The purpose of this paper is to argue that Augustine, prior to his reprimand of Coelestius for his interpretation of 2 Peter 1:4, had developed within his Tractates in John’s Gospel a doctrine of participation that was scripturally based and Christ-initiated, not self-willed on the part of man. Augustine’s understanding of participation had a strong soteriological focus which brought him into conflict with Coelestius’s use of 2 Peter 1:4. According to Augustine, Coelestius, a disciple of Pelagius, used the verse to promote false grace. Because the Apostle Peter noted in the passage that believers “become partakers of the divine nature,” the verse has been viewed as a significant part of the discussion concerning participation. Augustine, however, does not appear to have used this passage in his writings on deification. Some scholars assume that he avoided the verse because of how Coelestius’ interpretation. Yet, by the time Coelestius penned his offending document, Augustine had already demonstrated in his Tractates in John’s Gospel a well thought out doctrine of participation and did not need 2 Peter 1:4 to make his argument. In order to understand how Augustine came to understand participation it is important to begin with how his parents guided his educational and spiritual growth. Despite being based in Scripture, Augustine’s theological development and conception of participation was influenced by the philosophers and pagans of his day. Therefore, a study of Augustine’s teaching on participation must consider his parents’ influence as well as the impact of philosophy, paganism, and even Manicheanism had on him. A survey must also be made of the teaching and terminology used by the philosophers and pagans to discuss participation and deification. Finally, Augustine’s choice of terminology and his teaching in his Tractates in John’s Gospel is examined to consider his teaching on participation. The result will demonstrate that by the time of Augustine’s interaction with Coelestius’s writings, Augustine had developed his theology of participation as presented in his Tractates in John’s Gospel.