DIVINE AND HUMAN ACTORS IN SALVATION
DIVINE AND HUMAN ACTORS IN SALVATION
God created human beings in His image and likeness. When Adam committed the first sin, sin entered the world. As Paul wrote, “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people” (Rom. 5:12, NKJV). No one could save themselves by their own works because all were spiritually dead through sin. Therefore, God planned salvation for His creation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Some theologians, however, believed that salvation must involve both the grace of God and the free will of humanity. Thus, Augustine’s view of the relationship between divine and human actors in salvation differs significantly from Cassian’s. Those who follow Augustine’s perspective consider Cassian’s view to be incorrect.
Augustine’s View of the Relationship Between Divine and Human Actors in Salvation
In the beginning, God created humanity with a good and upright nature, reflecting His own goodness. He made humans in His image and likeness, giving them free will and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. However, after Adam’s sin, human nature was corrupted. Since all people are born in Adam, every person inherits sin and spiritual death. Therefore, salvation must come entirely from God, because humanity—being sinful—cannot contribute anything toward its own redemption.
Augustine firmly believed that salvation does not begin with human effort, but with God’s initiative. Faith itself, he taught, is a gift from God. As he wrote, “Therefore I ought first to show that the faith by which we are Christians is the gift of God.”[1] Christ, who is equal with God, lived a perfect life on earth and fulfilled the central role in salvation. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin and reconciled humanity to God. He triumphed over evil on the cross—accomplishing salvation entirely by divine power.
Augustine further explained that believers are made “children and vessels of mercy which He has prepared for glory.”[2] Jesus is both “the author and finisher of our faith.”[3] Therefore, no one can claim any part of salvation as their own achievement. To do so would undermine the meaning of grace. God alone calls people, enables their will, and sustains them in their Christian journey.
Cassian’s View of the Relationship Between Divine and Human Actors in Salvation
Cassian believed that two agents work together in salvation: God’s grace and the human will. The human will, though weak, must cooperate with divine grace to lead a person to salvation. Cassian wrote, “Without the grace of God we cannot make any diligent efforts... human weakness cannot accomplish anything that has to do with salvation by itself alone.”[4] Humanity always needs divine help to choose rightly.
God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4, NKJV), yet many refuse to submit to His will. While God respects human freedom, He also strengthens and protects it through prevenient grace—the grace that precedes human decision. God’s grace awakens, enlightens, and supports the will so that a person can freely choose Him.
Cassian illustrated this through the story of Hosea, where Israel is portrayed as an unfaithful wife who willingly leaves her husband but later returns (Hos. 2:7). God lovingly urges her to return, symbolizing His call to sinners. When God “sees in us some beginnings of a good will, He at once enlightens it and strengthens it and urges it on towards salvation.”[5] God not only inspires holy desires but also provides opportunities and circumstances that lead toward salvation.
Cassian supported his position with biblical references such as Isaiah 1:19, Romans 9:16, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 2:9, John 6:44, and Proverbs 4:26, emphasizing that human virtue always depends on divine assistance.[6] Therefore, according to Cassian, salvation is achieved through cooperation between human desire and divine grace.
Why Would Someone Holding Augustine’s View Consider Cassian’s View Incorrect?
From Augustine’s perspective, all human beings are sinners in Adam and spiritually incapable of doing good apart from God. Salvation, therefore, cannot involve human contribution. Cassian’s emphasis on libertarian free will seems to diminish the absolute sovereignty of divine grace. Scripture teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8–9, NKJV).
Accordingly, Augustine would argue that Cassian’s view misrepresents the nature of grace by implying that human will can cooperate apart from divine initiation. For Augustine, salvation begins, continues, and is completed entirely by God’s grace alone.
Conclusion
Every human being is a sinner. As David confessed, “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5, NKJV). Thus, all people are in need of God’s grace. Only the grace of God can cleanse humanity from both original and personal sin. The Bible teaches that “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22, NKJV). Through Christ’s perfect life and righteousness, believers are justified before God. Isaiah declared, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6, NKJV). Therefore, believers should respond in humility and gratitude, giving thanks to God for His mercy throughout their lives.
Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 5. Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1891–1893 (PDF).
———. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 11. Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 1342 (PDF).
References
[1] Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library), 1342.
[2] Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 5, 1358.
[3] Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 5, 1381.
[4] Philip Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library), 1066.
[5] Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 11, 1070.
[6] Schaff, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1, Vol. 11, 1072.
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