Against Heresies: Book III

God was therefore long-suffering when humanity became wayward, as He foresaw the victory that would be granted through the Word. When strength was made perfect in weakness, it demonstrated God's kindness and transcendent power. Just as He allowed Jonah to be swallowed by the whale—not to perish completely, but to be cast out again and become more devoted to God, glorifying Him for the unexpected deliverance, and leading the Ninevites to lasting repentance—they turned to the Lord and were delivered from death, struck with awe by the miracle in Jonah's case, as Scripture says, “And they turned each from his evil way and the unrighteousness in their hands, saying, Who knows if God will repent and turn away His anger from us, and we shall not perish?” In the same way, from the start, God allowed humanity to be swallowed by the great whale, who was the author of transgression, not to perish but to set up and ready the plan of salvation, fulfilled by the Word, through the sign of Jonah, for those who shared Jonah's belief in the Lord and who confessed, saying, “I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” This was so humanity, receiving unexpected salvation from God, might rise from the dead and glorify God, repeating what Jonah prophetically said: “I cried by reason of my affliction to the Lord my God, and He heard me out of the belly of hell;” and that he might continue glorifying God, giving thanks without ceasing for the salvation received from Him, “that no flesh should glory in the Lord’s presence;” so that humanity would never adopt an opposite view regarding God, thinking that incorruptibility is naturally theirs, and, by not holding the truth, would boast vainly as if naturally like God.

FOR SATAN MADE MAN MORE UNGRATEFUL TOWARDS HIS CREATOR: obscured the love God had towards man, and blinded his mind to not perceive what is worthy of God, comparing himself and judging himself equal to God.

THE PATIENCE OF GOD HAD THIS PURPOSE: that humans, passing through various experiences and gaining moral understanding, might eventually achieve the resurrection from the dead, learning through experience the source of their salvation. In doing so, they should always live in gratitude to the Lord, having received from Him the gift of incorruptibility, so that they might love Him more, for "he to whom more is forgiven, loves more." This also helps them recognize their own mortality and weakness, while understanding that God is immortal and powerful enough to grant immortality to the mortal and eternity to the temporal.

Through these realizations, they become knowledgeable of God's attributes as they pertain to themselves, and with this instruction, they can think of God in light of His divine greatness. The glory of man is God, and His works are God's glory; man is the vessel for all His wisdom and power. Just as a physician is known through his patients, God is revealed through humans.

Therefore, Paul states, "For God hath concluded all in unbelief, that He may have mercy upon all," referring to humans who had been disobedient to God and cast away from immortality, but then received mercy, gaining adoption by God through His Son.

Those who humbly recognize the true glory of creation and the Creator, who is the Almighty God granting existence to all, and who remain in His love and gratitude, will receive greater glory and promotion. They look forward to becoming like Him who died for them, for He "was made in the likeness of sinful flesh" to condemn sin and remove it from flesh. He calls humans to His likeness, making them imitators of God and giving them His Father's law, so they may see God and have the power to receive the Father.

Being the Word of God who lived in man and became the Son of man, He accustomed humanity to receive God, and God to dwell in humans, according to the Father's good will.

ON THIS ACCOUNT: therefore, the Lord Himself, who is Emmanuel from the Virgin, is the sign of our salvation, since it was the Lord Himself who saved them, because they could not be saved on their own; and, therefore, when Paul explains human weakness, he says: “For I know that nothing good dwells in my flesh,” showing that the “good thing” of our salvation is not from us, but from God. And again: “Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?” Then he introduces the Deliverer, saying, “The grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Isaiah declares this as well, when he says: “Be strengthened, hands that hang down, and feeble knees; be encouraged, faint-hearted; be comforted, fear not: behold, our God has given judgment with retribution, and will recompense: He will come Himself, and will save us.” Here we see, that we must be saved not by ourselves, but by the help of God.

4. Once more, it was not meant to be a mere man who would save us, nor someone without flesh—for the angels are without flesh—the same prophet announced, saying: “Neither an elder nor angel, but the Lord Himself will save them because He loves them, and will spare them: He will Himself set them free.” And that He should become truly human and visible when He should be the Word bringing salvation, Isaiah again says: “Behold, city of Zion: your eyes shall see our salvation.” And to show that it was not a mere man who died for us, Isaiah says: “And the holy Lord remembered His dead Israel, who had slept in the land of burial; and He came down to preach His salvation to them, so that He might save them.” And Amos (Micah) the prophet declares the same: “He will turn again and will have compassion upon us: He will destroy our iniquities and will cast our sins into the depths of the sea.” And again, specifying the place of His coming, he says: “The Lord has spoken from Zion, and He has uttered His voice from Jerusalem.” And that it is from the region south of the inheritance of Judah that the Son of God shall come, who is God, and who was from Bethlehem, where the Lord was born and will send out His praise throughout all the earth, thus says the prophet Habakkuk: “God shall come from the south, and the Holy One from Mount Ephraim.

HIS POWER COVERED THE HEAVENS OVER: and the earth is full of His praise. Before His face shall go forth the Word, and His feet shall advance in the plains.” Thus he clearly indicates that He is God and that His coming was to take place in Bethlehem, and from Mount Ephraim, which is towards the south of the inheritance, and that He is man. For he says, “His feet shall advance in the plains,” and this is a characteristic proper to man.