Romans first chapter, 5th verse =
through whom we have received grace & apostleship
to bring about the obedience of faith
for the sake of his name among all the nations
This obedience can be understood twofold, as both faith itself
and as that obedience by which men & women strive
in all things by faith in the Lord Christ and are obedient
to his Word. For who can be persuaded
and truly believe that Christ seeks
nothing but our salvation and certainly
gives it to those who follow him,
and yet not wholly assent to him in
every single thing and
render themselves compliant to him?
St. John Chrysostom observed. . . that the role of the apostles is simply
to pass on the proclamation of those things
which they had received
from the Lord, but that to persuade a soul
is the work of God.
Further, to be of faith is simply to embrace the things proclaimed
by the Word of God without inquiry
and over-curious investigation.
St. Ambrose thinks that the power of miracles is referred to here,
by which that is made believable
which otherwise was unbelievable
to the world. But by no means can even miracles persuade
the soul of the truth without the power of the Spirit.
Augustine understood this obedience precisely as faith in Christ,
and so also did Origen.
Erasmus further observes that obedience
of the faith is referred to by the apostle in contrast to obedience
of the law, by which he also calls the reader away from the
vain wisdom of the philosophers who sought to support the faith
with reasons and could not bear to simply believe the Word of God.
This certainly very strongly agrees with Paul's custom,
since he everywhere exhorts his readers to turn from the servitude
of the law to the servitude of Christ, and from the wisdom
of the flesh to the simplicity of faith.
And whenever he was inflamed
in whatever he said or wrote, Paul was aiming against all those things
that are contrary to the simplicity of faith.
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