Geloof en Genade, rol van
"Niemand kan tot Mij komen, tenzij de Vader, Die Mij gezonden heeft, hem trekt; en Ik zal hem doen opstaan op de laatste dag.” Joh. 6:44.
"Wij dan, gerechtvaardigd uit het geloof, hebben vrede bij God door onze Heere Jezus Christus." Rom. 5:1.
"Wat zullen wij dan zeggen? Zullen wij in de zonde blijven, opdat de genade toeneemt? Volstrekt niet! Hoe zullen wij, die met betrekking tot de zonde gestorven zijn, nog daarin leven?" Rom. 6:1, 2.
"En als medearbeiders van God roepen wij u er ook toe op de genade van God niet tevergeefs ontvangen te hebben." 2 Kor. 6:1.
"Hij heeft ons, die dood waren door onze zonden, samen met Christus levend gemaakt. Ook u bent nu door Zijn genade gered." Ef. 2:5.
"Door Zijn genade bent u nu immers gered, dankzij uw geloof. Maar dat dankt u niet aan uzelf; het is een geschenk van God." Ef. 2:8.
"Hij heeft ons gered en ons geroepen tot een heilige taak, niet op grond van onze daden, maar omdat Hij daartoe uit genade besloten had.”
2 Tim. 1:9.
“Hij heeft ons gered, niet vanwege onze rechtvaardige daden, maar uit barmhartigheid. Hij heeft ons gered door het bad van de wedergeboorte en de vernieuwende kracht van de heilige Geest," Tit. 3:5.
Wat voor nut heeft het, mijn broeders, als iemand zegt dat hij geloof heeft, en hij heeft geen werken? Kan dat geloof hem redding geven?”
Jak. 2:14;
Zie ook: Rom. 4:1–4; 5:15, 16; Gal. 3:1–3.
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All of these persons, therefore, were highly honored, and were made great. This was not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves. Nor are we justified by our own wisdom, understanding, godliness, or works that we have done in holiness of heart. Rather, we are justified by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men. Clement of Rome (c. 96, W), 1.13.
For what reason was our father Abraham blessed? Was it not because he worked righteousness and truth through faith?
Clement of Rome (c. 96, W), 1.13.
Therefore, let us not be ungrateful for His kindness. For if He were to reward us according to our works, we would cease to be.
Ignatius (c. 105, E), 1.63.
Being convinced at that time of our unworthiness of attaining life through our own works, it is now, through the kindness of God, graciously given to us. Accordingly, it is clear that in ourselves we were unable to enter into the kingdom of God. However, through the power of God, we can be made able. Letter to Diognetus (c. 125–200), 1.28.
Into this joy, many persons desire to enter. They know that “by grace you are saved, not of works,” but by the will of God through Jesus Christ. . . . But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also—if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness. Polycarp (c. 135, E), 1.33.
For Abraham was declared by God to be righteous, not on account of circumcision, but on account of faith. Justin Martyr (c. 160, E), 1.245.
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin” [Ps. 32:2]. That is, having repented of his sins, he can receive remission of them from God. But this is not as you [Jews] deceive yourselves, and some others who resemble you in this. For they say, that even though they remain sinners, the Lord will not impute sin to them, because they know God. Justin Martyr (c. 160, E), 1.270.
The Lord himself, who is Emmanuel from the virgin, is the sign of our salvation. It was the Lord Himself who saved them. For they could not be saved by their own instrumentality. Therefore, when Paul explains human infirmity, he says, “For I know that there dwells in my flesh no good thing” [Rom. 7:18]. He thus shows that the “good thing” of our salvation is not from us, but from God. And again: “Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?” [Rom. 7:24]. . . . Here we see that we must be saved by the help of God, not by ourselves.
Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.450.
No one, indeed, while placed out of reach of the Lord’s benefits, has power to procure for himself the means of salvation. So the more we receive His grace, the more we should love Him. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.478.
These men [the prophets] did not impute unto us [the Gentiles] our transgressions, which we did before Christ was manifested among us. Therefore, it is not right for us to lay blame upon those who sinned before Christ’s coming. For “all men fall short of the glory of God,” and are not justified of themselves. Rather, they are justified by the coming of the Lord —those who earnestly direct their eyes towards His light.
Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.499.
Those men who are devoid of sense [i.e., the Gnostics] . . . endeavor to bring in another Father. They point to [the punishments of the Old Testament]. They then contrast this with the great things the Lord did at His coming to save those who received Him, taking compassion upon them. However, they keep silent with regard to His judgments and all those things which will come upon those who have heard His words, but have not done them. For it would be better for them if they had not been born. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.501.
He confers His free gifts upon those who should [receive them]. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.517.
