THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
My esteemed brother Severus has yet to grace us with the joy his conversations promise; he recognizes that he holds an obligation to us. The Lord has delighted in his words throughout all the Churches he has visited, and certainly, the Church from which his teachings have gone forth should rejoice even more. What can we do but align ourselves with his intentions? I have clarified, dear ones, that his delay does not equate to deception. Hence, we should regard him as a debtor and not release him until he has fulfilled his obligation. Take heed, dear friends: let us, as the Lord allows, reflect on this Psalm, which you are already familiar with; for a renewed contemplation of the truth is a delightful thing. Perhaps when you first heard its title, some were taken aback by it. The inscription states: When the house was built after the Captivity. With this title preceding the text, one may anticipate descriptions of the stones hewn from the mountains, the materials gathered to the site, the foundations laid, the beams elevated, and the columns erected. However, this Psalm's lyrics focus on something else entirely. It is not a physical house that is being constructed, as its true location is not bound to a single place or region. The Psalm opens with: Sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth (Psalm 94:1). If all the earth is singing a new song, it is, in fact, simultaneously building as it sings; the act of singing constructs, provided it is not singing an old song. The desires of the flesh sing the old song, while devotion to God gives voice to the new. Consider the reason it is a new song: the Lord proclaimed, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another (John 15:12). Thus, when the whole earth sings this new song, the house of God is being erected within it. If the entirety of the earth constitutes the house of God, then anyone detached from it exists as a ruin, reminiscent of those ancient ruins that cast shadows of the former temple. In that place, the old was dismantled to make way for the new.
The Apostle encompasses us in this structure, binding us together in unity with the words, Indulging one another with love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:2-3). Where this unity of the Spirit resides, there exists one stone formed from many. How is one created from multiple? By humbling ourselves toward one another in love. Thus, the house of our Lord is being erected; this is the work unfolding, for these are the words, the readings, the proclamation of the Gospel spread throughout the world as the house is under construction. This house has expanded significantly and embraced many nations; yet, it has not yet triumphed over all. In its proliferation, it has garnered many adherents and will ultimately prevail; such claims are dismissed by those who prattle about belonging to this house, asserting that it has relinquished its status. Meanwhile, it continues to flourish, and those nations that have yet to believe are indeed destined for belief. Who can claim to predict which tongues may come to believe? Which of the outsiders? What does it matter if the Holy Spirit manifests in fiery tongues (Acts 2:3), if not to reveal that no tongue is so hardened it cannot be softened by this divine fire? Many barbarous nations have already embraced Christ; regions untouched by the Roman Empire now belong to Him. That which is shut off to those armed with swords is open to those who wield the wood of the Cross. For the Lord has reigned through the wood. Who wields the wood? It is Christ. Through His cross, He triumphed over kings, laying that same cross upon their brows, which they now boast in, for therein lies their salvation. This is how work is done; thus, the house grows and is established. To illustrate, consider the following verses from the Psalm: Behold how they labor to build the house. Sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name: proclaim the good news of His salvation day by day (Psalm 95:2). How does the building expand? Through the proclamation of His salvation continually. Let it be heralded daily; day by day, He affirms, let My house grow. And it seems the laborers inquire, "Where do You desire this to be constructed? Where shall Your house expand? Grant us a flat and spacious site if You wish for a grand house." Yet He delineates the place: Proclaim to the Gentiles His honor. Declaring His honor, not yours. O builders, honor Him before the nations. If you seek to glorify yourselves, you will fall; but in honoring Him, you will strengthen the structure as you build. Consequently, those who opt to exalt themselves refuse to reside in this house; thereby, they do not join in this new song alongside all of creation.
Those who do not harmonize with the global chorus do not erect a house; they merely construct a whitewashed wall. How sternly does God chastise the whitewashed wall? Numerous prophetic testimonies condemn the whitewashed wall. What is a whitewashed wall but a façade of hypocrisy? Externally appealing, yet internally tainted. One individual remarked about this whitewashed wall: to enter through a door you crafted in a solitary wall disassociated from others leads only to the outside; similarly, those who refuse to join in a new song alongside the house but instead erect a flimsy wall are left with a door that serves no purpose. Should you enter, you will find yourself outside, for they have not entered through the door themselves and thus their entrance is barred. The Lord declares, I am the door: by me they enter in (John 10:9). Proclaim His honor to the nations. Who are the nations? Perhaps some may contend that a few places, such as Getulia, Numidia, Mauritania, and Byzacia, are not nations. Yet provinces are nations too. The word of God must supplant hypocrisy, encompassing the world in its edifice. It is insufficient to command, Proclaim Him to the Gentiles; thus, lest you presume that any nations are excluded, He added, and His miracles to all men.
