Image: Fellowship meal at Lynchburg RB Mission (1.7.18)
Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was an early Christian leader
and theologian in North Africa. His teaching stressed the sovereignty of God in
salvation and his writings deeply influenced the later Protestant Reformers,
including John Calvin. Reformed theology is, in fact, often described as being “Augustinian.”
Among his many writings is one called The Confessions, a work many consider to be the first autobiography.
In this book, Augustine reviews his life as part of a spiritual confession to
God. The opening chapter contains Augustine’s famous prayer, “thou hast made us
for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee” (Book I,
chapter 1).
Augustine carefully describes what his life was like before
his conversion. Of his student days, he recalls (in Book III, chapter 1):
I was looking for something to love,
for I was in love with loving, and I hated security and a smooth way, free from
snares. Within me I had a dearth of that inner food which is thyself, my God—although
that dearth caused me no hunger. And I remained without any appetite for incorruptible
food—not because I was already filled with it, but because the emptier I became
the more I loathed it. Because of this my soul was unhealthy; and full of
sores, it exuded itself forth, itching to be scratched by the scraping of the
senses.
He knew the Scriptures and sometimes read them, but they made
no impact upon him:
For my inflated pride was repelled by
their style, nor could the sharpness of my wit penetrate their inner meaning.
By God’s grace his eyes were eventually opened. His descriptions
of his life before faith is helpful for believers for at least two reasons.
First, it helps us remember our lives before Christ. Second, it helps us to
understand those who are apart from him.
I have also found many parallels in The Confessions and what we have been hearing in our exposition
through the Gospel of John. The Lord so often works slowly and patiently in the
lives of men. Let’s remember this in our concern and prayers for those who are
not believers and in considering the ongoing work of sanctification among the
saints.
Grace and peace, Pastor
Jeff Riddle
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