“I assert, therefore, that the perseverance by which we persevere in Christ even to the end is the gift of God; … Therefore it is uncertain whether any one has received this gift so long as he is still alive.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)
Calvinists, particularly those who seek to portray St. Augustine as a proto-Calvinist or as one who laid the groundwork for their deterministic doctrine of unconditional election and irreversible perseverance, often misuse this quote. The quote in question is from De Dono Perseverantiae 16:41.
It has been selectively cited to support the Calvinist doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, one of the five points of Calvinism (TULIP). However, this reading is misleading and ignores the larger theological framework in which St. Augustine wrote.
Context is important. Augustine taught that the grace of God is necessary at every stage of salvation. It is necessary for conversion, for the doing of good works, and for final perseverance. He absolutely did affirm that final perseverance is a gift from God. However, he simultaneously taught that it is not something one can presume to possess simply by virtue of being converted or having been baptised.
Augustine distinguished between sanctifying grace that brings one into a state of justification, and the gift of final perseverance, which keeps one from falling away and ensures a faithful death. His position thus included both divine sovereignty and the reality of human cooperation and continued vigilance. Augustine argues powerfully that perseverance in good—even unto the end—is a gift from God, and insists that one must pray for it lest God might grant repentance to those who err. He writes: “We are not able to deny, that perseverance in good, progressing even to the end, is also a great gift of God; and that it exists not save it come from Him”. (See Church Fathers: On Rebuke and Grace )
Augustine never taught a guaranteed salvation apart from one’s continuing cooperation with grace. In fact, he repeatedly emphasised that one must pray for the gift of perseverance because no one knows whether he will fall.
It appears to me that the Calvinist error lies in confusing Augustine’s affirmation of God’s sovereignty with the fatalistic and irrevocable predestination model of Calvinism. St. Augustine did not believe that just because someone has become a true Christian (regenerate), he is guaranteed to stay faithful until the end of his life. Augustine taught that people must continue to rely on God’s help, pray for the strength to remain faithful, and not assume they will automatically stay in God’s grace. Being saved once does not mean you are always saved. You must keep living in faith and ask God for the gift of perseverance. Even someone who is truly saved can still fall away if he does not continue to follow God.
Also, Augustine denied the idea that one could know in this life with certainty whether he had received the gift of final perseverance. This alone dismantles the Calvinist doctrine of “eternal security,” which insists that the elect cannot fall away and can be sure of salvation.
The moral imperative to persevere (continue striving) is never nullified by God’s sovereign grace. The call to vigilance, prayer, repentance, humility, and holy living is constant in Augustine’s writings.
The Church, while holding Augustine in high regard for his contributions, especially in combating Pelagianism, does not follow him on his later teachings regarding predestination. These were developments that emerged in his later battles with the Semi-Pelagians and show signs of overreaction. The Orthodox tradition has consistently maintained a synergistic view, meaning salvation is a synergeia, or cooperation between divine grace and human freedom. It rejects both Pelagianism and the deterministic monergism of Calvinism.
I would like to diverge for a moment. I think it is both ironic and theologically inconsistent that many Calvinists, who claim to uphold sola scriptura—the principle that all Christian doctrine must be based solely on the Bible—rely so heavily on the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo to support their doctrine of unconditional predestination.
Calvinists often point to Augustine’s anti-Pelagian writings to justify their deterministic view of salvation—that God predestines some individuals to eternal life and others to eternal damnation, apart from any foreseen merit or cooperation. It should be noted that there are various types of Calvinists—from moderate to extreme in their traditions. Their reliance is deeply problematic for several reasons.
If Scripture alone is the rule of faith, then Augustine’s authority should be secondary or even irrelevant to doctrinal formulation. However, Calvin himself praised Augustine extensively and leaned on his interpretations more than on earlier Fathers or even later biblical commentators. This reveals a major contradiction. While claiming the Fathers are fallible and Scripture alone is binding, Calvinists often treat Augustine’s soteriology as nearly infallible in matters of grace and predestination.
I have also noticed that some Calvinists cite Augustine only when he supports their views on grace, election, or perseverance. But they largely ignore or reject his sacramental theology, which includes belief in baptismal regeneration and the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
They deny his affirmation of apostolic succession and the authority of the Church, his veneration of the Blessed Mother Mary and the saints. They deny his endorsement of free will in moral decision-making, even while affirming the necessity of grace.
Thus, the appeal to Augustine is not consistent; it is selective and opportunistic.
Augustine himself did not appeal to his own authority in a vacuum. He constantly sought to harmonize his views with the apostolic tradition and the Scriptures. Furthermore, while he taught that perseverance is a gift of grace, he did not teach the Calvinist doctrine of irresistible grace or the guaranteed salvation of the elect in the way Calvin defined it. He admitted that true believers could fall away unless they were granted the gift of final perseverance—a gift which no one could be sure they possessed while still alive.
This is far removed from the Calvinist doctrine of “once saved, always saved.”
The ancient Christian Church rejected the deterministic doctrines later found in Calvinism. The Orthodox Church, faithful to the entire patristic tradition (including but not limited to Augustine), teaches synergy—that salvation is a cooperative process between divine grace and human freedom. This approach is thoroughly biblical and patristic, without selectively clinging to one Father’s late theological developments.
To me, the irony is unmistakable—those who claim to rely on Scripture alone must borrow heavily from one Church Father to construct a doctrine that cannot be plainly found in Scripture. This undermines the foundational claim of sola scriptura and reveals a dependence on post-biblical tradition when convenient. Such inconsistency not only weakens the doctrinal integrity of Calvinism but also highlights the importance of receiving doctrine within the living, unified tradition of the ancient Apostolic Church, not through the selective filter of one post-Nicene theologian.
Returning to the main subject of this article, the final perseverance is indeed a gift from God—but not one that nullifies human cooperation or guarantees eternal security. Augustine calls the believer to humility, vigilance, and constant prayer for the grace to remain in Christ. It is a dangerous distortion to extract such quotes and press them into a theological system (i.e., Calvinism) that Augustine would not have recognised and, indeed, would likely have opposed had he been alive to see it.
If I have in any way mischaracterised Calvinism in the content presented here, I welcome correction and clarification so that I may revise it accordingly.
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