First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers

74

First Christian Voices

By this instruction and by these rules let us establish ourselves, so that we will walk with all humility in obedience to His holy words. For the holy word says, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isa 66:2). P olycarp to the P hilippians 1: I have greatly rejoiced with you in our Lord Jesus Christ. You have followed the example of true love. As fitting you, you have accompanied those who were bound in chains—the fitting ornaments of saints which are indeed the crowns of the true elect of God and our Lord. The strong root of your faith, spoken of in days long gone by, endures even until now and brings fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ who for our sins suffered even to death: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death” (Acts 2:24). “Though you do not now see Him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet 1:8), which many desire to enter knowing that “by grace you have been saved . . . not a result of works” (Eph 2:8–9), but by the will of God through Jesus Christ. The Suffering of Jesus Christ F irst C lement 49: Let him who has love in Christ keep the commandments of Christ. Who can describe the bond of the love of God? What person is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it should be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things. It is longsuffering in all things. There is nothing improper, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no division. Love gives rise to no seditions. Love does all