13 September 2024
So great, then, is the difference between the law and grace, that
although the law is undoubtedly of God, yet the righteousness which is of the
law is not of God, but the righteousness which is consummated by grace is of
God. The one is designated the righteousness of the law, because it is done
through fear of the curse of the law; while the other is called the
righteousness of God, because it is bestowed through the beneficence of His
grace, so that it is not a terrible but a pleasant commandment, according to
the prayer in the psalm: Good are You, O Lord, therefore in Your goodness teach
me Your righteousness; that is, that I may not be compelled like a slave to
live under the law with fear of punishment; but rather in the freedom of love
may be delighted to live with law as my companion. When the freeman keeps a
commandment, he does it readily. And whosoever learns his duty in this spirit,
does everything that he has learned ought to be done.
St. Augustine
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