The Essential Augustine
DIMENSIONS OF GRACE
unless it had been sustained by the Creator's power. After the fall, however, a more abundant exercise of God's mercy was required, because the will itself had to be freed from the bondage in which it was held by sin and death. And the will owes its freedom in no degree to itself bui solely to the grace of God, which comes by faith in Jesus Christ; so that the very will through which we accept all the other gifts of God which lead us on to His eternal gift, is itself prepared of the Lord, as the Scripture says. [Prov. 16:1]
GRACE AND GOOD WORKS*
Supposing you are hoping for a right reward, I 6. mean eternal life, but not from the Lord God through Jesus Christ, through whom alone eternal life is given, but you think you can attain to eternal life by means of the host of heaven, the sun and moon, the powers of air and sea, of earth and stars? You are godless. Believe in Him who justifies the ungodly, so that your good works may really be good works, For I should not call them good as long as they do not proceed from a right foundation. How does the matter stand? Either you look for temporal life from God the Eternal, or you look for eternal life from the devils; in either case, you are ungodly. Put your faith right, set your faith in order, set your life in order; and now if you have sound feet, go straight ahead without anxiety; run, you are on the right road; the faster you run the sooner you will get there. But possibly you are a little lame. At least do not turn back from the road; you will arrive, even if rather late; do not stand still, do not retrace your steps, do not wander off the track.
What then? Who are the blessed? Not those in 7. whom God has not found sin; for He has found it in all men, For all have sinned and do need the glory of God. [Rom. 3:23] Therefore if sin is found in all, it follows that none are blessed but those whose sins are forgiven. Now this the apostle pointed out in these words: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice. Now to him that worketh—that is, who trusts to works, and affirms that by virtue of them he received the grace of faith—the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to
* On Psalm 31, Serm. 2, 6-8; trans. ACW 30, 72-74.
. [Rom. 4:3] What does this mean but that our reward is ees oy it is grace, it is given gratis. What is the meaning of "it is given gratis"? On every count it is a free gift. You have done nothing to deserve it, and you receive the remission of your sins. Your works are examined and found to be all evil. If God were to give you their due for such works, undoubtedly He would condemn you: For the wages of sin is death. [Rem. 6:23] What do wicked deeds deserve, except condemnation? And good deeds? The kingdom of heaven. But you have been found out in wicked deeds; if you receive your deserts you will be punished. Now what is it that happens? God does not mete out the penalty you deserved, but He bestows on you the grace you did not deserve. He should have punished you; instead He pardoned you. So by virtue of His pardon you enter upon a life of faith; and at once that faith, taking to itself hope and love, begins to perform good works. But do not forthwith grow boastful and exalt yourself. Never forget who set you on the right road; never forget that, though sturdy and fleet of foot, you were straying off it; never forget how, sick as you were, and lying half-dead by the roadside, you were placed upon a beast and brought to the inn. [Luke 10:34] Now to him that worketh, the apostle continues, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. If you want to be cast forth from grace, brag about your merits. God sees what is in you, and He knows what is each one's due. But to him that worketh not—what? Take, for instance, some godless sinner; he produces no works. What then? But he believeth in Him that justifieth the ungodly. Ih so far, then, as he does no works to the purpose, he is ungodly; and if he appears to perform good works, yet being performed without faith they are not to be called good. But to him that believeth in Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reputed to justice; as David also termeth the blessedness of a man to whom God reputeth justice without works. [Rom. 4:4-6] But what justice? That of faith, which is not preceded, but is followed, by good works.
Now pay attention: otherwise, if you misunderstand, 8 you will fling yourselves into that whirpool of thinking you may sin with impunity; and I shall be free from blame, just as the apostle himself was free from blame for all those who misinterpreted him. They willfully misunderstood; otherwise they would have had to follow it up with good works. Do not make common cause with such people, brethren. Another Psalm has said of one such man, and it applies to the class as to the individual: He would not understand, that he might do well. [Ps. 35:4] It does not say: "He could not understand." Therefore to act aright you must have the will to understand; then you will arrive at a clear understanding. What do I mean by a clear understanding? Nobody must boast of the good works he did before he had faith; nobody must be sluggish in doing good works now that faith is his. It is God who pardons all the ungodly and makes them just through faith.
PREVENIENT GRACE*
[Verse 1] This glory the heavens show forth. The heavens are the saints, poised above the earth, bearing the Lord. Yet the sky, too, after its fashion, has proclaimed the glory of Christ. When? When at the birth of this same Lord there appeared a new star never seen before. However, there are truer and loftier heavens, of which the following verses tell us: There are no speeches nor languages where their voices are not heard. Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. Whose words, but those of the heavens? Whose, then, but those of the apostles? It is they who proclaim to us the glory of God, residing in Christ Jesus and manifested through His grace for the remission of sins. For all have sinned and do need the glory of God, being justified gratuitously by His blood. [Rom. 3:23] Because gratuitously, therefore by grace; for grace is no grace unless it is gratuitous. Because we had done nothing good beforehand to deserve such great gifts and all the more because punishment, by no means undeserved, was to be inflicted, the favor was granted freely. There was nothing in our preceding merits that would earn anything but our condemnation. But He, not because of our own justice, but in accordance with His own mercy, saved us with the cleansing power which gives us new birth. This, I say, is the glory of God; this it is that the heavens have shown forth. This, I repeat, is God's glory, not yours; you have done nothing good, and yet you have received such an immense benefit. If therefore you share in the glory that the heavens proclaim, say to the Lord your God: My God, His mercy shall prevent me. [Ps. 58:11] Truly He forestalled you; He had to forestall you, because He found not an atom of virtue in you.
* On Psalm 18, Serm. 2; trans. ACW 29, 183-184.