Mckenna Lloyd

Honors 190A

Drs. Choi and Favale

April 13, 2019

God’s Will and its Relation to Human Sin in St. Augustine’s City of God

St. Augustine’s City of God is an extensive work that describes the separation of the City

of God, or the Church and Christian believers, and the City of Man, the society of non-believers

who are apart from God. Key to understanding the dichotomy of the two cities is the

acknowledgement of human depravity and sin. To reconcile the bleak truth of human sin,

Augustine explains the power and foreknowledge of God’s divine will and providence. Because

God’s will is sovereign over all things, human sin was foreknown and planned in order to bring

God more glory.

First, Augustine establishes the ultimate rule of God’s foreknowledge and power. The

framework in which sin came into the world was a “chain of causes” that were perfectly ordained

by a God who “know[s] all things before they happen and who leaves nothing unordered”

(V.188-189). All causes of things, from the creation of Earth to the Second coming are

foreknown by God. Augustine made this clear in order to set up the context of God’s

foreknowledge in the event of original sin. “In his will rests the supreme power,” from which all

humans and animals gain the “power of achievement,” which only comes from God (V.193). In

His grand scheme, God, foreknowing everything, is the producer of power. Without His divine

grant of power, no will outside of His own, can be carried out. Therefore, it is understood that He

had it in His divine plan for humans to fall into sin. The act of sin could only come out of God’s

grant of power to do so. Augustine affirms that “the only power they have is the power that God
allows them,” and introduces the idea that sin was no accident. If it had been an accident, then

God would not be supremely powerful and foreknowing, as Augustine asserts.

Nevertheless, human sin was an act of human will. Sin was within God’s will and plan

because human wills are in, “the order of causes, which is fixed for God, and [are] contained in

his foreknowledge” (V.192). Augustine’s statement that the order of causes is “fixed” must also

be applied to the instance of sin. Because sin is a part of “the order of causes,” it was “fixed” for

God and always foreknown. This argument does not detract from human fault in sin. “Evil wills

do not proceed from him,” but evil wills are not unknown to God (V.193). God’s foreknowledge

does not mean His causation. However, God’s foreknowing does mean that sin was indefinite,

implied in the use of the word “fixed.” “Fixed” indicated the assumption that there is only one

“order of causes” and it cannot be changed or go without realization. Sin occurred only because

God gave humanity, “only as much power as God has willed and foreknown” (V.194). All

actions occur within God’s divine plan which is his foreknowledge and will. Sin had been

“completely determined” and “utterly assured” in that it was a part of God’s will (V.194).

Therefore, it was inevitable and only possible because God allowed for it. Not only did God have

sin in His plan, he gave humans the power and ability to sin, knowing the consequences of sin.

In God’s divine power is found all other powers. Only by his allowance is any power of

humanity enacted. So, only out of God’s allowance was the choice to sin enacted. Furthermore,

human mutability and the ability to commit sin was in accordance with God’s creation of them,

“because they were made not out of his being but out of nothing” (XII.472). Therefore, human

choice to do evil, is part of His sovereign plan, because “a bad will cannot exist in a bad nature,

but in a good but mutable nature” (XII.478). The good will is given power to be perverse and

turn away from God by Him alone and through his creation of the “mutable nature” from
“nothing.” The fact that bad natures occur in God’s plan does not make Him less good. This is

because the changeability of human nature is a sign of the goodness of its original state. “What

justifies the condemnation of the perversion is that the perversion disgraces a nature which

deserves honor,” and in this God’s goodness is shown (XII.472). He is perceived as good

because the nature which is original and “deserving of honor” was created by Him. The

allowance of sin and the perversion of the good will also elevates God’s goodness because the

original nature is made even more honorable in contrast to the perverse nature. The greater

honors for the original nature, that was perfect and turned towards God, which can only come out

of an opposite will which is evil, glorifies God and shows the intentionality of sin. God is

glorified through the contrast between the good and bad natures, and therefore, the consequences

of sin.

