On the Predestination of the Saints 19–21

But these brothers of ours, about whom and for whom we are now acting, perhaps say that the Pelagians are refuted by this apostolic testimony, where he says that we were chosen in Christ and predestined before the foundation of the world so that we might be holy and blameless before him in love. For they think that, “having received the commandments, we now become holy and blameless before him in love by ourselves, by the choice of free will; and since God foreknew this as future,” they say, “he therefore chose and predestined us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” Whereas the Apostle says that he did so not because he foreknew that we would be such, but so that we might be such through that very election of his grace, by which he has graced us in his beloved Son. When, then, he predestined us, he foreknew his own work, by which he makes us holy and blameless. Hence the Pelagian error is rightly refuted by this testimony. “But we say,” they say, “that God foreknew nothing of ours except the faith by which we begin to believe, and therefore he chose and predestined us before the foundation of the world, so that we might also be holy and blameless by his grace and work.” But let them too hear in this testimony where he says, “We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things.” He, then, who works all things works that we begin to believe. For neither that calling of which it is said, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,” and of which it is said, “Not of works, but of him who calls” (when he could have said, “but of him who believes”), nor the election which the Lord signified when he said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you,” is preceded by faith itself. For he chose us not because we believed, but so that we might believe; lest we say that we chose him first, and so, far be it, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” be false. Nor are we called because we believed, but so that we may believe; and by that calling, which is without repentance, this is altogether brought about and carried through, that we believe. Nor need all the many things we have said on this matter be gone over again. Then too, in what follows this testimony, the Apostle gives thanks to God for those who have believed; not, certainly, because the gospel was announced to them, but because they believed. For he says: “In whom you too, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of possession, to the praise of his glory. For this reason I too, having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and toward all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you.” Their faith was new and recent, the gospel having been preached to them; and having heard of this faith, the Apostle gives thanks to God for them. If he gave thanks to a man for what he thought or knew that man had not provided, it would more truly be called flattery or mockery than thanksgiving. “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked”; for even faith in its beginning is his gift, lest the Apostle's thanksgiving be rightly judged false or deceitful. What of this? Does not the beginning of the faith of the Thessalonians appear, for which the same apostle nevertheless gives thanks to God, saying, “For this reason we too give thanks to God without ceasing, because when you received from us the word of hearing of God, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which works in you who have believed”? Why does he give thanks to God for this? Surely it is vain and empty if he to whom he gives thanks did not himself do it. But since this is not vain and empty, God, to whom he gives thanks for this work, himself certainly did it, so that when they received from the Apostle the word of hearing of God, they received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God. God therefore works in the hearts of men, by that calling according to his purpose of which we have spoken much, so that they do not hear the gospel in vain, but, having heard it, are converted and believe, receiving it not as the word of men but as it truly is, the word of God.

