WJEC/Eduqas RS for A2/Yr2: Religion and Ethics (DRAFT)

WJEC / Eduqas Religious Studies for A Level Year 2 and A2 Religion and Ethics

conditional, based on God’s foreknowledge-middle knowledge, to be precise-of a person’s faith.’ This conditional predestination is enacted in the third decree in which God manages, directs and orchestrates the divine plan together through God’s wisdom and justice, and, by grace in accordance with what is necessary for repentance and faith. The final decree is the climax of Arminius’ theology in that he identifies the means to salvation through God’s prevenient grace; he states, ‘grace must still precede the human will to enable any turn toward God’. This is the sharp distinction from Pelagius’ thinking. Whilst Pelagius, as we have seen, did have some idea of grace and its role, unfortunately he did not establish how exactly this worked and where it belonged in relation to free will. Arminius does this. Arminius writes that this final decree is, ‘in the foreknowledge of God, by which he knew from eternity which persons … through his prevenient grace would believe and through subsequent grace would persevere, and also who would not believe and persevere’. Through middle knowledge God knows who will have faith and who will reject his prevenient grace and then persevere in God’s subsequent grace to salvation through Christ’s redeeming grace. However, the security provided by the Spirit was conditional on the believers’ own will to follow through on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As Arminius stated: ‘provided they (believers) stand prepared for the battle, implore his help, and be not wanting to themselves, the Spirit preserves them from falling’. Therefore, a human being’s impulse to sin, because of their inherited original sin, is balanced by the work of the God’s Holy Spirit. However, Arminius was clear that the Holy Spirit balances the impulse to sin, rather than overrides it, because the Holy Spirit does not force itself on to a human being; it acts only as a God given moral guide. As Arminius states: ‘God has limited his control in correspondence with man’s freedom.’ Rustin Brian summarises this fact well: ‘Arminius maintained that God’s divine foreknowledge does not result in determinism and, therefore, that, while God’s eternal foreknowledge includes knowledge of all those that will be saved as well as those that will be damned, it does not guide, force, or fate any person into either salvation or damnation.’

Key quotes God’s love is communicated not as an irresistible coercion, but as a tender persuasion that will not finally override the human will. redeeming, and preserving grace makes it abundantly clear that it is on the basis of God’s work in them and not their own that believers are elected. (Skevington-Wood) (Stranglin and McCall) The stress on prevenient,

DRAFT

Key quotes God has limited his control in correspondence with man’s freedom. (Arminius) … provided they (believers) stand prepared for the battle, implore his help, and be not wanting to themselves, the Spirit preserves them from falling. (Arminius)

The Holy Spirit guides believers.

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