Another consequence of sin in the world is its stain on human society. Because of sin,

humans hurt each other and suffer at one another’s hands. Augustine wrote The City of God

under the regime of the Roman Empire, which severely persecuted contemporary Christians.

Christians suffered at the hands of their oppressors, but Augustine reminds them that,

“unhappiness is imposed on them by God’s mercy for their admonition” (IV.135). God,

foreknowing human unhappiness and suffering, always has a larger plan which is working out to

help His people. These cases of unhappiness and unfairness only exist because of sin. Without

sin, God’s ultimate plan to “use war to correct and chasten the corrupt morals of mankind”

would not have come to fruition and shown His glory (I.6). Foreknowing the consequences of

sin, God eternally knew the glory He would gain from the goodness He brings about out of sinful

events. Augustine further proves the plan for sin in that “in the mysterious justice of God the

wickedness of desire is given rope…being reserved for final judgement” (I.40). God’s
“mysterious justice” may not manifest in this life. This is a point of contention for many because

justice that is unseen causes indignation and unfairness within a human time frame. However,

because God has divine foreknowledge, He can allow sin, knowing and willing that it be

remedied in “final judgement,” according to his divine timeline. Only from an acknowledgement

of God’s plan and foreknowledge can this remedy cure. It is integral that Augustine affirm God’s

plan for the universe in order to comfort the hurt believer. Through a recognition of God’s

sovereignty, the acceptance of events caused by sin and never brought to justice may lose their

sting. Those sins which go unchecked will be brutally punished in “final judgement.” God’s

foreknowledge of “final judgement” proves his foreknowledge and allowance of sin. If He had

not had a plan for sin, then He would not need to point to a later judgement of it.

Further evidence for God’s determination and plan for human sin is seen in his

condemnation of sin in death. Augustine affirms that death is a “just punishment for sin. For it

was when God was taking vengeance on sin that he said…’You are earth, and into earth you will

go” (XIII.524) Making man from the earth is an indication for God’s plan for sin and judgement.

Without man’s creation in this way, death would not hold so much weight. Death of the whole

body would not occur without the “return into the earth” and subsequent forsaking of the body

by the soul, “its own life” (XIII.524). God foreknew the fall of man and in so knowing, created

him from dirt, erecting a plan for the condemnation of sin. Furthermore, “it was when God was

taking vengeance on sin,” that he referred to man’s origin from the earth, indicating His plan for

sin’s condemnation in the making of man. Because God has foreknowledge of all things, it is not

a stretch to assert that His process of creation was wholly intentional and had in mind human sin,

for “God foreknew everything and therefore could not have been unaware that man would sin”

(XIV.568).
 God can be glorified even out of the seemingly most corrupt evil and sin. This is because,

in all things, God can bring goodness through His justice. Augustine asserts that it is through,

“some tranquility of order” that the “wretched” fit into God’s plan to glorify Himself (XIX.870).

God’s inclusion of even the Devil in His perfect order is evidence of His intentionality and

knowledge of the work of sin. For, “The good that God imparts, which the Devil has in his

nature,” places him in the divine order of things and the Devil “did not escape from the power of

the imposer of the order” (XIX.871). God, being the “imposer of the order,” is the determiner of

power in this context. Augustine highlights the fact that the Devil, the first perverter of the will,

was given that perversion by the power of God, because he “did not escape from the power” and

was subject to the justice of God’s order. Furthermore, God’s intentionality of granting the

power to sin is evident in that His glory is obviously obtained. To punish the Devil after His sin

brings God more glory, because He is the bringer of justice. This is not to be understood as

something that paints God as unfair. His desire for glory is wholly justified because it aligns with

His command for the saints to, “Let your works shine…so that they may…glorify your Father”

(V.204). If the saints are called to glorify God, then it follows that God would also be seeking

His own glory. Seeking His glory is what motivated Him to allow for sin. Furthermore, sin is

present and abundant so that the work God is doing may “shine.” He is not brought glory by only

a few acts in which good comes out of sin, He gains glory through many. The perpetuation of sin

is justified through its partaking of God’s divine order and in His resulting glory.

