Chapter 22.—God’s Promise is Sure.

“But,” say they, “when it is said, ‘If thou believest, thou shalt be saved,’ one of these things is required; the other is offered. What is required is in man’s power; what is offered is in God’s.”83    See Hilary’s Letter in Augustin’s Letters, 226, ch. 2. Why are not both in God’s, as well what He commands as what He offers? For He is asked to give what He commands. Believers ask that their faith may be increased; they ask on behalf of those who do not believe, that faith may be given to them; therefore both in its increase and in its beginnings, faith is the gift of God. But it is said thus: “If thou believest, thou shalt be saved,” in the same way that it is said, “If by the Spirit ye shall mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live.”84    Rom. viii. 13. For in this case also, of these two things one is required, the other is offered. It is said, “If by the Spirit ye shall mortify the deeds of the flesh, ye shall live.” Therefore, that we mortify the deeds of the flesh is required, but that we may live is offered. Is it, then, fitting for us to say, that to mortify the deeds of the flesh is not a gift of God, and not to confess it to be a gift of God, because we hear it required of us, with the offer of life as a reward if we shall do it? Away with this being approved by the partakers and champions of grace! This is the condemnable error of the Pelagians, whose mouths the apostle immediately stopped when he added, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God;”85    Rom. viii. 14. lest we should believe that we mortify the deeds of the flesh, not by God’s Spirit, but by our own. And of this Spirit of God, moreover, he was speaking in that place where he says, “But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing unto every man what is his own, as He will;”86    1 Cor. xii. 11. and among all these things, as you know, he also named faith. As, therefore, although it is the gift of God to mortify the deeds of the flesh, yet it is required of us, and life is set before us as a reward; so also faith is the gift of God, although when it is said, “If thou believest, thou shalt be saved,” faith is required of us, and salvation is proposed to us as a reward. For these things are both commanded us, and are shown to be God’s gifts, in order that we may understand both that we do them, and that God makes us to do them, as He most plainly says by the prophet Ezekiel. For what is plainer than when He says, “I will cause you to do”?87    Ezek. xxxvi. 27. Give heed to that passage of Scripture, and you will see that God promises that He will make them to do those things which He commands to be done. He truly is not silent as to the merits but as to the evil deeds, of those to whom He shows that He is returning good for evil, by the very fact that He causeth them thenceforth to have good works, in causing them to do the divine commands.

22. «Sed cum dicitur,» inquiunt, «Si credideris, salvus eris (Rom. X, 9); unum horum exigitur, alterum offertur. Quod exigitur, in hominis; quod offertur, in Dei est potestate» (Supra, in Epistola Hilarii, n. 2, col. 947-448). Cur non utrumque in Dei, et quod jubet, et quod offert ? Rogatur enim ut det quod jubet: rogant credentes, ut sibi augeatur fides; rogant pro non credentibus, ut eis donetur fides: et in suis igitur incrementis, et in suis initiis Dei donum est fides . Sic autem dicitur, Si credideris, salvus eris; quemadmodum dicitur, Si Spiritu facta carnis mortificaveritis, vivetis. Nam et hic ex his duobus unum exigitur, alterum offertur. Si Spiritu, inquit, facta carnis mortificaveritis, vivetis: ut ergo spiritu facta carnis mortificemus, exigitur; ut autem vivamus, offertur. Num igitur placet ut facta carnis mortificare non donum Dei esse dicamus; neque id donum Dei esse fateamur, quoniam exigi audimus a nobis praemio vitae, si hoc fecerimus, oblato? Absit ut hoc placeat participibus et defensoribus gratiae. Pelagianorum est error iste damnabilis: quorum mox Apostolus ora obstruxit, adjungens, Quotquot enim Spiritu Dei aguntur, hi filii sunt Dei (Rom. VIII, 13, 14); ne facta mortificare nos carnis, non per Dei, sed per nostrum spiritum crederemus. De quo Dei Spiritu etiam ibi loquebatur, ubi ait: Omnia autem haec operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, dividens propria unicuique prout vult (I Cor. XII, 11). Inter quae omnia, sicut scitis, nominavit et fidem. Sicut ergo quamvis donum Dei sit, facta carnis mortificare; exigitur tamen a nobis proposito praemio vitae: ita donum Dei est et fides, quamvis et ipsa cum dicitur, Si credideris, salvus eris; proposito praemio salutis exigatur a nobis. Ideo enim haec et nobis praecipiuntur, et dona Dei esse monstrantur; ut intelligatur quod et nos ea facimus, et Deus facit ut illa faciamus, sicut per prophetam Ezechielem apertissime dicit. Quid enim apertius, quam ubi dicit, Ego faciam ut faciatis (Ezech. XXXVI, 27)? Locum ipsum Scripturae 0977 attendite, et videbitis illa Deum promittere facturum se ut faciant, quae jubet ut fiant. Non sane ibi tacet merita eorum, sed mala; quibus se ostendit reddere pro malis bona, hoc ipso quo eos facit habere deinceps opera bona, cum ipse facit ut faciant divina mandata.