Quotation from Augustine

“…are men to pray to you and learn to know you through their prayers? Only, how are they to call up on the Lord until they have learned to believe in him? And how are they to believe in him without a preacher to listen to?”[1]
This is a quote from Augustine’s Confessions in which he is speaking to God. It is so important to have people to teach the gospel. It is imperative to have defenders of the faith such as the church fathers; people that no matter what the cost will defend and preach the correct theologies about God’s word. How could Christianity have survived all of these years without teachers? But we have an amazing history because of the sacrifice others have made for the name of our God. Augustine’s statement parallels to Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Augustine probably derived the idea from this scripture. This statement is an encouragement to Christians to go out and preach the Bible as God would have them do. Through the teaching of Christians, future generations have hope of salvation.
[1] St. Augustine, Confessions, trans. R.S. Pine-Coffin (London, England: Penguin Books, 1961), book 1 page 1.