St. Augustine was a prominent theologian and philosopher in the 4th-5th centuries AD. He believed that due to original sin, humans are born with a fallen nature and have little free will without God’s grace. According to St. Augustine, grace is necessary for salvation as humans cannot save themselves through their own efforts. His teachings emphasized that while grace allows people to overcome sin, they still have the freedom to accept or reject it. St. Augustine’s views on free will and grace had a significant influence on Western philosophy and theology by shaping concepts of salvation, human nature, and the relationship between divine will and human freedom.
University of Strathclyde
Msc Education Studies
Thinking about Education
Yaa Foriwaah Kusi
(202362106)
Question
What are the influences of St. Augustine’s teachings on free choice and grace on
Western thought, and how have they influenced the development of Western thought?
Chapter 1: Introduction
St. Augustine was born in 354 AD in what is now Algeria and was raised in a family that was
very active in the political and cultural life of the Roman Empire. He is recognized as a key
figure in the development of Christian theology and philosophy. Before becoming a well-
known teacher and author in Milan, he studied poetry and philosophy. The link between
God's grace and human free will, as described by St. Augustine, has had a significant impact
on Western civilization, especially in the areas of philosophy, theology, and ethics. In his
most well-known work, "Confessions," he explores the nature of sin, the issue of evil, and the
significance of God's grace in human redemption via a personal description of his spiritual
journey. According to St. Augustine, human beings are born with a sinful nature and have
little to no free will. As a result, we are powerless to rescue ourselves by our own efforts and
must rely on God's favor to be saved. Christian philosophy has been shaped by St.
Augustine's beliefs on free will and grace for ages, influencing Western concepts of salvation
and human nature (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 2). His theories have also had an impact on the
evolution of Western philosophy and ethical thinking, emphasizing the significance of the
will, the use of reason in making decisions, and the characteristics of evil and sin according to
the Christian tradition (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 129). The substance and uniqueness of St.
Augustine's thoughts are what make him a prominent theologian and philosopher, but so is
the impact he had on other philosophers like Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. Scholars
and philosophers still debate and examine his theories on the nature of human morality, the
connection between the individual and the society, the function of the state, and other topics.
There are a number of important aspects to consider while analyzing how St. Augustine's
teachings on free will and grace influenced people. Secondly, since St. Augustine's thoughts
were influenced by his experiences and the intellectual traditions of his day, it is important to
understand the historical and cultural environment in which he wrote. Although St.
Augustine's teachings have been the topic of continuing discussion and different
interpretations, it is also important to look at how later philosophers have understood his
concepts. It is indeed important to recognize St. Augustine's ideas' extensive influence on
literature, philosophy, politics, ethics, and religion. Lastly, it is important to recognise St.
Augustine's contributions to current debate on human freedom, belief, reason, and the place
of the church in society.
Chapter II: St. Augustine’s Views on the Free Will and Grace
The foundation of St. Augustine's view of free choice is his conviction that human nature is
flawed and tainted by sin. St. Augustine thought that although humans were born with free
choice, this freedom was constrained by their fallen nature (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 129). St.
Augustine defined original sin as the state of inherited guilt and depravity that mankind has
because of Adam and Eve's initial sin in the Garden of Eden (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 131-
132). The disobedience of Adam and Eve, which resulted in their eviction from the Garden of
Eden and the creation of sin and death, is what caused this generational shame and
corruption. All people are born into a condition of sin and corruption, according to St.
Augustine, who also thought that original sin is passed down through procreation (St.
Augustine, 1964, p. 140).
St. Augustine thought that due to this fallen nature, people are unable to freely choose
between good and evil. He held that everyone is a slave to sin and that without the aid of
divine mercy, no one can rise above their fallen state. According to St. Augustine, the human
will is not truly free in the sense that it cannot make moral decisions independently of human
corruption. Alternatively, he thought that without God's favour, the human will be
constrained by sin and could only choose evil (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 148).
According to St. Augustine, grace is a gift from God that helps people overcome their sinful
nature and come to salvation. His belief in original sin and the fallen nature of humanity
informed this idea, which led him to the conclusion that people cannot find salvation by their
own efforts (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 161-162). All people, according to St. Augustine, had
access to grace, but they had the freedom to embrace or reject it. Grace was not, however,
ineffable. The foundation of St. Augustine's theology was his idea of grace, which had a
significant influence on the evolution of Christian philosophy. He held that there were several
ways in which God's grace was given to people, including the sacraments, prayer, and good
deeds (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 168).
Predestination was part of St. Augustine's idea of grace. St. Augustine thought that although
some people were predestined to accept God's grace and be saved, others were doomed to be
condemned (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 74-75). St. Augustine's interpretation of the biblical
scriptures, particularly those that addressed God's sovereignty and the theory of election,
served as the foundation for this view. Predestination, in St. Augustine's view, is founded on
God's sovereign will rather than any merit or deservingness on the side of the individual. St.
Augustine thought that predestination was totally decided by God's will and that people had
no control over it (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 138).
Throughout his work, St. Augustine attempted to make sense of the difficult link between
free will and grace. His conviction that original sin damaged human will and bound it to sin
had a significant impact on his view of free will. St. Augustine thought that while grace was
important for people to overcome their sinful nature and make the right decisions, it was not
infallible (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 179). He held that while people had the choice to accept or
reject God's favour, without it they were powerless to make moral decisions. Throughout his
writings, St. Augustine underlined the value of human agency and the part that grace plays in
helping people to use their free will to good effect. Despite the fact that humans did not have
total free will to choose between good and evil, he maintained that they did have some degree
of free will and that grace was essential to help them make the right decision (St. Augustine,
1964, p. 182).
Chapter III: St. Augustine’s Teachings on the Free Will and Grace
In Confessions, St. Augustine described his own spiritual development and the challenges he
had in trying to reconcile his own sinfulness with God's purposes for his life. In Confessions,
St. Augustine discusses free choice in relation to his notion of sin and the fallen state of
humanity (St. Augustine, 1964, p. 2). He held that without divine grace, humans were
powerless to make moral decisions, but he also highlighted the significance of human agency
in accepting or rejecting that grace. St. Augustine also looked at the connection between
memory and the human will, claiming that memory was a key factor in determining human
goals and preferences. He thought that memories might both deceive people by arousing
wicked impulses and lead them astray by reminding them of the good and God's grace (St.
Augustine, 1964, p. 129).
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