CONTENTS

Chapter I Introduction
A. Background of the Study
B. Statement of the Problem
C. Scope and Delimitation
D. Significance of the Study
E. Methodology
F. Review of Related Literature

Chapter II The Affirmation of Free Will

A. The Pelagian Movement
1. The Background
2. Pelagius’ Arguments
B. The Condemnation

Chapter III Augustine’s Theology of Grace

A. Definition of Grace and Free Will
B. The Background
1. Pelagius’ Influence
2. Pelagian Error
C. Grace and Free Will
1. The Power of God’s Grace
2. The Scope of Free Will

Chapter IV The Primacy of Grace

A. Grace as God’s Gift
1. Human’s Salvation as a Gift
2. God chooses First
B. Free Will being Truly Free
1. Freedom Expands
2. The Assistance of God’s Will
3. Freedom of Choice as a Grace

Chapter V Summary and Conclusion

Bibliography
 INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Many Christians today do not avail anymore the other sacraments after receiving the

sacrament of Baptism. One reason could be is that parents may think that the first sacrament

automatically makes them true Christians and thus entitles them and their children to be saved.

People may think that since they now belong to the Church, God will not condemn anyone who is

baptized. Hence, many live in mediocrity all throughout their Christian lives.

The above phenomenon is not something new. This situation can be traced back to the early

life of the Church. Pelagius1 describes this as the decadence of Christian morality.2 Many

Christians have simply compromised the standard of Christ. Others have become negligent of their

Christian obligation. Unsatisfied, Pelagius attempts to restore the weakened vigour of the

Christians by reliving the ancient idealism of the Romans which is manliness. He urges them to

adhere to Christ’s demands for all Christians.3 Mediocre Christians are not true Christians at all.

Those who live a subpar life is not worthy to be called the followers of Christ.

What Pelagius really wants is to do away from the long Christian tradition.4 He wants all

Christians to be models in the Roman Empire.5 He wants to let Christians stand out above

everybody else – a people living as authentic Christians.6 He seeks a Church of the dedicated few,

1
He is a monk from Britain or Ireland, born in the 4th century. He is known for the heresy known
after him, the Pelagianism. Gerald O’Collins, SJ and Edward G. Farrugia, SJ, A Concise Dictionary of
Theology: Revised and Expanded Edition (Quezon City: Claretian Publication, 2010), p. 195.
2
John Burnaby’s Introduction to Augustine’s “The Spirit and the Letter,” in Augustine: Later
Works, select. and trans. with intro. John Burnaby, vol. VIII (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1955),
p. 182.
3
Ibid., p. 182.
4
Roger Haight, SJ, The Experience and Language of Grace (New York: Paulist Press, 1979), p.
37.
5
Elizabeth Dreyer, Manifestations of Grace (Delaware: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1990), p. 71.
6
Haight, The Experience and Language of Grace, p. 35.
of the conscious minority.7 He wants Christianity to be a new way of life,8 a life that is looked up

to and serves as a model to all. All Christians have to shine above everybody else, otherwise they

are not Christians at all. Christians have to be the vanguard among all the people. If there are

people worthy of imitation, they are the ones who must be regarded highly.

Such idealism became the beginning of the Pelagian movement. The Pelagians are

considered as a new type of Christians who assert the primacy of the freedom of the will and leaves

no room for the grace of God. The latter for them is just something given to humans according to

their own merits.9 The issue of the primacy of free will did not actually end in the 5th century. Its

repercussions continue to hunt in the succeeding centuries up until now which baffle Christian

apologetics. This Pelagian movement even bears a “resemblance to the moral self-confidence and

anthropological optimism of the 19th and 20th centuries.”10 This issue, too, has been a long-standing

debate between Catholics and Protestants.11 So, even today there are still remnants of what

Pelagius insisted many centuries ago.

The theology of grace of Augustine, therefore, could shed light on this issue. He is an

authority, for he is said to be the Doctor of Grace.12 He is, therefore, worthy to be consulted since

he has a great influence on the teachings of the Church regarding grace13 and a person’s freedom

7
Ibid., p. 40.
8
Ibid., p. 35.
9
John H. S. Burleigh’s Introduction to Augustine’s “To Simplician – On Various Questions, Book.
I (De Diversis Questionibus),” Augustine: Earlier Writings, select. and trans. with intro. John H. S.
Burleigh, vol. VI (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953), p. 103.
10
Thomas C. Oden, The Transforming Power of Grace (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993), p.
108.
11
Patrick Madrid, Does the Bible Really Say That? Discovering Catholic Teaching in Scripture.
(Cincinnati: Servant Books, 1997), p. 58.
12
Dreyer, Manifestations of Grace, p. 74.
13
See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Definitive ed., 1996-2011.
of the will. His claims, though elucidated many centuries ago, are still valid even up to now and

are accepted by the Church.

