Today marks the 1680th anniversary of Augustine’s death. He died on this day on 430 A.D.
Augustine was influential in articulating the gospel of justification by faith and was the godly inspiration of many who would follow more than a millennium later in the reformation.
Thinking of Augustine’s death reminded me of one of my favorite statements attributed to him: “love God and do what you will.” That is, cultivate a deep and abiding love and fellowship for God and then you can do whatever you desire because those desires will be informed and ordered by that love.
And before I was aware of the anniversary of his death, I had already selected a statement by him for tomorrow’s sermon:
“If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”
If you’d like to know more about Augustine, John Piper has included a biography of him in his excellent work, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (which also includes brief biographies of Luther and Calvin).
You may read the sermon on which that biography is based here, or listen to it here:
(To download this sermon, single-click here.)
Words of Grace 