The Church: school for sinners or socitey of saints?

Donatist viewed the church as a society of saints. The church was a place to get self-righteous.

Augustine  argued that the church is a school for sinners. Even though a saint's heart is in the right place, sometimes the flesh will fail. The church is supposed to be a hospital for forgiveness and restoration, a place of healing where people who fall can get back up. Augustine used Matthew 13:24-30 in reference to the church:

"²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’"

I found this an interesting topic in my Church History class. Something to think about...