Augustine's view on grace was developed due to the Pelgian controversy that arised as Pelagius, a British ascetic monk based at Rome was shocked by the moral failure of Roman church. The Pelagianism, a composite movement drawing on the idea of Pelagius held that human beings are able to take the initiative in their own salvation. He insisted the need of constant self-improvement by keeping the law of Old Testament and the example of Christ. Simply speaking Pelagius was of the view that salvation is through merit. Hence Augustine reacted forcefully against Pelagianism.
Dwelling further into this controversy created by Pelagianism, Augustine was insisting upon the priority of the grace of God at every stage in the Christian life, from its beginning to its end. Augustine feels that human beings did not possess the necessary freedom to take the initial steps toward salvation. He insisted that human free will was corrupted and tainted by sin, which inclined them toward evil and away from God. And it is only the grace of God that can counter against this bias toward sin. Augustine insisted so strongly on the view point of grace, that led him to be known as the "doctor of grace."
Augustine's central theme of his thought centered on fall of human nature. He expressed that human nature has fallen from its original state with which God created them. Clearly portraying that the present fallen state of human nature is not what God intended from the beginning of creation. Humans are not able to directly have a close similarity to the good state of its original integrity. The original nature has been spoiled. Augustine affirms that human being are now contaminated by sin from the moment of their birth. It is an inherent and an integral, not an optional, aspect of our being. This thought that man is born with sin proves to be the central thought of in Augustine doctrine of original sin and takes the centre stage in his doctrines of sin and salvation. Keeping this in mind, Augustine emphasizes that all require redemption, all have fallen short of the glory of God and all require to be redeemed. And this possible only by the grace of God.
Augustine stresses that nothing that a person does was sufficient to break the stranglehold of sin. According to Augustine, God intervenes in the human dilemma. God does not need to intervene, but out of love for fallen humanity God entered into the human situation in the person of Jesus Christ in order to redeem it. Augustine held that grace of God is the unmerited or undeserved gift of God by which God voluntarily breaks the hold of sin upon humanity. Redemption is possible only as a divine gift. Salvation is not possible for man to achieve but it is something that which needs to be done for us. The resources of salvation are located in God, outside of humanity. It is God who initiates the process of salvation, not men or women.
My Opinion:
In my opinion, there are many contradicting verses in Bible which sometimes seems opposite of each other. For example the verses in Romans 3:21-29, shows us that everyone is justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. And verse 27 clearly shows that only by faith we are justified and not by observing the law. However, if consider James 3: 14-26. It clearly states that faith without deeds is dead. Considering these contrasting thoughts there must have arisen many divisions in the churches relating to conflicting views that were raised among the believers in the early church. In fact both these verses are right. However, it depends on what context we understand them is very important.
According to me, the faith of Christianity is derived as the relationship between father and son. We call God our father, hence any child born on this earth has indirectly experienced the agape love of father through their parents which comes to them as unconditional. At any juncture of life, we are the children of our parents no matter what, whether we do good deeds or bad deeds, we still remain as the sons of our parents. No parents will reject their child just because he is sick or has inherited bad characters. We still remain as children’s to our parents. The relationship established between parents and children is not due to some good deeds. Even if the parents are bad in the society but still they love their children and give good gifts to them. This point is proved through words of Jesus in Mathew 7:11, of how bad parents also give good gifts to their children. Hence it is important to note that, the relationship established between parents and children is not due to their good or bad deeds. This relationship is purely based on unconditional love which comes as free gift to their children and this in other words is grace to that child. However, when a child does good deeds, parents are happy. This is because parents know that their child will not hurt himself or others next to him. If a parent says to their child to not go and touch the fire, and if the child goes and touches the fire, then the child will get hurt which in turn will hurt the parent. However if the child obeys, that makes the parents very happy and to make the point that what the child has done is good, parents reward that child based on his good deed.
In other words, the relationship established between heavenly father and man is purely based on the grace of God which comes as a free gift. Man didn't have to do anything to be called the son of God. It was purely intended by God from the very beginning. In order to make this point clear God sent his son Jesus to save us free of cost. This grace existed from the very beginning, but because man was not able to believe this grace, God made a way for man to believe and prove his love through the undying and unconditional love of Jesus who carried the sins of the world. Once for all Jesus died, for the past, present and future sins of the entire mankind. The verse 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 9:28 prove this point.
