ACC ~ John 6 v65

FAITH IS A GIFT

AUGUSTINE: He teaches us that even the act of believing is by way of being a gift and not a matter of merit: “As I told you,” he says, “no one can come to me but whoever has been given it by my Father.” If we call to mind the earlier part of the Gospel, we shall discover where the Lord said this. We shall find that he said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me drags him.” [1] He did not say “leads” but “drags.” This violence happens to the heart, not to the flesh. So why be surprised? Believe, and you come; love, and you are dragged. Do not regard this violence as harsh and irksome; on the contrary, it is sweet and pleasant. It is the very pleasantness of the thing that drags you to it. Isn’t a sheep dragged, or drawn irresistibly, when it is hungry and grass is shown to it? And I presume it is not being moved by bodily force but pulled by desire. [2] SERMON 131.2. [3]

[1] Jn 6:44; Lat traho = “to draw” or in a stronger sense”to drag.”

[2] An argument Augustine often used against Pelagius.

[3] WSA 3 4:317*.

Jn