Catholic word of the Day: AUGUSTINIANISM, 05-17-11

Dear brother , wrap your mind around the fact that God is unchanging and immovable and God is love according to Scriptures along with being the first cause- which has to always be love because that is His essence

Anything that differs from love can NOT be from God or God would be moved and changed

Every one of us was willed Love by God from eternity,it is man who freely wills against that “first cause” love ,not God- who does not change.

The fullness of Scripture revealed through Christ bears out God of love, and many things in the Old Testament are “anti types” of what God is NOT that was revealed in Christ that points to unchanging love-Which IS the essence of God

That God is His own Essence*- Saint Thomas Aquinas
http://www2.nd.edu/Departments//Maritain/etext/gc1_21.htm

IN everything that is not its own essence, quiddity, or nature, there must be some composition. For since in everything its own essence is contained, — if in anything there were contained nothing but its essence, the whole of that thing would be its essence, and so itself would be its own essence. If then anything is not its own essence, there must be something in that thing besides its essence, and so there must be in it composition. Hence also the essence in compound things is spoken of as a part, as humanity in man. But it has been shown that in God there is no composition. God therefore is His own essence.

2. That alone is reckoned to be beyond the essence of a thing, which does not enter into its definition: for the definition declares what the thing essentially is. But the accidents of a thing are the only points about it which fall not within the definition: therefore the accidents are the only points about a thing besides its essence. But in God there are no accidents, as will be shown (Chap. XXIII): therefore there is nothing in Him besides His essence.

3. The forms that are not predicable of subsistent things, whether in the universal or in the singular, are forms that do not of themselves subsist singly, individualised in themselves. It is not said that Socrates or man or animal is whiteness; because whiteness is not anything subsisting singly in itself, but is individualised by the substance in which it exists. Also the essences or quiddities of genera or species are individualised according to the definite matter of this or that individual, although the generic or specific quiddity includes form and matter in general: hence it is not said that Socrates or man is humanity. But the Divine Essence is something existing singly by itself, and individualised in itself, as will be shown (Chap. XLII). The Divine Essence therefore is predicated of God in such a way that it can be said: ‘God is His own essence

Dear brother , wrap your mind around the fact that God is unchanging and immovable and God is love according to Scriptures

I believe I've stated that God is love. The issue is that we do not love the things of God nor do we want to do them. Our very nature rebels against God. As we see in Amos, God can throw blessings and curses at men; yet men will rebel against God no matter what is given. If Adam, being perfect man will rebel against God's command, do we honestly think we are any better? Adam chose to rebel so God gave Adam's race exactly what Adam wanted to do. It's not much different than the people of Israel wanting meat instead the bread of angels and God sending so much quail that it came out their nossils.

God's will is bent on restoring to Himself a people. Man's will is bent on resisting that restoration. The only way God can restore man is by giving man a new heart and a new spirit-one that will follow after Him. Thus man MUST be predestined since it is God who gives us that new heart and spirit all the while we are in a rebellious state. It's no different than St. Paul on the Damascus Road; God unblinding our eyes and opening our ears to see and hear the spiritual truth. It is difficult to argue that Paul wasn't predestined of God when Paul himself states it in Galatines:

Gal 1:13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

Gal 1:14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.

Gal 1:15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, [fn] and who called me by his grace,

Gal 1:16 was pleased to reveal his Son to [fn] me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;

Augustine mirrors only what Paul is stating; that God sets us apart, reveals Himself to us at the appropriate time, so that we might bear fruit for God's plan. And this is the love of God that He would even consider doing this for people who revile and hate Him. Day in, day out. Year after year, century after century. When really what we RIGHTFULLY DESERVE is death and destruction.

Some may think it may be unjust for God to open up some hearts and not others, but that is His perogative. It doesn't make Him less loving. What it makes Him is merciful and gracious to those who He saves for we all deserve the same wages of death and eternal fiery torment. And less we think highly of ourselves, we are reminded by scripture (and Augustine) that the ONLY reason we are saved is so we will believe and bear fruit for God's plan.

HD=””Thus man MUST be predestined since it is God who gives us that new heart and spirit all the while we are in a rebellious state. It’s no different than St. Paul on the Damascus Road; God unblinding our eyes and opening our ears to see and hear the spiritual truth. It is difficult to argue that Paul wasn’t predestined of God when Paul himself states it in Galatines:””

Dear friend,

I find it strange that protestant belief is that God willed the saved to sin until some point where they seem to proclaim they are saved,yet are allowed and willed to sin afterward and still be saved

How do you reconcile that an unmovable God allows sin as part of His will with some and not others and not be moved from His essence ,which is love?

Do you actually believe that God predestined and willed Saint Paul to kill Christians?

I find it strange that protestant belief is that God willed the saved to sin until some point where they seem to proclaim they are saved,yet are allowed and willed to sin afterward and still be saved

I'm not sure why you find this so strange. Isn't that what John states?

1Jn 1:7-10 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Please note that John uses "we", including himself. Yet he fully realized that he was saved.

How do you reconcile that an unmovable God allows sin as part of His will with some and not others and not be moved from His essence ,which is love?

I'm not sure I understand your question. God allows sin for all of us-Christian or not. This does not move God from His essence which is love. It only allows us to recognized how evil we are.

Christians seem to have lost this concept-that we are evil. Only God is good. We would like to think that we are "good" since we are made in God's image. But this is Renaissance thinking and in error. The scriptures tells we are evil:

Mat 7:11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Mar 10:18 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.

There you have it. Our Lord Jesus said only God is good (himself being God). Everyone else He tells us are evil. We need to pay attention to this for it helps us to understand our relationship with God and the Christ.

Do you actually believe that God predestined and willed Saint Paul to kill Christians?

Christians think too much in the here and now. They fail to think in terms of eternity. If a Christian is killed so what? They don't cease to exist. They move to a better life. So if God's will that Paul kill Christians so what? Those Christians have been martyred and now move into eternity richer for their reward.

Whatever our end, God works all things to our good. Nothing can hurt us that God doesn't have something better in store for us. And our end is predetermined to give us the rewards God would like to give us.