On the Spirit and the Letter

ON THE SPIRIT AND THE LETTER.

...was not spoken regarding figurative expressions—though it can be suitably understood in that way as well—but rather regarding the Law clearly forbidding what is evil. Once I have demonstrated this, it will certainly appear more clearly that living rightly is a divine gift. This is true not only because God gave man free will liberum arbitrium: the capacity to choose, which Augustine argues is a necessary part of being human but is insufficient for "living well" without the help of grace., without which one lives neither badly nor well; nor is it only because He gave a commandment to teach how one should live. It is also because through the Holy Spirit
Romans 5 He pours out charity original: "charitatem"; here referring to the divine love for God and others that enables a person to follow the law from the heart. into the hearts of those whom He foreknew so that He might predestine them, predestined them so that He might call them, called them so that He might justify them, and justified them so that He might glorify them.

When this becomes apparent, I think you will see that it is useless to say that only those things are possible without an example which are the works of God alone—such as the passage of the
Matthew 19 camel through the eye of a needle A reference to Matthew 19:24, illustrating things impossible for humans but possible through God's power., and whatever other things are impossible for us but easy for God. [It is wrongly argued] that human righteousness iustitia: often translated as "justice," but in this theological context, it refers to the state of being made right or "justified" before God through faith and grace. should not be counted among these things, on the grounds that it belongs to the work of man rather than God; [it is further argued] that if the perfection of such righteousness is possible in this life, there is no reason why it should be believed to exist without a historical example.

Therefore, it will be quite clear that this is said in vain once it is shown that human righteousness itself must be attributed to the work of God, even though it does not occur without the human will. Therefore, we cannot deny that its perfection is possible even in this life, because all things are possible for God—whether those He performs by His will alone, or those He has determined can be performed through Him with the cooperating wills of His creatures.

Because of this, whatever of these things He does not do remains without a historical example in actual works; yet, with God and within His power, there remains a cause for why it could be done, and within His wisdom, a reason why it was not done. Even if this reason remains hidden from a man, let him not forget that he is a man; let him not attribute foolishness to God simply because he cannot fully grasp God's wisdom. Pay attention, then, to the Apostle explaining to the Romans and sufficiently demonstrating what he wrote to the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 3 The letter kills, but the spirit