.conversionIsGodsWorkAlone => False
| Claim.graceIsEffectualOfItself => False
| Claim.willIsPassiveInRegeneration => False
| x => True
The Remonstrants' premises do not lead to sola gratia either, though they grant much of what the Reformed case rests on: that faith is God's gift, given to those dead in sin, and that Romans 9:16 is about salvation. What they add is their fourth article, that grace is not irresistible, read from Acts 7:51; what they leave out is the two steps from those grants to God's work alone.
theorem remonstrant_not_establishes : ¬Establishes remonstrant
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
rivals_hold_salvation_by_grace
Both rivals reach the first part, that salvation is by grace. Trent's premises deliver it, and so do the Remonstrants', by the same line from Romans 11:6. A conclusion stated only as "salvation is by grace" would be established by all three positions and would divide none of them, which is why the conclusion here has two further parts.
theorem rivals_hold_salvation_by_grace : Entails tridentine.premises (p
Claim.salvationIsByGrace) ∧ Entails remonstrant.premises (p
Claim.salvationIsByGrace)
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Trent's premises deny the third part, that the will is passive. Canon 4
condemns anyone who says the will "is merely passive", and the premises deliver
the denial outright. The step is rated disputed, because the canon speaks of
the will preparing itself for justification and the Reformed claim is about the
moment of being made alive.
theorem trent_denies_passivity : Entails tridentine.premises (notP
Claim.willIsPassiveInRegeneration)
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Trent's premises deny the second part too, that grace is effectual of itself.
Canon 4 condemns anyone who says the will "cannot refuse its consent, if it
would", and the premises deliver the denial. The step is rated disputed:
Aquinas grants that the will moved by God could, taken simply, refuse, and
holds that the man God moves to grace "will infallibly attain to it". So a
Catholic reader in his school grants the canon and not this conclusion.
theorem trent_denies_effectual_grace : Entails tridentine.premises (notP
Claim.graceIsEffectualOfItself)
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
remonstrants_deny_effectual_grace
The Remonstrants deny the second part: grace can be resisted. Their fourth article reads Acts 7:51 so, and their premises deliver that the grace that saves can be finally refused. That this is the denial of grace effectual of itself is not a premise of theirs but what the two claims mean: the meanings join them, and the theorem is stated over the premises together with that join.
theorem remonstrants_deny_effectual_grace : Entails remonstrant.held (notP
Claim.graceIsEffectualOfItself)
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Which reading the Reformed case depends on
The case does not depend on the reading of "this". Remove the reading on which "this" in Ephesians 2:8 points to the whole of being saved by grace through faith, keep everything else, and sola gratia still follows by Romans 9:16, which does not use the Ephesians grammar. The reading itself is well supported: Hoehner and Robertson both hold it.
theorem touto_not_load_bearing : Establishes reformedWithoutTouto
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
romans_reading_not_load_bearing
Nor does it depend on the reading of Romans 9:16. Remove the reading on which the verse is about salvation, keep everything else, and sola gratia still follows by Ephesians 2.
theorem romans_reading_not_load_bearing : Establishes
reformedWithoutRomansReading
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
The reading on which neither of the two readings holds: "this" in Ephesians 2:8 does not point to the whole, and Romans 9:16 is about God's choice of a people for a part in history alone. No reader is cited who holds both denials; the countermodel shows what follows if both readings go, not that anyone has given them up. Everything else the Reformed position grants is kept, the Reformed answer to Acts 7:51 included.
def neitherReadingGranted : Valuation Claim :=
fun a =>
match a with
| Claim.toutoRefersToTheWhole => False
| Claim.romans9_16ConcernsSalvation => False
| Claim.faithIsGodsGift => False
| Claim.conversionIsGodsWorkAlone => False
| Claim.graceIsEffectualOfItself => False
| Claim.willIsPassiveInRegeneration => False
| Claim.acts7_51ResistsSavingGrace => False
| x => True
The two readings together carry it. Remove both, keep every text and every step, and sola gratia no longer follows, because nothing is left that reaches God's work alone. So the Reformed case needs at least one of the two readings, and either will do. A reading whose removal stops the conclusion following is called load-bearing; here only the pair is.
theorem readings_jointly_load_bearing : ¬Establishes
reformedWithoutEitherReading
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
The Ephesians strand, argued alone, reaches sola gratia. It rests on two
steps, both rated disputed: from "this" to faith as God's gift, and from the
gift to God's work alone.
theorem ephesians_strand_establishes : Establishes ephesiansStrand
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
So does the Romans strand, on one step rated disputed.
theorem romans_strand_establishes : Establishes romansStrand
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Where Arminius parts from the Ephesians strand
gift_of_faith_does_not_settle_resistibility
That faith is God's gift does not settle whether grace can be refused. Grant everything the Ephesians strand rests on short of its last step: the texts, "this" pointing to the whole, and so faith as God's gift, given to those who were dead in sin. Leave out only the step from that gift to God's work alone, and sola gratia does not follow.
Arminius grants the texts and that faith is God's gift; the reading of "this" is Hoehner's and Robertson's, not cited to him. On a reading that grants all of these, his, the conclusion fails. So where he parts from the strand is the step from the gift to God's work alone. The encoding writes "faith is God's gift" as one claim, and Dort and Arminius mean different things by it: for Dort a gift "in reality conferred", for Arminius one that can be refused. The difference shows here as Arminius refusing the step.
theorem gift_of_faith_does_not_settle_resistibility : ¬Establishes
ephesiansWithoutTheGiftStep
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
Dort's reading: every claim of the Reformed position holds. What Stephen's hearers resisted was the preached word, not the grace that saves; grieving the Spirit does not end in losing him; the unforgivable sin is not the final refusal of saving grace; and that grace cannot be finally refused.
def dortReading : Valuation Claim :=
fun a =>
match a with
| Claim.acts7_51ResistsSavingGrace => False
| Claim.savingGraceCanBeFinallyRefused => False
| Claim.grievingCanLoseTheSpirit => False
| Claim.blasphemyIsFinalRefusalOfGrace => False
| x => True
The Reformed package has a model.
theorem reformed_is_satisfiable : Satisfiable reformed.premises
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
reformedWithoutTouto_is_satisfiable
The Reformed package without its reading of "this" has a model.
theorem reformedWithoutTouto_is_satisfiable : Satisfiable
reformedWithoutTouto.premises
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
reformedWithoutRomansReading_is_satisfiable
The Reformed package without its reading of Romans 9:16 has a model.
theorem reformedWithoutRomansReading_is_satisfiable : Satisfiable
reformedWithoutRomansReading.premises
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
ephesiansStrand_is_satisfiable
The Ephesians strand alone has a model.
theorem ephesiansStrand_is_satisfiable : Satisfiable ephesiansStrand.premises
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound
The Romans strand alone has a model.
theorem romansStrand_is_satisfiable : Satisfiable romansStrand.premises
-- axioms: propext, Quot.sound