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The Fifteen Books of Aurelius Augustinus, Bishop of Hippo, on the Trinity

Chapter 11.--A Difficulty, How We are Justified in the Blood of the Son of God.

15. But what is meant by "justified in His blood?" What power is there in this blood, I beseech you, that they who believe should be justified in it? And what is meant by "being reconciled by the death of His Son?" Was it indeed so, that when God the Father was wroth with us, He saw the death of His Son for us, and was appeased towards us? Was then His Son already so far appeased towards us, that He even deigned to die for us; while the Father was still so far wroth, that except His Son died for us, He would not be appeased? And what, then, is that which the same teacher of the Gentiles himself says in another place: "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all; how has He not with Him also freely given us all things?" ¹ Pray, unless the Father had been already appeased, would He have delivered up His own Son, not sparing Him for us? Does not this opinion seem to be as it were contrary to that? In the one, the Son dies for us, and the Father is reconciled to us by His death; in the other, as though the Father first loved us, He Himself on our account does not spare the Son, He Himself for us delivers Him up to death. But I see that the Father loved us also before, not only before the Son died for us, but before He created the world; the apostle himself being witness, who says, "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world." ² Nor was the Son delivered up for us as it were unwillingly, the Father Himself not sparing Him; for it is said also concerning Him, "Who loved me, and delivered up Himself for me." ³ Therefore together both the Father and the Son, and the Spirit of both, work all things equally and harmoniously; yet we are justified in the blood of Christ, and we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. And I will explain, as I shall be able, here also, how this was done, as much as may seem sufficient.

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De Trinitate

XI.

[XI 15] Sed quid est iustificati in sanguine ipsius? Quae vis est huius sanguinis obsecro ut in eo iustificentur credentes? Et quid est reconciliati per mortem filii eius? Itane vero cum irasceretur nobis deus pater vidit mortem filii sui pro nobis et placatus est nobis? Numquid ergo filius eius usque adeo nobis iam placatus erat ut pro nobis etiam dignaretur mori, pater vero usque adeo adhuc irascebatur ut nisi filius pro nobis moreretur non placaretur? Et quid est quod alio loco idem ipse doctor gentium: Quid ergo, inquit, dicemus ad haec? Si deus pro nobis, quis contra nos? Qui filio proprio non pepercit sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit eum, quomodo non et cum illo omnia nobis donavit? Numquid nisi iam placatus esset pater proprio filio non parcens pro nobis eum traderet? Nonne videtur haec illi velut adversa esse sententia? In illa moritur pro nobis filius, et reconciliatur nobis pater per eius mortem; in hac autem tamquam prior nos dilexerit pater, ipse propter nos filio non parcit, ipse pro nobis eum tradit ad mortem. Sed video quod et antea pater dilexit nos non solum antequam pro nobis filius moreretur, sed antequam conderet mundum ipso teste apostolo qui dicit: Sicut elegit nos in ipso ante constitutionem mundi. Nec filius patre sibi non parcente pro nobis velut invitus est traditus quia et de ipso dictum est: Qui me dilexit et tradidit se ipsum pro me. Omnia ergo simul et pater et filius et amborum spiritus pariter et concorditer operantur. Tamen iustificati sumus in Christi sanguine et reconciliati sumus deo per mortem filii eius, et quomodo id factum si ut potero etiam hic quantum satis videbitur explicabo.