AG STUDY GUIDE FINAL - The Forerunner

Luther believed the semi-Pelagianism of Erasmus denied original sin; the full impact the
Fall had on man. Instead of being dead in his trespasses and sins, man was, according to
Erasmus, only wounded and therefore could help himself by helping God. Luther
understood that Erasmus’ view made the grace of God a reward for our faith. In other
words, man believes the Gospel and as a result of his good work God gives him grace.
And no matter how you slice it, in the end man deserves some of the credit, or the glory,
for his salvation.
Dr. Thomas Nettles – And so it was the glory of God that was at stake in this view of
salvation, according to Luther.
Against the synergistic view of Erasmus, Luther believed that being “born again” or
“born from above” was monergistic.
Mono – one; alone
Monergism – Regeneration is the work of God alone.
Mono is the Greek word meaning “one or alone.” It’s the prefix for words like
“monotheism” – the belief in one God. Monergism, then, was the belief that
regeneration or the new birth was to be understood as the work of God alone. Because
man was dead in trespasses and sin, it was God, and only God, who brought man back
to life, sending His Spirit to revive, regenerate, and resurrect man from the hopeless
condition of spiritual death.
It may be helpful at this point to briefly explain that the terms “born-again” and what
we deem as salvation or justification are not synonymous terms. Many modern day
Christians equate the two. Luther emphatically taught that fallen man does not have
faith in order to be born-again; but that man is born-again by the Spirit and the Word
and, as a result, has faith.
Dr. Thomas Ascol – Luther rightly understood that when the Bible describes the
condition of man in sin it is a desperate condition. Man in sin is not just sick — he is
dead! A sick man can help himself a little bit, but a dead man needs a supernatural
miraculous work of grace to bring him back to life. Luther recognized that and that’s
why in his Bondage of the Will he considered this to be the most important and significant
work that he did; the most important book he ever wrote. And it’s also why, in the
conclusion of that book, he thanks Erasmus for writing against his view and
commending the freedom of the will. He says, “Erasmus, you of all my opponents have
really seen the issue. This is the hinge on which all else turns.” Luther understood that
it’s not enough to advocate sola fide, faith alone, but sola fide also is dependent on sola
gratia, grace alone. And the faith, which we exercise in Jesus Christ, is itself the gift of
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