Augustine and the Grace of God

Yesterday morning, I had the unparalleled opportunity to take a 20-minute jaunt down the road to go hear Professor Alister McGrath speak on "Augustine and the Grace of God." I use several of Prof. McGrath's materials in my class (since he is quite brilliant at historical theology/church history AND apologetics), and I've been wanting to meet and hear him for years now. If you Google his name, check out his bio, watch a video, read one of his books. Well, I had my chance, as he was a guest speaker at the Ravi Zacharias church history/apologetics conference in Oxford this week (I had to pay £40, about $80, to go hear the one session, but it was my Christmas/birthday present from Greg's mom....YAY!!! Yes, I am a nerd). Anyway, I got there in time for tea, and I saw the man himself wandering about right before his lecture, so I thought, "Perfect time to get his autograph! What should I say to him?" Well, it didn't matter, because this is how the conversation went:

Me: Are you Dr. McGrath? (I should have said Professor)
Him: Yes, I am.
Me: Uhhhhhhh............would you sign my books for me, please?
Him: Why, sure!
Me: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it! (I turn quickly and run off with my books.)

Brilliant conversation, huh? I blanked out. I knew it would happen. So, I suppose I didn't even try to sound halfway intelligent....usually if I do, it comes out even worse. :0)

Anyway, the lecture was awesome -- it was encouraging to know that I don't completely teach the wrong thing when I cover Augustine and the Pelagian controversy in class....in fact, he covered almost everything that I teach about him! A lot more background, though. (Oh, and for those of you who care, Alister must be Reformed -- he likes Augustine and Calvin way too much not to be!) In the Pelagian controversy, Pelagius stated that attaining perfection is a moral obligation and human responsibility, and if you don't, you make God look bad. Essentially, you are the master of your fate (salvation-wise) and you are the captain of your soul -- you earn your own salvation. Augustine's view was "my only hope is in God's mercy. Give what you will and will what you command." We cannot possibly do what Pelagius says because there is a bias towards sin and away from God in us. It's a disease, and our sinful actions are the symptom. Telling someone to stop sinning is like saying, "Stop coughing!" Needless to say, Pelagius and Augustine couldn't stand each other. Probably didn't help that they lived on completely different continents and never met.

Ironically, Pelagianism is the dominant theology of Western culture. It seems that most people don't want to be THAT dependent on God, but everyone depends on something. And, like Professor McGrath says, "Nobody wants to be a puppet, to be that dependent, but if I'm going to be that dependent on something or someone, I'd much rather it be Him than any other person or thing!" Noticeably, most people come to faith when they realize that they have nothing left that is secure or dependable.

So, what encouragement did I glean?

1) As you preach or share your life and the Gospel, you never know who will pass through and what seeds you will plant. Augustine snuck into Ambrose of Milan's church to study his rhetoric style, not to listen to the actual content of the message -- he originally had no interest in Christianity, but he became a believer because that message. I'm sure Ambrose never knew what would become of that. It doesn't matter if you are in a small place or a big place -- God can use you in hugely impacting ways.

2) Apologetics (defending your faith) is not all bout learning new techniques or brilliant words and debates -- the grace of God is deeply involved. You are not proclaiming Jesus Christ on your own. "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved." It's about allowing God to speak through you -- no pressure!

3) We naturally tend to think of ourselves as being weak and inadequate and feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face, especially in sharing our faith. God, in his grace, recognizes this, knows you (Psalm 139), loves you, and will use you anyway. In the Bible and throughout church history, God is always taking the weak, foolish, silly ones and using them for his glory -- "My strength is made perfect in weakness. My grace is sufficient for you." That's what Augustine would want us to know if he were present, so says McGrath. So we don't walk away because we feel weak! We are encouraged by our great God. God WILL work through you.

I hope that is an encouragement to you! Oh, and thanks for reading my extensively long post :0) Sometimes I get carried away -- just ask Greg.