奧古斯丁把幸福定義為「擁有上帝」，最初認為，借助皈依在今生中就可以獲得這種幸福。但羅馬書七章的釋經使他逐漸認識到，即使從「在律法之下」進入到「在恩典之下」的人生階段，皈依後的個體心靈仍然時刻處於罪與罰的持續衝突中，真正的幸福不可能在今生獲得，而只能被延遲到今生之後。

Augustine defined happiness as “having God.” He initially thought that after conversion anyone can possess this true happiness. However, during the exegeses of Romans 7, he came to realize that even if having transited from “sub lege” to “sub gratia,” believers are still in the continuing conflict of sin and punishment, the true happiness can’t be poessessed in this life, but has to be delayed into the next life.