That the very beginning of men's faith is the gift of God the Apostle also reminds us, when he signifies it in the Epistle to the Colossians, saying: “Continue in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, praying also for us at the same time, that God may open to us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.” How is a door of the word opened, unless when the understanding of the hearer is opened so that he believes, and, the beginning of faith having been made, admits what is preached and argued for building up sound doctrine; lest, his heart being shut by unbelief, he disapprove and reject what is said? Hence he says to the Corinthians too: “But I will remain at Ephesus until Pentecost; for a great and evident door has been opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” What else can be understood here, but that when the gospel was first preached there by him many believed, and many adversaries of that same faith appeared, according to that saying of the Lord, “No one comes to me unless it has been given him by my Father,” and, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given”? A door, then, was opened in those to whom it was given, but many were adversaries from among those to whom it was not given. Likewise the same apostle to the same people in the second Epistle: “When I came,” he says, “to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened to me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking leave of them I went on to Macedonia.” To whom did he say farewell, but to those who had believed, in whose hearts, that is, the door had been opened to him as he preached the gospel? But notice what he adds: “But thanks be to God,” he says, “who always makes us triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the fragrance of his knowledge in every place; for we are the good fragrance of Christ to God, among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to some a fragrance of death unto death, to others a fragrance of life unto life.” See for what that most valiant soldier and most invincible defender of grace gives thanks: see for what he gives thanks, that the apostles are the good fragrance of Christ to God, both in those who are being saved by his grace and in those who are perishing by his judgment. But so that those who understand little may be less angry at this, he himself warns them when he adds and says, “And who is sufficient for these things?” But let us return to the opening of the door, by which the Apostle signified the beginning of faith of those who hear. For what is “praying also for us at the same time, that God may open to us a door of the word,” but a most plain demonstration that even the very beginning of faith is the gift of God? For it would not be sought from him by praying unless it were believed to be granted by him. This gift of heavenly grace had descended on that seller of purple whose understanding, as Scripture says in the Acts of the Apostles, God had opened, and she paid attention to what was being said by Paul. For she was being called so that she might believe. For God does what he wills in the hearts of men, either by helping or by judging, so that even through them may be fulfilled what his hand and counsel predestined to be done. In vain, then, did they say that what we proved from the testimony of the Scripture of Kingdoms and Chronicles does not pertain to the cause we are discussing: that when God wills something to be done which ought to be done only by men who will it, their hearts are inclined to will it, he inclining them who in a wonderful and ineffable way works in us even to will. What is that but to say nothing, and yet to contradict? Unless perhaps they gave you some reason why they thought so, which you preferred to pass over in silence in your letters. But what that might be I do not know. Or perhaps, because we showed that God did this in the hearts of men and led the wills of those whom he pleased to the point that Saul or David was made king, they think these examples do not fit this cause, since to reign in time in this world is not the same as to reign for ever with God; and so they suppose that God inclines the wills of whom he will to set up earthly kingdoms, but does not incline the wills of whom he will to obtain the heavenly kingdom? But I think it was said with reference to the kingdom of heaven, not an earthly kingdom: “Incline my heart to your testimonies”; or, “The steps of a man are directed by the Lord, and he will will his way”; or, “The will is prepared by the Lord”; or, “May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he not forsake us nor turn us away from him; may he incline our hearts to him, that we may walk in all his ways”; or, “I will give them a heart to know me, and ears that hear”; or, “I will give them another heart, and I will give them a new spirit.” Let them hear this too: “I will put my Spirit within you, and make you walk in my ordinances, and keep my judgments and do them.” Let them hear: “A man's steps are directed by the Lord; how then can a mortal understand his ways?” Let them hear: “Every man seems righteous to himself, but the Lord directs the hearts.” Let them hear: “As many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Let them hear these and whatever others I have not mentioned, by which God is shown to prepare and turn the wills of men even for the kingdom of heaven and for eternal life. But consider what it would mean for us to believe that God works the wills of men to set up earthly kingdoms, while men work their own wills to lay hold of the kingdom of heaven.

We have said much, and perhaps we could long ago have persuaded them of what we wish, and still we speak to such good minds as though to dull ones, for whom even what is too much is not enough. But let them pardon us; for a new question has compelled us to this. For when in our earlier works we had shown by sufficiently suitable testimonies that faith too is the gift of God, an objection was found: that those testimonies avail to show that the increase of faith is the gift of God, but that the beginning of faith, by which one first believes in Christ, is from man himself and is not the gift of God; but that God requires this, so that when it has been added, the other things which are gifts of God follow as though by this merit; and that none of them is given freely, although in them the grace of God is preached, which is nothing if not free. You see how absurd this is; and therefore we have insisted, as far as we could, on showing that even the beginning of faith is the gift of God. And if we have done this at greater length than perhaps those for whose sake we did it would wish, we are ready to be blamed by them on this account, provided that, even if at much greater length than they would wish, even with the weariness and boredom of those who understand, they confess that we have done what we have done, that is, have taught that even the beginning of faith, like continence, patience, righteousness, godliness, and the rest, about which there is no dispute with them, is the gift of God. Let this, then, be the end of this volume, lest one volume give offence by its excessive length.