Augustine A Treatise on Nature and Grace, Against Pelagius

Author: St. Augustine

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“A Treatise on Nature and Grace: Against Pelagius” by St. Augustine is a seminal work that explores the theological discourse of nature, grace, and human will. Written against the backdrop of the Pelagian controversy, Augustine systematically dismantles Pelagius’s views on human nature and the necessity of divine grace for salvation.

Key theological points of the treatise include:

1. Nature and Grace: Augustine emphasizes that human nature, though originally created pure and whole by God, was later corrupted by sin. This corruption necessitates divine grace for its redemption and restoration. Without this grace, human nature remains wounded, incapable of returning to its original state of righteousness.
2. The Necessity of Christ’s Grace: Augustine argues against the Pelagian view that human nature can achieve righteousness independently of Christ’s grace. He posits that the whole of human nature is subject to the just wrath of God due to sin, and it is only through the grace of Christ that humanity can be redeemed. This grace is not due to human merit but is a free gift from God.
3. Pelagian Misinterpretations: The treatise addresses various misinterpretations and misapplications of scripture by Pelagius, particularly concerning the nature of sin and the capacity of human nature to avoid sin. Augustine clarifies that sin, though not a physical substance, can corrupt human nature profoundly, necessitating divine intervention for healing and restoration.
4. The Righteousness of God: The treatise explores the concept of God’s righteousness, contrasting it with human righteousness. Augustine clarifies that the righteousness of God is not about strict adherence to the law but about embracing the grace offered through Christ. This grace leads to true righteousness, which is beyond human capability to achieve on its own.
5. The Struggle Against Sin: The book provides a nuanced understanding of the struggle against sin. Augustine discusses the various types of sins, including sins of ignorance and deliberate sins, and the need for divine assistance in overcoming these sins. He argues that while human will plays a role in resisting sin, it is ultimately insufficient without the enabling power of God’s grace.

He begins with a statement of what is to be investigated concerning nature and grace; he shows that nature, as propagated from the flesh of the sinful Adam, being no longer what God made it at first,—faultless and sound,—requires the aid of grace, in order that it may be redeemed from the wrath of God and regulated for the perfection of righteousness: that the penal fault of nature leads to a most righteous retribution: whilst grace itself is not rendered to any deserts of ours, but is given gratuitously; and they who are not delivered by it are justly condemned. He afterwards refutes, with answers on every several point, a work by Pelagius, who supports this self-same nature in opposition to grace; among other things especially, in his desire to recommend the opinion that a man can live without sin, he contended that nature had not been weakened and changed by sin; for, otherwise, the matter of sin (which he thinks absurd) would be its punishment, if the sinner were weakened to such a degree that he committed more sin. He goes on to enumerate sundry righteous men both of the Old and of the New Testaments: deeming these to have been free from sin, he alleged the possibility of not sinning to be inherent in man; and this he attributed to God’s grace, on the ground that God is the author of that nature in which is inseparably inherent this possibility of avoiding sin. Towards the end of this treatise there is an examination of sundry extracts from old writers, which Pelagius adduced in support of his views, and expressly from Hilary, Ambrose, and even Augustin himself.