Do you believe in monergism or synergism?

Monergism for me!

 

Mon, mon ami.

 

I voted Mono . But in biblical election He chose me .

BTW , those who think that God is responsible for 99.99% of salvation are still Synergists .

 

There are degrees of synergism.

For example, there is a fundamental difference between someone believing that a person must be enabled by the Holy Spirit to be able to choose whether or not to follow Christ and someone believing that man has the inherent ability to do so.

That being said, I espouse more of a synergistic theology. I'm definitely not a Calvinist, and I reject the Roman Catholic synergy, but here I am.

 

Although I'm accused of synergism quite often here, I am a monergist, as I believe the definition of monergism that the Holy Spirit is the lone source that can bring about the conversion of people. Nowhere in that definition does it exclude man's responsibility and ability.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monergism

 

Webdog, you forgot this part of the source:

In its simplest form monergism states that salvation is all from God, as opposed to synergism, which, in its simplest form, insists that God performs some action(s) leaving salvation incomplete until man performs some action(s) to complete salvation. According to monergism, a sinner is given pardon for sin by the death of Jesus, acceptance with God by the imputed righteousness of Jesus, and faith in Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification then begins either instantaneously according to some, or as an ongoing progressive process according to others. But to remain consistent to monergism, justification must be entirely of God.

I think it's clear even from this article what monergism is as opposed to synergism.

So what are you?

 

Basically, if you are a non-Calvinist, you're probably a synergist of some variety.

-StefanM, non-Calvinist

 

Monergism=waking up saved
Synergism=making a decision to wake up

God is sovereign and man is responsible.

 

Lately I've been examining the issues, find myself leaning toward synergist. I just can't get over the conditional salvation found in the OT and then in the Gospels and Acts. What must I DO to be saved? Believe.

Synergist for me, but still studying it out.

 

I am a monergist. However, please don't misunderstand that as somehow meaning that I consider belief and repentance unnecessary - an accusation sometimes made against monergism. Rather, I believe that left to myself, I would be no more able to believe and repent than to travel by car to the moon! I was "dead in trespasses and sins". My testimony would echo that of William Matson in his hymn:

Lord, I was blind: I could not see
In Thy marred visage any grace;
But now the beauty of Thy face
In radiant vision dawns on me.

Lord, I was deaf: I could not hear
The thrilling music of Thy voice;
But now I hear Thee and rejoice,
And all Thine uttered words are dear.

Lord, I was dumb: I could not speak
The grace and glory of Thy Name;
But now, as touched with living flame,
My lips Thine eager praises wake.

Lord, I was dead: I could not stir
My lifeless soul to come to Thee;
But now, since Thou hast quickened me,
I rise from sin’s dark sepulchre.

Lord, Thou hast made the blind to see,
The deaf to hear, the dumb to speak,
The dead to live; and lo, I break
The chains of my captivity.


​

 

I think there is a fine line between Monergism and Synergism (of the common baptistic pursuasion)

As TCGreek pointed out:

Yet even Monergists hold in principle to synergism, in which they (being regenerated) must believe in order to be saved. However, the Calvinistic view declare that man willingly believes and is saved. Therefore their salvation is not totally of God because they had to do something. Even if God gave them faith to do it, and God made them a New Creation to do it, man will not and can not be saved unless 'he' (the man) willingly believes. Otherwise you will end up getting the whole "robot' analogy thing going

This (IMO) is the flaw in the model of Monergism.

In Synergism (of the common Baptist persuation) we hold, even as our Calvinistic brothers do, that without belief there is no salvation or better God will not save him. This does not deny that God is the one who must do all that is needed in order to get man to this place. However the synergistic model stops short of saying man believed because God made him (or forced him to) believe, so it's stated by us (and accurately so) that man believed willingly unto eternal life. But heres the kicker - so do our Calvinistic brothers. If salvaiton (the whole process) was truly ALL of God and none of man then man can not 'willingly' believe in order to be saved. The fact is if salvation was all of God - Man would have no input in the process of his salvation, and most specifically with regard to him 'doing' anything (of his own willingness) that brings him unto salvation or completes that which is needful to be saved.

Man has a part to play in God's plan for his salvation. If man must 'do' anything God does not do it all.

Let me illistrate the problem:
Calvinists hold that man is not forced to be saved. That when man is born-again (regenerated) he willingly chooses to believe God. Now if man must 'willingly' anything in relation to the impartation of his salvation then it directly opposes the Monergist view of salvation being all of God. This is the crux on which the theological pendulm swings between the two views and is truly the only difference as I see it. (but in reagrd to the extremes of either side)

 

I am a monergist with the same concerns as brother Lamb. I believe man is held completly responsible for his actions. But apart from the intervention of God I would have never been saved because my will was positvily bent toward evil.

 

Do I need to state what I voted? lol

 

The alternative left out of the poll was that salvation is 100% God's work and 100% man's choice. After all, the Bible is 100% God's Word and 100% man's word. The problem with both sides of the C/A debate is that they seek to make you choose one over the other. But as one of my mentors said, "I am content to let God have some secrets."

And no, I'm still not joining the C/A debate. Just wanted to add two yen, for what it's worth. :type:

 

It's worth a good deal more than 2 yen.

Both sides seek to systematize God who seems to steadfastly resist that.