Grace and Free Will (continued)
CHAPTER 33.
A GOOD WILL MAY BE SMALL AND WEAK; AN AMPLE WILL HAS
GREAT LOVE—OPERATING AND COOPERATING GRACE
He, therefore, who wishes to do God’s commandment, but is unable, already possesses a good will, but as yet it is a small and weak one; he will, however, become able when he has acquired a great and robust will. When the martyrs did the great commandments which they obeyed, they acted by a great will—that is, with great love. The Lord Himself thus speaks of this love: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”Joh 15.13 In accordance with this, the apostle also says, “He that loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law. For each of these, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, is briefly comprehended in this saying: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’Lev 19.18 Love works no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”Rom 13.8-10 The Apostle Peter did not yet possess this love when out of fear he three times denied the Lord.Mat 26.69ff “There is no fear in love,” says the Evangelist John in his first Epistle, “but perfect love casts out fear.”1Joh 4.18 Yet however small and imperfect Peter’s love was, it was not wholly lacking when he said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake;”Joh 13.37 for he supposed himself able to effect what he felt himself was willing to do. And who was it that had begun to give him his love, however small, but He who prepares the will, and perfects by His co-operation what He initiates by His operation? Forasmuch as in beginning, He works in us so that we may have the will, and in perfecting, He works with us when we have the will. On this account the apostle says, “I am confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”Phil 1.6 Therefore He operates without us, in order that we may will; but when we will, and so will that we may act, He co-operates with us. However, we can do nothing ourselves to effect good works of piety without Him, either working so that we may will, or co-working when we will. Now, concerning His working that we may will, it is said: “It is God who works in you, even to will.”Phil 2.13 While the apostle says of His co-working with us, when we will and act by willing, “We know that in all things there is co-working for good to those who love God.”10 What does this phrase “all things” mean, but the terrible and cruel sufferings which affect our condition? Indeed, that burden of Christ which is heavy for our infirmity, becomes light to love. For the Lord said that His burden was lightMat 11.30 to those such as Peter when he suffered for Christ, not as he was when he denied Him.