Was Augustine monergist?

Augustine, bishop of Hippo (died 430 AD), is considered as monergist in www.monergism together with Luther, Calvin and other Reformed/Puritan prominent figures.   The following is statement of Augustine they claimed to show his view on monergism (the complete text of “Against Two Letters of Pelagians” is available online at www.ccel.org):

Can you say, ‘We will first walk in His righteousness, and will observe His judgments, and will act in a worthy way, so that He will give His grace to us’? But what good would you evil people do? And how would you do those good things, unless you were yourselves good? But Who causes people to be good? Only He Who said, ‘And I will visit them to make them good,’ and, ‘I will put my Spirit within you, and will cause you to walk in my righteousness, and to observe my judgments, and do them’ (Ezek.36:27). Are you asleep? Can’t you hear Him saying, ‘I will cause you to walk, I will make you to observe,’ lastly, ‘I will make you to do’? Really, are you still puffing yourselves up? We walk, true enough, and we observe, and we do; but it is God Who He makes us to walk, to observe, to do. This is the grace of God making us good; this is His mercy going before us.

Augustine , Against Two Letters of the Pelagians 4:15

The title of the works indicates that what Augustine wrote is his objection against Pelagian and Semi-Pelagian (referred as new form of Pelagianism).  Both Pelagian and semi-Pelagian believe that we can take the first step, using our freedom, towards our salvation and then God will give us His Grace. The difference between those two is the former believe that His Grace only serves as facilitator while to the latter it is necessity and is given based on merits.   Catholics, on the other hand, believe that God takes initiative in our salvation by first giving is His Grace.  His Grace will move us to believe in Christ, to obey His commandments etc.  We, in using our freedom, give response by cooperating with it (or rejecting it).  In Monergism God also takes the initiative but His Grace does not require our cooperation – it will regenerate the receivers automatically. A good analogy of monergism is car driving.  Once the driver starts the engine, something that any car cannot do, it will move following the driver’s intention with no resistance (no kicking and screaming whatsoever).

The Catholic Church declares her position against both Pelagian and semi-Pelagian in Council of Orange on 3 July 529 AD (one of the council’s decrees is even cited in www.monergism.com) and reaffirmed it in Council of Trent after Reformation.

If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.

Council of Trent, Canon II on Justification

If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema.

Council of Trent, Canon III of the Decree on Justification

Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1993 again reaffirms the Church’s position: Without God’s grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God’s sight

There are some who confused what Catholics believe with semi-Pelagianism.   Reformed scholar, R.C. Sproul, for example, accused Catholics to follow semi-Pelagianism (Faith Alone, pages 140 to 141).

The key difference between Monergism and Synergism is whether we can exercise our freewill in our salvation or not.  Note that Monergism believes we do have freewill but to them it is under bondage of sin – it is not really free, i.e. we cannot choose to act rightly.

It would be correct to say man HAS A WILL and that his choices are VOLUNTARY (not coerced) but this does not make the choices free. Fallen man chooses sin of NECESSITY due to a corruption of nature, and this is just as much a form of bondage of the will from which we need to be set free by Christ, and a more properly biblical way of expression.

J.W.H.

http://new.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Free-Will/Essays/

Coming back to Augustine, is the above statement describes his view on human freewill?  In Augustine’s own words (emphasis in bold is mine):

Therefore, my dearly beloved, as we have now proved by our former testimonies from Holy Scripture that there is in man a free determination of will for living rightly and acting rightly; so now let us see what are the divine testimonies concerning the grace of God, without which we are not able to do any good thing.

Augustine, A Treatise on Grace and Freewill Chapter 7

When God says, “Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,”[Zechariah 1:3] one of these clauses–that which invites our return to God–evidently belongs to our will; while the other, which promises His return to us, belongs to His grace.

