The Human Problem A Survey of the Conflicting Schools of Thought Wilder R. Reynolds Basic to any system of theology, psychol the subject, the servant of Christ should ogy, pedagogy, or even practical poHtics, be more thoroughly furnished unto his is a philosophy of the nature of man. task. "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" Is his origin "in the frog pond" I. Historical Background or the Garden of Eden? Is he made a "little lower than the angels," or is he The church has always been under the cousin to the brute? Is he a fallen being, compulsion of necessity to defend its doc or is his "progress onward and upward trines against those who would pervert forever"? Is he depraved and perverted, them. This has given rise to great contro or is his original nature unaffected? Does versies, not infrequently to be followed by he need regeneration or the right kind of the formulation of basic creeds succinctly education? Are the remedial measures by stated. Such was the Arian controversy which he must be helped to be found in which culminated in the Nicene Creed of theology or sociology? Are his chief hin 325 A. D., defining the position of the drances and evils heredity, or are they church on the doctrine of the Trinity. This environmental? Must he have a redeemer creed safeguarded the church against the to save him out of his sins, or should the heresies of Monarchianism, Subordination- emphasis be upon "salvation by character"? ism, and Arianism ; and in 381 A. D., at In fine, is the Grace of God to be magni the Council of Constantinople, another fied or the Grace of Nature? clause was added which effectually curbed These are persistent questions. The re the Macedonian heresy relating to the na ligious mind has struggled with them for ture of the Holy Spirit. centuries. There is a tendency in the prag With the doctrine of the Trinity thus matic utilitarianism of our day to ignore definitively stated, the church was now them, but the fact remains that they must forced, by the appearance of erroneous be answered in an implicit or tacit way teachings, to define its position on the before one can preach a sermon or engage Christological problem. Having asserted in religious, social or educational work. the full deity of Christ in the Godhead at It is the purpose of this discussion to Nicea, the question now turned upon the trace the development of this problem relation of the human and divine natures as it is seen in the history of Christian in Christ. This problem had been recog thought. Much confusion exists today sim nized by the Fathers from earliest days, ply because the church at large is not but by 362 A. D. the rise of ApoUinarian- famiHar with this general background of ism forced the attention of the church upon thought that was developed in the early cen the question in a more precise manner. The turies, and that has been variously restated Chalcedonian Creed of 451 A. D. gave the in later periods of history. By comparing church's answer to the question concerning and contrasting these schools in their basic the nature of Christ, thereby ruling out the assumptions, and discovering again what heresies of ApoUinarianism, Nestorianism, the leaders of thought have had to say on Eutychianism, and Monophysitism. 30 WILDER R. REYNOLDS the ments as these : "God not foresaw the It was inevitable that the thought of only ruin of but He church must focus upon the most basic fall and man, arranged problem of all�the nature of man himself. it all by the determination of His own In the ensuing controversy, known in will." "It would have been better if man of but God Church History as the Anthropological had been incapable sinning, otherwise." likewise declared controversy of the fifth century, the fash willed ZwingU ion of thought respecting the nature of that all deeds of men, wicked as well as are done the real cause man was set for all the succeeding cen good, by God, only turies. Today all sociologists, psychologists, in the universe. and theologians base their system upon one The doctrine of sin and grace grow na out or another of the three basic theories de turally of these positions. The federal veloped at this time, unless they accept ma headship of Adam and the solidarity of terialism. human nature are maintained. "In Adam, The principal protagonists in the open we sinned all." Human nature was on pro ing phases of the controversy were Augus bation in the garden of Eden, but that tine and Pelagius, who stood poles apart probation was ended with the fall Hence in their positions. Their spiritual succes forth the will of man is resolutely set sors were, on the one hand, Calvin in the against God, and all are immoral. Calvin 16th century and the present day Calvinistic follows the same reasoning, teaching that fundamentalists, and, on the other, the man is not born human but devilish. He Socianians of the 17th century and present could, therefore, say that there are infants day modernism. Between the two were in hell a span long. Human nature is born found the Semi-Pelagians of the 5th cen sinful, guilty and punishable. The soul of tury, the Arminians of the 17th century man is morally dead. and the present day Arminian fundamen The theory of salvation is wholly moner- talists, sometimes referred to as essential- gistic, i.e., one way action from God to ists. man. God bestows His grace freely and quite without regard to human want either II. The Augustianian School actual or foreseen. "He goes before the unwilling that he may will; He follows Augustine stands out as a mountain peak the willing that he may not will in vain." in the closing period of the Graeco-Roman This grace is irresistible. Those whom He civilization. It is to be doubted whether wills to save cannot prevent Him even if man in era any other the Christian has they wish to do so. "For even with the done more thinking for the centuries than very wills of men He does what He will, he. His view of hmnan nature was decid when He will." edly pessimistic. The very center of his That some are saved and others not is is his doctrine of in which thought God, wholly due to God's secret will which we the sovereignty of God is over-pressed and are quite unable to fathom. To those whom the ability of man is minimized to the van God predestinates to eternal life He gives is done unless the the ishing point. "Nothing gift of perseverance that they may en wills it to be either dure to Omnipotent done, by the end ; none of the elect can per it or Himself it." permitting doing He manently fall away and be lost. magnifed the absolute power of God, deny Many features of Calvinism have been that His will is ever ing thwarted, yet he radically changed in more recent times. The denied that God is the cause of evil or following statement of Dryer is significant, that the sins of men can be traced back to "The Calvinism which the Remonstrants Him. (Arminians) rejected is dead in English- His followers of the 16th century were speaking lands, while most of the New not so timid about the accepting logical Calvinists go far beyond the Remonstrants conclusions of Augustine's philosophy. Cal in what they reject of the Geneva Reform vin elaborated his principles in such state er's opinions. The significance of Arminius THE HUMAN PROBLEM 31 is that of Columbus and Luther; he broke ty. The low tone of morals so prevalent the way which the modern world was to were due, according to his viewpoint, not follow.'" This other word is also to the to depravation and moral inability of man, : "And point yet all progress in religious but to lack of a vivid sense of personal thought or in philanthropic enterprise has responsibility. He felt that the doctrine of been possible only through the overthrow moral inabiUty destroyed belief in human and destruction of the essential elements freedom without which virtue was impos of Calvin's system."* sible. The result was that Christians de The modern successors of Augustine and pended too much upon God and the church, Calvin are the Calvinistic fundamentalists. and too Httle on their own efforts. of the harsher features of Many predesti The following bit of dialectic serves to nation and the total of man are disability make clear his position : "Again it is to hold the satisfaction repudiated. They be inquired whether a man ought to be of theory atonement, implying limited sinless. Without doubt he ought. If he teach the fixed number of the grace, they ought he can ; if he cannot he ought not. elect, the of the and perseverance saints, And if a man ought not to be sinless then hold an elaborate Premil- many system of he ought to be sinful, and that will not be lenialism which is based a upon very pessi sin which it is admitted he ought to do.'" mistic view of this world-age. The defi Pelagius held the atomic view of human nition of sin is broad, all very including nature. He refused to believe that Adam's weakness, infirmity and ignorance. From sin could have direct effect upon his pos such a viewpoint, it is little less than sacri terity.