For we ourselves also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
Paul could be fulfilling the open works of the law, either by fear of man or God, and yet have evil affections within himself…. Knowing himself to be such in his internal affections, before the grace of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord, the apostle elsewhere confesses this very plainly…. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish and unbelieving, erring, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and holding one another in hatred.” Such was Saul even when he says that he was touching the righteousness which is in the law, without reproach. .
We may see in this portrait of a child of Adam, drawn by the hand of a master, what we should have been without Jesus Christ, and what we perhaps have been, as often as he has abandoned us to ourselves. Whoever cannot read in this his own depravity, has never studied as he ought his own heart.
One who breaks down the wall and steals something from within is not the only burglar, but also he who corrupts justice and wrongfully takes something from his neighbor. Let us not, then, overlook our own faults and sit in judgment on those of others. When it is the time for mercy, let us not search too closely into evil doing, but, keeping in mind what we ourselves have been previously like, let us now become gentle and merciful.
Therefore we ought to be gently disposed to all. For he who was formerly in such a state and has been delivered from it ought not to reproach others but to pray, to be thankful to him who has granted both to him and them deliverance from such evils. Let no one boast. All have sinned. If then, doing well yourself, you are inclined to revile others, consider your own former life and the uncertainty of the future, and restrain your anger.
Hateful, he says, and hating one another. For it must necessarily happen, when we let loose every pleasure on the soul, that there should be much hatred. For where love is, with virtue, no man overreaches another in any matter. Mark also what Paul says, Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you see how every species of wickedness prevailed? It was a state of gross darkness, and the corruption of all that was right. For if those who had the advantage of prophecies, and who saw so many evils inflicted upon their enemies, and even upon themselves, nevertheless did not restrain themselves, but committed numberless foolish crimes, what would be the case with others? One of their lawgivers ordered that virgins should wrestle naked in the presence of men. Many blessings on you! Tha...
Thus also he does in his Epistle to the Galatians, where he says, Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. Galatians 4:4 Therefore he says, Revile no one, for such also you were yourself.
For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
Therefore we ought to be thus to all, to be gently disposed. For he who was formerly in such a state, and has been delivered from it, ought not to reproach others, but to pray, to be thankful to Him who has granted both to him and them deliverance from such evils. Let no one boast; for all have sinned. If then, doing well yourself, you are inclined to revile others, consider your own former life, and the uncertainty of the future, and restrain your anger. For if you have lived virtuously from your earliest youth, yet nevertheless you may have many sins; and if you have not, as you think, co...
