Predestination in the teaching of Augustine

• Augustine believed that God infallibly knows who will be saved
• Predestination is an act of grace; human goodness is the result and not the cause of election
• Election:

  in relation to Calvin's teaching refers to God's choice of some for salvation.
• Humans cannot understand the will of God, i.e. why he chooses to save some and not others
• God predestines some to his Kingdom whilst leaving others in their sinful state to be consigned to hell as a punishment for their sinful choices and actions
• Pelagius opposed Augustine, claiming that belief in predestination was incompatible with belief in free will but the Church sided with Augustine