B. Statement of the Problem

To know and understand Augustine’s view on grace and free will, this paper will answer

four main questions, namely:

1. Can a person do good on his/her own capacity independent from God’s influence?

2. Can a person be saved by his/her good works?

3. Is grace a reward given to a person for doing good works?

4. Can God’s divine will influence a person’s freedom of the will?

The researcher will try his best to exhaust all the information and literatures available to

answer the above questions, so that at the end of this study the role of grace and free will in the

person’s salvation will be clearer.

C. Scope and Limitation

Since Pelagius’ discussion on grace and freedom of the will has influenced a lot

Augustine’s theology of grace, the former’s claims then will be discussed first. But it would just

be a brief discussion due to unavailability of his own works. The researcher will rely mainly on

secondary sources for Pelagius’ theology. Moreover, this paper will not anymore discuss the

biographical backgrounds of the two theologians. This paper will limit its discussion on the

doctrines of Pelagius and Augustine alone. Other great theologians on grace are worth discussing

but the researcher will not attempt to do so. Relevant theologians may be mentioned but only

insofar as they are relevant to the study.

 Furthermore, this paper will not expound extensively the Church’s stand on grace, which

is worthy of another research paper. This will discuss mainly Pelagius’ claims regarding grace and

free will, as well as Augustine’s reaction to the former. The latter’s theology of grace will be

discussed at length and in detail. Lastly, there are many subjects Augustine discusses in relation to

his theology of grace; however, this paper will focus only on his theology of grace in relation to

the person’s choice of good or evil and of his/her salvation.

D. Significance of the Study

The subject of grace is at times overlooked. Many people today assume that the good works

of a person are what make him/her be saved; some may think that his/her meritorious deeds are

the basis of God’s favour and their salvation. And many do not ask questions anymore about it. It

is as if the more a person does good works, the bigger likelihoods that he/she will be in heaven. If

one’s good works outweigh his/her wrongdoings, he/she is likely to be spared from condemnation.

Is this the way the Doctor of Grace thinks? This paper will shed light on this issue.

Moreover, there are Christian denominations today that seem to be exclusive only to the

righteous, pure, rich, and elite. They actually boom in urban areas, in places where many live high

economically. These denominations belong to the upper class, to those who ‘can afford’. They do

not mushroom in poor areas, for the people in these places cannot afford the lifestyle of the elite

pastors. It is as if to be true and better Christian, one has to be a member of the said righteous

group. Hence, the poor and the ordinary have no room in such denominations. Is this how

Augustine thinks? It is the hope of the researcher that this research will enrich his own faith as

well as those who will read this paper.

E. Methodology

Since Augustine’s theology of grace is significantly influenced by the doctrine of Pelagius,

especially its dangers, it is but proper to present first the claims of the latter. Though this paper

will present first the theological claims of Pelagius, this research is essentially an exposition of

Augustine’s doctrine on grace in relation to that of Pelagius’ priority of good works.

Chapter One will present the usual introductory part which includes the Background of the

Study, Statement of the Problem, Scope and Delimitation, Significance of the Study, Methodology,

and Review of Related Literature. This part will set how this paper will unravel and solve the

problem on the theology of grace and free will.

Chapter Two will present Pelagius’s claims; and the researcher will try as much as possible

to present them without bias. He will make it a point that Pelagius too aims to redeem Christians

from moral decadence. However, this chapter will not be lengthy. The researcher will focus mainly

on Pelagius’ claims that are relevant on the debate about grace and free will. Then, the last part of

this chapter will present the reason why his claims are condemned by the Church.

Chapter Three will present first the extent of influence of Pelagius’ theology on Augustine.

This will show how Augustine initially finds no faulty in Pelagius’ tenets. Then, the researcher

will discuss why Augustine rejects such claims. Then the succeeding sections will tackle his own

understanding of grace and freedom of the will.

Chapter Four will present the primacy of grace over free will. The sections will discuss the

arguments of Augustine on grace as always prior to the freedom of the person. This will elucidate

his claim as to how God influences the person in his doing of good works.

The last chapter will present the conclusion and analysis of the researcher.
F. Review of Related Literature

This paper will consult mainly the four main works of Augustine. These four are relevant

enough to capture his main points regarding grace and free will. Literatures on Pelagius, however,

are taken from secondary sources due to unavailability of his own works. The four works of

Augustine are:

“To Simplician – On Various Questions, Book. I (De Diversis Questionibus).” Augustine:

Earlier Writings. Selected and Translated with Introductions by John H. S. Burleigh.
26 vols. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953.