Christ redeems us righteously from [the apostasy] by His own blood. But as regards those of us who have been redeemed, [He does this] by grace. For we have given nothing to Him previously. Nor does He desire anything from us, as if He stood in need of it. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.528.
When man is grafted in by faith and receives the Spirit of God, he certainly does not lose the substance of flesh, but changes the quality of the fruit of his works. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.536.
Now he says that the things that save us are the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God. Irenaeus (c. 180, E/W), 1.537.
The apostolic Scripture speaks in this manner: “After that, the kindness and love of God our Savior to man appeared, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us.” Behold the might of the new song! It has made men out of stones and out of beasts! Furthermore, those who were as dead (since they were not partakers of the true life) have come to life again!
Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.172.
Rightly, then, to those who have believed and obey, grace will abound beyond measure. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.196.
Now the Lord Himself has most clearly revealed the equality of salvation, when He said: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes on Him, should have everlasting life.” Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.216.
“Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith.” It is therefore of no advantage to persons after the end of life, even if they do good works now, if they do not have faith. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.308.
We have discovered faith to be the first movement towards salvation. After faith, fear, hope, and repentance (accompanied by temperance and patience) lead us to love and knowledge. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.354.
Faith is power for salvation and strength to eternal life. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.360.
This is what it means to “be drawn by the Father”: It means to become worthy to receive the power of grace from God, so as to run without hindrance. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.435.
“For by grace we are saved”—but not, indeed, without good works. Rather, we must be saved by being molded for what is good, acquiring an inclination for it. And we must possess the healthy mind that is fixed on the pursuit of the good. For this, we have the greatest need of divine grace, of right teaching, of holy susceptibility, and of the drawing of the Father to Himself. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.445.
Perhaps it is, then, that the Father Himself draws to Himself everyone who has led a pure life and has reached the conception of the blessed and incorruptible nature. Or perhaps the free will that is in us, by reaching the knowledge of the good, leaps and bounds over the barriers—as the gymnasts say. Either way, it is not without eminent grace that the soul is winged, soars, and is raised above the higher spheres.
Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.464.
The apostle exhorts, “your faith should not be in the wisdom of men,” who profess to persuade, “but in the power of God,” who alone is able to save without proofs, but by mere faith. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.446.
The same from the foundation of the world is each one who at different periods is saved, and will be saved by faith.
Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.491.
The covenant of salvation, reaching down to us from the foundation of the world, through different generations and times, is one—although it is conceived as different in respect of the gift. For it follows that there is one unchangeable gift of salvation given by one God, through one Lord, benefiting in many ways. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.504.
Choice depended on the man as being free. But the gift depended on God as the Lord. And He gives to those who are willing, are exceedingly earnest, and who ask. In this manner, their salvation can become their own. For God does not compel. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.593.
Christ admonished [the rich man] to leave his busy life and to cleave to One, adhering to the grace of Him who offered everlasting life. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.594.
Into the impure soul, the grace of God finds no entrance. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.595.
To him who directs his eye to salvation and desires it, asking with boldness and vehemence for its bestowal, the good Father who is in heaven will give the true purification and the changeless life. Clement of Alexandria (c. 195, E), 2.604.
We make petition, then, that He supply us with the substance of His will and the capacity to do it—so that we may be saved both in the heavens and on earth. For the sum of His will is the salvation of those whom He has adopted. Tertullian (c. 198, W), 3.682.
Grace with the Lord, when once learned and undertaken by us, should never afterward be cancelled by repetition of sin.
Tertullian (c. 203, W), 3.660.
Her repentance as a sinner deserved forgiveness according to the mind of the Creator, who is accustomed to prefer mercy to sacrifice. But even if the stimulus of her repentance proceeded from her faith, she heard her justification by faith pronounced through her repentance, in the words, “Your faith has saved you.” This was by Him who had declared by Habakkuk, “The just man will live by his faith.” Tertullian (c. 207, W), 3.376.
It is the office of Christ’s Gospel to call men from the Law to grace. Tertullian (c. 207, W), 3.432.
He exhorts those who are justified by faith in Christ, and not by the Law, to have peace with God. Tertullian (c. 207, W), 3.458.
There is not a soul that can at all procure salvation, unless it believes while it is still in the flesh. For it is an established truth that the flesh is the very condition on which salvation hinges. Tertullian (c. 210, W), 3.551.
He seeks all and desires to save all. He wishes to make everyone the children of God. He calls all the saints unto one perfect man.
Hippolytus (c. 200, W), 5.205.
Some of the [heretics] . . . simply deny the Law and the Prophets for the sake of their lawless and impious doctrine. And under the pretense of grace, they have sunk down to the lowest abyss of perdition. Eusebius, quoting Caius (c. 215, W), 5.602.
