God's Grace and Human Action

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Salvation, according to St. Paul, is through grace that is freely given by God (Rom 3:24). Yet, humans are also enjoined to work out their salvation (Phil 2:12), as cooperators with God (1 Cor. 3:9). How do these two aspects, divine grace and human action, fit together in the initial gift and outworking of human salvation? Can humans work out their salvation if salvation is ultimately a gift from God? What are the theological ramifications of such a teaching? In the Western theological tradition, St. Augustine of Hippo, the 'Doctor gratiae' (Doctor of Grace) worked out an understanding of grace in terms of God's prior and continual work in humans. Augustine's doctrine, which underwent development in his own lifetime, was received and developed in significant ways throughout the high and late middle ages and into the period of the Protestant Reformation. In this course, we will explore the 'doctrine of grace' as it is received and developed by key thinkers in the Christian tradition of the West: Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.