James T. Dennison, Jr.: Excerpt from a Critique of Meredith Kline's Neo-Pelagian Doctrine of the Sinaitic Covenant

". . . hence any notion of human ability to act on the condition, apart from the regenerating grace of God, is nonsense or Pelagianism masking as Reformed theology."

Calvin interprets the conditionality of the Mosaic covenant in terms of the Augustinian paradigm. God, who demands the condition, must supply the grace to fulfill the condition. He commands us to perform the condition that we might further see our need for grace—that we might cast ourselves upon him and his unmerited mercy so as to supply what is necessary for us to obey him.

This is not only how Reformed Augustinians interpret the conditional obedience required in the Mosaic covenant, it is also how Reformed Augustinians interpret the conditional obedience required in the new covenant: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”—the God who makes the condition must perform the condition; hence any notion of human ability to act on the condition, apart from the regenerating grace of God, is nonsense or Pelagianism masking as Reformed theology. This is the fundamental Pauline-Augustinian-Calvinistic-Reformed doctrine that so many do not understand today. They reason like Pelagius who see divine mandates and consequent promises of blessing for meritorious obedience. They suggest that demand of the condition augurs an ability in the sinners obliged to perform the condition; and having performed the condition, to merit or earn blessings on the ground of their obedience.

[The above is an article published by Kerux: The Theological Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary.  "Merit or ‘Entitlement’ in Reformed Covenant Theology: A Review," by James T. Dennison, Jr., Scott F. Sanborn, Benjamin W. Swinburnson.  The article appears online but is published in K:NWTS 24/3 (Dec 2009) 3-152.  Visit their website at Kerux.com.]

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