St. Augustin writings

[myLivingBread]

Ron.

Look at this interpretation from catholic who said he is augustinian. Is that the interpretation if St. Augustine?


Some are given only the grace of baptism (a), but are not given the infallible grace for them to have faith (b), thus they are reprobates.
There are some exemptions, however. Those who die in infancy, but
baptized, will be admitted to heaven.

Augustine wrote:

Faith, then, as well in its beginning as in its completion, is God's gift; and let no one have any doubt whatever, unless he desires to resist the plainest sacred writings, that this gift is given to some, while to some it is not given. But why it is not given to all ought not to disturb the believer, who believes that from one all have gone into a condemnation, which undoubtedly is most righteous; so that even if none were delivered therefrom, there would be no just cause for finding fault with God. Whence it is plain that it is a great grace for many to be delivered, and to acknowledge in those that are not delivered what would be due to themselves; so that he that glories may glory not in his own merits, which he sees to be equalled in those that are condemned, but in the Lord. But why He delivers one rather than another—"His judgments are unsearchable, and His ways past finding out." (Romans 11:33) For it is better in this case for us to hear or to say, "O man, who are you that repliest against God?" (Romans 9:20) than to dare to speak as if we could know what He has chosen to be kept secret. Since, moreover, He could not will anything unrighteous.
~ St. Augustine, On the Predestination of the Saints, Ch. 16


Some are given the grace of baptism (a), the grace
of infallible calling (b), the sufficient grace for good works unto
Justification (c), but are not given then grace of
Perseverance, thus they are also reprobates.

But of two pious men, why to the one should be given perseverance unto the end, and to the other it should not be given, God's judgments are even more unsearchable. Yet to believers it ought to be a most certain fact that the former is of the predestinated, the latter is not. "For if they had been of us," says one of the predestinated, who had drunk this secret from the breast of the Lord, "certainly they would have continued with us." (1 John 2:19)
~ St. Augustine, On the Perseverance of the Saints, Ch. 21 [

[Ron Conte]

St. Augustine was, to some extent, mistaken on this point about predestination. Salvation is two-fold: the gift of God and our cooperation with that gift by free will. Those who are condemned were offered the gift, in every case without exception, but they freely chose not to accept the gift of salvation, i.e. they sinned seriously and did not repent.

Augustine does not sufficiently account for free will in his understanding of predestination. How can free will affect whether or not one is predestined? The Elect in Heaven are beyond Time. So everyone who ever will go to Heaven is already there. And God knows the eternal final destination of all created persons, since He is all knowing. But His knowledge does not control the choice of their free will.

It is not that God made an arbitrary choice to save some and not others. All were offered salvation. Some chose not to accept it.


Now I will comment on the interpretation that you cited:

"Some are given only the grace of baptism (a), but are not given the infallible grace for them to have faith (b), thus they are reprobates. There are some exemptions, however. Those who die in infancy, but baptized, will be admitted to heaven."

Everything that God is and does is infallible. It is false to speak as if some graces are fallible and others infallible.

The Magisterium teaches that baptism gives us the three theological virtues: love, faith, hope. So all the baptized have faith. Also, a person can lose the state of grace given at baptism by actual mortal sin, but he might still retain faith (though it is a faith that is dead without love).

"Some are given the grace of baptism (a), the grace of infallible calling (b), the sufficient grace for good works unto Justification (c), but are not given then grace of Perseverance, thus they are also reprobates."

Again, it is foolish to add 'infallible' to the call of grace, since all graces are without error. Also, all persons are offered grace sufficient for salvation; the only souls who are sent to Hell are those who commit actual mortal sin and refuse to repent. All persons are offered the grace of final perseverance; some choose not to accept it.

So this augustinian's interpretation of Augustine misunderstand what he was saying, and does not take account of the Church's teaching on salvation. We should not look at any Saint's teaching in isolation, but in the context of the whole Faith.

[myLivingBread]

thank you Ron. I learn now he's not a catholic, they have their own sects(like calvinism) calling themselves catholic interpreting Aquinas and Augustin.