Are we born free, do we have the ability to choose the good inherently? These are questions that I have wrestled with for several years. And I’m glad the early church didn’t shy away from dealing with these difficult questions. St. Augustine once said in his prayer, Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire. This phrase from the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo was the doctrine of the great theologian that sparked one of the most momentous conflicts in church history, one that raged in the early fifth century. St. Augustine’s chief opponent was Pelagius, a British monk who attributed much of the ongoing moral laxity of the church to the ramifications of Saint Augustine’s doctrine, namely, that Christians could only accomplish righteousness with the help of divine grace. In the message below, R.C. Sproul addresses these questions by taking us back to the historic debate between Augustine and Pelagius over the extent of human freedom and man’s need for saving grace.
Are We Born Free?
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PS: All the videos series from RC Sproul added to the website have been thoroughly listened to by myself. And I highly recommend them to anyone looking to deepen his/her faith in Christ. We live in the age of relativism and now more than ever understanding what we believe, and why believe what believe is not optional.
My name is Tayib Salami and I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. In 2017, I entered a very dark time in my life and it’s only by the grace of the Living God that I’m still alive today. It led me to really go deeper in my faith and consider a myriad of questions that I never thought about asking myself or others before. Welcome and enjoy the ride with me.