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised (Psalm 95:4). Who but Jesus Christ is great and deserving of such exaltation? You know with certainty that He manifested as a man; you understand that He was conceived in a woman’s womb, born, nurtured, carried, circumcised, and received sacrifice for His growth; ultimately, you know He was beaten, spat upon, crowned with thorns, crucified, died, and pierced with a spear; you are aware of His endurance through it all: He is great and worthy of praise. Do not discard the humble; grasp the profound. He assumed humility due to your frailty; let His greatness be acknowledged, and in Him, you shall derive greatness. What can a small tongue articulate in adoration of the Great One? It declares; Above praise, granting the imagination concepts that can barely encapsulate Him; as though to say, “Contemplate that which eludes expression,” and in your contemplation, you will find it insufficient. What human utterance can encapsulate what the mind cannot? The Lord is great and deserving of honor. Let Him be extolled and proclaimed: declare His glory and construct His house.
For the location intended for construction is itself wooded, as we recognized yesterday. He sought that very house when He said, in the woods. Why is this place wooded? The people worshipped idols; no surprise then they tended swine. That wayward son who forsook his father and squandered his inheritance on dissipation, becoming as the prodigal son, tended swine (Luke 15:12-15), essentially worshipping the demonic; this very superstition rooted in the Gentiles turned the entire earth into a forest. And he who builds a house must uproot at least one tree; hence, it was remarked, “While the house was being constructed, after the captivity.” For the people were captives of the adversary, enslaved to demons; yet they were redeemed from bondage. They had the ability to sell themselves, but not the power to liberate themselves. The Redeemer arrived, setting forth the price; He shed His blood and purchased the world. You ask, what did He acquire? Reflect on what He sacrificed; determine then what He has purchased. The price was the blood of Christ. What else could equal that? Naturally, it was the entire world; all nations. Those who claim such a price is too meager—suggesting it was meant only for Africans—or that they themselves deserve it entirely, are foolishly ungrateful. Let them not boast or be prideful: what He offered was for the whole world. He recognized what He acquired, for He knew the cost at which He achieved it. Therefore, as we have been redeemed, the house is constructed after the Captivity. Who were our captors? It is those who are called to declare His glory, who will excavate the roots to liberate the earth and erect a house while proclaiming the greatness of the Lord’s dwelling. How can the malignant tree be eradicated if the One greatest above them all is not proclaimed? All nations previously turned to demonic deities: the entities they referred to as gods were, in fact, demons, as the Apostle stated more explicitly, “That which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God” (1 Corinthians 10:20). They remained in bondage due to their sacrifices to such demons, hence the earth remained as timber; He is indeed declared to be great and transcendent over all worldly accolades.
For when it was said, “He is to be feared above all gods,” it was added, “As for all the gods of the nations, they are devils.” Indeed, all the gods of the heathens are demons. Is this the praise bestowed upon the One unworthy of acclaim, that He surpasses all the false deities, who are merely demons? Listen carefully: God created the heavens. Hence, He is not only greater than all gods, but also above all of creation, the heavens He Himself fashioned. Were He to merely claim superiority over the other gods—since the Gentile deities are nothing more than demons—the acknowledgment of our Lord would fall short of what we have always understood about Christ. However, when he proclaims, “But the Lord made the heavens,” consider the contrast between heaven and demons, and the elevation of Him who created the heavens. He did not say, “But the Lord sitteth in the heavens,” which might imply that someone else had created them while He occupied a throne; rather, it asserts that the Lord made the heavens. If He fashioned the heavens, He also created the angels; He Himself crafted the angels and the apostles. The demons yield to the Apostles; yet the Apostles themselves are the heavens through which the Lord birthed His presence. O heavens that He has created, declare His honor to the Gentiles! Let His house rise across the earth; may the entirety of creation sing a new song.