Augustine, A Treatise on Grace and Freewill Chapter 10(V)

“A Treatise on Grace and Freewill” was written in around 426 or 427 AD (English translation is available online at www.ccel.org and www.monergism.com)   What he wrote is in agreement with what the Catholic Church teaches: we do have freewill to act rightly (denied in monergism), though we cannot exercise it without first being moved by God’s Grace.   Thus Augustine noted that the quoted verse (Zechariah 1:3) was also used by Pelagians (and Semi-Pelagian) to support their belief, i.e. we make the first move (turn to God) and then God will turn to us.  Citing other verses he pointed out that we cannot turn to God without His Grace

Now the persons who hold this opinion fail to observe that, unless our turning to God were itself God’s gift, it would not be said to Him in prayer, “Turn us again, O God of hosts;” [Psalms 80:7] and, “Thou, O God, wilt turn and quicken us;” [Psalms 85:6] and again, “Turn us, O God of our salvation,” [Psalms 85:4]  –with other passages of similar import, too numerous to mention here. For, with respect to our coming unto Christ, what else does it mean than our being turned to Him by believing? And yet He says: “No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. [John 6:65]

Augustine, A Treatise on Grace and Freewill Chapter 10(V)

Grace and free will, which comes first?

While Catholics believe in human freedom it should be noted that we can exercise our freedom after being moved first by God’s Grace, i.e. we can choose whether to cooperate with His Grace or to reject it.

When God touches man’s heart through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man himself is not inactive while receiving that inspiration, since he could reject it; and yet, without God’s grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God’s sight.

Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1993 (underlined emphasis added)

Thus Catholics believe that God, not us, who takes the first initiative in our salvation.  Those who believe that we, in using our freedom, can initiate our salvation and then God will assist us by giving us grace follow the teaching of Pelagian or Semi-Pelagian.   On this issue Augustine wrote (English translation from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers or NPNF series I, Vol. 5, available online at www.ccel.org):

When God says, “Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,” [Zechariah 1:3] one of these clauses-that which invites our return to God-evidently belongs to our will; while the other, which promises His return to us, belongs to His grace. Here, possibly, the Pelagians think they have a justification for their opinion which they so prominently advance, that God’s grace is given according to our merits. In the East, indeed, that is to say, in the province of Palestine, in which is the city of Jerusalem, Pelagius, when examined in person by the bishop, did not venture to affirm this. For it happened that among the objections which were brought up against him, this in particular was objected, that he maintained that the grace of God was given according to our merits,-an opinion which was so diverse from catholic doctrine, and so hostile to the grace of Christ, that unless he had anathematized it, as laid to his charge, he himself must have been anathematized on its account. He pronounced, indeed, the required anathema upon the dogma, but how insincerely his later books plainly show; for in them he maintains absolutely no other opinion than that the grace of God is given according to our merits. Such passages do they collect out of the Scriptures,-like the one which I just now quoted, “Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,”-as if it were owing to the merit of our turning to God that His grace were given us, wherein He Himself even turns unto us. Now the persons who hold this opinion fail to observe that, unless our turning to God were itself God’s gift, it would not be said to Him in prayer, “Turn us again, O God of hosts [Psalms 80:7];”.and, “Thou, O God, wilt turn and quicken us [Psalms 85:6];.and again, “Turn us, O God of our salvation [Psalms 85:4],”-with other passages of similar import, too numerous to mention here. For, with respect to our coming unto Christ, what else does it mean than our being turned to Him by believing? And yet He says: “No man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. [John 6:65]“.

Augustine, A Treatise on Grace and Freewill, Chapter 10

Grace and human freedom

The Catechism of the Catholic Church declares (# 2001): The preparation of man for the reception of grace is already a work of grace.  God through His grace always takes the initiative for our salvation.  This vocation of eternal life is supernatural. It depends entirely ob God’s gratuitous initiative (ibid # 1998). We, in using our freedom, respond to it.  God’s free initiative demands man’s free response (ibid # 2002).   Thus in Catholic teaching we have freedom to choose between good and evil (ibid # 1732); yet the Catechism also reminds us that without God’s grace, he [man] cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God’s sight (ibid # 1993).  We cannot do anything good without first being moved by God’s grace.

