Section CCXCIV

The Apostle proceeds, and immediately adds¹ to the words “who wills all men to be saved,” καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, “and to come to the acknowledgment² of the truth.” Here nothing ought to be more important to us than rightly to determine what is denoted here by the appellation truth. But it is evident that truth can be denoted which is ἁπλῶς καὶ ἐξαιρέτως such, which is ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια, truth itself, and bears God himself regarded οὐσιωδῶς, essentially, before us. And indeed God wills all men to be blessed, and therefore wills substantial truth to be possessed by them through knowledge. It is evident, next, that truth accepted ὑποστατικῶς, hypostatically, can be denoted, which is the only-begotten Son of God himself, who said concerning himself³, “I am the way, καὶ ἀλήθεια, and the truth, and the life,” and concerning whom we read⁴, “This is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

But although these things can be denoted by the name of truth, it nevertheless ought not to be doubtful that, in this testimony of Paul with which we are occupied—

—the doctrine of salvation which is contained in the Christian profession is in reality signified. For a) such is a frequent acceptation of truth in the New Testament, as is effected by perspicuous examples⁵. By these, b) moreover, it is effected that τὴν ἀλήθειαν, truth, on the one hand, and τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας, τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, the truth of the Gospel, the way of truth, the word of truth, and the word of evangelical truth, on the other, mutually correspond in signification⁶. Hence c) ecclesiastical writers—Basil⁷, Cyril of Alexandria⁸, Oecumenius⁹, and others¹⁰—according to the manner received in the Bible, interpret τὴν ἀλήθειαν sometimes as τὴν ἀλήθειαν δογμάτων, the truth of dogmas; sometimes as τὴν κατάληψιν πραγμάτων, τῶν ἐπὶ τὸν μακάριον βίον φερόντων, the comprehension of those things which conduce to the blessed life; and sometimes as τὴν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν θεσπισμάτων παίδευσιν, τὴν ἀληθοῦς καὶ ἐν πνεύματι λατρείας τὴν δύναμιν ἔχουσαν, the instruction which is made through evangelical dogmas and which has the force of true and spiritual worship. That this interpretation d) is proper to this passage is evinced partly by the course and thread of the discourse and partly by the conjunction of the words. It is evinced e) by the course and thread of the discourse, since Paul labors at this, that he teach the order of acquiring salvation instituted by Christ as its author. But this order is expressed by the words¹¹, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.” And again, f) it is evinced by the conjunction of the words σωθῆναι and ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας. For elsewhere¹² σωθῆναι, to be saved, is interchanged with the formula εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, to enter into the kingdom of heaven, that is, to be—

—believed; whence also τοῖς σωζομένοις, those who are saved, is opposed to οἱ ἀπειθοῦντες, the unbelieving.

Therefore, the meaning of the whole member returns to this: “who wills all men to be saved and to come to the acknowledgment of the truth¹³,” that is, to believe. God wills, namely, that all men whatsoever be saved, be exempt from evil and endowed with blessedness; but because he wills that they be saved through faith and the knowledge of the truth¹⁴, he therefore also wills the faith of all, and wills that all believe and that all obtain in faith, as in a seed, the fruit of salvation.

Nor, indeed, does he will this by a circumscribed and sterile will, but by a wholly universal and fruitful will. For he wills it by the will of a savior, and indeed of the Savior of all men. But the will of a savior by its own nature is efficacious and active; and the will of the Savior of all men cannot be restricted and particular. In addition, let no one deny that the will of God shone forth most greatly in Christ, and that his οἰκονομίαν, economy, is therefore rightly and deservedly judged its most perfect manifestation¹⁵. But Christ signified, both by parables and by open sayings, that the divine will concerning advancing men to the knowledge of the truth is universal and active. He signified it by parables, and thus, comparing the followers of his doctrine with seed of good quality¹⁶, he admonished that the field—

—in which seed of this kind should grow is τὸν κόσμον, the world. But where he depicts his followers¹⁷ by images taken from a flock, he testifies that besides the Jews¹⁸ he has other sheep for whom he provides and whose care he solicitously bears. To the parables he added explicit testimonies: whether when, admiring the readiness of the Roman centurion¹⁹, he foretold that many from the whole world would accede to faith and be participants in the covenant entered into with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or when he declared²⁰ that the persecutions of the Jews would finally return to this, that both they and the remaining nations would be imbued with saving doctrine; or when to the words²¹, “No one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and he to whom the Son wills to reveal him,” he immediately subjoined, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you”; or when, about to ascend into heaven, he commanded the apostles²² to announce the Gospel πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, to every creature, and to admit πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, all nations, into the number of disciples²³.

Nor indeed is it wonderful; for it was necessary²⁴ that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and the remission of sins should be preached in his name εἰς πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, unto all nations. It was necessary²⁵ that the apostles should be witnesses to Christ in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, and even unto the uttermost part of the earth. It was necessary²⁶ that εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν, into all the earth, their sound should go forth, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης, and unto the ends of the world their—

—words. And it was necessary²⁷ that the word of salvation be proposed τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πᾶσι, to all²⁸ men, that πανταχοῦ, everywhere, all should do penance.

But what was necessary was abundantly fulfilled. For Mark writes concerning the apostles²⁹: “But they, going forth, preached πανταχοῦ, everywhere.” Paul concurs concerning the faith of the Romans, saying³⁰: “Your faith is announced ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, throughout the whole world.” And elsewhere³¹: “Whom, Christ, we announce, reproving πάντα ἄνθρωπον, every man, and teaching πάντα ἄνθρωπον, every³² man, in all wisdom, that we may present πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, every man³³ perfect in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, if any do not believe and are not illuminated by the light of truth, this must be derived from the fact that God indeed stretches forth his hands all day, but the people contradict³⁴; that God indeed calls, but men refuse³⁵; that the word indeed is preached, but men blaspheme it³⁶; that the Spirit indeed moves inwardly, but those men resist³⁷; and that many who hear the voice of God harden their hearts³⁸.