This is a piece I wrote for a class my junior year of high school...but these themes have so resonated with my heart recently, I decided to share my work. Enjoy :)
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Glory has been a life-and-death word for many people. The ancient Greeks saw death in battle as the height of all glory; the Crusaders pursued the glory of God; modern terrorists are willing to go out of their way to achieve glory for their countries, themselves, or the gods they worship. Certainly, the human race pours a great deal of time, effort, energy, and sacrifice into glory. Yet, this engrossment with a single word, the world’s fascination with five letters, begs a question: why? As broad of a question as it may seem to be, perhaps the real answer lies in another single word: love. In his City of God, St. Augustine of Hippo proposes that two very different, but intertwined cities exist among humanity: namely, the city of God, and the city of man. These two cities, he suggests, are built entirely on two very different loves. This essay examines what those loves are, their Biblical nature, and what St. Augustine has to say about them.
“Accordingly, two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self.” (477, Book XIV.28) So begins one of the most definitive passages in Augustine’s most exhaustive work. The loves of these cities, he says, have become so deeply rooted that whatever does not meet the end of their love is held in contempt -- the word one dictionary defines as “willful disobedience.” (Merriam-Webster.com, “contempt”) In this passage, a sort of three-point outline is developed: first, there are two cities; second, they have two loves; finally, there are two Biblical passages that provide archetype-images of each city. The two cities are referred to as the city of God, and the city of man, where they are likewise defined by the love of God and the love of man. Serving as vivid depictions of each city are Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 15.
A marked difference is easily seen between the two passages, which, when compared, show the incredible dissimilarity between the cities.To understand why Augustine makes the claims he does, and offers the Scriptures named, a consideration of the two Biblical passages mentioned
will be helpful.
Say something enough times, and people will start to believe it. While this line is often thrown around relating to communism, politics, and marketing, it can be just as easily applied to the way people fall into sin. Of course, all human beings are born with sin, but becoming a VIP in the city of man is taking it to a new level. It is a process of believing lies, and forsaking righteousness. Romans 1:21 explains what happens when a person reaches this standard of ungodliness. “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”2 This is the city of man. As Augustine said, the earthly city loves itself, to the point where it is comfortable holding God in contempt -- disobeying his mandates. (477, Book XIV.28) Romans 1 is very clear in pointing this out. The passage goes on to explain what kinds of actions are a result of a person’s heart falling away from God. Important to Romans 1 is the word darkened, and the many synonyms for it that appear throughout the chapter. The city of man, in all its pomp and circumstance, is by nature a waning candle. Darkness cannot last forever.
Reality cries out that darkness still exists, though. Many of these various evils are listed -- not exhaustively -- in Romans 1. The passage often speaks of those living in darkness as exchanging one thing for another, or God giving them up to ungodly things. While it would be unreasonable to list all of these wrongdoings in this condensed work, it is enough to say that at least twenty-six individual sins are listed, not counting various synonyms and restatements. Interestingly, a large number of them are sins committed in the heart. Why would this be, except that some kind of love is motivating all these sins? The heart is the center of love and hatred: a sin of the heart must, by inference, be driven by love or hatred. It is in this that Augustine begins to be proven correct, because as he said that the city of man is the worship of self, so it says in Romans 1:25, “...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator...” Worship, as it is used in theology, is bringing glory to a thing or being. The city of man brings glory only to itself, exchanging God’s eternal glory for something temporal. This, however, leaves the reader hanging. If the citizens of the city of man sin extensively just because of their loyalty to themselves, what happens to the citizens of the city of God? What do they get?
If Romans 1 was about the fall of ungodly people, then 1 Corinthians 15 is about the restoration of godly people. Romans 1 talked about the subjection of the ungodly to sin; 1 Corinthians 15 talks about the raising up of the godly from sin. In this glorious passage is the description of Christ’s coming and reign. All shall be in subjection to him, and none shall be exempt from his rule. The city of God is God’s kingdom, his people, and his royal priesthood. As it says in Philippians 2:10-11, “...every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 1 Corinthians 15 affirms this by saying that God will put all things under his authority. The defining factor of the city of God, as in the city of man, is its worship: its deepest love. St. Augustine describes it by saying, “[in the city of God] there is no human wisdom, but only godliness, which offers due worship to the true God...” (477, Book XIV.28) Human wisdom, in all its grandeur, is but a speck in the eyes of the citizens of the city of God; thus, the true citizen will worship the one whose glory is significant.
What, then are the marks of this true and holy worship? 1 Corinthians 15 is a telescope, revealing the vast expanse of the glory of God. As defined in this passage, true worship in the city of God is marked by hope and faith. After an explanation of why Christ must be raised, and the hopelessness that would ensue if he did not, Paul comes to this joyous conclusion: “But in fact Christ has been raised...” In just a few sweet words, the tone is overflowing with joy, driven by faith in the hope of Christ. His rule, authority, and glory are of the highest value to the true citizen. This is the city of God.
The city of man loves itself; it rules itself; it glories in itself. The city of God loves God; it is ruled by God; it gives glory to God. As Augustine put it, “...the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, ‘Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.’” (477, Book XIV.28) The city of man loves ruling, and the city of God loves serving. Truly, the difference is in loves. In Luke 12:34 Jesus affirms this, saying, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” The question may still be raised, however, of why Augustine chose these particular passages over all others. Answering this query is taking a walk in the art gallery of Scripture. Throughout the Bible, many glorious pictures are painted of the city of God; many horrendous ones, too, of the city of man. Each is formed by the dipping of a pen into a pigment determined by love. One is a deep black, stained with the sins of the world. Many passages describe individual scenes worked by the city of man, but none so clearly and vividly realize as Romans 1 that what drives these evil lusts is not human glory itself, but the love of self. Likewise, there is a hue of stain that covers the citizens in the city of God: and this stain is crimson. Even more passages throughout the Holy Word of God create a mural of the grace of God, yet none is so distinctly and beautifully opposite Romans 1 as 1 Corinthians 15. These murals throughout Scripture, and their transparency, are the clear reason for Augustine’s choosing them to represent the city of man and the city of God.
Since the beginning of time, the human race has seemingly been on an epic quest for glory. Yet, as St. Augustine so sagely uncovers, the quest has never been for this. Glory is merely the overflow of the heart’s deepest love. Two cities exist among humanity: one, its own; the other, the Lord’s. The city of man, represented in Romans 1, is driven by a love of itself -- a love that every moment hurls it further from the truth. The city of God, portrayed in 1 Corinthians 15, is invigorated by a love of its Creator -- a Creator who every moment draws his city closer to its eternal glory. Each city is a painting of love in the Bible; the actions pursuant of glory are only a result of these loves. Indeed, love defines each city, and every occupant in it. Each will receive its reward, but in the end, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is truly Lord.