The work of sin in the world today, which was foreknown by God, implicates the

necessity and determination of the Fall. “Man could not upset the divine purpose by his sin,” and

therefore, His sin was something that came about according to God’s plan (XIV.568). What is

God’s divine purpose? What precedes Augustine’s assertion of man’s sin is his preface that
“assertions about the Holy City must take into account God’s foreknowledge and his providential

design” (XIV.568). Integral to understanding the Holy City and its separation from the City of

Man is the idea that God eternally knew that there would be a separation of the cities. He

rightfully has a plan at work for the distinction between His people and those that cling to the

things of the earth. The two cities and God’s plan of restoration to those of the City of God is his

divine purpose. God’s foreknowledge of the need for the separation of the two cities proves

Augustine’s point that the introduction of human sin “could not upset the divine purpose.”

Rather, the introduction of sin was an element of the divine plan for the cities and God’s glory,

which is derived from the elevation of the City of God. The “good…he would bring out of man’s

evil,” is the institution of the Holy City (XIV.568).

The first act of sin, and all acts proceeding it, are in accordance with the will of God. God

has “handed over” humans to themselves, according to His “justice” (XIV.575). The phrase

“handed over” shows a nature of intentionality and control. God is the only one that can “hand

over” man to his sin, implying that sin was not an act which was contrary to the will of God. God

knew what would come out of sin and still gave man over to it because he had a plan of

restoration. To think of sin as something which was an accident, not ordained by God, ignores

His foreknowledge and power. Augustine argues that despite foreknowing the future pride of

sinful angels God, “did not deprive them of this power, judging it an act of greater power and

greater goodness to bring good even out of evil than to exclude the existence of evil”

(XXII.1022). Here, it is clear that God had a choice of allowing sin or going without sin. The

option which brought “greater power and greater goodness” was allowing for sin because the

goodness which would come in spite of evil is more powerful than that which exists without evil.

God’s glory emanates more fully from the contrast of good and evil than out of the good by
itself, this is seen in the choice God made to allow sin. One can judge that sin had a purpose in

the order of creation to bring God glory from the good which can be produced from it.

God’s glory from sin is exemplified in both the condemnation of sin and the restoration

of His people from the powers of sin. God brings justice to the actions of sin through the final

judgement of “this mortal progeny, so rightly and justly condemned” (XXII.1023). Here,

Augustine is referring to the mortal progeny of Adam, inheritors of sin. Despite the fact that God

allowed for sin, it is still necessary for it to be condemned. God gains glory “rightly and justly”

through His punishment of sin because He demonstrates the perversion of sin. Though He

allowed it, He did so to be glorified through the just condemnation of sin. Furthermore, God is

more elevated through the “the good that he was to bring out of man’s evil” that, “God by his

grace is gathering a people so great that from them he may fill the place of the fallen angels and

restore their number” (XXII.1023). These people He is gathering are the citizens of His

Heavenly City. God foreknew that He would “gather” people to be in His Heavenly City, for

Augustine says, “he has made whatever he willed to make, and not only things past and things

present. He has already made things that are yet to be” (XXII.1024). When God allowed for sin

He had already provided a solution for sin. He had already created the Heavenly City, in which

the receivers of His grace “may fill the place of the fallen angels.” His power had already

provided for all that might necessarily be needed to produce good from human sin and depravity.

God was not surprised by human sin, in fact, He granted the power for it to occur, looking ahead

to the Heavenly City with which He would restore humans to a state of grace. All this brings

Him more honor and glory, because He has brought the greatest good out of the greatest

evil.