Despite Augustine’s pessimistic view of human nature, it could be argued that he does offer a small sense of optimism for humanity. He argues that God’s grace is generous and undeserved, and this is shown through the sacrifice of Jesus: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son’ (John) and this suggests that humans can, in fact, overcome their damaged nature through Jesus. This suggestion of hope adds more optimism to Augustine’s view of human nature, as it is asserted that God remains merciful and can rescue us from our damaged will. However, Augustine himself seems to undermine this optimism, as he was a believer of limited election, and this means that God predetermines who will be saved. Thus, his views on election can conclude his deeply pessimistic argument, as it is inferred that even if we try to overcome our damaged nature, we still may not be saved. It can therefore be argued that Augustine’s pessimistic view of human nature contradicts scripture as it is affirmed that ‘God so loved the world’ and sacrificed Jesus so that the whole ‘world’ could be saved, not just a few Christians. Thus, Augustine’s view on human nature is deeply pessimistic as his ideas that human cannot break free from the damaged will do not seem compatible with a God of love.