Letter 244: To sin after receiving the most generous gifts of God's grace — and to do so on a scale greater than one's ancestors...
The grace of God is sufficient for every need, but it is given not to those who presume upon it but to those who humbly ask for it. Grace is not a wage earned by merit but a gift bestowed by love. The one who imagines he deserves it has already disqualified himself from receiving it, while the one who knows he does not deserve it has already qualified himself.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
ΣΜΑ΄. – ΔΙΟΣΚΟΡΩ.
Χρὴ μὴ μόνον ὑπὲρ ὧν εὐηργετήθης χάριν εἰδέναι (8), ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὲρ ὧν κωλύῃ ἀδικεῖν. Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ εἰ καὶ παράδοξόν σοι φαίνεται, εὐεργεσίας εἶδος μέγιστον τυγχάνει.
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