The second important point
concerns the Theotokos. Augustine had very little to say about Mary, but
what little he did say was important for later medieval thinking. Initially, he
claimed that Mary had sinful flesh just as the rest of humanity. Later—forced
to reconsider his position by Pelagius, who claimed that Mary was sinless—he
changed his mind and stated that he did not want to make any definitive claims
about the Mother of God. (Stuart Squires, “Reassessing Pelagianism: Augustine,
Cassian, and Jerome on the Possibility of a Sinless Life [PhD Dissertation; The
Catholic University of America, 2013], 29)
Historically, as he makes clear
in his second point, there has never been a single individual who has achieved
such a state. He refutes his opponents by quoting a variety of biblical
passages (Ps 143:2; Ps 32:5-6; 1 Jn 1:8) and alludes to several others (Rv
14:3-5; Prv 18:17) that prove this impossibility.
In his third point, Augustine
states that there has never been a sinless individual because there has never
been anyone who truly wanted to be without sin. When one is assured that
something is good then one will desire it. This knowledge of goodness, however,
is due to the grace of God. At other times, one does not understand the
goodness of a deed or take delight in it; it is at these moments that pride
leads the individual to sin. (Stuart Squires, “Reassessing Pelagianism:
Augustine, Cassian, and Jerome on the Possibility of a Sinless Life [PhD
Dissertation; The Catholic University of America, 2013], 32)
On Augustine's teaching that “there has never been anyone who
truly wanted to be without sin,” the following from his corpus were referenced:
Now those who aver that a man can
exist in this life without sin, must not be immediately opposed with incautious
rashness; for if we should deny the possibility, we should derogate both from
the free will of man, who in his wish desires it, and from the power or mercy
of God, who by His help effects it. But it is one question, whether he could
exist; and another question, whether he does exist. Again, it is one
question, if he does not exist when he could exist, why he does not
exist; and another question, whether such a man as had never sinned at
all, not only is in existence, but also could ever have existed, or can ever
exist. Now, if in the order of this fourfold set of interrogative propositions,
I were asked, [1st,] Whether it be possible for a man in this life to be
without sin? I should allow the possibility, through the grace of God and the
man's own free will; not doubting that the free will itself is ascribable to
God's grace, in other words, to the gifts of God,--not only as to its
existence, but also as to its being good, that is, to its conversion to doing
the commandments of God. Thus it is that God's grace not only shows what ought
to be done, but also helps to the possibility of doing what it shows.
"What indeed have we that we have not received?" Whence also Jeremiah
says: "I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in
man to walk and direct his steps." Accordingly, when in the Psalms one
says to God, "Thou hast commanded me to keep Thy precepts
diligently," he at once adds not a word of confidence concerning himself
but a wish to be able to keep these precepts: "O that my ways," says
he, "were directed to keep Thy statutes! Then should I not be ashamed,
when I have respect to all Thy commandments? Now who ever wishes for what he
has already so in his own power, that he requires no further help for attaining
it? To whom, however, he directs his wish,--not to fortune, or fate, or some
one else besides God,--he shows with sufficient clearness in the following
words, where he says: "Order my steps in Thy word; and let not any
iniquity have dominion over me." From the thraldom of this execrable
dominion they are liberated, to whom the Lord Jesus gave power to become the
sons of God. From so horrible a domination were they to be freed, to whom He
says, "If the Son shall make you free, then shall ye be free indeed. From
these and many other like testimonies, I cannot doubt that God has laid no
impossible command on man; and that, by God's aid and help, nothing is
impossible, by which is wrought what He commands. In this way may a man, if he
pleases, be without sin by the assistance of God. (Augustine, “A Treatise on
the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book II,
Chapter 7 [NPNF1 5:46-47])
That illustrious testimony of
God, therefore, in which Job is commended, is not contrary to the passage in
which it is said, "In Thy sight shall no man living be justified;"
for it does not lead us to suppose that in him there was nothing at all which
might either by himself truly or by the Lord God rightly be blamed, although at
the same time he might with no untruth be said to be a righteous man, and a
sincere worshipper of God, and one who keeps himself from every evil work. For
these are God's words concerning him: "Hast thou diligently considered my
servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, blameless, righteous, a
true worshipper of God, who keeps himself from every evil work." First, he
is here praised for his excellence in comparison with all men on earth. He
therefore excelled all who were at that time able to be righteous upon earth;
and yet, because of this superiority over others in righteousness, he was not
therefore altogether without sin. He is next said to be "blameless"--no
one could fairly bring an accusation against him in respect of his life; "righteous"--he
had advanced so greatly in moral probity, that no man could be mentioned on a
par with him; "a true worshipper of God"--because he was a
sincere and humble confessor of his own sins; "who keeps himself from
every evil work"--it would have been wonderful if this had extended to
every evil word and thought. How great a man indeed Job was, we are not told;
but we know that he was a just man; we know, too, that in the endurance of
terrible afflictions and trials he was great; and we know that it was not on
account of his sins, but for the purpose of demonstrating his righteousness,
that he had to bear so much suffering. But the language in which the Lord
commends Job might also be applied to him who "delights in the law of God
after the inner man, whilst he sees another law in his members warring against
the law of his mind;" especially as he says, "The good that I would I
do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now, if I do that I would
not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." Observe how
he too after the inward man is separate from every evil work, because such work
he does not himself effect, but the evil which dwells in his flesh; and yet,
since he does not have even that ability to delight in the law of God except
from the grace of God, he, as still in want of deliverance, exclaims, "O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? God's
grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Augustine, “A Treatise on the
Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Book II, Chapter
17 [NPNF1 5:52])
