Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

etween the two and to avoid both the Augustinian denial of free will and the Pelagian
depreciation of divine grace. It assumed the presence of the seeds of virtue in man,
which of themselves tended to bear good fruit, but held that these needed the
fructifying influence of divine grace for their development. The grace necessary for this
is given to all men gratuitously, so that they are with the aid of it able to accept the
gospel call unto salvation. The call will therefore be effective provided man, aided by
divine grace, accepts it. This became the prevailing doctrine of the Roman Catholic
Church. Some later Roman Catholics, of whom Bellarmin was one of the most
important, brought in the doctrine of congruism, in which the acceptance of the gospel
call is made dependent on the circumstances in which it comes to man. If these are
congruous, that is, fit or favorable, he will accept it, but if not, he will reject it. The
character of the circumstances will, of course, largely depend on the operation of
prevenient grace. Luther developed the idea that, while the law worked repentance, the
gospel call carried with it the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is in the Word, and
therefore the call is in itself always sufficient and in its intention always efficacious. The
reason why this call does not always effect the desired and intended result lies in the
fact that men in many cases place a stumbling block in the way, so that, after all, the
result is determined by the negative attitude of man. While some Lutherans still speak
of external and internal calling, they insist on it that the former never comes to man
apart from the latter. The call is essentially always efficacious, so that there is really no
room for the distinction. Luther’s strong insistence on the efficacious character of the
gospel call was due to the Anabaptist depreciation of it. The Anabaptists virtually set
aside the Word of God as a means of grace, and stressed what they called the internal
word, the “inner light,” and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. To them the external
word was but the letter that killeth, while the internal word was spirit and life. External
calling meant little or nothing in their scheme. The distinction between external and
internal calling is already found in Augustine, was borrowed from him by Calvin, and
thus made prominent in Reformed theology. According to Calvin the gospel call is not
in itself effective, but is made efficacious by the operation of the Holy Spirit, when He
savingly applies the Word to the heart of man; and it is so applied only in the hearts and
lives of the elect. Thus the salvation of man remains the work of God from the very
beginning. God by His saving grace, not only enables, but causes man to heed the
gospel call unto salvation. The Arminians were not satisfied with this position, but
virtually turned back to the Semi-Pelagianism of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to them the universal proclamation of the gospel is accompanied by a
universal sufficient grace, — “gracious assistance actually and universally bestowed,
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