Augustine's Controversy: Grace And Free Will

Doctrinal Development Essay – Part 5 – Christina Hillesheim
An important historic doctrine of the fifth century dealt with grace and free will. The church father, theologian, and bishop Augustine began the conversation in his work Confessions and continued it during the Pelagian controversy. Augustine’s conversion was unexpected and overwhelming to the point that it caused “a radical break with his past life and a transformation that left him hardly the same person as before (pp. 258).” After this dramatic conversion, Augustine placed a great emphasis on the grace and power of God in salvation, because he felt that he could not really resist God. “He did not choose God; God chose him (pp. 267).” This helplessness in regards to salvation and
Before the Fall, mankind had the power and the possibility to not sin. After the Fall, this changed and now due to the corruption of sin it is not possible not to sin. Thus, sin is now inevitable in the world; whereas before it was not. One thing to note, Augustine did not believe that mankind has lost all free will due to the Fall. He “argued that human beings retain free will ... but that free will is conditioned by sin so that it is always turned toward disobedience unless God’s grace intervenes and turns the will in another direction (pp.
If one believes Augustine’s monergism, than salvation is in the hands of God and not humankind. This could cause many people to question the need for evangelism and sharing of the Gospel. This is very similar to what happened to some Calvinists who felt that those who were predestined would come regardless of what they preached. However, if this were the case then the Great Commission in Matthew would be pointless. Jesus Christ would not command us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matt. 28: 19-20, NIV).” He would only give us this command if doing so would make a difference and aid in fulfilling his purpose. Thus, humankind’s free will must have some impact on salvation and worthy of Christians sharing the Gospel to unbelievers. However, on the flip side Christians need to understand God’s power and grace in salvation. By understanding the role that he plays, it removes some of the pressure off of the Christian when sharing the Gospel. It is both free will and grace that come together during the salvation experience. We are simply God’s