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The Doctrine of Sin and Grace

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The Doctrine of Sin and Grace Ethical decision-making: the doctrine of sin and grace S.P. Giles School of Ecclesiastical Science Potchefstroom Campus North-West University POTCHEFSTROOM E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Ethical decision-making: the doctrine of sin and grace Ethical decision-making presupposes the possession of a free will. Central to a discussion on reformed ethics is the question of the bounds of freedom of the will. The reformed tradition, along with the wider Christian tradition, affirms that the will is not free in the Pelagian sense of being absolutely free, but is constrained by the effects of humanity’s fall from original righteousness. This ariticle considers the nature and extent to which the will is considered free, or no longer free at all. The question posed here, within the reformed theoretic ethical framework, is whether the will is so vitiated that a person is in- capable of any effective choice of action or inaction in the face of any moral dilemma, or does fallen humanity still possess some ability to make a free choice, albeit under conditions of impaired freedom of the will? Opsomming Etiese besluitneming: die leer van sonde en genade Etiese besluitneming vooronderstel die besit van ’n vrye wil. Die kernvraag van die gereformeerde etiek behels die grense van sodanige vrye wil. Sowel die gereformeerde as die breër Chris- telike tradisies bevestig dat die wil nie in die Pelagiaanse sin van absolute vryheid vry is nie, maar dat dit bedwing word deur die mensdom se val van sy oorspronklike regskapenheid. Hier- die artikel ondersoek die aard en omvang waarin die wil as vry geag word en of die wil hoegenaamd nog vry is. Die vraag wat hier binne die gereformeerde teoreties-etiese raamwerk gestel word, is of die wil sodanig besmet is dat die besmetting die mens sy vermoë ontneem het om enige doelmatige keuse van In die Skriflig 43(2) 2009:341-359 341 Ethical decision-making: the doctrine of sin and grace optrede, of gebrek daaraan, uit te oefen; en of die gevalle mens nog steeds in ’n mate die vermoë beskik om ’n vrye keuse uit te oefen, selfs onder die voorwaardes van ’n beskadigde vryheid van die wil. 1. Introduction It is possible to remain within the reformed tradition without prejudice to membership of this tradition so long as one can affirm, solo Christo, sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura, as taught in the Forms of unity and the catechisms. One can also remain within the reformed fold if one affirms that the will is either so totally ruined that a person can make no meaningful choice, or that the will is indeed ruined, but a person, under certain conditions, can make meaningful choices. In the face of divergent reformed opinion on the bounds of the will, and so as to establish some degree of certainty about man’s ethical abilities, the author of this article will argue that under certain constraints, fallen humanity, degenerate and regenerate alike, is possessed of a freedom with respect to ethical decision-making. 2. Free will, bonded will When moral conflicts arise between gospel and constitutional im- peratives the reformed tradition considers these moral dilemmas from within its proper ethical parameters. These reformed para- meters comprise principally: Calvin and his successors’ theologies, reformed creeds and catechisms, and acts of synod, the gauge of which is God’s will infallibly revealed in sacred Scripture. Under consideration in this article is inter alia the understanding of two interrelated Christian concepts: the fall, and the will. The re- formed doctrine of the fall, and its consequences for the will, are pivotal to an understanding of the process of resolution of moral dilemmas within the reformed theoretical framework of ethics. Un- differentiated fallen humanity’s capacity to make decisions in the face of choices between moral good and evil, good and good, and evil and evil, is a moot point with reformed theology and ethics. The debate centres on the modes of God’s graceful dealings with the regenerate and unregenerate alike, to be precise, the acceptance or denial of the doctrine of common grace. It is possible to accept or deny the doctrine of common grace within the reformed tradition and remain within it as it is likewise possible to hold the doctrine of supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism and remain reformed. 