Now the Lord Himself not only shows us what evil we should shun, and what good we should do, which is all that the letter of the law is able to effect; but He moreover helps us that we may shun evil and do good [Psalms 37:27], which none can do without the Spirit of grace; and if this be wanting, the law comes in merely to make us guilty and to slay us. It is on this account that the apostle says, “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life [2 Corinthians 3:6]. He, then, who lawfully uses the law learns therein evil and good, and, not trusting in his own strength, flees to grace, by the help of which he may shun evil and do good. But who is there who flees to grace except when “the steps of a man are ordered by the Lord, and He shall determine his way”? [Psalms 37:23] And thus also to desire the help of grace is the beginning of grace; of which, says he, “And I said, Now I have begun; this is the change of the right hand of the Most High.” [Psalms 76:10]. It is to be confessed, therefore, that we have free choice to do both evil and good; but in doing evil every one is free from righteousness and a servant of sin, while in doing good no one can be free, unless he have been made free by Him who said, “If the Son shall make you free, then you shall be free indeed.” [John 8:36]. Neither is it thus, that when any one has been made free from the dominion of sin, he no longer needs the help of his Deliverer; but rather thus, that hearing from Him, “Without me ye can do nothing,” [John 15:5]. he himself also says to Him, “Be thou my helper! Forsake me not.” [Psalms 27:9]. I rejoice that I have found in our brother Florus also this faith, which without doubt is the true and prophetical and apostolical and catholic faith; whence those are the rather to be corrected-whom indeed I now think to have been corrected by the favour of God-who did not understand him.

Augustine, A Treatise on Rebuke and Grace, Chapter 2 (underlined emphasis is added)

English translation from Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers (NPNF), Series I, Vol. 5

(available online at www.ccel.org)

Faith is a gift from God

Catechism of the Catholic Church states that no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification at the beginning of our conversion (# 2010) and moved by grace we turn to towards God (#1989).  In other words, faith (in Christ and in God) is a gift.  When we say faith is a gift, it means it is given not because we do something to deserve it.  On this issue Augustine wrote (English Translation from Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers or NPNF Series I Volume 5, available online at www.ccel.org):

But perhaps it may be said: “The apostle distinguishes faith from works; he says, indeed, that grace is not of works, but he does not say that it is not of faith.” This, indeed, is true. But Jesus says that faith itself also is the work of God, and commands us to work it. For the Jews said to Him, “What shall we do that we may work the work of God? Jesus answered, and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” [John 6:28] The apostle, therefore, distinguishes faith from works, just as Judah is distinguished from Israel in the two kingdoms of the Hebrews, although Judah is Israel itself. And he says that a man is justified by faith and not by works, because faith itself is first given, from which may be obtained other things which are specially characterized as works, in which a man may live righteously. For he himself also says, “By grace ye are saved through faith; and this not of yourselves; but it is the gift of God,” [Ephesians 2:8] that is to say, “And in saying ‘through faith,’ even faith itself is not of yourselves, but is God’s gift.” “Not of works,” he says, “lest any man should be lifted up.” For it is often said, “He deserved to believe, because he was a good man even before he believed.” Which may be said of Cornelius [Acts 10] since his alms were accepted and his prayers heard before he had believed on Christ; and yet without some faith he neither gave alms nor prayed. For how did he call on him on whom he had not believed? But if he could have been saved without the faith of Christ the Apostle Peter would not have been sent as an architect to build him up; although, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain who build it.” [Psalms 127:1] And we are told, Faith is of ourselves; other things which pertain to works of righteousness are of the Lord; as if faith did not belong to the building,-as if, I say, the foundation did not belong to the building. But if this primarily and especially belongs to it, he labours in vain who seeks to build up the faith by preaching, unless the Lord in His mercy builds it up from within. Whatever, therefore, of good works Cornelius performed, as well before he believed in Christ as when he believed and after he had believed, are all to be ascribed to God, lest, perchance any man be lifted up.

Augustine, A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints, Book 1, Chapter 12