St. Augustine, Nature & Grace

There was a well-known controversy in the late fourth century to the early fifth century, where St. Augustine strongly disagreed with a British monk, Pelagius, on the nature of the human will. Pelagius taught that Christians are sinful based on their voluntary actions -- he believed that Christians can obtain righteousness through moral acts. When St. Augustine caught wind of Pelagius' teaching, he became responsible for writing against Pelagianism and correcting the false doctrine. St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, will then affirm that humanity cannot obtain righteousness through morality and our efforts, but it is only by the grace of God. 

Here are some interesting facts from this controversy between Pelagius and St. Augustine:

• St. Augustine is admired for his respectful and gracious response to Pelagiansim. He is written as "a man of integrity, humility, and respect for others, even those who speak uninformed."
• Pelagius was known as a theologian and later deemed a heretic because of this view on human nature. He would say, "we can fulfill the law without divine aid," and we have not been born sinners (against scripture, such as Galatians 2:21).
• Pelagius denies that all sinned in Adam "on account of a sin contracted by reason of their origin through being born, but on account of the imitation of Adam's sin..."
• Augustine first heard people mention Pelagius with great praise when he was far off residing in Rome. He then later heard that Pelagius was arguing against the grace of God.
• Augustine said he needed to reply and write against Pelagianism "so that the wicked error might be more completely removed from their hearts."
• Pelagius' students brought his work on nature to Augustine and asked Augustine to respond, favoring Augustine's response over Pelagius'.
• Augustine's polemical writing didn't address Pelagius' name "in hope that he would be corrected rather than offended."
• Pelagius appeared to lack knowledge, but "filled with zeal, he is one of those who do not know the righteousness of God and desire to establish their own."
• "Pelagius contends that the ability to be without sin does not come from human choice but from nature and in that sense from the author of nature."

Augustine concludes his position: 

"The beginning of love is the beginning of righteousness, progress in love is progress in righteousness; great love is great righteousness; perfect love is perfect righteousness... For this love is the grace of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who is the Father and Holy Spirit has eternity and goodness forever and ever. Amen."