It seems a possible thing that rational natures, from whom the faculty of free will is never taken away, may be again subjected to movements of some kind, through the special act of the Lord Himself. Otherwise, if they were always to occupy a condition that was unchangeable, they might not know that it is by the grace of God—and not by their own merit—that they have been placed in that final state of happiness.
Origen (c. 225, E), 4.272.
It is advantageous to each one for him to perceive his own particular nature and the grace of God. For he who does not perceive his own weakness and the divine favor, . . . not having tested himself nor having condemned himself, will imagine that the benefit conferred upon him by the grace of heaven is his own doing. And this imagination also produces vanity, which will be the cause of his downfall. . . . They have been revealed to babes—to those who after childhood have come to better things. These are those who remember that it is not so much from their own effort as by the unspeakable goodness [of God] that they have reached the greatest possible extent of blessedness. Origen (c. 225, E), 4.313.
How could Christ ever be the Advocate, the Atonement, and the Propitiation without the power of God? For it makes an end of our weakness and flows over the souls of believers. It is administered by Jesus, who indeed is prior to it and is Himself the Power of God. He enables a man to say: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who strengthens me.” Origen (c. 228, E), 9.317.
The passage declares that before God, no living being will be justified. This shows that in comparison with God—and the righteousness that is in Him—no one (even of the most perfect saints) will be justified. We might take an illustration from another scenario, saying that no candle can give light before the sun. By that, we do not mean that the candle will not give out light, but only that it will not be seen when the sun outshines it. Origen (c. 228, E), 9.333.
The strength of our will is not sufficient to procure the perfectly pure heart. For we need God to create it. He, therefore, who prays as he should, offers this petition to God: “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Origen (c. 248, E), 4.624.
When the Word of God says, “No man knows the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him,” he declares that no one can know God except by the help of divine grace coming from above, with a certain divine inspiration. Indeed, it is reasonable to suppose that the knowledge of God is beyond the reach of human nature. This is the reason for the many errors into which men have fallen in their views of God. [Our knowledge of God], then, is through the goodness and love of God to mankind and by a marvelous exercise of divine grace. Origen (c. 248, E), 4.629.
The first law of God is the foundation of the subsequent law. To you [Gentiles], indeed, it has been assigned to believe in the second law. . . . Now astounded, swear that you will believe in Christ. For the Old Testament proclaims Him. It is necessary only to believe in Him who was dead to be able to rise again to live for all time. . . . You reject, unhappy one, the advantage of heavenly discipline. You rush into death, wishing to stray without a bridle. Luxury and the short-lived joys of the world are ruining you. Commodianus (c. 240, W), 4.207.
It is not necessary to pay a price either in the way of bribery or of labor— such that man’s elevation or dignity or power would be begotten in him with elaborate effort. Rather, it is a gratuitous gift from God and is accessible to all. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.279.
. . . that the sanctification and quickening that is received from the grace of God may be preserved by His protection. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.450.
Implore God, who is the one and true God, in confession and faith of acknowledgment of Him. Pardon is granted to the man who confesses. And saving mercy is given from the divine goodness to the believer. . . . Christ bestows this grace. This gift of His mercy He confers upon us—by overcoming death in the trophy of the cross, by redeeming the believer with the price of His blood, by reconciling man to God the Father, and by giving life to our mortal nature with a heavenly regeneration. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.465.
We must boast in nothing, since nothing is our own. In the Gospel according to John: “No one can receive anything unless it were given him
from heaven.” Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.533.
He who does not believe is judged already. Cyprian (c. 250, W), 5.543.
Our Lord says to the paralytic man, “Be of good cheer, my son, your sins are forgiven you.” He said this so that He could show that hearts were purified by faith for the forgiveness of sins, which would follow. Similarly, the woman who was a sinner in the city obtained this same remission of sins. For the Lord said to her, “Your sins are forgiven you.” . . . From all of these things, it is shown that hearts are purified by faith, souls are washed by the Spirit, and bodies are washed by water. Finally, by blood we may more readily attain at once to the rewards of salvation.
Treatise on Re- Baptism (c. 257, W), 5.677.
There is need of humility, fear, and devotion in the greatest degree—lest anyone should put his confidence in his integrity and innocence. For, in doing this, he may incur the charge of pride and arrogance. Lactantius (c. 304–313, W), 7.193.
Must we beg you to “lower yourselves” to accept the gift of salvation from God? And must God’s gracious mercy be poured into your bosom, while you reject it with disdain and flee very far from it? . . . You will only have robbed yourself of the benefit of the gift. God compels no one; He terrifies no one with overpowering fear. Arnobius (c. 305, E), 6.458.