Until recently I was one of those guys that just assumed Augustine was for the most part "ours". He seems familiar enough to me in his thinking on grace in "On Rebuke and Grace," to make me feel uncomfortable.
What I mean to say is. I was wondering if anyone on the board could help me to understand the mechanics of Augustine's soteriology; how his doctrines of grace coexist with infused righteousness and sacramentalism (I haven't quite nailed down his opinion on the Eucharist, and skeptical of the idea that he believes in a "real presence" in the modern Catholic sense of the word -- more like a proto real presence that operates without transubstantiation, but I may of course be mistaken). I also have come to think that he possessed at least an incipient view of penal substitution, but again, it is really hard to nail down exactly what Augustine thought, since so much heated debate clouds the airways.
I'm trying to figure out exactly how Augustine viewed salvation, and in what ways he erred. I read "On Rebuke and Grace", but it took me a good many re-reads to realize what Augustine meant by co-operation and merit.
So far my understanding of Augustine is thus:
1) Baptismal Regeneration 2) Operative Grace and infusion of righteousness followed by co-operative grace and 3) Good works/sacraments which merit further grace and justification???
I'm not sure exactly what to make of him, or how he was able to arrive at some of his conclusions exegetically. Any help would be appreciated.
It would be of personal benefit to me to know the justification that Augustine had for his views, and what would be a sounder exegesis of the relevant texts.
What I mean to say is. I was wondering if anyone on the board could help me to understand the mechanics of Augustine's soteriology; how his doctrines of grace coexist with infused righteousness and sacramentalism (I haven't quite nailed down his opinion on the Eucharist, and skeptical of the idea that he believes in a "real presence" in the modern Catholic sense of the word -- more like a proto real presence that operates without transubstantiation, but I may of course be mistaken). I also have come to think that he possessed at least an incipient view of penal substitution, but again, it is really hard to nail down exactly what Augustine thought, since so much heated debate clouds the airways.
I'm trying to figure out exactly how Augustine viewed salvation, and in what ways he erred. I read "On Rebuke and Grace", but it took me a good many re-reads to realize what Augustine meant by co-operation and merit.
So far my understanding of Augustine is thus:
1) Baptismal Regeneration 2) Operative Grace and infusion of righteousness followed by co-operative grace and 3) Good works/sacraments which merit further grace and justification???
I'm not sure exactly what to make of him, or how he was able to arrive at some of his conclusions exegetically. Any help would be appreciated.
It would be of personal benefit to me to know the justification that Augustine had for his views, and what would be a sounder exegesis of the relevant texts.
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