On Grace And Free Will

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On Grace and Free Will by St. Augustine.

The book opens with Augustine learning that two factions of monks are warring in their monastery about grace and free will. One group says that free will plays no role in salvation, while the other argues that human effort plays some role. The argument is intense. Since both sides are quoting Augustine, he invites the wrong side – the grace only side – to spend some time with him so that he can straighten things out. He writes:

““1. Two young men, Cresconius and Felix, have found their way to us, and, introducing themselves as belonging to your brotherhood, have told us that your monastery was disturbed with no small commotion, because certain amongst you preach grace in such a manner as to deny that the will of man is free; and maintain—a more serious matter—that in the day of judgment God will not render to every man according to his works. At the same time, they have pointed out to us, that many of you do not entertain this opinion, but allow that free will is assisted by the grace of God, so as that we may think and do aright; so that, when the Lord shall come to render unto every man according to his works, He shall find those works of ours good which God has prepared in order that we may walk in them. They who think this think rightly.”

This is a seminal and surprising work. It is surprising because Augustine is usually presented as a forerunner of Lutheran and Calvinist predestination. Augustine, however, makes sure to carve out a place for both human effort and for divine grace. Augustine writes:

“Chapter 18.—Faith Without Good Works is Not Sufficient for Salvation. Unintelligent persons, however, with regard to the apostle's statement: “We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law,” have thought him to mean that faith suffices to a man, even if he lead a bad life, and has no good works. Impossible is it that such a character should be deemed “a vessel of election” by the apostle, who, after declaring that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,” adds at once, “but faith which worketh by love.” It is such faith which severs God's faithful from unclean demons,—for even these “believe and tremble,” as the Apostle James says; but they do not do well. Therefore they possess not the faith by which the just man lives,—the faith which works by love in such wise, that God recompenses it according to its works with eternal life. But inasmuch as we have even our good works from God, from whom likewise comes our faith and our love, therefore the selfsame great teacher of the Gentiles has designated “eternal life” itself as His gracious “gift.” “

The goal of Augustine in this book is to explain how grace can square with free will. Is he successful? Yes and no.

Augustine is successful in the sense that he is bound by – as are we – our experience that we do make some contribution to our salvation through our efforts. This intuition is supported by logic. As Augustine asks:

“Now, I would ask, if there is no grace of God, how does He save the world? and if there is no free will, how does He judge the world?”

Free will is required for there to be justice, i.e. for there to be reward. Obedience and reward, moreover, is attested throughout Christian scripture. Augustine anticipates Erasmus's debate with Luther in this passage:

“All these commandments, however, respecting love or charity (which are so great, and such that whatever action a man may think he does well is by no means well done if done without love) would be given to men in vain if they had not free choice of will.

And:

“Nor does it detract at all from a man's own will when he performs any act in accordance with God. Indeed, a work is then to be pronounced a good one when a person does it willingly; then, too, may the reward of a good work be hoped for from Him concerning whom it is written, “He shall reward every man according to his works.”

On the other hand, grace is also found throughout scripture as well. So however, the two are to be squared, they must both remain in any biblical Christian theological system.

Where does grace play a role in Augustine's view? Presumably by attracting or inspiring individuals to love God and do good:

“It Pleases Him. I think I have now discussed the point fully enough in opposition to those who vehemently oppose the grace of God, by which, however, the human will is not taken away, but changed from bad to good, and assisted when it is good.”

Ultimately, how this all works remains a deep mystery that is referred to, in Augustine's words, to the “secret judgments of God.”

I found this to be a surprisingly accessible work, but I am also presently reading the section on grace in Aquinas' Summa Theologica, and I have read other works by Augustine. Someone without that background might find the text less accessible.