Augustine’s view of human nature is deeply pessimistic as he argues that we are all tainted with original sin, as we were all ‘seminally present’ in Adam. His pessimistic argument is that sin is now an ontological state (part of our human nature), prompting one to ask- if we are so damaged, what is the point in doing good and acting according to Jesus’ maxims? It could thus be argued that Augustine’s pessimistic view of human nature undermines the teachings of Jesus as his theology suggests that it is pointless to follow Jesus’ holy example: ‘a new command I give you: love one another’ (John). This biblical verse has often been interpreted to denote the concept of ‘agape’ which is a generous, unconditional love, but Augustine severely undermines this idea by suggesting that humanity is incapable of this. One could therefore argue that Augustine’s pessimistic argument is also unconvincing as it leads Christians to conclude that it is pointless to follow the Decalogue and Jesus’ teachings because Augustine’s theology implies that we cannot be rescued from our damaged nature.