342 In die Skriflig 43(2) 2009:341-359 S.P. Giles By God’s grace, argues Abraham Kuyper, all rational human beings, regenerate and unregenerate, are capable of making and indeed do make moral decisions within diverse ethical theoretical frameworks with regard to, for example, the common good (Kuyper, A. 1903: 238-243). Kuyper maintains that God ceaselessly involves himself in the world and in the lives of the regenerate and unregenerate alike, and this, with regard to the unregenerate, God effects by common grace. Gemeene gratie […] heeft alleen een negatief doel t.w. de vol- ledige ontwikkeling van het gif der zonde te stuiten. Naar dit tweërlei doel is, zijn ook de middelen, en zulks wel in dien zin, dat de middelen der gemeene gratie nooit iets positief ten leven in den dooden zondaar kunnen uitwerken; maar dat ze zeer wel bij de bekeering kunnen invloeien. (Kuyper, 1903:243.) Some scholars, within reformed ethics and theology, however, re- presented by Herman Hoeksema, for one, deny that the apparent morally good actions of the unregenerate are in fact so, as they are not beneficiaries of particular grace for a particular people. From a radical supralapsarian standpoint, Hoeksema maintains that God is ceaselessly active in preserving the sinful condition of the unregene- rate (Hoeksema, 2004, 1:236-237). This article addresses these di- vergent doctrinal opinions. To highlight the distinctive reformed doctrine of the will, and its implications for ethical decision-making, as and when appropriate, useful reference is made to the Roman Catholic doctrine of the will. This comparison is valuable, since the reformed theological tradition defines itself over and against the Roman tradition. Comparing and contrasting these doctrines of the fall and the will is an aid in understanding the extent to which fallen humanity is totally depraved with respect to the will, which in turn, determines the understanding of fallen humanity’s ethical capacity. The relevant debate within the reformed theoretical framework of ethics is the degree to which hu- man nature is vitiated, and the extent to which this vitiation impairs ethical decision-making and moral choice among the regenerate and unregenerate alike. 2.1 Free will, bonded will: a reformed perspective Throughout his writings, Calvin intermittently protests that he is not overly concerned about the use of words “providing a sound under- standing of the reality is retained” (Calvin, 1996:69). Reformed theo- logy’s understanding of the fall accords with other Christian tradi- In die Skriflig 43(2) 2009:341-359 343 Ethical decision-making: the doctrine of sin and grace tions’ understanding of Genesis 3, that Adam and Eve, man’s first parents, lived in total harmony with God until they voluntarily suc- cumbed to the serpent’s temptation to equality with God. Reformed theology holds that this act of disobedience destroyed the necessary condition for free will, i.e. the total harmony between God’s will and man’s will. Calvin, then, holds the will to be no longer free but bound by sin’s fetters (Calvin, Inst. 2.2.7; 1960:249-250). In his treatise, “The bondage and liberation of the will”, Calvin declares freedom and bondage to be mutually contradictory (Calvin, 1996:68). Con- trariwise, Roman Catholic doctrine states that after the fall, man’s will is free, but now, because enslaved to sin, it is limited and fallible (Roman Catholic Church, 2001, Art. 1739:389). Calvin, therefore, avoids the term “free will” scrupulously, for he fears that understanding of sound reality cannot be safeguarded. “But how many men are there, I ask, who when they hear free will attributed to man do not immediately conceive him to be master of his own mind and will, able of his own power to turn himself to either good or evil?” (Calvin, 1996:69). Here, as ever, Calvin is alert to Pelagianism and its variants. These hold man is born in original in- nocence, and by the act of his proper will, and independently of God’s grace, is able to turn from sin to God. The Council of Orange (AD 529) condemned this doctrine, affirming original sin, and con- firming that God’s grace, of necessity, precedes man’s turning from sin to God. Henceforward, the term will rather than bonded will or unfree will is used, and is understood in the reformed sense as bonded or unfree. Unless otherwise stated, the use of the term free will is understood in the Pelagian sense. In keeping with other Christian traditions, reformed Christian anthro- pology posits a correlation between the fall and the will. Adhering to the reformed tradition, the central thesis of this article is that undif- ferentiated fallen man, notwithstanding his total depravity, retains the inalienable status of the image of God, and a will with the ca- pacity to effect ethical choice. This article considers the correlation between the fall and the will, and how it affects ethical choice. 2.2 In the beginning: creation In order to appreciate the nature and consequence of the fall of man, it is necessary to reflect upon man’s prior state of perfection, which is generally termed in the reformed tradition, “original righteousness”. The locus for this is the Garden of Eden. 344 In die Skriflig 43(2) 2009:341-359 S.P.
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