Theological Term of the Week: Synergism

synergism
The view that salvation is attained through a cooperative process between God and human beings;1 any soteriology that employs an independent free will to “work together” with God’s activity of grace in regeneration.2

• From The Century Dictionary:

Synergism is “…the doctrine that there are two efficient agents in regeneration, namely the human will and the divine Spirit, which, in the strict sense of the term, cooperate. This theory accordingly holds that the soul has not lost in the fall all inclination toward holiness, nor all power to seek for it under the influence of ordinary motives. To put it simply, synergism is the belief that faith is produced by our unregenerated human nature.

• From the Five Articles of Remonstrance, Article 1 (This is a synergistic document.):

… God, by an eternal and unchangeable purpose in Jesus Christ his Son, before the foundation of the world, hath determined, out of the fallen, sinful race of men, to save in Christ, for Christ’s sake, and through Christ, those who, through the grace of the Holy Ghost, shall believe on this his son Jesus, and shall persevere in this faith and obedience of faith, through this grace, even to the end… .

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: Monergism vs. synergism - which view is correct?
2. John Hendryx: Two Views on Regeneration
3. Charlie Martin: Salvation: Synergism or Sola Gratia? (pdf)
4. Ligonier.org: Sovereign Regeneration

Related terms: 

• monergism
• regeneration

1 From The Christian Faith by Michael Horton.

2 From Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition by Kelly M. Kapic and Wesley Vander Lugt

Filed under Salvation

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Sunday's Hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper he amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great;
And armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he,
Lord Sabaoth his name,
From age to age the same,
And he must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through him who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is for ever.

—Martin Luther

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• My Times Are in Thy Hand at The Happy Wonderer

Selected Reading, January 2, 2021

 

A few reading and listening suggestions for this first weekend of the new year. 

God

Three Ways God’s Fatherhood Is Different Than Ours
A good reminder that God’s fatherhood is unique. His fatherhood is not patterned after human fatherhood. It is “determined by God’s fatherhood alone and not by any external standard of fatherhood … . Unlike the fatherhood of creatures, the fatherhood of God is not dependent, not composite, not changing, not limited, and not temporal. It is self-existent, simple, immutable, infinite, and eternal. God’s radiant fatherhood is “above” all other forms of fatherhood … .”

The God Who Hears Our Lament
This is a post from earlier this year, but I didn’t read it until this week. It makes an important point: We need an impassible God: “It is only because God is blessed in himself—the sovereign fullness of life, peace, and joy—regardless of all the vicissitudes and pains of history, that he can communicate a blessedness that overcomes and restores that history.”

Words

Hallelujah and Amen
Barry Cooper of Simply Put podcast explains these two transliterations.