{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-217","native_reference":{"book_number":530,"chapter_from":15,"chapter_to":15,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":10,"verse_to":10},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Ambrosiaster</b>: Paul says all this in order to show that despite his great sins and unworthiness, the grace of God was not given to him for nothing.<br/><i>— COMMENTARY ON PAUL'S EPISTLES</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: Gladly and with the eyes of faith do all in the City of God look up to this great man, Paul, this athlete of Christ, who was anointed by Christ and instructed by him. With him he was nailed to the cross, and through him made glorious. This man was made a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men. He lawfully carried on a great conflict in the theater of this world and strained forward to the prize of his heavenly calling.<br/><i>— City of God 14.9</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: Paul did not labor in order to receive grace, but he received grace so that he might labor.<br/><i>— PROCEEDINGS OF PELAGIUS 14.36</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: How, then, is God's commandment accomplished, even with difficulty, without his help, since if the Lord does not build, the builder is said to have labored in vain.<br/><i>— LETTER 186, FROM ALYPIUS AND AUGUSTINE TO PAULINUS</i></p><p><b>Basil of Caesarea</b>: He who spends his time in softness and all laxity because of his luxurious living, who is clothed in purple and fine linen and feasting every day in splendid fashion and who flees the labors imposed by virtue has neither labored in this life nor will live in the future, but he will see life afar off, while being racked in the fire of the furnace.<br/><i>— UNTO THE END 19.5</i></p><p><b>Basil of Caesarea</b>: This is the perfect and consummate glory in God: not to exult in one's own righteousness, but recognizing oneself as lacking true righteousness, to be justified by faith in Christ alone. Paul gloried in despising his own righteousness. In seeking after the righteousness by faith which is of God through Christ, he sought only to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death, so as to attain to the resurrection from the dead.… It is God who grants efficacy to our labors.<br/><i>— ON HUMILITY 20</i></p><p><b>Irenaeus</b>: Wherefore also Paul, since he was the apostle of the Gentiles, says, \"I laboured more than they all.\" For the instruction of the former, [viz., the Jews, ] was an easy task, because they could allege proofs from the Scriptures, and because they, who were in the habit of hearing Moses and the prophets, did also readily receive the First-begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the life of God,-Him who, by the spreading forth of hands, did destroy Amalek, and vivify man from the wound of the serpent, by means of faith which was [exercised] towards Him. As I have pointed out in the preceding book, the apostle did, in the first place, instruct the Gentiles to depart from the superstition of idols, and to worship one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Framer of the whole creation; and that His Son was His Word, by whom He founded all things; and that He, in the last times, was made a man among men; that He reformed the human race, but destroyed and conquered the enemy of man, and gave to His handiwork victory against the adversary. But although they who were of the circumcision still did not obey the words of God, for they were despisers, yet they were previously instructed not to commit adultery, nor fornication, nor theft, nor fraud; and that whatsoever things are done to our neighbours' prejudice, were evil, and detested by God. Wherefore also they did readily agree to abstain from these things, because they had been thus instructed. But they were bound to teach the Gentiles also this very thing, that works of such a nature were wicked, prejudicial, and useless, and destructive to those who engaged in them. Wherefore he who had received the apostolate to the Gentiles, did labour more than those who preached the Son of God among them of the circumcision. For they were assisted by the Scriptures, which the Lord confirmed and fulfilled, in coming such as He had been announced; but here, [in the case of the Gentiles, ] there was a certain foreign erudition, and a new doctrine [to be received, namely], that the gods of the nations not only were no gods at all, but even the idols of demons; and that there is one God, who is \"above all principality, and dominion, and power, and every name which is named;\" and that His Word, invisible by nature, was made palpable and visible among men, and did descend \"to death, even the death of the cross;\" also, that they who believe in Him shall be incorruptible and not subject to suffering, and shall receive the kingdom of heaven. These things, too, were preached to the Gentiles by word, without [the aid of] the Scriptures: wherefore, also, they who preached among the Gentiles underwent greater labour. But, on the other hand, the faith of the Gentiles is proved to be of a more noble description, since they followed the word of God without the instruction [derived] from the [sacred] writings.<br/><i>— Against Heresies Book IV</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: You are familiar with Paul, who labored so much and erected so many trophies in combat with the devil. He physically marched throughout the known world. He orbited the earth, ocean, air—he circled the world as if he had wings. He was stoned, beaten and murdered. He suffered everything for the name of God, called from above by a heavenly voice.… We know, we understand, he said, the grace we have received, and it did not find me inattentive.<br/><i>— CONCERNING ALMSGIVING AND THE TEN VIRGINS 3.22</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: Did you see how he reaped the benefit of God's liberality and then how abundantly he contributed his own share, by his zeal, his fervor, his faith, his courage, his patience, his lofty mind and his undaunted will? This is why he deserved a larger measure of help from above.<br/><i>— BAPTISMAL INSTRUCTIONS 4.10</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"But by the grace of God I am what I am.\"</p><p>Seest thou again another excess of humility? in that the defects he imputes to himself, but of the good deeds nothing; rather he refers all to God. Next, lest he might hereby render his hearer supine, he saith, \"And His grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain.\" And this again with reserve: in that he said not, \"I have displayed a diligence worthy of His grace,\" but, \"it was not found vain.\"</p><p>\"But I labored more abundantly than they all.\" He said not, \"I was honored,\" but, \"I labored;\" and when he had perils and deaths to speak of, by the name of labor he again abates his expression.</p><p>Then again practicing his wonted humility, this also he speedily passes by and refers the whole to God, saying, \"Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.\" What can be more admirable than such a soul? who having in so many ways depressed himself and uttered but one lofty word, not even this doth he call his own; on every side finding ways, both from the former things and from them that follow after, to contract this lofty expression, and that because it was of necessity that he came to it.<br/><i>— Homily on 1 Corinthians 38</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"e34a1858d215effea9f28606af57cfc5d1d7ecd96d47009c1fdf12715209e685","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":217,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"17820b21e33e32da157d79b0f935db46c91c3a4413bbea1887c381455ddc003a","translator":null,"work":null}