CHAPTER I
LECTURE 2
with which he graced us in the Beloved!
In him we possess freedom, through his blood, and forgiveness of our lapses.
So rich is God’s grace
6b. In which he hath graced us in his beloved Son.
7. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Now the Apostle writes of the fourth blessing (cf. 1:3), that of becoming pleasing [to God] through the gift of grace. Regarding this he does two things:
First, he touches on the giving of this blessing.
Secondly, he shows the manner and conditions of its bestowal (1:7).
Hence he first asserts: We are predestined unto the adoption of sons, for the praise of the glory of his grace—that grace, I say, in which he hath graced us in his beloved Son . In this respect, it should be noted that to be loved by someone is identical to being pleasing to him. For he is pleasing to ine whom I love. Now, since God loved us from eternity—he chose us before the foundation of the world in love, as has been said (1:4)—how has he made us pleasing to himself in time? A reply is that those whom he loves eternally in himself, he renders pleasing [to himself] in time according as they exist in their own natures. The former [his love] is from eternity and is not created, the latter happens in time and is said to come into being. Hence the Apostle says that he hath graced us , that is, made us pleasing that we should be worthy of his love. “See what love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; ans so we are” (1 Jn. 3:1).
Two types of grace are customarily distinguished: charismatic grace freely given without being merited—“And, if by grace, it is now not by works; otherwise grace is no more grace.” (Rom. 11:6)—and sanctifying grace which makes us pleasing and acceptable to God. * The latter is the grace dealt with here.
Notice how persons can be loved for the sake of others, or for their own sake. For when I love someone very much, I love him and whatever belongs to him. We are loved by God, not for what we are in ourselves, but in him who by himself is beloved of the Father. Thus the Apostle adds in his beloved Son on account of whom he loves us and to the degree that we are like him. For love is based on similarity: “Every beast loves its like: so also every man his neighbor” (Sir. 13:15). By his own nature, the Son is similar to the Father, he is beloved before all else and essentially. Hence he is naturally, and in a most excellent way, loved by the Father. We, on the other hand, are sons through adoption to the degree that we are conformed to his Son; in this way we enjoy a certain participation in the divine love. “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has life everlasting” (Jn. 3:35-36). “He has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1: 13).
Next (1:7), he sets down the way itself [that grace is given]. Concerning this he does two things:
First, the part of Christ in the way it is given.
Secondly, the part of God in it, at according to the riches of his grace (1: 7b).
On the part of Christ he writes of two ways through which Christ has made us pleasing [to God]. For within us there exists two antagonisms to the divine good pleasure, the stains of sin and the punishing injuries [sin inflicts]. justice is as opposed to sin as life is to death, so that through sin, having departed from our likeness to God, we cease being pleasing to God. But through Christ he has made us pleasing. First, indeed, by abolishing the punishment; and in reference to this he says that in Christ we have redemption from the slavery of sin. “You know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, from the vain manner of life handed down from your fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). “You have redeemed [us] for God, by thy blood” (Apoc. 5:9).
Secondly, we are said to be redeemed because through Christ we are freed from a slavery in which we were caught as a result of sin without ourselves being capable of fully making satisfaction. By dying for us, Christ has satisfied the Father and thus the penalty of sin was abolished. * Whence he says unto the remission of sins . “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). “It is written that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name” (Lk. 24:46-47).
The way [we are blessed with grace] on God’s part is set down in according to the riches of his grace . As though he said: In making us pleasing to himself, God not only forgave us our sins, but be gave his own Son to make reparation on our behalf. This was from an overflowing graciousness by which he willed to preserve the human race’s honor while, as though in justice, willing men to be freed from the slavery of sin and death through the death of his own Son. Thus, in saying according to the riches of his grace he seems to state: That we were redeemed and made pleasing [to God] through the satisfaction of his Son comes from an overflowing grace and mercy since mercy and compassion are bestowed on those having no claim to it.
In what has been said so far we have followed the interpretation of a Gloss * which seems to be a far-fetched exposition since the same idea expressed in one phrase occurs in another. He chose us is the same as to say he predestinated us . And the same idea is expressed in that we should be holy and unspotted as in unto the adoption of children .
In this regard it should be known that the customary procedure of the Apostle, when speaking of a difficult subject, is to explain what went before by what immediately follows. This is not verbal proliferation but an exposition; and this is the method the Apostle uses here. Retaining the same import of the words, we may divide it differently from the beginning (v. 3) into three sections:
First, the Apostle gives thanks in Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ .
Secondly, he mentions conjointly the bestowal of all blessings in who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ .
Thirdly, he gives a clear expression of the divine blessings in particular (v. 4 ff.).
This latter is divided into two parts:
First, he distinctly formulates the blessings.
Secondly, he interprets them (v. 5).
He formulates the blessings:
First, as regards election, in as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world .
Secondly, as regards its consequences, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight .
First, he treats of election, for there are two types of election, one involving a present justification and another an eternal predestination. Concerning the first John 6 (71) states: “Have not I chosen you twelve? And one of you is a devil?” But this is not what the Apostle refers to since it did not occur before the foundation of the world . So he immediately clarifies what he means, that it is the second type, eternal predestination. Thus he says Who hath predestinated us ... (v. 5). As he said in Christ (v. 3) to signify that we are assimilated and conformed to Christ in proportion as we are [God’s] adopted children, so he adds unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ . What he means by in charity he explains when he says In whom we have redemption through his blood . As though he affirmed: We have, etc. * Unspotted is expounded by unto the remission of sins ; while in his sight is explained by unto the praise of the glory of his grace .