{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/105/1050489.htm","path":"chr/ecf/105/1050489.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/105/1050489.htm","text":"Chapter 34.\u2014Pelagius Says that Grace is Given According to Men\u2019s Merits. The Beginning, However, of Merit is Faith; And This is a Gratuitous Gift, Not a Recompense for Our Merits.\nThen, again, whatever it is which he means by \u201cgrace,\u201d he says is given even to Christians according to their merits, although (as I have already mentioned above 1870 ), when he was in Palestine, in his very remarkable vindication of himself, he condemned those who hold this opinion. Now these are his words: \u201cIn the one,\u201d says he, \u201cthe good of their created 1871 condition is naked and defenceless;\u201d meaning in those who are not Christians. Then adding the rest: \u201cIn these, however, who belong to Christ, there is defence afforded by Christ\u2019s help.\u201d You see it is still uncertain what the help is, according to the remark we have already made on the same subject. He goes on, however, to say of those who are not Christians: \u201cThose deserve judgment and condemnation, because, although they possess free will whereby they could come to have faith and deserve God\u2019s grace, they make a bad use of the freedom which has been granted to them. But these deserve to be rewarded, who by the right use of free will merit the Lord\u2019s grace, and keep His commandments.\u201d Now it is clear that he says grace is bestowed according to merit, whatever and of what kind soever the grace is which he means, but which he does not plainly declare. For when he speaks of those persons as deserving reward who make a good use of their free will, and as therefore meriting the Lord\u2019s grace, he asserts in fact that a debt is paid to them. What, then, becomes of the apostle\u2019s saying, \u201cBeing justified freely by His grace\u201d? 1872 And what of his other statement too, \u201cBy grace are ye saved\u201d? 1873 \u2014where, that he might prevent p. 229 men\u2019s supposing that it is by works, he expressly added, \u201cby faith.\u201d 1874 And yet further, lest it should be imagined that faith itself is to be attributed to men independently of the grace of God, the apostle says: \u201cAnd that not of yourselves; for it is the gift of God.\u201d 1875 It follows, therefore, that we receive, without any merit of our own, that from which everything which, according to them, we obtain because of our merit, has its beginning\u2014that is, faith itself. If, however, they insist on denying that this is freely given to us, what is the meaning of the apostle\u2019s words: \u201cAccording as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith\u201d? 1876 But if it is contended that faith is so bestowed as to be a recompense for merit, not a free gift, what then becomes of another saying of the apostle: \u201cUnto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake\u201d? 1877 Each is by the apostle\u2019s testimony made a gift,\u2014both that he believes in Christ, and that each suffers for His sake. These men however, attribute faith to free will in such a way as to make it appear that grace is rendered to faith not as a gratuitous gift, but as a debt\u2014thus ceasing to be grace any longer, because that is not grace which is not gratuitous.","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. V: A Treatise on the...","type":"page"}