In this work, Augustine discusses the letter of the apostle Paul to the Romans, particularly

chapter 9 regarding God’s preference of Jacob over Esau. He asserts that God is the one who

chooses whom he would save so that nobody can boast about his/her good works. Augustine argues

that it is God who chooses and rejects someone prior to his/her birth, faith, and good works, in this

case Jacob and Esau. This work sheds light on the issue of God’s choice over a person’s good

works.

“The Spirit and the Letter.” Augustine: Later Works. Selected and Translated with
Introductions by John Burnaby. 26 vols. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1955.

This is said to be Augustine’s important text regarding the Pelagian controversy.14 Here,

he expounds the understanding of grace in comparison to and against the views held by Pelagius

and his followers. The latter have an overconfidence on the person’s free will and his/her ability

for good works. The former, however, relies on God’s grace as the source of good works.

Augustine shows in this work the dangers of what Pelagius is saying.

John Courney Murray’s Introduction to Augustine, “Admonition and Grace,” The Fathers of
14

the Church, trans. with intro. John Courney Murray, SJ, vol. 2 (Washington: The Catholic University of
America Press, 1966), p. 241.
“Admonition and Grace.” The Fathers of the Church. Translated and with Introduction
by John Courney Murray, SJ. 15 vols. Washington: The Catholic University of
America Press, 1966.

In this text, Augustine discusses the role of grace as to what it can do to human free will.

It shows how human free will is limited and how powerful God’s grace is to influence a person’s

will. Even a person’s choosing of good works cannot be successful unless aided by the grace of

God. It is simply God’s grace that effects the human will to do good works. Hence, this text of

Augustine will give light on the issue whether grace has influence on free will or not.

“On Free Will (De Libero Arbitrio).” Augustine: Earlier Writings. Selected and
Translated with Introductions by John H. S. Burleigh. 26 vols. Philadelphia:
Westminster Press, 1953.

Here, Augustine discusses about the limits of human free will. Without the grace of God it

falls and is inclined to do evil things; and with God’s grace, it is able to elevate itself into choosing

what is good. For him, it is the grace of God that frees the human beings from the misery inflicted

on sinful people.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary:
Augustine. “Admonition and Grace.” The Fathers of the Church. Translated and with
Introduction by John Courney Murray, SJ. 15 vols. Washington: The Catholic University
of America Press, 1966.

_________. “On Free Will (De Libero Arbitrio).” Augustine: Earlier Writings. Selected and
Translated with Introductions by John H. S. Burleigh. 26 vols. Philadelphia:
Westminster Press, 1953.

_________. “The Spirit and the Letter.” Augustine: Later Works. Selected and Translated with
Introductions by John Burnaby. 26 vols. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1955.

_________. “To Simplician – On Various Questions, Book. I (De Diversis Questionibus).”

Augustine: Earlier Writings. Selected and Translated with Introductions by John H. S.
Burleigh. 26 vols. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953.

Secondary:
Dreyer, Elizabeth. Manifestations of Grace. Wilmington: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1990.

Drobner, Hubertus. The Fathers of the Church: A Comprehensive Introduction. Translated by

Siegried S. Schatzmann. Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2007.

Farelly, Dom John M., OSB. Predestination, Grace, and Free Will. Maryland: The Newman
Press, 1964.

Haight, Roger, SJ. The Experience and Language of Grace. New York: Paulist Press, 1979.

Journet, Charles. The Meaning of Grace. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1962.

Keating, Karl. What Catholics Really Believe – Setting the Record Straight. San Francisco:
Ignatius Press, 1995.

Lonergan, Bernard J.F., S.J. Grace and Freedom: Operative Grace in the Thought of St. Thomas
Aquinas. Edited by J. Patout Burns, SJ. Introduction by Frederick E. Crowe, SJ. London:
Darton, Longman & Todd, 1971.

Lubac, Henri de, SJ. Augustinianism and Modern Theology. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1969.

Madrid, Patrick. Does the Bible Really Say That? Discovering Catholic Teaching in Scripture.
Cincinnati: Servant Books, 1997.

Oden, Thomas C. The Transforming Power of Grace. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993.
Church Document:
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Definitive Edition. Manila: Word and Life Publications,
1994.

Dictionary

O’Collins, Gerald, SJ and Edward G. Farrugia, SJ. A Concise Dictionary of Theology:

Revised and Expanded Edition. Quezon City: Claretian Publication, 2010.