2 Corinthians 7:5-6
Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God…
“I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew—He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me. It was not I that found, O Savior true; no, I was found of thee.” The first verse of this 19th century hymn (author unknown), expresses a biblical synergism at work in our salvation.
Synergism is a word that needs some unpacking. The World English Dictionary defines synergism as the working together of two or more agents to produce an effect that is greater than the sum of their individual effects. Thus, in a theological context, it has to do with the way in which, or the extent to which, one’s eternal salvation is the result of both divine and human activity.
From the beginning, the church catholic has held that man cannot save himself by simply doing good deeds. The kerygma has always been, “Repent of your sins; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Furthermore, she (the church catholic) has always maintained that it is even beyond man’s ability (in some autonomous way) to decide to place his faith in Christ for salvation. Rather, God must take the initiative. He must act first, or all is futile.
The essence of the gospel is that God has acted first, in sending his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. And God has acted first, in sending his Holy Spirit, to stir the hearts of men to believe and embrace the gospel.
God’s actions call for a response, one that it is incumbent upon us to make. Choose you this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15). Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8). Come unto me, all you who labor (Matthew 11:28). Seek the Lord while He may be found (Isaiah 55:6). When I choose, when I cleanse, when I come, when I seek, I am actually, self-consciously, doing something. I am not in a trance.
God acts first. He takes the initiative. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) Then I act. I respond in faith unto salvation. This is a synergy that is surely biblical, is it not?
Yes, it is, but there’s a bit more unpacking to do. God and I may be the two agents in this synergy, but it’s not the kind of synergy where two agents bring their independent work together to achieve a greater result. We are never independent of God. How could we be? “For in Him we live, and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Or, to paraphrase, “in Him we live, and move, and choose to follow Him, and cleanse our hands, and purify our hearts, and come unto Him sinful though we are, and seek Him as He commands.” Saving faith is both a gift and a response, but the response is itself a gift.
This is synergism of a kind, but not of a kind that detracts from God’s sovereignty. The domain of our hearts is the very kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). This is also monergism (God acting alone) of a kind. “He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me.” And yet it is not of a kind that detracts from man’s responsibility. Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).
The salvation of God, wrought through the atoning sacrifice of Christ and by the working of the Holy Spirit in hearts that are wide open, is ultimately a mystery—a wonderful mystery which cannot be fully explained by any fine-grained theological system.
Perhaps synergism and monergism thus understood are just two ways of expressing the same ineffable reality.
