Confessions - Book XI - Chapter Xxxi
St. Augustine reflects on God's eternal and unchanging knowledge, contrasting it with human understanding, and calls for humility before the divine mystery.
In this devotional sermon, St. Augustine explores the profound mystery of God's eternal and unchanging knowledge, contrasting it with the limited and temporal understanding of humans. He emphasizes the greatness of God's omniscience and the importance of humility in approaching the divine. Through rich biblical imagery and thoughtful reflection, Augustine invites listeners to acknowledge God's majesty and find solace in His uplifting presence.
Text
41. O Lord my God, what a chasm there is in thy deep secret! How far short of it have the consequences of my sins cast me? Heal my eyes, that I may enjoy thy light. Surely, if there is a mind that so greatly abounds in knowledge and foreknowledge, to which all things past and future are as well known as one psalm is well known to me, that mind would be an exceeding marvel and altogether astonishing. For whatever is past and whatever is yet to come would be no more concealed from him than the past and future of that psalm were hidden from me when I was chanting it: how much of it had been sung from the beginning and what and how much still remained till the end. But far be it from thee, O Creator of the universe, and Creator of our souls and bodies--far be it from thee that thou shouldst merely know all things past and future. Far, far more wonderfully, and far more mysteriously thou knowest them. For it is not as the feelings of one singing familiar songs, or hearing a familiar song in which, because of his expectation of words still to come and his remembrance of those that are past, his feelings are varied and his senses are divided. This is not the way that anything happens to thee, who art unchangeably eternal, that is, the truly eternal Creator of minds. As in the beginning thou knewest both the heaven and the earth without any change in thy knowledge, so thou didst make heaven and earth in their beginnings without any division in thy action.[453] Let him who understands this confess to thee; and let him who does not understand also confess to thee! Oh, exalted as thou art, still the humble in heart are thy dwelling place! For thou liftest them who are cast down and they fall not for whom thou art the Most High.[454]
Sermon Outline
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I. The Depth of God's Knowledge
- God's knowledge encompasses all past and future events
- Human knowledge is limited and divided by time
- God's knowledge is eternal and unchanging
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II. The Mystery of God's Eternity
- God's knowledge and action are simultaneous and indivisible
- Creation reflects God's eternal nature
- God's understanding surpasses human analogy
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III. The Call to Humility
- God dwells with the humble in heart
- God lifts up the lowly and protects them
- Acknowledging God's greatness leads to spiritual exaltation
Key Quotes
“O Lord my God, what a chasm there is in thy deep secret! How far short of it have the consequences of my sins cast me?” — St. Augustine
“Far be it from thee, O Creator of the universe, and Creator of our souls and bodies--far be it from thee that thou shouldst merely know all things past and future.” — St. Augustine
“Oh, exalted as thou art, still the humble in heart are thy dwelling place! For thou liftest them who are cast down and they fall not for whom thou art the Most High.” — St. Augustine
Application Points
- Cultivate humility to experience God's presence more deeply.
- Reflect on God's eternal knowledge to trust His sovereign plan.
- Recognize the limits of human understanding and rely on God's wisdom.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does St. Augustine mean by God's knowledge being eternal?
He means that God knows all things past, present, and future simultaneously without any change or division in His knowledge.
How does human knowledge differ from God's knowledge according to the sermon?
Human knowledge is sequential and divided by time, while God's knowledge is unchanging and eternal.
Why is humility important before God?
Because God dwells with the humble and lifts up those who are lowly, humility opens one to God's presence and grace.
What biblical imagery does Augustine use to describe God's knowledge?
He compares it to knowing a familiar psalm completely, both past and future verses, but infinitely greater and unchanging.