Now many may ask what the requirement for deeds now is. The deeds according to Mathew 6:1-4, shows that it is for us to be rewarded but it has nothing to do with our salvation or the free saving grace which comes through Christ. What is required of us is only believe in the one whom God has sent and we are saved. John 6:26, shows us that the work of God is to believe in one he has sent. Acts 16:31 also shows us that believing is only work required of us to be saved. Just accepting the grace and love of Jesus is enough for man to be saved. And this can only be done through faith.
Dwelling further into this controversy created by Pelagianism, Augustine was insisting upon the priority of the grace of God at every stage in the Christian life, from its beginning to its end. Augustine feels that human beings did not possess the necessary freedom to take the initial steps toward salvation. He insisted that human free will was corrupted and tainted by sin, which inclined them toward evil and away from God. And it is only the grace of God that can counter against this bias toward sin. Augustine insisted so strongly on the view point of grace, that led him to be known as the "doctor of grace."
Augustine's central theme of his thought centered on fall of human nature. He expressed that human nature has fallen from its original state with which God created them. Clearly portraying that the present fallen state of human nature is not what God intended from the beginning of creation. Humans are not able to directly have a close similarity to the good state of its original integrity. The original nature has been spoiled. Augustine affirms that human being are now contaminated by sin from the moment of their birth. It is an inherent and an integral, not an optional, aspect of our being. This thought that man is born with sin proves to be the central thought of in Augustine doctrine of original sin and takes the centre stage in his doctrines of sin and salvation. Keeping this in mind, Augustine emphasizes that all require redemption, all have fallen short of the glory of God and all require to be redeemed. And this possible only by the grace of God.
Augustine stresses that nothing that a person does was sufficient to break the stranglehold of sin. According to Augustine, God intervenes in the human dilemma. God does not need to intervene, but out of love for fallen humanity God entered into the human situation in the person of Jesus Christ in order to redeem it. Augustine held that grace of God is the unmerited or undeserved gift of God by which God voluntarily breaks the hold of sin upon humanity. Redemption is possible only as a divine gift. Salvation is not possible for man to achieve but it is something that which needs to be done for us. The resources of salvation are located in God, outside of humanity. It is God who initiates the process of salvation, not men or women.
My Opinion:
In my opinion, there are many contradicting verses in Bible which sometimes seems opposite of each other. For example the verses in Romans 3:21-29, shows us that everyone is justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. And verse 27 clearly shows that only by faith we are justified and not by observing the law. However, if consider James 3: 14-26. It clearly states that faith without deeds is dead. Considering these contrasting thoughts there must have arisen many divisions in the churches relating to conflicting views that were raised among the believers in the early church. In fact both these verses are right. However, it depends on what context we understand them is very important.
According to me, the faith of Christianity is derived as the relationship between father and son. We call God our father, hence any child born on this earth has indirectly experienced the agape love of father through their parents which comes to them as unconditional. At any juncture of life, we are the children of our parents no matter what, whether we do good deeds or bad deeds, we still remain as the sons of our parents. No parents will reject their child just because he is sick or has inherited bad characters. We still remain as children’s to our parents. The relationship established between parents and children is not due to some good deeds. Even if the parents are bad in the society but still they love their children and give good gifts to them. This point is proved through words of Jesus in Mathew 7:11, of how bad parents also give good gifts to their children. Hence it is important to note that, the relationship established between parents and children is not due to their good or bad deeds. This relationship is purely based on unconditional love which comes as free gift to their children and this in other words is grace to that child. However, when a child does good deeds, parents are happy. This is because parents know that their child will not hurt himself or others next to him. If a parent says to their child to not go and touch the fire, and if the child goes and touches the fire, then the child will get hurt which in turn will hurt the parent. However if the child obeys, that makes the parents very happy and to make the point that what the child has done is good, parents reward that child based on his good deed.
In other words, the relationship established between heavenly father and man is purely based on the grace of God which comes as a free gift. Man didn't have to do anything to be called the son of God. It was purely intended by God from the very beginning. In order to make this point clear God sent his son Jesus to save us free of cost. This grace existed from the very beginning, but because man was not able to believe this grace, God made a way for man to believe and prove his love through the undying and unconditional love of Jesus who carried the sins of the world. Once for all Jesus died, for the past, present and future sins of the entire mankind. The verse 1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 9:28 prove this point.
Now many may ask what the requirement for deeds now is. The deeds according to Mathew 6:1-4, shows that it is for us to be rewarded but it has nothing to do with our salvation or the free saving grace which comes through Christ. What is required of us is only believe in the one whom God has sent and we are saved. John 6:26, shows us that the work of God is to believe in one he has sent. Acts 16:31 also shows us that believing is only work required of us to be saved. Just accepting the grace and love of Jesus is enough for man to be saved. And this can only be done through faith.
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