Chapter 22 [X.]—Who is the Transgressor of the Law? The Oldness of Its Letter. The Newness of Its Spirit.

Therefore, brethren, you ought by free will not do evil but do good; this, indeed, is the lesson taught us in the law of God, in the Holy Scriptures—both Old and New. Let us, however, read, and by the Lord’s help understand, what the apostle tells us: “Because by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”158    Rom. iii. 20. Observe, he says “the knowledge,” not “the destruction,” of sin. But when a man knows sin, and grace does not help him to avoid what he knows, undoubtedly the law works wrath. And this the apostle explicitly says in another passage. His words are: “The law worketh wrath.”159    Rom. iv. 15. The reason of this statement lies in the fact that God’s wrath is greater in the case of the transgressor who by the law knows sin, and yet commits it; such a man is thus a transgressor of the law, even as the apostle says in another sentence, “For where no law is, there is no transgression.”160    Rom. iv. 15. It is in accordance with this principle that he elsewhere says, “That we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter;”161    Rom. vii. 6. wishing the law to be here understood by “the oldness of the letter,” and what else by “newness of spirit” than grace? Then, that it might not be thought that he had brought any accusation, or suggested any blame, against the law, he immediately takes himself to task with this inquiry: “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? God forbid.” He then adds the statement: “Nay, I had not known sin but by the law;”162    Rom. vii. 6, 7. which is of the same import as the passage above quoted: “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”163    Rom. iii. 20. Then: “For I had not known lust,” he says, “except the law had said, ‘Thou shalt not covet.’164    Ex. xx. 17. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy; and the commandment holy, just, and good. Was, then, that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, worked death in me by that which is good,—in order that the sinner, or165    Ut fiat supra modum peccator, aut peccatum, etc. [This odd reading probably arose from mistaking the Greek article ἡ for the disjunctive particle ἤ. It occurs frequently in Augustin.—W.] the sin, might by the commandment become beyond measure.”166    Rom. vii. 7–13. And to the Galatians he writes: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, except through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”167    Gal. ii. 16.

CAPUT X.

22. Itaque, fratres, debetis quidem per liberum arbitrium non facere mala, et facere bona; hoc enim nobis lex Dei praecipit in Libris sanctis, sive veteribus, sive novis: sed legamus et adjuvante Domino intelligamus Apostolum dicentem, Quia non justificabitur ex lege omnis caro coram illo, per legem enim cognitio peccati (Rom. III, 20). Cognitio dixit; non, Consumptio. Quando autem cognoscit homo peccatum, si non adjuvat gratia ut cognitum caveatur, sine dubio lex iram operatur. Quod alio loco ipse Apostolus dicit, ipsius enim verba sunt: Lex iram operatur. Hoc autem dixit, quia ira Dei major est in praevaricatore, qui per legem cognoscit peccatum, et tamen facit: talis quippe homo praevaricator est legis, sicut et in alio loco dicit, Ubi enim lex non est, nec praevaricatio est (Id. IV, 15). Propter hoc et alibi ait, Ut serviamus in novitate spiritus, et non in vetustate litterae: legem volens intelligi litterae vetustatem, novitatem vero spiritus quid, nisi gratiam? Et ne putaretur accusasse legem vel reprehendisse; continuo sibi opposuit quaestionem, et ait, Quid ergo dicemus? Lex peccatum est? Absit. Deinde subjunxit, Sed peccatum non cognovi, nisi per legem: hoc est quod dixerat, Per legem cognitio peccati. Nam concupiscentiam, inquit, nesciebam, nisi lex diceret, Non concupisces. Occasione autem accepta, peccatum per mandatum operatum est in me omnem concupiscentiam: sine lege enim peccatum mortuum est . Ego autem aliquando vivebam sine lege: adveniente autem mandato, peccatum revixit, ego autem mortuus sum, et inventum est mihi mandatum quod erat in vitam, hoc esse in mortem; peccatum enim occasione accepta per mandatum fefellit me, et per illud occidit. Itaque lex quidem sancta, et mandatum sanctum, et justum, et bonum. Quod ergo bonum est, mihi factum est mors? Absit. Sed peccatum ut appareat peccatum, per bonum mihi operatum est mortem, ut fiat supra modum peccator aut peccatumper mandatum (Id. VII, 6-13). Et ad Galatas dicit: Scientes autem quoniam non justificatur homo ex operibus legis nisi per fidem Jesu 0895Christi, et nos in Christo Jesu credidimus, ut justificemur ex fide Christi, et non ex operibus legis, quoniam ex operibus legis non justificabitur omnis caro (Galat. II, 16).