Augustine and Freedom
Evil-doing is neglect of eternal things and love of temporal things to the extent of
becoming subject to them. This is done by the free choice of the will . . . Free will
makes sin possible but it was given that man might live righteously.1
This is a brief summary of what Augustine believed regarding (1) the origin of sin and (2) the
purpose for which humanity was endowed with free choice of the will. Though insightful as it
may seem, Augustine's statement will not set to rest all the issues raised by the notion of
human freedom and divine activity, since with free choice of the will come perplexing
questions that continue to rage in philosophical circles. Some questions, however, can be set
forth that outline parameters within which to begin understanding Augustine on the issue of
human freedom and its origins/causes.
If evil originates in the human will, from where does the will come? Are there any limitations to
human freedom? Is the human will neutral or does it have a bias toward good? A bias toward
evil? Where does free choice of the will come into play when individuals are saved by God's
grace alone? What is meant by free will? On these questions, and many more related,
Augustine has been an immense help.
In this work an attempt will be made to illustrate Augustine's view of free will. Such categories
as God's sovereignty in election and salvation, the origin of evil and its impact upon humanity,
the justice of God, human responsibility and the providence of God in sanctification of the
believer will be utilized. Augustine's understanding of human freedom should corroborate with
(1) the nature and character of God, (2) the integrity of...
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...God's relationship to time changed when
time came into existence see William L. Craig, "God, Time and Eternity" Religious Studies
14 (1978): 497-503.
32.Norman L. Geisler, Philosophy of Religion (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d.), note 10,
chapter 14, 331.
33.Cf., Lewis and Demarest, Integrative, vol. 1, op. cit., 310-328.
34. On Free Will," Book II, xv, 48, AEW, 166.
35. Ibid.
36."The Simplican," The Second Question, 3, ALW, 388.
37.Ibid., 12, op. cit., 394-395.
38.AEW, Book III, vi, 18,181.
39."The Simplican," The Second Question, 13, ALW, 395.
40.William L. Craig, The Only Wise God (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), 135. Though Craig
holds to fallen creatures having power to contrary, it is likely that middle knowledge is
still possible given the alternative view of freedom offered here (viz.,
A foundational belief in Christianity is the idea that God is perfectly good. God is unable to do anything evil and all his actions are motives are completely pure. This principle, however, leads to many questions concerning the apparent suffering and wrong-doing that is prevalent in the world that this perfect being created. Where did evil come from? Also, how can evil exist when the only eternal entity is the perfect, sinless, ultimately good God? This question with the principle of God's sovereignty leads to even more difficult problems, including human responsibility and free will. These problems are not limited to our setting, as church fathers and Christian philosophers are the ones who proposed some of the solutions people believe today. As Christianity begins to spread and establish itself across Europe in the centuries after Jesus' resurrection, Augustine and Boethius provide answers, although wordy and complex, to this problem of evil and exactly how humans are responsible in the midst of God's sovereignty and Providence.
“Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other” (Eric Burdon). People do not think they are doing good or evil, they just think that they are doing the right thing. Evil comes from within each one of us. You just need to something to bring it out.
their praises to God would not be so meaningful. For Augustine, it is free will
In the article "Why God Allows Evil," Swinburne separates evil into two sections, moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil sprouts from the wrongdoings of humans. Having free will can lead us to make certain choices that we make can have consequences. On the other hand, natural evil does not result from human action making it unpredictable. Natural evil associates with natural occurrences such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or diseases.
It therefore appears evident that God must be the root of all evil, as He created all things. However, Augustine delves deeper in search for a true answer. This paper will follow ...
Augustine makes a statement that connects all of the concepts of free will, the two laws and evil "we have free choice of the will and can not sin without it" (Pg. 29, Augustine) The just and good God gave humankind the ability of free will so that Humankind can choose to do good or evil with it. Whether human kind views certain actions as good or evil, it is the sum of all of its actions that will make humankind good or evil. Only history and God will withstand the test of time to judge mankind’s actions.
This paper will outline specific points in Saint Augustine’s Confessions that highlight religious views following the fall of Rome. Though Augustines views on religion may not reflect that of most people in his time period, it still gives valuable insight into how many, namely Neoplatonists,, viewed God and his teachings.
