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Augustine of Hippo

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 7,530 passages across 62 books

Commentary

7,401–7,420 of 7,530
Romans 9:24

Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

God did not call all the Jews but only some of them. Nor did he call all the Gentiles but only some of them. From Adam has sprung one mass of sinners and godless men, in which both Jews and Gentiles belong to one lump, apart from the grace of God. If the potter out of one lump of clay makes one vessel for honor and another for dishonor, it is clear that God has made of the Jews some vessels for honor and others for dishonor, and similarly of the Gentiles.

TO SIMPLICIAN ON VARIOUS QUESTIONS 1.2.19

Romans 9:25

As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.

The gist of the entire argument leads to this conclusion. Paul taught that we do good by the mercy of God and that the Jews who had received the gospel should not glory in their works, thinking that they had deserved this and not wanting it to be given to the Gentiles. In Paul’s mind, the Jews should cease from such pride and understand that if we are called to faith not through our own works but by the mercy of God and if it is given to those who believe to do good, then they should not begrudge the Gentiles this mercy as if it had been given to the Jews on the ground of prior merit, which is nothing.

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 64

Romans 9:27 · 2 passages

Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved:

This shows that the Lord is the cornerstone, uniting both walls in himself. Hosea’s testimony is spoken of the Gentiles, but the Lord unites both Jews and Gentiles, according to what he said in the gospel about the latter: “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd.”

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 65

If by remnant … we are to understand not election of the justified to eternal life but election of those who are to be justified, that kind of election is truly hidden and cannot be known by us, who must regard all men as parts of a single lump of clay. If some claim to be able to know it, I must confess my own weakness in this matter.

TO SIMPLICIAN ON VARIOUS QUESTIONS 1.2.22

Romans 10:1

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Here Paul begins to speak of his hope for the Jews, lest the Gentiles in their turn become condescending toward them. For just as the pride of the Jews had to be countered because they gloried in their works, so also with the Gentiles, lest they become proud at having been preferred over the Jews.

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 66

Romans 10:3

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Paul said this about the Jews who because of their self-confidence rejected grace and as a result did not believe in Christ. The Jews, he says, seek to establish a righteousness of their own that comes from the law, not that the law was established by them but rather that they had placed their righteousness in the law which comes from God by supposing that they were able to fulfill this law by themselves. For they were ignorant of the righteousness of God, not that righteousness whereby God is righteous but the one which comes to man from God.

GRACE AND FREE WILL 12.24

Romans 10:9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:10 · 5 passages

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Did not almost all those who disowned Christ in the presence of their persecutors keep in their hearts what they believed about him? Yet, for not making with their mouth profession of faith unto salvation they perished, except those who repented and lived again.
The innumerable and multiple rites by which the Jewish people had been oppressed have been taken away, so that in the mercy of God we might attain salvation by the simplicity of a confession of faith.

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 67

This condition is fulfilled at the time of baptism, when faith and profession of faith are all that is demanded for one to be baptized.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 13

We who expect to reign in everlasting righteousness can only be saved from this wicked world if while for our neighbor’s salvation we profess with our lips the faith which we carry about in our heart, we exercise a pious and careful vigilance to see that this faith in us is not sullied in any point of belief by the deceitful snares of heretics.
Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

By faith in Jesus Christ is granted to us both possession of the little beginning of salvation and its perfecting, which we await in hope.

THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER 51

Romans 10:14 · 3 passages

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

The preaching of predestination should not hinder the preaching of perseverance and progress in faith, so that those to whom it has been given to obey should hear what they ought to hear. For how will they hear without a preacher?

GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE 14.36

God sends his angels and gathers together his elect from the four winds, that is, from the whole world. Therefore, the church must necessarily be found among the nations where it does not yet exist, but it does not necessarily follow that all who live there will believe. The promise was to all nations but not to all men of all nations, for not all have faith.
Those who believe rightly believe that they may call on him in whom they have believed and may be strong to do what they have learned in the precepts of the law, since faith obtains what the law commands.
Romans 10:16

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

Above, when He saith, "The hour is coming, and now is," I beseech you give earnest heed. Above, then, when He said, "The hour is coming," and added, "and now is," what did He subjoin? "When the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live." He did not say, "All the dead shall hear, and they that hear shall live;" for He meant the unrighteous to be understood. And is it so, that all the unrighteous obey the gospel? The apostle says openly, "But not all obey the gospel." But they that hear shall live, because all that obey the gospel shall pass to eternal life by faith: yet all do not obey; and this is now. But certainly, in the end, "All that are in the graves," both the just and the unjust, "shall hear His voice, and come forth."
Romans 10:19

But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.

By calling a people “foolish” Paul explained what he meant by “those who are not a people,” viz., a foolish people ought not to be called a people at all. But he says that the Jewish people will be angered by the Gentiles’ faith, because they have received what the Jews have rejected.… Even though entire peoples were foolish idol worshipers, they nevertheless put away their paganism by believing. Thus Paul said: “If a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?” Thus he means: “I will make you jealous of those who once were not a people but were made a people,” because although they were once a foolish idol-worshiping people, they put aside their paganism through their faith in Christ.

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 68

Romans 11:1

I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

This refers to what Paul said above. Only those Jews who have believed in the Lord will be counted as descendants.

AUGUSTINE ON ROMANS 69

Romans 11:2

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

Predestination is sometimes designated by the name of foreknowledge, as here, where “he foreknew” can only mean “he predestined,” as the context of what follows demonstrates.

GIFT OF PERSEVERANCE 17.47

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