CONTRA FATUM

“It is so ordered in the judgment of God that all are effectively inclosed in the fold of the disobedient and so hemmed in to disobedience that there is no possibility of escape from the servitude except as the mercy of God gives release. There is no possiblilty of toning down the severity of the action here stated.”       “It is, however, the severity that exhibits the glory of the main thought of this verse. It is ‘that he might have mercy upon all.’ The more we reflect upon the implications of the first clause the more enhanced becomes our apprehension of the marvel of the second. And it is not mere correlation of disobedience and mercy that we have now; it is that the shutting up to disobedience without any amelioration of the severity involved, is directed to the end of showing mercy” (New International Commentary series on Romans, p.102).

"Those who elect themselves to draw up modern creeds, devise new litur- gies and experiments or proposals for Christian living when there is no crisis of the church's struggle for its authentic witness in the world against invasion from the world turn out to be at best plunderers and looters or at worst petty pilferers of the Christian tradition. These efforts are often only exercises in translation, efforts to communicate better in contemporary idiom. This is not apt to prove generative." (Paul Ramsey, “Liturgy and Ethics” in The Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. 7, No. 2 (Fall 1979), pp. 139-171, p. 140

”He is in no respect whatever the 'cause of evil. For all things are arranged with a view to the salvation of the universe by the Lord of the universe, both generally and particularly. It is then the function of the righteousness of salvation to improve everything as far as practicable. For even minor matters are arranged with a view to the salvation of that which is better, and for an abode suitable for people’s character. Now everything that is virtuous changes for the better; having as the proper cause of change the free choice of knowledge, which the soul has in its own power. But necessary corrections, through the goodness of the great overseeing Judge, both by the attendant angels, and by various acts of anticipative judgment, and by the perfect judgment, compel egregious sinners to repent.” (Str. VII 12.2-5) "κακίας δ' αὖ πάντῃ πάντως ἀναίτιος. πρὸς γὰρ τὴν τοῦ ὅλου σωτηρίαν τῷ τῶν ὅλων κυρίῳ πάντα ἐστὶ διατεταγμένα καὶ καθόλου 7.2.12.3 καὶ ἐπὶ μέρους. ἔργον οὖν τῆς...

The favorite idol of so-called conservative Christians is the Bible. The religion of this idol is called Biblicism. Biblicists can be recognized by their use of phrases such as "the Bible says" or "the Bible teaches". But of course, the Bible doesn't speak or teach anything - God does. Biblicists tend to transfer properties of God and Christ to the Bible. The Bible is said to be the Word of God, holy, inerrant, infallible, and so on. More sophisticated biblicists acknowledge that though the Bible is written by human beings, it is also the Word of God in the same way that Jesus is fully human and fully divine - which is of course just transferring the teachings on the two natures of Christ to the Bible. But what does the Bible say?

”What language can attain to the marvels of the Creator? What ear could understand them? And what time would be sufficient to relate them? Let us say, then, with the prophet, “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.” We shall not be able to say in self-justification, that we have learnt useful knowledge in books, since the untaught law of nature makes us choose that which is advantageous to us. Do you know what good you ought to do your neighbour? The good that you expect from him yourself. Do you know what is evil? That which you would not wish another to do to you. Neither botanical researches nor the experience of simples have made animals discover those which are useful to them; but each knows naturally what is salutary and marvellously appropriates what suits its nature.” (In Hex. 9.3) "Τίς ἐφίκηται λόγος; ποία χωρήσει ἀκοή; τίς ἐξαρκέσει χρόνος πάντα εἰπεῖν καὶ διηγήσασθαι τοῦ τεχνίτου τὰ θαύματα; Εἴπωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τοῦ προφήτου, Ὡς ἐμεγα...

”[...]if we want to know what righteousness is, it is essential for us to know what unrighteous is; and when we have arrived at a complete knowledge of unrighteousness, on that basis we shall recognize what righteousness is as well; for when it becomes clear what is unjust, as a consequence, what is just will become visible as well. And because righteousness is in God, whose nature is inaccessible to human perception, but unrighteousness dwells in us men, in fact in all rational creatures, from our unrighteousness, which is known to us, the righteousness of God, which is, as it were, inaccessible and incomprehensible to us, is recognized and confirmed and produced as if from the opposition of opposites.” (In Rom. 3.1.7)

"'Be of one mind toward one another.' These words have become rather obscure in translation, not in essence. What he [Paul] is saying is that we should be as mindful of our brother as we are of our own selves; and thus we should wish for our neighbor as we also wish for own (sic!) selves. As even the Lord said in the Gospel, 'Do unto others the same things you wish men to do unto you.'" (In Rom. 9.16)