City of God by Augustine (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example)
Last week Augustine stated some false assertions and we began to see him refute them. This week he finishes refuting them..
Firstly he shows us that the guilty will not be spared through the intercession of the saints.
Next we see that the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper do not save people if they continue in disobedience. What counts is having Christ as your foundation whereby you put no earthly and temporal thing before Christ.
Then to finish Book 21, Augustine argues that doing good works does not atone for sin.
What grabbed me
Augustine made a good point about the Lord's supper endangering people, rather than saving them: 'It follows that heretics and schismatics, being separated from the unity of this Body, are able to take the same sacrament; but it is not for their profit. No, indeed; it is for their harm. It will result for them in a heavier punishment rather than in their liberation, even a delayed liberation. For it is obvious that they are not in that "bond of peace" which is expressed in this sacrament.'
If you take part in the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner, instead of being less sinful you are more sinful.
Sadly too few recognise this and eat and drink judgement on themselves.
Commence Book 22 by reading Chapters 1 to 8.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
No comments:
Post a Comment