St. Augustine of Hippo, Boethius, and Anselm all address the concept of free will and God’s foreknowledge in their works “The City of God”, “The Consolation of Philosophy”, and “De Concordia”. While each work was written during a different time period, each of their approaches consists of a solution comprised of both unifying and unique points and arguments. While there is no clear contesting between one work and another, it is clear that free will is a complex and critical idea in Christian theology that has long since been debated. '
Being moved by Victorinus' story Augustine wants to able to convert to Christianity, however, he cannot break his old habit. Later, Ponticianus tells Augustine that some of his friends are dedicating their lives to God. Because of this he feels ashamed that he cannot dedicate his life to God/Christ while other people were able. Augustine goes to the garden and breaks down. During this his time in the garden, he was able to distinguish between good and bad. Furthermore, he reads a letter that helps him convert to Christianity and dedicate his life to God. His conversion can be considered a philosophical event and religious event.
In the excerpt from Philosophy of Religion, John Hicks outlines the problem of evil as such:
In his Confessions, Augustine of Hippo offers a theory on the idea of free will that is becoming increasingly relevant today. Augustine’s beliefs surrounding free will stem from his theory that, if everything God created is good, then any sin that we commit are our own responsibility, and that it is our duty to use our free will to allow good into ourselves. He believes that we as people need to learn to use our free will to control our inherently corrupt nature, rather than use it to further us down the path of sin. The only way to do so is by taking responsibility for one’s own sin, and by getting rid of the absence of good in ourselves by allowing God to enter our lives instead.
The first view I would like to point out is Augustine’s theory. This view shouldn’t come as a surprise, but at times it has been understood that Augustine had varying opinions that he voices that some may consider a contradiction. Referencing an article from a student at Anslem College, Brown states, “Augustine’s strategy in terms of natural reason or philosophy is to refute the twin claims that God’s activity puts freedom at risk and that our free choices (our good one’s at any rate) are free from God’s activity. That is, Augustine exercises a negative philosophy here, showing that God’s activity does not threaten freedom of choice and that freedom of choice does not escape God’s activity…There are two truths here that Augustine considers irrefutable. On the one hand, from any exercise of our reason thinking about the world, we come to the knowledge of the existence of God the creator, source of all that is. On the other hand, it is self-evident that we have free choice. This is, as it were, a first principle of practical reason: without it “we” cannot act. “We are in no way compelled either to preserve God’s prescience by abolishing our free will, or to safeguard our free will by denying (blasphemously) the divine foreknowledge. We
He argues that man’s nature is ultimately good since it is created by God Himself, who is truly and perfectly good (bk. 7, ch. 12, sec. 18). However, this does not account for man’s indecisiveness or poor decisions. To account for this, Augustine states that man possesses many conflicting wills that persuade man’s soul to act. Man’s sin, therefore, is not a result of a twisted or perverted nature. Rather, sin itself sparks a multitude of wills to arise in an individual, causing a state of unrest in the soul. Among these wills exist both good and bad intentions. Man remains in this state until he chooses a will to act upon, which puts his soul at rest. According to Augustine, man is called to adhere to God´s will by his own nature, which is good. All men are capable of having God's will, but all men do not choose to act upon it; the ones who choose to overcome the influences of their other wills and follow God's will are the ones who are able to convert (bk. 8, ch. 10, sec.
... effects of a corrupting entity, what then is Christ’s work? How can a physical sacrifice save the world from sliding into nonexistence? The answer comes from another adjustment; Christ comes to pull creation back towards the eternal God. Salvation through Christ is does not look like Him coming as a warrior to vanquish the evil forces, but Him coming as a loving servant to heal the corrupted beings (i.e. sinners) back to their original state of grace. Thus, the idea of there being a war between forces of God and Evil is not compatible with truth of the Gospel; rather that God designed the world in harmony and wishes it to return to this state. This proves that, in the end, Augustine’s answer to the problem of evil is correct in accordance to Christian Confession.
Author Claudia Gray stated, “Self-knowledge is better than self-control any day” (Goodreads). Evil and sin exists in our world today and the temptation they bring bounds many human’s spiritual being. Finding the root of all evil is a hard and torturous concept to understand, but knowing one’s own free will helps bring understanding and deliverance from the evils of the world. Throughout the book Confessions Saint Augustine “ponders the concepts of evil and sin and searches the root of their being” (Augustine 15). The existence of evil is one of the most worrisome challenges a Christian or any individual deals with throughout life. Saint Augustine’s beliefs concerning the root of all evil and sins transforms as he begins to grow and develop in the knowledge of his free will and spiritual being. Early on, he believes “God created all things and evil is a thing, therefore God created evil” (Augustine 73-74). From this he conceives the notion that God cannot be good if he knowingly created evil. As Augustine begins to grow in his spiritual walk, his views begin to evolve as he questions his Manichee’s beliefs and explores the concepts of good and evil. From his inquiring Augustine develops the question, what is evil and what if evil did not need creating? He asks, “Do we have any convincing evidence that a good God exists” (Augustine 136-137)?